Thinking of buying a 01-06 Yukon/Tahoe--???s

[jdurant]

Hey,
My wife has been driving around a Scion Xb for the last little while. I originally bought that a few years ago when I was driving all over town for work. I've been wanting to get her in something a bit bigger/nicer/more GM really for a while now. I was given the proper motivation the other day when a dude rearended us and knocked us into the car in front. Everyone was ok, but I do believe the little scion is gonna be a total loss.
Anyway, like the title says I am looking for a Yukon particulary(just because I like the grill a little better in this generation). But if I found the right Tahoe that could work too. I could find myself in the right Denali too. So here are my questions.

1. Is there anything/years/options that I should stay away from? Plenty of clean 01-02s out there was looking at the earlier ones to save a bit.
2. Not all Denalis are AWD, correct?
3. Ideally I would rather get a non Denali (because I don't particularly like the Denali bumpers or sidestep molding thing), and put the Denali grille and/or headlights in. Any problems with that? Should be pretty straightforward, right? Can I use just the Denali headlights on the standard Yukon grill, or the standard headlights with the Denali grill?
4. I should be able to put say 09 GMC wheels on it, no problems, right?

I think that is all for now. Thanks in advance.

[Jacfourteen]

I have an 01 4wd Tahoe LT and I am very happy with it. I bough the 01 for the same reason as you, it looks just like an 05 but waayy cheaper. I'm not sure about the Yukon questions but I know that my tahoe has the 5.3 and it has plenty of power and gets about 20 MPG on the freeway and averages 17 MPG in mixed driving (this is also with big 22" wheels). I hear the 6.0 in the denalis get much lower MPG's. I know how you feel about the tahoe vs yukon thing, I wanted a yukon but the tahoes are just so much more common I ended up getting one instead. I've thought about doing the conversion, but would rather put the money into my 68 since the tahoe is in good shape. Good luck on your search!

[Shane]

just sold an '02 Tahoe LT that was used as a company/business vehicle ... it had approx. 190,000 miles on it and I still got close to $8K for it.

It had the 5.3 and my mileage was pretty much the same as Jacfourteen described. The only thing I EVER did to mine in the way of work (other than normal maintenance - oil, tires, battery, etc) was a fuel pump replacement at approx. 150K miles and an AC compressor replacement at approx. 165K miles. This sounds bad, but I never saw a need to change them but I sold it with the original spark plugs in the heads - with 190K miles on them.

[JohnC]

I just recently bought a 03 Tahoe a few weeks ago. The main thing I wanted to stay away from when I was looking for one was the Autoride setup. I'm sure they are nice for the purpose they serve, but since it's not a benefit for me I didn't want the extra expense when they break. That is really about the only thing I have heard negative about them. The compressor is prone to go bad, and the shocks for them are expensive. Even if you go with some that eliminate the system they are still expensive ones.

As stated above the 6.0 will get worse mileage. I have a 6.0 in my 03 Sierra 1500HD 4x4. The best I get is 14.5 mpg. Granted that is in a truck, but still going to be a little lower than the 5.3.

My wife loves the Tahoe. We had a Trailbazer SS before. Other than that she has only had cars. I wasn't sure if she would like having that big of a vehicle, but she really likes it.

Good luck on the search.

[Jacfourteen]

Yeah I forgot about the autoride, I don't think mine works (never heard the compressor come on before). Mine still has the stock shocks and I think they need replacing, I think they cost about $400-600 per pair. I will probably convert to conventional shocks.

[jdurant]

Thanks guys. That is just the kind of info that I am looking for. About the autoride option. Certainly don't want to deal with that. What do I look for to make sure it isn't there. Is the compressor belt driven or??? Is it just for the rear or all corners?
And for anybody else interested--I can answer some of my own questions. From what I have read--all 2001 and up Denalis are awd and come with the 6.0s. Somebody correct me if I am wrong. So I would rather stay away from the Denali.
The Denali grill requires the use of the Denali bumper, so you can't just put the Denali grill on there. The lights however will work with the standard Yukon/Sierra grill. And later model wheels will work just fine.

So to refine my search--Ideally I am looking for a Charcoal grey 2001-2003 Yukon with a 5.3, 2wd. And I've only come across one grey one so far. Anyway if you know of one, let me know.
Thanks again for the info

Joseph

[JohnC]

That's what I just bought was the dark charcoal metallic 03 with the 5.3. I love it. The charcoal ones are harder to find, at least around here they were. I could find white, and pewter ones all day long, but black, dark red, and charcoal were few and far between.

The autoride compressor is behind the driver's side rear wheel on the outside of the frame rail. Also all the ones I have seen say Autoride below the LT tag behind the rear doors. The compressor is just for the rear shocks. However, the rest of the shocks have electrical plugs to them to give the computer feedback about them. It sounds like a great system when it is functioning properly. It's when it breaks that most people just leave it be.

Good luck on the search, and keep us updated.

[DBLSPRT68]

We just bought a 2000 Yukon XL not long ago. The 2000-2006 looks the same. We like it a lot. Although we traded a Honda Pilot in on it ..... Sqeaks and rattles are with the Yukon but love all the room and it rides nice. I did find out the transmission has a lifespan!!!!!! All the high milage ones you see that are selling cheaper have a reason, the tranny will soon go out. 150,000 + or - seems to be the time. Of course you might get lucky with one. Ours had only 80,000 one owner miles on it That's why we bought it! Good luck

[N2GMTrux]

I just bought a 2001 Chevy Suburban K1500 with a 5.3L and push button select 4WD. It's black in color with dark gray leather Quad captain chairs & third row. It has 183,000 miles and paid $6000.00 with brand new 20 inch wheels & tires. It's been well maintained & I love it.

