Buying Question

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wjburken

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The extremely high mileage would scare me away. The price is not good if you have to drop another engine or trans in it. I had an 07 Yukon XL 5.3L with only 191K and the lifters went. Not just the VLOM system but cylinder 2 also.

Don’t be seduced by the “Denali” bells & whistles so much that you don’t consider the drive train. It’s way over 200K miles already. It’s tired iron and may die at any time.
Having taken our 2007 Yukon XL Denali to 300K, if you are prepared to deal with the items that have already been mentioned like diffs and TC, don’t be afraid of the 200K+ miles. Pay the $6000, pit $2000 in a savings account and enjoy the ride, provided your visit goes well.
 

91RS

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The price is pretty good, I generally still see ones with 200k around me going for $10k. No accidents on the Carfax, only two owners, and been in the south it's whole life so it shouldn't have any rust. The interior looks pretty darn clean, and sure the dealer detailed it, but there's only so much you can clean and that's a good indicator someone took care of it. The biggest thing for me would be the suspension, if nothing has been replaced it probably needs everything replaced. Shocks, springs are sagged, bushings and ball joints in the front worn, etc. Be prepared to spend a little money on it but that doesn't mean it couldn't be a good vehicle - I've spent a ton of money on both of mine but I'm very pleased with both. I like the early trucks a lot better than the 11-14 trucks, I think they feel a lot better.
 
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chasescott66

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The price is pretty good, I generally still see ones with 200k around me going for $10k. No accidents on the Carfax, only two owners, and been in the south it's whole life so it shouldn't have any rust. The interior looks pretty darn clean, and sure the dealer detailed it, but there's only so much you can clean and that's a good indicator someone took care of it. The biggest thing for me would be the suspension, if nothing has been replaced it probably needs everything replaced. Shocks, springs are sagged, bushings and ball joints in the front worn, etc. Be prepared to spend a little money on it but that doesn't mean it couldn't be a good vehicle - I've spent a ton of money on both of mine but I'm very pleased with both. I like the early trucks a lot better than the 11-14 trucks, I think they feel a lot better.

Great advice, I am going tonight to check it out. Hoping all will check out.
 

baseballkid09

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So I am actively searching for an older Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade and came across this one from a dealer close to me. What do you all think?

https://www.kiaofcleveland.com/vehi...mc-yukon-xl-denali-chattanooga-tn-id-32872994
If it shifts rough, check trans mount, not transmission. If it isles rough, check motor mounts. Look at transmission bell housing to see if rear main seal is leaking, these Denalis are notorious for rear main seals. Make sure 12 way power seats are functioning. They are expensive to rebuild. Check upper and lower control arm bushings and ball joints for cracked or rotted rubber. Check for valve cover leaks and leaks coming from the coil packs attached to the covers. Those are easy fixes, but could also affect idle if seals are bad. Our 09 Denali has 150k, and it gets parked outside. 212k miles is nothing on a new vehicle, my dad has 380k on his 07 that he bought with 60k miles. There’s enough sensors and electronics on these new vehicles that will protect the drivetrain from detrimental damage. Take a scan tool to check for stored codes. Anyone who knows anything about GM knows that 2006-2007 was basically the best years for LS engineering in the last 30 years. They are built right. If the car was even moderately maintained, you’ll have a solid vehicle for years to come. And 07-14 Denali parts are EVERYWHERE.
 

baseballkid09

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The price is pretty good, I generally still see ones with 200k around me going for $10k. No accidents on the Carfax, only two owners, and been in the south it's whole life so it shouldn't have any rust. The interior looks pretty darn clean, and sure the dealer detailed it, but there's only so much you can clean and that's a good indicator someone took care of it. The biggest thing for me would be the suspension, if nothing has been replaced it probably needs everything replaced. Shocks, springs are sagged, bushings and ball joints in the front worn, etc. Be prepared to spend a little money on it but that doesn't mean it couldn't be a good vehicle - I've spent a ton of money on both of mine but I'm very pleased with both. I like the early trucks a lot better than the 11-14 trucks, I think they feel a lot better.
I did a full front end rebuild on our 2009 less than a month ago. Upper and lower control arms/ball joints, new Z55 shocks up front, and air ride in back. Change shocks first! You may be able to avoid purchasing a new compressor if the OEM is still in sound functioning order. I did the entire suspension, front and back, for around 2k but I did my own work, outside of 4 wheel alignment. It’s not that difficult if you’re mechanically inclined. Doing it myself also allowed me to use OEM replacement/upgrade parts instead of rebuilt parts to ensure longevity. It’s well worth the money IMO, because it rides incredible with the new suspension. There are options to eliminate Z55 suspension if you need to save money, but then what’s the point of buying a Denali if you eliminate the air ride? Make sure it isn’t a flood vehicle if it’s from the south. Just sharing my knowledge since I own a Denali and an 07 V-max crew cab and do my own work on both.
 

BG1988

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Going to look at it either today or tomorrow. Got them down to $6350. There is a leak that they are checking on though first. So that makes me a little nervous. I will check all of the things mentioned above, thanks for the great advice. My mom knows the GM at the dealership, so I am believe they will take care of me. Will definitely be on the lookout.
just hope they don't use a fix in a can leak repair :O
 

BG1988

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With 200k miles the LS engines always have a tick when they start cold. If it does not go away after 30 seconds or so thats when you look harder at the engine....

TIP- Pull the dipstick and also look inside oil filler cap.
mine Ran great tell it leaked out and the oil cooked & the engine ) now it makes noise upon start up and burns oil... it had 92k when it started doing that all ready down 1qt after 1,000 miles :(

I knew I had a BIG problem when i happen to look at the oil PSI and it said 40PSI when it should have been 60PSI @ 1600RPM




Before it
was always 6qt in and 6qt out @ 4,000 miles.. there was also Zero sludge or darkness at 4k miles (that is my OCI)

it ran like a clock, good ole Wednesday engine :D

This engine Would have gotten 500,000-700,000 miles out of it (don't worry about teh battery GREEN bean would have been my replacement choice :D ) but now i'd be lucky to even get 150k before it kicks the bucket.. :(


they lied to the insurance and said it only had a single drip line from the oil filter I have proof there is several drip lines on the oil filter I used photo editing to inverse the colors to a photo
negative image to see them....I have not hear back from them they said they would have someone look at the engine.... :(

i bought it in the winter time it never made any noise on a cold start in the winter bought in Feb..


VVT is more sensitive to oil loss(and cleanness) then the push rod engines... there has all ready several blown up v8's with vvt because the "oil ran low" 4qt is the failure point with them..

at the level there is only 2qt clearance with the Gen4 vvt and 4qt clearance with the Gen5 vvt systems...
 
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91RS

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Can you elaborate more on this D?

I am a HUGE stickler on suspension. I have an 08 and my wife has a 12 both have Auto Ride, 22" wheels with Michelin Defenders, 2/3 drop. My 08 drives much smoother than the 12 (I've replaced upper and lower control arms, front springs (because of sagging), rear shocks, and rear springs on both. The 10+ front door panels are cheap, creaky, and break often compared to the 07-09 panels. The floor covering for the second row seats is just carpet thrown over them in the later ones. I also think the seats are more comfortable in the early ones.
 
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