I am really having a hard time deciding trading my wife's 2004 GMC Envoy SLE I6 (130K mile)for a 2003 GMC Yukon Denali 6.0 with 97K miles. I only travel about 5 miles a day for work but I would rather drive the Denali than the Envoy. I really love everything about the Denali. After trade in I would pay $100 a month. (Envoy paid off) I don't mind paying because I have a 7 and a 9 yo and we travel here and there to visit family. I think they would have a blast with a bigger SUV. In your opinion, for the Denali owners, does this SUV live up to the hype? I wouldn't expect Denali owners to come out and say mine has a bunch of problems or it breaks down all the time. I guess I am looking for opinions on buying a 2003 Denali with 97K mile on it if Its worth it? If it was a Jeep Cherokee or something I wouldnt think twice but these Denalis look tough. Its just old. I would put only about 7K miles a year and then plan on selling. (unless I enjoyed it that much). Thanks for any opinions....
2002-2006 Yukon Denali owner questions opinions....
- Thread starter dvdman
- Start date
Denali n DOO
Member
- May 22, 2012
- 5,596
Denali's (Envoy or Yukon) are nice with all the extra gadgets in em. The thing I like most about my Denali besides the extra hp is the outside appearance of things like the chrome grill, chrome 18"rims, chrome foglight bezel's, different bumper cover, running boards and stuff like that. Inside I like the heated power leather seats and the sunroof. I could care less about some of the other stuff like power peddles, headlight washers, rainsense wipers, memory seats, air suspension, air inflators and auto climate control.
Denali's = More stuff
More stuff = More stuff to go wrong
More stuff go wrong = More $$$
Sometimes less is better
Denali's = More stuff
More stuff = More stuff to go wrong
More stuff go wrong = More $$$
Sometimes less is better
Voymom
Member
- Feb 3, 2012
- 2,523
Sounds like you have already made up your mind! I don't think kids(at least mine) will like one truck over the other. I went from a crappy Buick Rendezvous to my Envoy and they didn't give a rats ass about the exchange. A truck is a truck to them. If it's your wife's truck, why not let her decide?
Voymom said:
She got a Hyundai and I got her Envoy. The Envoy is not bad at all I just like EVERYTHING about the Denali. Plus its only gonna cost $100 a month. It just looks like one Bad ass SUV. I just wanted some Denali owners opinions about buying a 2003 with 97K miles.
meerschm
Member
- Aug 26, 2012
- 1,079
Not to be judgmental, but here you have my opinion.
you have two kids, need to make payments (says no cash laying around) and want to buy a truck that is a year older and gets worse mileage and will take more expensive parts (and has unknown issues you will find after a while), sales commission and tax for the transition are extra expense you could probably skip.
I have a friend who has a similar age Yukon, he drives a little car around to save on gas.
I would be happy, driving what you have, glad you only have to drive five miles to work, and enjoy the advice you have here to help in case your GMT has any trouble.
put the $100 a month into savings, for your retirement or a college fund, or for a vacation the kids will really like. and sleep well at night.
and just to make sure you have my full opinions, by have fun, i hope you do not mean roam around while you are moving, kids really need to be strapped in. no matter how good a driver or how safe the road.
(free advice is worth what you pay for it)
dad mode out, you may return to your previous channel.
you have two kids, need to make payments (says no cash laying around) and want to buy a truck that is a year older and gets worse mileage and will take more expensive parts (and has unknown issues you will find after a while), sales commission and tax for the transition are extra expense you could probably skip.
I have a friend who has a similar age Yukon, he drives a little car around to save on gas.
I would be happy, driving what you have, glad you only have to drive five miles to work, and enjoy the advice you have here to help in case your GMT has any trouble.
put the $100 a month into savings, for your retirement or a college fund, or for a vacation the kids will really like. and sleep well at night.
and just to make sure you have my full opinions, by have fun, i hope you do not mean roam around while you are moving, kids really need to be strapped in. no matter how good a driver or how safe the road.
(free advice is worth what you pay for it)
dad mode out, you may return to your previous channel.
gmcman
Member
- Dec 12, 2011
- 4,656
I say if you need the room and are always strapped for space, then get the slightly wider vehicle. I realy like the Yukon Denali's as well, but I bought mine (envoy) pre-kids, now they are 4 and 6...road trips can be cramped which is why we bought a used Sienna. I really think at the 200-250K mile mark the envoy will cost far less and likely keep going alot farther.
Add up the difference in fuel, the insurance if it goes up, and the payments and look at the final number after 3 years and ask yourself what can you do with that extra loot.
