Prospective GMC owner , what am I in for?

[Dakotakid846]

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a 2015 or 2016 Yukon XL and have been looking at a few vehicles over the last month.

Being that this is my first GMC, I'm turning to the people that have had them to find out what are some of the common issues, problems and pitfalls that are associsted with these trucks?

I know that all makes and models have their particular issues that are common..but I'd like to have a little understanding of what to look for/lookout for during the buying process.

In the past I've had great luck with the forums providing a vast amount of information and I hope to be as lucky this time.

Thanks guys, looking forward to spending alot of time on here!

 

[08HoeCD]

The general belief is that the 2015 model year was relatively problematic, supposedly due to it being the first of the new design/generation. 2016 and up are not so troubling.

 

[Miami-Dade]

I have a 2016 5.3 Tahoe LT not a Yukon Denali XL. I will be due for my 60K mile service in the near future. So far [knock on wood] just plain old regular service every 5K miles with 0w20 Mobil 1.

Get ALL service records and have a good independent mechanic put it on the rack and check everything out to be sure. I would look for 2016 instead of a 2015 even if the miles are higher.

 

[Dakotakid846]

Thanks for the responses.

I looked at a 2016 today...interior was spotless. Popped the hood and first thing I noticed was the engine block was oxidized and pitted and the headers were completely covered in rust. Taking a look under the vehicle...I see what I feel is pretty substantial rust for a 3 year old vehicle. All the steering components on the front end and most of the suspension in the rear had more than surface rust on the open edges and anywhere there was a bolt.

Very disheartening to learn that this kind of rust so early is a fairly common thing on these GM's and as much as I love the Yukon, its seriously making me reconsider looking elsewhere.

 

[Doubeleive]

Thanks for the responses.

I looked at a 2016 today...interior was spotless. Popped the hood and first thing I noticed was the engine block was oxidized and pitted and the headers were completely covered in rust. Taking a look under the vehicle...I see what I feel is pretty substantial rust for a 3 year old vehicle. All the steering components on the front end and most of the suspension in the rear had more than surface rust on the open edges and anywhere there was a bolt.

Very disheartening to learn that this kind of rust so early is a fairly common thing on these GM's and as much as I love the Yukon, its seriously making me reconsider looking elsewhere.

exhaust manifolds are cast iron so rust is normal, other rust however is geographical either is has been very close to the ocean or the roads it was driven were salted. mid-west/California trucks virtually never rust

 

[GTNator]

Thanks for the responses.

I looked at a 2016 today...interior was spotless. Popped the hood and first thing I noticed was the engine block was oxidized and pitted and the headers were completely covered in rust. Taking a look under the vehicle...I see what I feel is pretty substantial rust for a 3 year old vehicle. All the steering components on the front end and most of the suspension in the rear had more than surface rust on the open edges and anywhere there was a bolt.

Very disheartening to learn that this kind of rust so early is a fairly common thing on these GM's and as much as I love the Yukon, its seriously making me reconsider looking elsewhere.

Maybe it was a flooded vehicle?


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[GTNator]

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a 2015 or 2016 Yukon XL and have been looking at a few vehicles over the last month.

Being that this is my first GMC, I'm turning to the people that have had them to find out what are some of the common issues, problems and pitfalls that are associsted with these trucks?

I know that all makes and models have their particular issues that are common..but I'd like to have a little understanding of what to look for/lookout for during the buying process.

In the past I've had great luck with the forums providing a vast amount of information and I hope to be as lucky this time.

Thanks guys, looking forward to spending alot of time on here!

I would recommend a 16 over a 15. If you need this type and size of vehicle, the LWB GM trucks are a nice choice. Comfortable, roomy, powerful, safe, and easy to drive. I like mine a lot and am happy with my choice.


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[Dakotakid846]

Carfax has a clean title, and it was owned in Connecticut. So yeah road salt is a factor. But comparing it to my current truck in NJ that is almost 3 time older has virtually no rust....at least not as advanced as this 3 year old truck.

 

[WillCO]

Statistically these are very reliable trucks, aside from some issues with the 2015 new model.

Because they are (arguably) work vehicles, there is inordinate risk in buying used in my opinion. Towing, load, off-roading, and similar use patterns can cause latent problems.

I'd certainly recommend a pre-purchase inspection from an objective mechanic, minimally on any used truck or sportscar purchase.

 

[cardude2000]

Statistically these are very reliable trucks

I’m not saying this isn’t true but curious what statistics/data are you using? Word of mouth, personal experience or something statistically significant?

 

[cardude2000]

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a 2015 or 2016 Yukon XL and have been looking at a few vehicles over the last month.

Being that this is my first GMC, I'm turning to the people that have had them to find out what are some of the common issues, problems and pitfalls that are associsted with these trucks?

I know that all makes and models have their particular issues that are common..but I'd like to have a little understanding of what to look for/lookout for during the buying process.

In the past I've had great luck with the forums providing a vast amount of information and I hope to be as lucky this time.

Thanks guys, looking forward to spending alot of time on here!

I’ve had two. Last gen and this gen. They are solid rigs. Just remember they are $40k vehicles that, with enough cladding and add ons a can run up to $100k. But underneath they are $40k builds.

If you go into it with that mindset you won’t be disappointed.

What I like about them is that they are cheap to fix. Compared to audis, mercs, vws and rovers I’ve had, the gmc/chev/caddy’s are stupid cheap to fix.

Well...except for the dumb ‘single unit’ taillights which are $500+ to replace instead of $2 for a bulb.

