Z71 Tahoe Purchase "checklist"

[sdshack]

New member here, but I've lurked for a little while now. I'm looking to purchase an '09+ Z71 Tahoe and am hoping y'all can give some suggestions of what to look for. I know from searching to try to check for standing water inside the doors, dash cracks, peeling "chrome" doorhandles and of course all of the other things anyone would check when looking at a used vehicle (make sure all power functions work, radio/speakers/nav/dvd, potential body/paint work, original battery, tires, etc. etc.).

Is there anything else in particular that I should be aware of? I'll be looking at two different Tahoes this coming week, both of which are at Chevy/GMC dealerships. An '09 black/black 2WD with 69k miles and an '11 black/black 4WD with 75k miles. Both are just about fully optioned out.

That leads me to my next question, I've never bought a car from a dealer before, so besides shady salesmen pushing me to buy the car on the spot, what should I keep my eyes and ears open for? Ideally I'll be trading in my '06 GTO for either truck if they check out, as I don't have the time or patience to sell it privately.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I hope to join y'all Tahoe owners soon!

 

[MSBlackZ]

You seem to have a good idea of what you are looking for. As for dealers I don't have any real experience with but they will negotiate with you pretty well if you know the market price of what you are looking for. Don't let them convince you to purchase something until you're 100% satisfied.

As for '09 or '11 that is up to you. I would go for the '11 because it will have a longer warranty if you don't plan on putting to may miles on it in the next couple of years. It really comes down on which one has been more regularly maintained. Getting all the paperwork is huge, at least for me.

Hope this helps!

-J

 

[sdshack]

You seem to have a good idea of what you are looking for. As for dealers I don't have any real experience with but they will negotiate with you pretty well if you know the market price of what you are looking for. Don't let them convince you to purchase something until you're 100% satisfied.

As for '09 or '11 that is up to you. I would go for the '11 because it will have a longer warranty if you don't plan on putting to may miles on it in the next couple of years. It really comes down on which one has been more regularly maintained. Getting all the paperwork is huge, at least for me.

Hope this helps!

-J

Thanks for the reply, John. Unfortunately the '11 has sold already, but I've been in contact with the dealership that has the '09 and will be going to take a look at it on Friday. So far they've been pretty easy to work with and are offering a fair trade-in value for my GTO, but it's all going to come down to whether or not the truck checks out when I look at/drive it. Because I'm right there with you, I need to know that the truck has been maintained and that there's paperwork to back it up. I keep service records of all of my cars and expect the same when purchasing one.

 

[AJ847]

Thanks for the reply, John. Unfortunately the '11 has sold already, but I've been in contact with the dealership that has the '09 and will be going to take a look at it on Friday. So far they've been pretty easy to work with and are offering a fair trade-in value for my GTO, but it's all going to come down to whether or not the truck checks out when I look at/drive it. Because I'm right there with you, I need to know that the truck has been maintained and that there's paperwork to back it up. I keep service records of all of my cars and expect the same when purchasing one.

Going to jump in here since I just recently purchased my Tahoe used about a month ago. Have to warn you that some dealerships will toss all previous records, the Volvo dealership I used to buy my Volvo's from would even toss the owner manuals from trade-ins. I got lucky with my Tahoe, the dealership still had the owner manual but no service records for me, not the worst thing in the world. I was more concerned to make sure the carfax was clean, no accidents, recalls had been taken care of, no liens, no flooding, etc. One thing I did take a look at was the last oil change sticker on the windshield which the dealership left, and it told me that the previous owner had just changed the oil about 750 miles before trading her in, which made me feel better about buying the truck, that someobdy would atleast change the oil sooner before trading it in, because it could have been a d**k that drove it for 10,000 miles and then traded it in.

Sorry for the ramblin answer, hope you find the truck you want, I test drove 9 LTZ's (Tahoe's and Avalanches) before I found the one that had been gently used, not owned in a flood prone area, had a clean carfax and that my mechanic gave the thumbs up to after looking at it up on a lift.

 

[Tiki]

Cycle steering all the way, check oil/trans fluids for consistency, flip the 4wd on off pavement and make a tight turn to ensure the front diff is gripping, look for fluid build up on the bottom of the engine compartment/back of the tranny/etc..

 

[sdshack]

Solid advice, I bought the '09 I mentioned in the OP about a week after making this post though!

 

[NativH]

Welcome to the club!

 

[felixgun]

Beautiful z71 man. I love the newer ones with the color matched handles/mirrors!

 

[08grey]

Good luck

 

[mike1944]

Congrats.