Bang for your Buck; Escky, Denali, or LTZ

[IanSLT]

Now that some of you have had some seat time in your wonderful rides and maybe some time to refect a little on your purchase, if one was to ask you if you would buy the same truck again...would you or would you alter your purchase ?. Lets use the production year(s) as 2008/2009 for this thread as I'm keen to know if say an Escalade is a better choice in the long run than a loaded Denali or even say a LTZ with a 6.2 motor.

Cheers Ian

 

[stevek]

Esky might have higher insurance costs, other than that I have no idea.

 

[zach2011]

I would go with a Denali, it is very similar to the Escalade for a lot less, but the Escalade does have its perks like bigger nav screen, HID's with auto high beams, etc. Both have softer leather than the LTZ though.

Also, I would stick with year model 2008 to keep the heated windshield fluid system and rainsense wipers, although I think the wipers were deleted in 2010 and not 2009 models.

 

[R.Beezy]

i think its all personal preference and how much money you're willing to spend. u gota remember, all 3 trucks (yukon, tahoe, escalade) are all pretty much the same thing.. all built on the same gm chassis. but if i had the money to get an escalade, id get an escalade just cuz i like the way it looks especially with the factory 22's that most of them come with. much more luxurious than a tahoe or yukon, cuz its a caddy

 

[BillBlatt18]

get an 08 denali with the 6.2

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I wanted a used esky over a new tahoe, but the insurance was $300/month vs $110/month for a tahoe... I do wish i had the 6.2L though... also the 09+ tahoe has the 6 speed auto + brake controller + blue tooth.

 

[williajj]

I debated this for a long time before I bought my Denali and I am very happy with my decision. I considered all 3, but what it really came down to was the 6.2L and at the time the 6-speed tranny. I saved $10K by not going with an Esky and IMO the Denali looks every bit as good as an Esky... if not better. You can get dealer installed GM 22's now on any NNBS.

Keep in mind that the Tahoe is 4WD vs. AWD in the Esky and Denali.

 

[SLTexas]

It's all personal preference. If I could've afforded it I would have gone with an Escalade. I was even looking at used Escalades. I wanted a Denali, but still a little too expensive for me. So I went with an 07 Yukon SLT fully loaded with every option except 4WD and rear DVD. Added a Denali grill and it looks just as good with all the luxury features. You can t go wrong with either choice. LTZ or Denali or if you can Escalade.

 

[InTruckDesign]

I would go with a Tahoe or Yukon just for the fact that it gives you the ability to lock the transfer case in 4hi and 4lo..the Esky and Denali do not allow that option.

 

[stevek]

I would go with a Tahoe or Yukon just for the fact that it gives you the ability to lock the transfer case in 4hi and 4lo..the Esky and Denali do not allow that option.

99% of people don't even need 4lo - it's a marketing scam. Same with AWD.

 

[phileaglesfan]

Esky to Denali is about a $15k price drop which is huge. An Esky on 22s does look nice but the ride will suffer, as will performance. Denali's 20s are a nice compromise. Insurance difference would have been about $20 a month for me, which is about a 40% increase. There is also something called Cadillac tax where the same part costs more just because it is for a Caddy.

The Tahoe LTZ was nice but since I got the XL I would be looking at a Suburban.

AWD is great for northern climates. Unless you go serious off road or towing a heavy boat out of the water you will probably never see 4LO. AWD is not just for winter driving also as it'll work great in the rain.

GMC dealer was a lot nicer on trade-in for my 06 Envoy Denali (about $2k more).

I test drove a hybrid esky and while it was nice, it isn't worth the initial cost.

Now if the Esky's base interior was the platinum then I would have seriously considered it. Fake wood in a $75k vehicle is a no-no.

My 2009 Denali has rainsense and I don't think it has a heated washer since it didn't get recalled. It even says heated wiper fluid is not included on the window sticker.

 

[NJ Denali]

I couldn't justify a new Denali for the amount of driving I do. I bought a 3 year old Denali (07 6.2 6spd auto) with 19,000 miles for less than most were quoting for 2008 1LT Tahoes with twice the mileage. I paid for the price with a bit of aggravation, but in the end it was way worth it.

