Advice/Input on Buying Low Mileage 2013 Suburban LTZ

[Fosscore]

Need some TYF input/advice/thoughts.

I have 3 months left (Dec 2016) on our Honda Odyssey lease and the wife is ready for a change after 5 years. I can't blame her for wanting a change, even though the Honda Odyssey does everything we need it to. Road trips, camping, kids, dogs, grandparents, house renovations, etc... The first one was destroyed from the kids when they were babies and we just handed it back in and got a shiny new one, then did it again on #2 and again on #3. It was nice to give the wife a brand new van every 1.5 years because Honda wanted/needed the used inventory and were happy to put us in the new model.

I want to put her in a full size GM for the room and versatility that the mid-size SUV just won't offer our family. The Odyssey isn't too much different on the overall dimensions when compared to the GMT900 platform.

I have an opportunity to purchase the company's 2013 Suburban LTZ. It is WDT, fully loaded, (Nav, Bluetooth, power running boards, rear entertainment, cooled seats, heated steering wheel, 2nd row buckets, etc...). It has only 15000 miles (Sept 2016) on the clock and is in excellent condition exterior and interior. It has towed a little bit over that time, but less than 25 foot boat and not long distances.
(I am not sure of the length of the factory warranty still available).

I have driven the Suburban off and on since 2013, had it serviced regularly, had a few scratches fixed at the body shop (looks perfect) and will be driving it exclusively until December. At that point, I have to make my decision to purchase it outright or let it get traded in as the company wants something a bit smaller.

My alternative plan is to maybe save money and look for a higher mileage Suburban, Yukon XL or even Denali for the extra bells and whistles for the wife and bigger motor for me. The savings would be considerable for a higher mileage, same year range vehicle, but picking something up for more money that I know what I am getting into could be a smart move.

NADA and KBB are listing the LTZ from $38000 - $45000 for the mileage, options and condition.

A bit more than I wanted to spend. So do I ante up and grab a vehicle that has such low mileage and is in great shape or save on the purchase price (could be $10000 - $15000 less depending on the year and mileage) and buy a higher mileage vehicle with many unknowns.

Let me hear your advice/input. Thanks.

Here are a few pics of the 2013 Suburban LTZ with 15000 miles.

 

[MichaelSE]

Wow, that is a ridiculously clean Suburban. I also have a WDT Suburban and get compliments on it often.

A few things to consider, though: this one is 2wd, which will greatly reduce resale value if/when you decide to sell.
I assume you don't need 4x4 since you're driving an Odyssey, but just something to think about.

If you buy, you will be driving for several years with the technology of an NNBS. Which isn't bad, but the interior and technology of my NNBS pales in comparison to the '16 Suburban LTZ I test drove a few weeks ago. So take a look at what technology you want now or think you might want in the future. Some advantages K2XX LTZs/Denalis/Escalades have are standard Apple Carplay, a much better nav system, lane departure, and available adaptive cruise. I know those are things I'd want on my next vehicle, whether it's a GM or not.

However, you know this vehicle and you know its service history, which is a huge plus. It may be a while until used 2015+ SUVs regularly break into the <$45k range. I did a quick search on cars.com and there's are only a few 2015 LTZs priced at $45k or below, and they all have 40k+ miles. All in all, depends on what you want/need, what you will want/need, and how much you're willing to spend.

 

[adventurenali92]

The price range on the 15+ models is ridicoulous. Especially for the ltz package. You can always pick up the 13 and add features that you want like a better nav/infotainment system. Maybe not features like lane keep and adaptive cruise. But that's gonna be up to you to decided if you have to have it or not. Personally I wouldn't need those features. I just want a really good infotainment system and that's easy to add to an NNBS model. I think you're better off going with that 2013. It looks to be in excellent condition. And knowing the vehicles history is a big plus in my opinion. You will know what it needs and when because you've been driving it. I agree with you @Fosscore ,on a higher mileage Denali with a 6.2. But that's gonna come down to whether or not you have to have it.

 

[07Burb]

I'd buy it in a heartbeat! We've had our '07 for over 6 years and my wife still loves it. And 15,000 miles is virtually brand new.

 

[Fosscore]

Thanks guys your replies. Appreciate it.

I have driven the 15 and 16 Suburban, Tahoe and Yukon XL for work. I'm pretty lucky to actually compare all 3 platforms and different trim levels.

Points well taken on future technology that has been upgraded from the NBS and NNBS to the 15+ models, but honestly all the extras is great, but my wife isn't too bothered.

I can certainly appreciate the improvements, but not justify at this moment even the used car depreciation and lowered price on such a new vehicle.

Bluetooth and rear camera are tops for the wife. The LTZ has that and more. The rest is gravy. And the 15+ models, even used are crazy prices or super high miles. The 16 XL I drove last week had 35000 miles on it already.

I've got some time to decide, but seriously considering buying it just given the low miles, service history and condition alone. A dealer is just going to low ball the company and then mark it way up.

Still interested in opinions. Thanks guys.

 

[NathanJax]

Just came in here because I saw the title and was going to have to ban you if you were getting rid of your tahoe...


carry on...

 

[Fosscore]

@NathanJax

Just came in here because I saw the title and was going to have to ban you if you were getting rid of your tahoe...

carry on...

Negative ghost rider, but thanks for the hall pass. Just trying to add another GM to the family and keep the wife happy, even though I still think the Odyssey would work. Funny story.....the wife even offered to drive the 06 and let me buy a crew cab??


I am not so sure I could watch her and the kids drive down the street in the modded beast wondering when she would curb a wheel or have a shopping trolley wipe out the side.

