Question for the 01-06 people

[drakon543]

i currently have my 97 Tahoe and my wife and i have been debating on moving to the next year model. yukon, tahoe, Escalade whatever i happened to come across that i like. my only real question would be at what mileage would you guys say nope if you were looking? regardless of price lets just go with seller says everything is fully functional and well maintained. i would rather spend my time going to test drive and look over a truck that i can have a better chance of it being dependable. aside from basic possible regular maintenance items at what point are the 01-06 prone to have the engine or transmission ready to go just from normsl wear and tear. i keep hearing this model range goes forever and i dont want to start off with a possible project on my hands.

 

[cmc76]

I bought with 136,000. I'm at about 186,000 now. Tuned at about 183,000 and never drove better.

 

[petethepug]

My neighbor bought an 06 Yukon Denali XL @ 140k for $5.5k from 3rd owner. It has Navi & video package. That was two years ago and still going strong.

eBay sells aftermarket leather replacement upholstery for the Denali for seats needing repair. All the seat bases and bottoms can have leathers replaced w/ new for $3-4h. Arnott in FL has lifetime replacement bags for all 4 corners for approx $100 ea.

The Denali AWD, 4SP Auto, 6.0 cast iron block, stainless exhaust, leather interior w/ heated seats & rear captain chairs, aggressive Denali only bumper covers, rear independent hvac and projector headlights make this 01-06 one of the highest owner rated SUV ever made.

Resales are crazy high on some but they can be cherry picked if you know when to pounce.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doubeleive]

I sold mine at 312k all it needed was a new rear axle and it was good for probably another 300, so it just depends on maintenance really

and I will add that I should have kept it........

 

[06JET]

I bought mine at 100k without any reservations. I'd say if maintained that 130k to 150k would be a safe buy. I buy used everytime and I always think that if I can get 100k on it after I buy it, without major issues, then it is worth it. These will go well over 200k with out issue.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Bought my 03 back in 2012 with 212,000 on it. It was well maintained and all stock. It ran and drove amazingly well. I didn't have any real issues with it--not until I started modifying it, but that's another story.

 

[drakon543]

well i never leave any of my vehicles alone. stock is boring always room for upgrades house and 2 kids keeps my upgrades to a minimum tho.

 

[KookyKoala]

bought mine in eairly 2016, bought it whole sale one owner from construction company with complete service records. 219k on the truck trans gave out at 225k. Other than that it's been reliable now has 255k on it. If it's been towing and has close to 200k look for paper work trans been professionally rebuilt or been serviced and pay attention to trans shift when test driving motor mines been running strong 255k.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Mine had 113. I'm at 140 now, and still making plans. It shows no sign of weakness. I've been looking for another amongst other options for a second vehicle. I think 130 is a pretty good "buy before" number.

 

[SnowDrifter]

Honestly.. It's a tough call.

On one hand, seeing vehicles with 300k in them is pretty sweet, and you know they were taken care of. On the other hand, that's pretty well EOL for a lot of components and you might have an uphill battle ahead of you with it.

Then you have lower mileage vehicles. And that still applies, but the flipside is any poor maintenance may not have reared it's head yet. I got mine at 114k. Thought the maintenance records looked decent, but the front diff had a leak and ran out of fluid. It's pretty borked.



All this to say... A lot of is really depends on ownership and maintenance. Ideally you'd want something well maintained with under 120k on it

 

[Bombsquad85]

I got mine with 99k on it (05 denali) but my 01 tahoe I had before I got with 250k on it and it ran great. Sold it at 265k with a lot of life left. That's why I was so quick to buy my denali

 

[OneofFew]

This generation is pretty good. Transmissions tend to last an average of 250k. Some people reported lifter issues on the engines. Take your time and find the right deal. Low mileage does not always mean better in a vehicle this age. I bought mine with 240k on it, towed it home, but that's just me- I buy vehicles with one foot in the grave and turn them into reliable DDs.
Take a look at maintenance... a 150k car may not be a better deal if the suspension has not been rebuilt yet and a higher mileage one that has already had a new trans and major things changed may be a better deal.

