Denali vs Escalade life cycle cost

Hi folks,

We're looking to purchase a new '18 and were looking at the Escalade Premium Luxury and a fully loaded Denali. Wife prefers the Escalade I like the Denali (not a huge fan of the interior cockpit, but it's not a deal breaker). We're looking to keep the vehicle for at least 10 years and wanted to hear opinions about the life cycle cost once the warranty expires, we'll probably purchase an extended warranty after the existing one expires.

This will be a daily driver averaging about 17k miles a year. I understand that the Caddy is more expensive and I could certainly save money by purchasing the Denali but wanted to hear experiences of owners who have had both. My biggest concern is the amount of electronics in each vehicle and the chances of having issues as the vehicle gets older.

Thanks,
O2bwn

not sure why you haven't gotten any responses on this. Seeing as how I'm looking into purchasing the Denali as well but don't own one right now,I don't have a true cost for you. But hopefully I can point you in the right direction: if you go to edmunds.com and input the cars it will give you a 5 yr true cost to own.

I am guessing with the vehicles being around 2-3 years old many do not know the answer as the previous generations are/could be different. I am not sure the exact differences between a Denali and an Escalade but I would think it is more looks than actual differences in the electronics. It will come down to which one you like better and how much you want to spend.

O2bwln said:

Hi folks,

We're looking to purchase a new '18 and were looking at the Escalade Premium Luxury and a fully loaded Denali. Wife prefers the Escalade I like the Denali (not a huge fan of the interior cockpit, but it's not a deal breaker). We're looking to keep the vehicle for at least 10 years and wanted to hear opinions about the life cycle cost once the warranty expires, we'll probably purchase an extended warranty after the existing one expires.

This will be a daily driver averaging about 17k miles a year. I understand that the Caddy is more expensive and I could certainly save money by purchasing the Denali but wanted to hear experiences of owners who have had both. My biggest concern is the amount of electronics in each vehicle and the chances of having issues as the vehicle gets older.

Thanks,
O2bwn

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The mechanical aspects of the vehicles are the most expensive to fix and are identical.

The escalade has a bunch of bolt ons that drive up the cost but I can't imagine they'd be MORE prone to failures than the Denali.

Related:
I was just reading about how extended warranties are generally not recommended when purchasing a new vehicle. Most who buy them end up not needing/using them; thus, the dollars invested in the warranty are wasted.

Many people believe it's better in the long run to 'pay yourself' an amount equal to the value of the warranty, putting into savings the warranty lump sum or a portion monthly. This way, you never gave up the money, and it's there (in savings) if and when you actually do need it.

On the other hand, if a warranty offers actual protection greater than its cash value, then the argument to purchase one becomes more convincing. Example: the warranty cost is $1,500 yet it covers transmission replacement with only a small deductible ($100). But I can't see how warranty underwriters can tolerate that level of exposure----they are not in business to save you money at their expense; they are in business to make money.

08HoeCD said:

I can't see how warranty underwriters can tolerate that level of exposure----they are not in business to save you money at their expense; they are in business to make money.

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Because 'odds'.

Odds are greater than not that you will not need a new transmission, engine etc. beyond that lots of warranties are not transferable and although everyone thinks "I'll own this vehicle forever!" When they buy, insurers know they'll likely trade/sell within a couple of years while the expensive stuff is still under warranty.

Then of course there are the loopholes. Have a truck with 90k miles and you change your own oil? That could get sticky if your engine blows.

The escalade has a different suspension setup, which I'm assuming will be more electronics to control the selectable suspension modes. Eventually down the road that could get pricy to replace I'd imagine. I've heard the CUE system in the Cadillacs is tricky and has failed a few times that I remember reading, but not positive since I don't have one.

Bigbeardenali1992 said:

The escalade has a different suspension setup, which I'm assuming will be more electronics to control the selectable suspension modes. Eventually down the road that could get pricy to replace I'd imagine. I've heard the CUE system in the Cadillacs is tricky and has failed a few times that I remember reading, but not positive since I don't have one.

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I think it's magnetic ride but just allows you to set stiffness. That's something magnetic does on Denali but isn't user selectable meaning it's just an interface nob.

@cardude2000 , I knew that already. I was just pointing out that it would make sense that the selectable settings on the mag ride would have more computer controlled components, and possibly be more pricy to replace should something go wrong.

Bigbeardenali1992 said:

@cardude2000 , I knew that already. I was just pointing out that it would make sense that the selectable settings on the mag ride would have more computer controlled components, and possibly be more pricy to replace should something go wrong.

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Potentially yeah, It has a knob.

If these were 1980's jaguars I'd be super concerned about electronics but I think we're all splitting hairs here trying to find material differences between virtually identical trucks.