 

[WillCO]

I’m not saying this isn’t true but curious what statistics/data are you using? Word of mouth, personal experience or something statistically significant?

Yeah, I figured someone would call me out on not citing sources.

2018 JD Power Large SUV Quality Awards

Cars.com consumer review aggregate (not scientific)

NTSA Safety Ratings

...plus my mechanic.

I'm sure you can find reviews where the Yukon/Tahoe did not score as well. Not sure it matters, I think there is always a wide array of ownership experiences. I found a site that aggregates self-volunteered owner quality reports, for example, which based on what I know about the internet is going to be a shitshow no matter what car.

For me, if I can find some objective good scores on a vehicle like the JD Power study in particular, I know that it's probably possible to properly care for a vehicle and get a good reliability result.

 

[Doubeleive]

I would keep looking, if rust is a problem around your area, look further and maybe have one transported, I flew and drove mine home 7 hours, Texas trucks seem to have a lower enough price to pay for the transport and still come out good, for whatever reason I see a lot of trucks for sale in Texas $1-2k lower than most other places (on average)

 

[WillCO]

I’ve had two. Last gen and this gen. They are solid rigs. Just remember they are $40k vehicles that, with enough cladding and add ons a can run up to $100k. But underneath they are $40k builds.

If you go into it with that mindset you won’t be disappointed.

What I like about them is that they are cheap to fix. Compared to audis, mercs, vws and rovers I’ve had, the gmc/chev/caddy’s are stupid cheap to fix.

Well...except for the dumb ‘single unit’ taillights which are $500+ to replace instead of $2 for a bulb.

I agree with your basic point and I've seen you make it before. I think it's VERY possible to pay too much for one of these. Denalis and Escalades at $80K are absurd.

I have a Tahoe LT which I think is a good value. It's probably more than a $40K vehicle with cladding though. I might agree with $45K and certainly with $50K. Mine was $56K out the door, which seemed fine.

 

[cardude2000]

I agree with your basic point and I've seen you make it before. I think it's VERY possible to pay too much for one of these. Denalis and Escalades at $80K are absurd.

I have a Tahoe LT which I think is a good value. It's probably more than a $40K vehicle with cladding though. I might agree with $45K and certainly with $50K. Mine was $56K out the door, which seemed fine.

The point I was making is that, in general, it’s all badge engineering. A $45k Tahoe and a $75k denali are almost identically mechanically except for engine.

It doesn’t bother me, I bought a $77k denali. But it helps you manage expectations when you compare your TOP end of the line Denali to a BOTTOM of the line GLS450 (as an example) that overlap in price.

 

[cardude2000]

Yeah, I figured someone would call me out on not citing sources.

2018 JD Power Large SUV Quality Awards

Cars.com consumer review aggregate (not scientific)

NTSA Safety Ratings

...plus my mechanic.

I'm sure you can find reviews where the Yukon/Tahoe did not score as well. Not sure it matters, I think there is always a wide array of ownership experiences. I found a site that aggregates self-volunteered owner quality reports, for example, which based on what I know about the internet is going to be a shitshow no matter what car.

For me, if I can find some objective good scores on a vehicle like the JD Power study in particular, I know that it's probably possible to properly care for a vehicle and get a good reliability result.

Good stuff. Weird the scores for all of those only range from 7-9 lol. Not much variance.

 

[GTNator]

The point I was making is that, in general, it’s all badge engineering. A $45k Tahoe and a $75k denali are almost identically mechanically except for engine.

It doesn’t bother me, I bought a $77k denali. But it helps you manage expectations when you compare your TOP end of the line Denali to a BOTTOM of the line GLS450 (as an example) that overlap in price.

I get you’re point and agree with it.

However, I will point out that the cheapest Tahoe LS with 4WD is $52,295, and the cheapest Suburban LS with 4WD is $55,095.

The other point I’ll make is that it’s not unusual to have such a wide range in both features and corresponding price within a model, especially with significant engine and transmission variances (like from a Tahoe to a Denali). For example, a base BMW X5 with AWD is $60,700, however the top trim with more powerful engine is $106,400. Another example is the BMW 3 series, it starts at $40,250. However the top level M3 with all options (like apple car play which BMW makes you pay for) is $88,747. More than DOUBLE the base 3 series price.


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[penak]

Following!this seems like a very interesting thread

 

[Tahoe14]

This is not intended for the OP but towards the regulars. Too bad we can't put together a sticky in reference to buying a used Tahoe, Yukon or Suburban as we are asked this question about once a week. We want everyone to feel welcome and we enjoy the questions and being able to respond. With as many times as we have all responded to this question we could have one heck of a sticky. I know this has been suggested before and I am just putting it out there.

 

[cardude2000]

I get you’re point and agree with it.

However, I will point out that the cheapest Tahoe LS with 4WD is $52,295, and the cheapest Suburban LS with 4WD is $55,095.

The other point I’ll make is that it’s not unusual to have such a wide range in both features and corresponding price within a model, especially with significant engine and transmission variances (like from a Tahoe to a Denali). For example, a base BMW X5 with AWD is $60,700, however the top trim with more powerful engine is $106,400. Another example is the BMW 3 series, it starts at $40,250. However the top level M3 with all options (like apple car play which BMW makes you pay for) is $88,747. More than DOUBLE the base 3 series price.


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Yeah...I think the M or the AMG’s are a slightly different beast than what we’re talking about here. That’s kind of like getting a Tahoe blown out by a tune shop like Hennessy or Saleen.

But still a non M x5 can go from $60 to $88k which is a pretty big jump.

Just nowhere near $48k to $100k.