Looking for a new truck

[97SLeeper]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to buying my first truck. Ive read that these truck are reliable in the high mileage dept which is good to know. But what are the common things that fail so I know what to look for. I have my mind set on an 02 denali (non xl) that capable of towing my vehicle to and from nj-ks. I have a 97 3000gt with the intentions of buying a 05 audi s4 or g35(havent decided yet) just to give you a weight approximation. I'm looking at a price range of 5k to 7k, but just going off the pictures I might have to go up to 10k just because of the possibly better conditions. The truck will most likely be used for winter (fwd sucks badly in the Ft. Riley snow) or just going home to nj when I get leave with the possibility of towing another vehicle. O and I will be buying it in nj because all I find in ks is pretty high priced. Any and all advice is much appreciated.

 

[04SS99Denali]

if your buying a denali thats AWD make sure the front diff is not growling. do some tight turns and listen for excessive noise. you should hear SOME but very faint is normal. give the trans a good workout on the test drive make sure its not banging into gear acting weird. some other basic common issues are leaky oil cooler lines but thats cheap stuff. check and make sure the drivers heated seat STAYS on when you turn it on. the elements go bad and once they do the heated seat wont stay on and eventually stop working entirely. if the truck has the auto dual climate check and make sure the passenger and drivers side both switch back from hot to cold.

 

[97SLeeper]

Thanks for the help

 

[Z-56 Hoe]

I hate to say it but a XL would be better for towing, and you can be DD for that many more battle buddy's lol. No need to call staff duty.