Back to pondering the LTZ...and maybe a future crew cab....

 

[Fosscore]

Took the family on a road trip to Universal Studios this weekend in the Suburban to give the wife a better feel for the ride and bells and whistles of the LTZ.

413 miles round trip
18.1 mpg average w/ cruise set on 75mph on the turnpike
Fuel used just over 3/4 tank

Toggled between XM in front and DVD movie with headphones in back for the kids to full movie throughout the truck and lots of kid road trip snacks. Had a great time and no issues en route. I did notice the dreaded dash crack by the passenger airbag now that I am spending more time using the truck. What a bummer to have that already cracked by 15000 miles. And not having the front windows tinted is driving me crazy! Still gunning for the purchase and I think the wife is onboard. Will keep options open for a while.

 

[07Burb]

Do it!!!!

 

[#1taho]

That is an extremely clean truck. If you can swing it then BUY IT. And you already know the service history (bonus) and you know the reliability and life span of these vehicles. The extra bells you can add.

I say giver. Got my vote.

 

[aflumb]

man even with my 2012 Tahoe LT only having 42K miles i would drop it for that suburban in a heart beat. Just to have the extra room.

 

[K2 Kaiju]

You have the advantage of knowing the vehicle history, which you would not in some high mileage alternative.
You will have the best gmt 900 head unit which was updated in 2012 with the touch screen hard drive navigation/20G music storage - plenty of room to keep a nice variety of tunes until you change it. It wont stream music via blue tooth, but I have found this to be over-rated as the HD or USB works really well. It wont do text on screen which is something I would like, but you can pause live radio for 20 minutes. The NAV works perfect and automaps new roads to HD.
The engine has worse MPG, but is reliable - 2011 saw the AFM lifters improved to correct the oil consumption issue. No direct injection.
The 6 speed tranny has proven to be reliable, and the diffs are solid.
My 2013 is 4 years old with no dash cracks possibly because I never use anything on it besides a damp cloth.

I would get it if I were you...

 

[K2 Kaiju]

Wait, 2WD? Never mind...get a Denali...

 

[Fosscore]

You have the advantage of knowing the vehicle history, which you would not in some high mileage alternative.
You will have the best gmt 900 head unit which was updated in 2012 with the touch screen hard drive navigation/20G music storage - plenty of room to keep a nice variety of tunes until you change it. It wont stream music via blue tooth, but I have found this to be over-rated as the HD or USB works really well. It wont do text on screen which is something I would like, but you can pause live radio for 20 minutes. The NAV works perfect and automaps new roads to HD.
The engine has worse MPG, but is reliable - 2011 saw the AFM lifters improved to correct the oil consumption issue. No direct injection.
The 6 speed tranny has proven to be reliable, and the diffs are solid.
My 2013 is 4 years old with no dash cracks possibly because I never use anything on it besides a damp cloth.

I would get it if I were you...

Thanks for the input. I live near the beach in South Florida. We are unlikely to ever go off roading and getting to the snow for us is a big drive, so the need for 4WD down here is ultimately unnecessary. Thanks the input on the upgrades for that year. Always good to keep in mind. Still have to see what the end purchase $$ will be. Be closer to November, so I am still researching and playing with numbers to see what will work best. Yes the low mileage and service history knowledge is what is holding me to it, plus the LTZ package for the wife. Thanks.

 

[Fosscore]

Ok guys. Just waiting on my boss to get back to me on what they think is a good selling price for the Suburban. I've done my research on cars.com, nadaguides.com and kbb.com and looked at many comparable trucks within 100 miles both private and dealer sales at or near the same year and trim level, many with close to 100000 +/- a few thousand miles, so I know what the values are at the low and high end for trade in, private sale, etc...

Now it is the waiting game to see what they come back with and if it is in the ballpark we want to buy it for.

Given this information, what do you guys think would be a reasonable price to try and get this 2013 Suburban 2WD LTZ loaded, 16000+ miles, very good condition. Bumper-to-bumper warranty just expired in June 2016, however the Powertrain Warranty is still in effect until June 2018.

So far the only defects I have found are the passenger side air bag small crack, a few spots on the carpet, 2 or 3 very minor dings that you have to see in the right light. Has had a few oil changes since purchase, no recalls and clean history. Basically a new truck that is broken in with a clean body and the underside and engine compartment are virtually spotless as is the interior.

I just want to hear what you guys think is a good purchase price. Thanks. Look forward to your input.

 

[07Burb]

I may be too low but my thought is 20-25k

 

[Fosscore]

Man I wish the boss would go that low, but not sure based on the online sites that it will even touch the 20's.

 

[07Burb]

Probably not. Wasn't sure if my thought was realistic or not lol

 

[08HoeCD]

Sounds like you love this Suburban and your wife digs it, too. I think it's a great way to go. Sure, you can search for a unit with higher miles at lower cost, yet on many levels we're either paying the higher price of a newer vehicle with fewer issues or we're paying to address issues on an older rig. I know you know your way around repairs and don't fear them, but it's also nice not to have to worry about those things.

I presume you can expect to see decent equity derived from selling-off the Odyssey, so leverage that and your great working relationship at work to do this deal.

 

[Matt06Yukon]

So AFM isn't too much of a worry after 2011? I shop for 2007-2014 Tahoe's and Yukon's alot also. But i have been leaning more towards the Denalis to get the un-AFMed 6.2. I'm always worried about that stupid setup. As far as this Burbie, $38,000 seems way too high to me for a 2wd. I would think $30-32,000 would be reasonable. However, LTZ Tahoes and Suburbans are more rare than decked out Denali's and XL's, so they seem to command a slightly higher price. Always wanna start low though...