Considering 21 Tahoe LT or Z71

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

captainzombie

TYF Newbie
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Posts
13
Reaction score
5
My wife and I have been thinking of trading in her 2018 Traverse LT later this month. We've test driven both the 21 Tahoe Premier and 21 Sequoia Nightshade. Both are really nice with their pros and cons. We have had some mingling issues with the Traverse which for the most part have all been fixed under warranty. We've had two more issues creep up now out of warranty. We're considering going with a full size SUV since we have 4 kids ranging from ages 11 to 18 yrs old. It's important that the 3rd row has adequate leg room for teenagers/adults, really the only SUV that is good for that is the Traverse in its class and obviously when you jump to the full size SUV like the new Tahoe, Expedition, and Sequoia.

I have an 18 Silverado which "knock on wood" has been good to me, but our Traverse has had several issues that I would not of expected but being a first year vehicle guess it happens. The most annoying thing has been that they had to change our brakes twice, a cilinoid issue in the gear shifter, and the passenger seat frame having to be replaced now twice because of coming loose at the frame lightly rocking back and forth. We are trying to see how the quality of the new Tahoe has been fully understanding that it is a first year redesign. We also test drove the 21 Sequoia, while it is a nice SUV, the issue is that its dated since its on a 12 year old platform where they have only done minor updates. The other thing that gets me is that its a damn tank getting only 13 mpg city/17 hwy while the Tahoe gets 17/20.

Just looking for some thoughts and feedback since I know that GM has had its fair share of reliability issues for years and while Toyota is a bit better in that dept, I feel for what you pay with their price tags they don't offer enough for their vehicles being on older platforms for years. I think the Sequoia is due for a full redesign in 2022/2023.

I can't believe the price tags on these taking a decent $5-10k bump over the last generation. We are looking at fully equipped LT or even hopping to the Z71. Not sure that we want to pay the price tag of the Premier, but I've seen some dealers have some decent prices on the Premier here and there.
 

gat0r

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Posts
3,106
Reaction score
5,828
Location
DFW
all manufacturers have issues. especially 1st year blues.
supplier issues seem to be biggest issue.
its hot or miss on which ones have issues. :-\

check some of the other posts. some are happy & others have issues being dealt with

deals can be found, but waiting for the rush could be better

as some other members here have mentioned in past... waiting for low mileage CPO will get you a better deal & much better warranty
 

OR VietVet

Multnomah Falls
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Oct 8, 2014
Posts
19,192
Reaction score
31,541
Location
Willamette Valley
Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

Read thru the many threads here about the pros and cons of the new rigs. I almost did the same thing but more reviews and stories here make me glad I did not. Like has also been said, the CPO wait may be the way to go.
 

Oh Kee Pah

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2019
Posts
309
Reaction score
330
Location
MAINE
Unfortunately with the 2015-2020 model years of Tahoe/Yukon, teenagers and adults are NOT going to be happy in the 3rd row.
I have the 2 captains chairs for my second row - the 7 and 2 yo's child seats are there. The first time my parents came to town I had my 70+ mother riding in the 3rd row. She had her legs stretched out between the two captains chairs and complained about the "rough" ride afterwards.
Personally, I would NOT sit in the 3rd row unless I absolutely had to, and I would be praying for a short ride.

That said, I'm a huge fan of my 2015 Tahoe and agree with other posters here - wait for a CPO to come up, deals are out there. z71 trim would be a bonus IMO, but very difficult to come across these on the USED/CPO side...
 

Fireman591

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Posts
448
Reaction score
412
Location
Michigan
Avoid the Sequoia. They are doing a total redesign for 2022 and you would get killed on depreciation. An LT or Z71 with the signature package is a reasonable vehicle with lots of options. The premier is a rip off and does not come with much unless you add more options to it. By the time you get everything that the LT with signature package offers you are well over 70k. Before I would ever consider a premier I would upgrade to a Yukon slt. They come with lots of stuff stock like vented seats and driving lights :)
 

Stbentoak

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2020
Posts
1,536
Reaction score
1,676
Unfortunately with the 2015-2020 model years of Tahoe/Yukon, teenagers and adults are NOT going to be happy in the 3rd row.
I have the 2 captains chairs for my second row - the 7 and 2 yo's child seats are there. The first time my parents came to town I had my 70+ mother riding in the 3rd row. She had her legs stretched out between the two captains chairs and complained about the "rough" ride afterwards.
Personally, I would NOT sit in the 3rd row unless I absolutely had to, and I would be praying for a short ride.

That said, I'm a huge fan of my 2015 Tahoe and agree with other posters here - wait for a CPO to come up, deals are out there. z71 trim would be a bonus IMO, but very difficult to come across these on the USED/CPO side...

That's why I'm opting for the 2nd row bench.. it many be counter what most people want, but I want that space for PEOPLE. At times it could be the difference of even using the 3rd row at all. Captains chairs are nice, but for space utilization, the bench is a plus factor, plus I don't like the void when the 2nd row is folded down. That is right where our dog sits when travelling to look out, and he would not like being in a hole !
I also would recommend the diesel for mileage. It is one of the factors in why I'm choosing this vehicle. One of the last SUV's left that you can get it on. Will push mileage into the mid 20's which is exceptional for a vehicle this size. I'm also waiting for a later spring build, to let them work out any potential 1st off the line issues...
 
OP
OP
C

captainzombie

TYF Newbie
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Posts
13
Reaction score
5
Totally agreed that all manufacturers have issues across the board. It just comes down to how they handle those issues for their customers and at what price.

I think that it will be quite a while before we see any CPO's make their way to the lots. My wife at this point is very ready to get rid of her Traverse.

The Sequoia was nice, but you can tell it has been ready for quite sometime to get an upgrade. It'll be interesting to see what they do with it come in 2022/2023.

Like you said @Fireman591 getting the An LT or Z71 with the signature package is very reasonable and has many of the options that we are looking for. I even saw that the RST also comes close to the options that we want too.

I just have to see if Costco will bring back their $1K incentive which would help here since it seems like not many dealers are willing to come down to much more from what they are taking off the MSRP now.
 

OR VietVet

Multnomah Falls
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Oct 8, 2014
Posts
19,192
Reaction score
31,541
Location
Willamette Valley
If you have been in the military there is a discount to be had as well. The dealer can give you info to contact the site and sign up for it and be given a discount code.
 
OP
OP
C

captainzombie

TYF Newbie
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Posts
13
Reaction score
5
If you have been in the military there is a discount to be had as well. The dealer can give you info to contact the site and sign up for it and be given a discount code.

Unfortunately I was never in the military. Thank you for the suggestion.
 

ang2bmd

TYF Newbie
Joined
Dec 27, 2020
Posts
21
Reaction score
13
I have a 21 z71 and I absolutely love it! Its only got 1500 miles so I can't speak to reliability but so far so good.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

Forum statistics

Threads
129,070
Posts
1,809,879
Members
92,135
Latest member
Cbrpilot2
Top