A van really isn't that bad either. The wife really likes it even though she despised them beforehand...just food for thought and it gets 27-29 MPG Hwy and has TONS of room.
If the $$$ factor isn't a factor, then I think your mind has been made up.
Add up the difference in fuel, the insurance if it goes up, and the payments and look at the final number after 3 years and ask yourself what can you do with that extra loot.
A van really isn't that bad either. The wife really likes it even though she despised them beforehand...just food for thought and it gets 27-29 MPG Hwy and has TONS of room.
If the $$$ factor isn't a factor, then I think your mind has been made up.
Cash isnt an issue. I just worry. Ive never had a car over 100k miles ( my wife drove her Envoy). My question is the reliability of the Denali for 2 more years...
Voymom
Member
- Feb 3, 2012
- 2,523
dvdman said:
It has been proven in crash tests that the older larger SUV's are far more dangerous than an older smaller type of SUV such as our Envoys. Food for thought, safety should be your number one concern when you have kids and when you are considering buying a vehicle your kids will ride in, not how fast it can go around a corner, or how badass it looks. For all you know, that yukon denali which only has 97k miles on it, could have been driven into the ground for its entire mileage, which will just turn the truck into a hunk of useless metal because it will likely cost you a crap ton of money to get it up to par.
I just bought my Envoy in January of this year it is a 2003...in 10 months I have pushed about a grand of cash into it, just to get it driving properly and reliable, and I still have issues that I can't figure out yet, that will likely cost me another grand to fix and I have YET to do any type of modifications to it besides spraying my headlights, tail lights and new headlight bulbs which cost me a whopping $75 in 10 months. My truck was not taken care of by it's previous owner, NOTHING was done to it maintenance wise, and here I am shelling out the money for it because i'm stuck with it. And mind you...the grand I have put into this truck has been parts alone, no labor because my husband and I have done it all in our driveway. Just imagine what it would cost had I brought it to a shop.
You know the truck, and you have a ton of knowledgeable people here who can help you save a ton of money getting it the way you want. If you want a badass looking truck, make it a badass looking truck....just my 2 pennies! Good luck with whatever you decide though.
"I just bought my Envoy in January of this year it is a 2003...in 10 months I have pushed about a grand of cash into it, just to get it driving properly and reliable, and I still have issues that I can't figure out yet, that will likely cost me another grand to fix and I have YET to do any type of modifications to it besides spraying my headlights, tail lights and new headlight bulbs which cost me a whopping $75 in 10 months. My truck was not taken care of by it's previous owner, NOTHING was done to it maintenance wise, and here I am shelling out the money for it because i'm stuck with it. And mind you...the grand I have put into this truck has been parts alone, no labor because my husband and I have done it all in our driveway. Just imagine what it would cost had I brought it to a shop.
You know the truck, and you have a ton of knowledgeable people here who can help you save a ton of money getting it the way you want. If you want a badass looking truck, make it a badass looking truck....just my 2 pennies! Good luck with whatever you decide though."
See that's what i like to hear about. You bought a 2003 Envoy and Im looking at a 2003 Denali. I worry about old cars like that. Its the problems but thats the risk when buying used cars. Im sure some people on here have bought used suvs and havent had any issues. I disagree with the safety of older smaller suvs than bigger ones. If you are driving your envoy and you get hit by a Denali its gonna hurt. If you are driving a Denali and you get him by another Denali I think it would hurt less IMO. Basically without $ worries or gas $ worries is worth taking a risk to upgrade to a Denali for $100 a month? I do appreciate everyones input here. I am really on the fence about this.
You know the truck, and you have a ton of knowledgeable people here who can help you save a ton of money getting it the way you want. If you want a badass looking truck, make it a badass looking truck....just my 2 pennies! Good luck with whatever you decide though."
See that's what i like to hear about. You bought a 2003 Envoy and Im looking at a 2003 Denali. I worry about old cars like that. Its the problems but thats the risk when buying used cars. Im sure some people on here have bought used suvs and havent had any issues. I disagree with the safety of older smaller suvs than bigger ones. If you are driving your envoy and you get hit by a Denali its gonna hurt. If you are driving a Denali and you get him by another Denali I think it would hurt less IMO. Basically without $ worries or gas $ worries is worth taking a risk to upgrade to a Denali for $100 a month? I do appreciate everyones input here. I am really on the fence about this.
gmcman
Member
- Dec 12, 2011
- 4,656
I say if you need the room and are always strapped for space, then get the slightly wider vehicle. I realy like the Yukon Denali's as well, but I bought mine (envoy) pre-kids, now they are 4 and 6...road trips can be cramped which is why we bought a used Sienna. I really think at the 200-250K mile mark the envoy will cost far less and likely keep going alot farther.