Denali for me.

 

[Tonygxp]

bro, i bought an '09 Tahoe LTZ and traded it in because i should've bought the denali lol... If I could JUSTIFY the expense i would have bought the Esky but wifey thought it too "Blingy" and with the economy in the crapper it probably would've been keyed umpteen times by now by my neighbors who keep losing their jobs.. Whatever you do get one with the 6.2 and cooled seats (had that in the LTZ but that leather, color of the fake wood, and the 5.3 drove me to the denali..)

 

[sumo]

i have a 08 tahoe Lt, If i were to buy again, it would be a tahoe again but this time would but the Z71 lift it and put aggressive rims and tires

 

[skippy737]

the denali wins hands down--- all the extras and no cadillac bling.

its only a few more thou than the best tahoe, and the denali is only a few thou mroe than the simlarly loaded SLT but its about bang for your buck-- the cadillac cant justify so much more than the denali with a few "big dea" optionss that could be added to the denali for cheaper anyway.


i bought my loaded denali with sun and destinations package ( sunroof, dvd, nav captain seats and side blind zone alerts for......

$51,250 with a 05 yukon slt loaded with nav and moonroof and 105K miles -- they gave me 16K ( i owned it outright)

so to me it was a nobrainer-- and when you get in those air cooled seats-- you know god was a man-- oh what a feeling.

the engine and the rumble is great too.


either way -- enjoy

SKIPPY

 

[leeadrian3841]

Premium Vs. Reg gas

Doesn't Escalade use premium Vs. Tahoe or Yukon Denali uses regular gas?
I am in the market as well to purchase Denali. Can afford the new, so I am looking for 07.

 

[Mr. B]

Denali requires premium fuel as well.

 

[IanSLT]

Great thoughts guy's and I tend to agree that the Denali is a front runner no doubt, I do like the front end look of the Tahoe the best out of all of them. Can you get the cool seats in the Denali and if so can someone speak to that if possible. The HP seems to jump in the Danali from 380 to 404 but I'm unsure to when split happens. The option OEM 22" wheels are rare but very nice, also a heated steering wheel would seem ideal on a cold snowy morning.

I welcome anymore facts / figures or just opions as I believe I will target a 2008 or 2009 Slate Grey Denali if avalible in the used market.

Cheers Ian

 

[doubletapdrew]

Yes you can get the cooled seats in the Denali as long as it's a 09+ (that's when they became available). It's a $650 option ($572 dealer cost) but well worth it IMO. Option code KB6. We were concerned at first about the durability of the leather being perforated but they seem to hold up as good as (if not better than) the standard leather.

I'm pretty sure the HP rating went to 403 in 09 as well but nothing changed with the engine so if it does have more hp and not just marketing (they don't feel faster than the 07/08) it's done with tuning, which is easy to play with. The Denali pickups were always 403hp with the same motor so I think it was more a concern about cutting into Esky profits with the same HP rating. In summary I wouldn't let the HP rating split be a big factor in your decision.

09 also got bluetooth standard which is nice in states that require handsfree calling so you don't have to fumble with an ear dongle. I hate wearing mine.

I thought the heated steering wheel was a namby pamby option until I got my denali and it's great on cold mornings instead of waiting 15min for the truck's heater to heat the whole interior.

My Denali is an 07 and I would get it again. I was looking at new ones a while back and with my employee discount they were still over $50k but we took a nice used 07 in on trade for $25k so I went that way. It doesn't have the cooled seats or bluetooth but I can live without them for the $ difference.
Also my experience with rainsense wipers hasn't been good. Neither mine nor my dad's (his was a 08 and he just got a 2010) worked worth a crap. I unplugged mine after the first week so it would go back to a normal delay action. Heated washer fluid is nice for getting crud off the windshield or making it defrost quickly although I have concerns about putting hot fluid on a frozen windshield.

So basically the biggest difference (bluetooth, heated/cooled seats, hp rating change) is between 08 and 09. 07-08 is very similar and 09-10 is very similar.

I agree about the Tahoe front ends looking best. The Denali reminds me of a smiley face and the Esky is too angular for my taste.

 

[sumo]

Obtw Ian is a Dumb name heh


Ian