S.C.
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[Jacfourteen]

Looks like a nice ride!

[60ratrod]

that's about what i had paid for my 01 tahoe back in june. it had the lowest mileage out of all the ones i was looking at, just shy of 114k. and the mpg numbers here are about what i get. i have about a 300mi per week commute and really only have to fill up once a week.

[msgross]

nice, I had a 2001 Tahoe, 2003 Burb and now a 2005 Tahoe and love driving them. We average 19-20 MPG's on trips and 16mpg around town. Plenty of power to do anything.

Mine has 64K miles and besides having the transfer case computer reflashed and an oxygen sensor (it has 3 of them) replaced we haven't had a single issue.

[jdurant]

On mileage--ive only calculated once. On the trip home from Dallas I was doing steady 85-90 mph. Then once home left it running several times to show family and friends our new ride. I thought it was gonna be ugly, but was very please when it came out to 17.5mpg.
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[JohnC]

Nice find man. Dallas is where we found our Tahoe too. I guess it's where all Tahoe/Yukons migrate to when they need new owners.

My search was really similar to yours. We wanted either black or the dark gray. We ended up with the same color as yours. We wanted leather, sunroof, third row seat, second row buckets, and no autoride. Only major difference is I wanted a Tahoe, not a Yukon. We love ours, and I'm sure you will really enjoy yours as well.

I love the wheels. I may need to show that pic to the wife when we need new tires.

[jdurant]

Thanks man. It's not just Tahoes and yukons though. Dallas has a helluva used car market for some reason. This is real wierd though--there were about 6 in the whole state that I thought were worth looking into based on price and options. The best 3 (including the one I bought) were located specifically in Rockwall-a little suberb of Dallas. 2 were darn near next door to each other.

And I'm real happy with the wheels. I normally like factory wheels and feel like they are typically of better quality. I think they will look exponentially better after I put an escalade roof rack on. If I were you though I would probably put the 20" chevy 5 spokes on there. Same basic idea. I'll find pics later if you don't know what I'm referring too. I paid $1100 for these for wheels and tires. Brand new takeoffs. The bridgestones are $230 new. So I feel like I paid less than $200 for the rims. (explain it to her that way). When I do replace these tires I'll spend about $140 apiece. The tire market is very competitive at this size--it's sort of frustrating as far as my other projects go.
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[JohnC]

Yeah I know the wheels you are talking about. I like those too.

I'll have to get some pics of ours posted up. It came with some aftermarket wheels that don't look too bad so I'm happy for at least these set of tires.

[Jonboy]

Dallas has a really great car market, period. There is tons of stuff here.

I kind of went the opposite way you guys did. I work at a Chevy dealership, but found my wife a 2010 Navigator that was scraped down the left side, cheap. It is an awesome vehicle.

[swb85]

You guys getting 17-20mpg out of these things are leaving me flabbergasted. I have an '01 tahoe 5.3 4x4 and I've never ever gotten better than 15mpg on a 100% highway trip, and that was down hill with a tail wind keeping it under 75mph. Normally it gets 14mpg no matter how fast I go. It usually averages 12-13 around town. I love this truck, but my 600hp camaro that burns your eyes at idle gets better fuel mileage.

[JohnC]

Originally Posted by swb85

You guys getting 17-20mpg out of these things are leaving me flabbergasted. I have an '01 tahoe 5.3 4x4 and I've never ever gotten better than 15mpg on a 100% highway trip, and that was down hill with a tail wind keeping it under 75mph. Normally it gets 14mpg no matter how fast I go. It usually averages 12-13 around town. I love this truck, but my 600hp camaro that burns your eyes at idle gets better fuel mileage.

It's the 4x4 that is holding you back on mpg's. One of the pros/cons of it. You don't get as good mpg, but you get around better when 4x4 is needed.

[nxtruck]

Originally Posted by swb85

You guys getting 17-20mpg out of these things are leaving me flabbergasted. I have an '01 tahoe 5.3 4x4 and I've never ever gotten better than 15mpg on a 100% highway trip, and that was down hill with a tail wind keeping it under 75mph. Normally it gets 14mpg no matter how fast I go. It usually averages 12-13 around town. I love this truck, but my 600hp camaro that burns your eyes at idle gets better fuel mileage.

X2 on this. My 01' 5.3 Sub. 4x4 is in about the same boat. Mileage is a lot worse than I thought it'd be. Anyone know any tricks to coax a little more mileage out of these trucks, besides just parking it!?

[msgross]

my 2005 is 4WD and gets low 16's to a high of 19-20 on trips...

[60ratrod]

My 01 is a 4x4 and has no mods and i only have to fill only once a week with a 300 mile weekly commute
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[Jacfourteen]

Originally Posted by msgross

my 2005 is 4WD and gets low 16's to a high of 19-20 on trips...

Same for me, I've only ever seen low 16's if I did alot of towing or mountain driving. With mixed driving it's usually around 17, and the best I've got was a shade over 20. Putting on the 22's hurt alittle, but not too bad.

[Liz]

jdurant, I missed this thread fully somehow.. congrats on the new ride! I have an 03 Yukon XL for my kid hauler. I honestly love it so much, I essentially keep the camaro parked 90% of the time now.
Good luck to you guys with yours.

[nxtruck]

Well, I calculated my mileage yesterday and it came out to 12.3 mpg. Very disappointed to say the least. This figure is a good average number, as I do a lot of highway driving and some in town driving, as well. If I can't improve on this somehow, this Sub won't be in my driveway much longer.