Add up the difference in fuel, the insurance if it goes up, and the payments and look at the final number after 3 years and ask yourself what can you do with that extra loot.
A van really isn't that bad either. The wife really likes it even though she despised them beforehand...just food for thought and it gets 27-29 MPG Hwy and has TONS of room.
If the $$$ factor isn't a factor, then I think your mind has been made up.
Add up the difference in fuel, the insurance if it goes up, and the payments and look at the final number after 3 years and ask yourself what can you do with that extra loot.
A van really isn't that bad either. The wife really likes it even though she despised them beforehand...just food for thought and it gets 27-29 MPG Hwy and has TONS of room.
If the $$$ factor isn't a factor, then I think your mind has been made up.
meerschm
Member
- Aug 26, 2012
- 1,079
dvdman said:
so if cash is not an issue, why are you not talking about how much it actually costs, instead of $100 a month?
either the envoy or the Denali should be good for 200k, if you are willing to do the maintenance and put up with an occasional blip that takes it off the road for a day here or there. but was it a gas pump, or transmission line leak, or radiator.
big SUV will cost on the fuel. EPA 12 mpg so your 7000 miles a year will use 583 gallons of premium. call it just shy of $100 a month.
meerschm said:
Cash is not the issue in the sense that buying a 2003 Denali with 97K miles become a money pit. Im just hoping some Yukon owners here can reassure that their trucks are reliable at 100K miles.
meerschm
Member
- Aug 26, 2012
- 1,079
dvdman said:
Go for it, but for some reason my math was off last night, more like $200 a month for gas.
after two years, almost 5 grand through the tank. but not an issue if you have the cash.
check out:
http://www.edmunds.com/gmc/yukon-xl/2003/consumer-reviews.html
for some reviews by owners.
It is a weird thing about the big SUV's and fuel. Even my 400 hp 6.2 runs on regular or mid-grade. And even for an '09 it has had it's annoying problems that required warranty and cash out of my pocket- oil cooler lines and brakes etc.
The biggest thing for me is the ride, comfort, and amenities that make a long trip a pure joy.
The new 6 speed transmission is a big plus and worth making the jump into the '07+ models.
A high miler repair can cost you dearly in the GMT900's but in reality, anything these days will cost you big money if it breaks on these trucks. My extended warranty runs out @ 144k km. At this point the $3000 cost of the ext. warranty has not been recovered. It would mean about another $2000 in repairs before I would break even with 28k km left of coverage.
Power lock actuators $130 ea - they did all four ..... one at a time. Each occasion was free (except my time) except the last one under the extended cost my deductible.
As soon as the warranty is over you have to be ready to pay. Even the new Cadillacs have reduced the mileage on their basic warranty. So now the GM Extended Warranty program gets a boost.
The biggest thing for me is the ride, comfort, and amenities that make a long trip a pure joy.
The new 6 speed transmission is a big plus and worth making the jump into the '07+ models.
A high miler repair can cost you dearly in the GMT900's but in reality, anything these days will cost you big money if it breaks on these trucks. My extended warranty runs out @ 144k km. At this point the $3000 cost of the ext. warranty has not been recovered. It would mean about another $2000 in repairs before I would break even with 28k km left of coverage.
Power lock actuators $130 ea - they did all four ..... one at a time. Each occasion was free (except my time) except the last one under the extended cost my deductible.
As soon as the warranty is over you have to be ready to pay. Even the new Cadillacs have reduced the mileage on their basic warranty. So now the GM Extended Warranty program gets a boost.
I can verify for you that my Yukon is very reliable. Not great on gas but I bought mine for the towing capacity and it happens to have lots of nice options inside as well.
It's had little issues over the years but they were all easily dealt with. I am my own mechanic so that's not a big deal to me.
Minivans don't really get 28 hwy. if you go 60 you might see mid-high 20s but do you really go 60 on the highway? My sister in laws '11 Sienna gets 16-18 highway (at 80 being driven poorly)
It's had little issues over the years but they were all easily dealt with. I am my own mechanic so that's not a big deal to me.
Minivans don't really get 28 hwy. if you go 60 you might see mid-high 20s but do you really go 60 on the highway? My sister in laws '11 Sienna gets 16-18 highway (at 80 being driven poorly)