How many miles is too many (Denali)?

[Vistance]

I found a 2004 Yukon XL Denali that has 207k miles on it however the thing looks like new. I don't see rust, the paint looks good, interior looks to be in great condition and the only real wear I see is the finish on the radio button coming off. It's a one owner, and it looks like based on the Carfax they've had it regularly serviced for the entire life of the vehicle including transmission fluid flushes, radiator flushes, and other nice preventative things that it seems like most cars don't have done to them. I'd personally rather just a Yukon Denali as I don't think I need the extra space of the XL, but I don't figure extra space will hurt.

Is this too many miles for a Denali? I see people asking if 130k is too much and laugh because I know that's not too much, but 200k+ is what seems to be more of a question mark. I drive maybe 4-5k miles a year at best, and I have two cars now so I can rotate which car I drive. I always thought Denali's were nice and looked cool, but I have found a few Yukon/Tahoes for only a bit more that are more around 150-160k miles though many of those don't look as clean on the inside and of course lack the 6.0 or AWD of the Denali (Plus cheese grater grill is the best ).

Here's the link to the listing I'm talking about, it's $7,500.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/673959806/overview/

I was cross-shopping for a 4Runner before this, as I honestly don't really have a need for something so big and know they're reliable as well but they're more costly for the same year with decent miles. But this has more miles on it than my current highest mile car (155k), so a part of me is screaming that this is a bad idea to pay so much for high miles and would be hard to sell in the future. Thoughts?

 

[Okiedave]

I can't speak to your milage question, however I currently have an 01 Yukon XL and a 04 Denail (non XL). I must say I wish my Denali was an XL. I love having the extra space. I do like the look of the non XL Denalis better. I say all the time I wish my XL had the 6.0 of the Denali.

Just took a 2500 mile week long trip in the Denali with five people with their luggage and it was a bit cramped, compared the same five riding in the XL. That said my XL also has the bench middle row, vs the captains of the Denali. If I could find a middle bench for the Denali, I might change my mind about the need for the XL.

MY 01 has 177000, and the 04 Denali has 103000. Both have been fantastic maintenance wise.

 

[jesse53]

I'd check NADA for a price with those miles..I see alot with 250-300 k and they will run it, these vehicles are built like a tank in my view. I have 231000 with only a fuel pump as a major repair.

 

[Vistance]

NADA actually had retail listed at $9,450, so it's a few grand under. I don't regularly look for these though, so I'm not sure what's realistic or not. Does anyone know how much of a premium a Denali (XL or not) commands over a standard Yukon on the used market?

Also just thought of something else, how much does the transmission cost to replace along with the AWD transfer case? I would assume these are the two most likely things to go out on it, though the PO did a flush of the transmission fluid around 80k miles and again around 150-160k. Is anyone else at really high mileage on a factory original tranny?

 

[subieworx]

I have 250k on my 03 Denali and it still runs and looks great. I have done some minor maintenance items to it, largest being the rear main seal, but it hasn't missed a beat. I love mine.

 

[Vistance]

Checked it out today and it drove great. Very clean and nice, no funny noises, odd smells, engine looked clean, no clunking or sloppy sounding shifts. Previous owner was an elderly man who drove it since new and traded it in on a new one, it had a huge list of maintenance records that the dealer said if I was interested in it they couldn't give me due to privacy laws but they could show me that it had a lot. It's been local to my area too. The display for the PRND letters was a little faded but not as bad as some I've seen. A/C was cold and compliant, but not as frigid as some cars I've been in. Heated seats all seemed to work, no rust. PO only towed a car with it one time, and it was literally a single trip so nothing else was towed.

The only concern I guess I have is the transmission. I know it shifts fine now, and the owner did regular flushes of it and serviced it in every way religiously. He was proud to say it was the original transmission at 208k miles. I think the last flush I saw on it was at 170k miles or so. Would this concern anyone else as a failure point? Also he mentioned something with a design flaw in the front differential that he had fixed, but I think it came back and was fixed a second time? Also it had the rear differential replaced too, they were making funny noises but he wasn't able to hear the rear one only the front one. Thoughts on the transmission and those differentials? Everything else seemed very solid.

 

[cain]

My trans went out in my Tahoe at 250,000. I've got 267k on it now and still runs great.

 

[popo8]

My neighbor has an 03 suburban with the 5.3 and nearly 400k. All original powertrain. Another friend has an 2003 esky awd with over 300k... he has replaced the trans.

LTXtech.com IS my drug...
OWNER/ADMIN

 

[Vistance]

Good to know, I appreciate the feedback guys. One other thing I'm wondering, at some point I'm sure I'll want to sell it and get something newer or whatever. How hard is it to sell one of these with high miles? Sounds to me like these are nice and last a long time, but I can imagine (because I have been in and know it well) that the book value is crap and people won't pay you what they should for how nice it is so instead of getting hosed on selling it you just keep driving it. Then again, I've only had cars not trucks so I know that can make a big difference. I like the look of the '01-'06s, but if I could swing it I'd love to have the '07+ style (I like the tail lights and the updated interior) - but I'm pretty sure that'll go from $7,500 to $15k or more which defeats a lot of the low price reason why I'm thinking about picking one of these up.

