Confused?

[04blahnali]

Hey guys! I been reading about all your rides for a long time and ive seen the good and bad of all types of rides. Until recently i owned a 2004 yukon xl denali that i loved. I had a few upgrades to it but i wanted something i could slowly rebuild and keep forever. I lost the thing and now i am looking for a new one. Based on my experience with that denali i know i want the big motor the 6.0 or 6.2 my question is which one is a better fit to keep forever and easiest to rebuild? The 2000 tk 2006 denali and esky or the 2007 to 2014 denali or esky? I live in gr michigan so i need the al wheel drive and i have 3 kids so i like the xl or esv. But my wife has an acadia so its not necessary for me to drive all year i ride a bike in the warmer months which allows me to tinker or the ride. Which is the best? Sorry about the book and thanks in advance.

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[swathdiver]

It really depends on what your personal tastes are. The newer ones have more bells and whistles and that makes them more complex and probably cost more to maintain in the long run. Having said that, I bought one of those but with the 5.3. The 6.2s are beasts, lots of power but the L92 and L94 have AFM while the L9H does not. Eventually you'll delete it anyway for durability and performance. Would you consider 4WD instead of AWD? Are you familiar with the changes to the drive lines over the years and when certain creature comforts were added?

 

[04blahnali]

Hi thank you for the response. I loved the styling of the nbs yukon xl denali when they came out so when i could finally buy one i did alot of studying. I know they switched to a 6 speed in 2007.
I hear nothing but bad things about the trans in the nbs. Mine was horrible until i had a tune dine by black bear and that solved alot of problems. I guess it would come down to the motor.
Is the 6.2 durable? I saw a couple guys out a super charger on it but what about a cam and long tubes and all the tried and true ways for more power? I have seen a ton on the 6.0 but less in the nnbs.
As far as styling i like the not much chrome look of the denali vs escalade but i hate that gm got rid of the good headlights on the nnbs denali but then put it on the escalade. I do all my work myself. If i dont have a tool ill find it or buy it. If i dont know how ill watch videos ask around and straight study it till im comfortable. I jusr want this next ride to be the one that looks good 25 years from now when its getting passed to my kids.

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[04blahnali]

Also i thought i read that the 07 and 08 had no afm? Started i n 09? Yeah i would 100 percent tune the shit out of it first thing.

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[randeez]

either engine is good, it'll be a very long time before any gen of LS will be obsolete. stroke it out to whatever you want if it dies. The difference for me was the 6speed transmission, stock tuning for it is horrible but with a nice tune it is a dream to drive. I'm definitely not a fan of the yukon styling (i have a 2012) but it was more important *to me* to have the 6.2, 6speed, and awd.

pre 2010 6.2 trucks are a toss up of what had AFM hardware and what didn't. trucks even with hardware dont have it enabled in the tune

 

[kbuskill]

2009 was the first year for the 6 speed and also the first year for the cooled seats at least in the Tahoe/Suburbans.... not 100% sure about the Denali/Escalades

 

[swathdiver]

The L92 had AFM hardware but was not activated in the tune. The L9H was AFM free and the L94 had a working AFM system. Randeez deleted his AFM and has done the performance mods and his truck runs pretty good but he's still dialing it in. All had VVT. 2009 was the first year for bluetooth connectivity, 2010 usb charge ports, 2012 new navigation system and incremental improvements like Hill Start Assist in 2012, Cruise Grade Braking Normal in 2012 and Powertrain Grade Braking in 2013.

Whichever you buy, buy a Tech2 to go along with it. One cannot properly, quickly and inexpensively work on these things without it.

 

[67RS427]

My 2007 Yukon Denali L92 (6.2L) is still going strong at 156k miles with a ZL1 blower on top... Stock bottom end for now. I would say durable for sure... No AFM or DOD here.

 

[04blahnali]

Would you mind telling me more about your 07? Maybe a pic? I cant figure out how to see peoples builds on here. A 07 or 08 is what id be thinking. Im not worried about electronics or anything i can always install aftermarket. Basically comes down ti body styling weather i lime the 6.0 or 6.2 and which tranny is more durable and body sryling. I assume that all the aftermarket parts will be found for quite awhile.

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[intheburbs]

If you truly want the most durable beast you can find, I'd have to say the '08-'13 2500 trucks. The 6.0 motor is going to easily be the most durable, and no AFM! And probably the easiest to service, since everything under the body has been around since about 2000.

I've beaten the ever-living snot out of my '08 2500 for almost 5 years. Bought it in 2013 with 100k on the clock. It's now up to 175k, and is still PERFECT. Not counting maintenance and tires, I've spent a sum total of $23 in repairs on it - bad purge valve solenoid I replaced myself. I've logged well over 20k miles pulling trailers well over 7,000 lbs all over the country. I drive it like I stole it, and haven't even had to replace the brake pads yet.

It's a 3LT trim level, so it has all the options - quad heated seats, bose, nav, backup camera/sensors, power tumbling middle row seats, sunroof, rear DVD video. Oh, and it'll pull an 8600-lb trailer into the Rockies, too. While carrying 7 passengers. Think of Conan the Barbarian wearing a tux.

Some of our greatest hits...

Running the "Ike Gauntlet" up 11,000 feet in elevation with a 7,000-lb trailer...

My son did this...