Given the history, what would a fair offer be to make on that XL Denali? They had $7,500 listed, I was thinking of seeing if they'd do something like $6,000 and probably settle around $6,500-7,000 unless they would take $6k. I did have a place that had a 2005 Tahoe Z71 with 178k miles that was pretty clean, but not as much as the Denali (It had some rust on the front bumper, steering wheel was kind of worn looking and the buttons were gommy feeling). Had a pretty good service history, but nothing about transmission flushes or anything like that. I mentioned the Denali and its condition and they started rolling off some pretty low numbers. The last one he said was that they might take $6k for that Z71 Tahoe. Given the price/year/model difference, should I consider that Tahoe? I personally like the looks of the Denali better (as a model) but newer and lower miles does sound nice and I guess with the money saved I could get that bumper replaced. But then I lose the AWD and the 6.0.

Sorry if I'm pesky with all my questions, I've just been a car guy all my life. Never owned anything but sedans and coupes, so looking at these trucks and stuff is a big change for me. I'm just a single guy for now, but figure something good sized that can haul things when I buy a house soon would be useful. That part of me feels like the XL Denali is just gargantuan for me. I started out looking for station wagons, like Volvos and stuff but they're hard to find and I'm not sure how reliable turbo things are with high miles. Am I crazy for thinking about these vehicles that look well suited for a family but overkill for just one guy? It does snow here some winters, but not so regularly or badly as to make 4WD/AWD a necessity. I get by in my FWD cars just fine for as little as it snows, not that having the extra capability would hurt.

 

[subieworx]

Anything gas powered gets tough to sell over 200k for near blue book. I bought mine 03 Denali in 4/15 with 208k for 4k in good condition from a private seller.

 

[#1taho]

When it stops it's too many miles. Lol. When the repairs won't justify the cost to the miles. If it's in good repair and high miles then keep her going

 

[adventurenali92]

These things are tanks. I have a 2006 XL and absolutely love it. Fantastic SUV. Suits all my needs. The extra space is fantastic. And the xl handles a lot better in my opinion. The 6.0 is awesome for power and makes towing a dream. Your concerns on the transmission are valid. Any vehicle can have a trans problem. I just had my 4L65E trans rebuilt at only 83k miles because the previous owners put most of the miles on it and hammered the poor trans. It ran 2200 to have it rebuilt here in SoCal. But that seems to be the general price give or take a few from what I've researched.

 

[deerhunter1970]

I have a 2002 XL with the stock 5.3 AND transmission....with 462,000 miles with no major repairs

Take care of it, don't abuse it, and change the fluids, and these things will last a good long while.

That said, I'm just waiting for something to die (probably the trans). When it does, rather than spending 20K on a newer one, I'll just spend that on the drivetrain (6.0, built trans, diffs and transfer case).

 

[adventurenali92]

Also if you decide to go the route of the denali, put a bigger trans cooler on it. That Will help tremendously reduce risk of trans failure but keep it running at easy temps. I just did one for mine and I'm thrilled with my results so far. Before my trans was running temps of 200ish even under easy driving conditions. Since the cooler got installed hasn't gone above 150 which is perfect.

 

[RND Customs]

Hey I'm new to this forum so hello all!
Saw this post and thought I'd add my two cents worth to start getting acclimated to the forum.

I have a 2001 GMC Yukon Denali 6.0L, 4L60E, NP149. I purchased it in 2007 with 75,000 miles on it. It now has 310,000 miles and runs excellent. Original Trans, rears, transfer-case, and body. I rebuilt the engine 20,000 miles ago because it needed a timing chain again and thought it could use the attention. There were no mechanical issues otherwise. Every 70,000 miles I changed the trans fluid and filter and it still runs smooth and shifts strong. The point is; the vehicles condition all depends on the owner and how much regular maintenance they did.

The oil pump tends to get overlooked and is critical to change around 100,000 miles or less but can actually last a really long time. The real issue is they tend to just stop working and drop pressure momentarily and can cause you to spin a main bearing. As long as regular maintenance has been done and it has a good oil pump and timing chain, it may very well be worth around $7,000. These old Denalis really hold their value and I've seen them sell from 5,000 to 10,000 depending on condition.

 

[RND Customs]

By the way, I take care of my stuff but I'm ******* my Yukon. 6,000 RPMs all day and it has never let me down. Plus my top end is always super clean

 

[adventurenali92]

I agree with @RND Customs , well maintained and itll be a reliable truck. When I was shopping for mine a year and a half ago there were many for sale here in California with 200k+ miles for sale. I couldn't tell you how any of them ran as I had just gotten out of a 200k suv and was not even considering looking at a vehicle with over 100k on the odometer. But I know how they run. That being said I have a client who buys and sells a ton of used cars and he has an 02 XL Denali with close to 250k on it. I've driven his often helping him pick up vehicles and his runs like a tank. I also know his has the origins motor, trans, and t case. So I know that if you maintain them they will hold up.

 

[abishoff]

Also if you decide to go the route of the denali, put a bigger trans cooler on it. That Will help tremendously reduce risk of trans failure but keep it running at easy temps. I just did one for mine and I'm thrilled with my results so far. Before my trans was running temps of 200ish even under easy driving conditions. Since the cooler got installed hasn't gone above 150 which is perfect.

What kind of trans cooler upgrade did you do?

To the OP. I have an 06Denali XL. I was thinking about getting something new. Even thought I have 230k on mine I decided to keep it, and just do some comfort upgrades like a new DVD/NAV system, carpet, and seats. It didn't make sense to buy a new one when my runs so great.

 

[adventurenali92]

@abishoff , I went with the tru cool max 40k unit. Picked it up on eBay for around 120. I'm thrilled with it!