 

[adventurenali92]

Yeah the higher mileage truck maybe a better option if the trans and some major components have been replaced, like he said^. My 2006 had 74k on it when I bought it three and a half years ago. It’s needed things replaced, and that’s common and I’m ok with that. I’m @ 116k now. And still had all kinds of life in him. Runs very strong and has been an extremely reliable truck!

 

[drakon543]

ya im not expecting perfection when buying used vehicles. i usually find something that the owner gave up on and i already know whats wrong with it. but im also terrible with money so i generally let my wife handle the finances. she gives me an amount i go find something in that range. my 97 has been pretty good to me besides self inflicted stranded events or just terrible faulty products. either way we decided to buy a different suv either a different one all together or the next version of the tahoe yukons. she wouldn't mind a jeep but i like my trucks and suvs to be xl. probably going to drag my buddy with me this time too for the extra knowledge and pair of eyes. im a decent diy person but he has been a garage mechanic since he was old enough to have a job. mostly chevy garages but he has also been through a nissan and a dodge dealership. definitely not too stubborn to call him in on a job or just straight to the garage i use when i feel its beyond me.

 

[bottomline2000]

The engines seem to last 2x longer than the trans in these trucks. I lost my 1st trans at 160k..every now and then someone will post a link for really low mileage unit for sale on here. I personally like the 05-06 trucks since u get a lot of options factory that older models have to upgrade to like electric fans and hydroboost although I don't regret getting a 1st year NBS model. I don't have as much to go wrong on mine lol.

If u like upgrades there are some nice modded ones out there that can be bought a lot cheaper than the cost to mod. Post up some examples of trucks u find and I'm sure the we can break them down and let u know a good find.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk

 

[latvius]

I'd say 200k or less but like others said it all depends. I have a 2005 Tahoe and Denali, love them both! I'll be keeping them till the end.

 

[2591tdj]

i currently have my 97 Tahoe and my wife and i have been debating on moving to the next year model. yukon, tahoe, Escalade whatever i happened to come across that i like. my only real question would be at what mileage would you guys say nope if you were looking? regardless of price lets just go with seller says everything is fully functional and well maintained. i would rather spend my time going to test drive and look over a truck that i can have a better chance of it being dependable. aside from basic possible regular maintenance items at what point are the 01-06 prone to have the engine or transmission ready to go just from normsl wear and tear. i keep hearing this model range goes forever and i dont want to start off with a possible project on my hands.

I traded my 1997 Tahoe that routinely ate brake pads and rotors for a fully loaded new 2005 Z71 Tahoe. It has 160k miles on it with virtually no mechanical problems. It still has the original front brake pads.

 

[willinnashville]

Bought my 05 Denali at 99k in 2011, now has 166k. I'd do it again without thinking twice.

I have the original engine and trans, but have had to replace cat converters, rear pinion seal, gas tank charcoal filter and some weird check valve for that. I came to this from a 99 OBS Suburban, which was fine but started looking a little ragged. The 3rd row rear seats on shorter wheelbase vehicle is pretty sweet. It's considerably more maneuverable than my OBS Suburban was.

The OBS engine you have will last forever after replacing the intake gaskets and injection spider, but the 6.0 in the Denali is a lot more powerful and I've had no problems from it. The transmissions are the same for this generation, although the Denali apparently has a 4L65E, which supposedly good for more hp. The heater hose issues are still there on this generation. The sagging headliners and crappy leather used on the seats are also on this generation, same as yours. I was not much of a fan of the full time AWD until I got it in this vehicle, and now I seriously love it. I wouldn't go rock crawling or mudding in it, but it's great for driving where you're normally drive in adverse weather conditions.

The clear coat on the top and hood is getting pretty jacked on mine, which I don't think was a problem on OBS trucks. I haven't really noticed a difference in MPG between the two, but I drive mostly city. Just like the OBSs I've owned, they're pretty solid vehicles as long as you don't mind paying for gas.

 

[2591tdj]

Bought my 05 Denali at 99k in 2011, now has 166k. I'd do it again without thinking twice.

I have the original engine and trans, but have had to replace cat converters, rear pinion seal, gas tank charcoal filter and some weird check valve for that. I came to this from a 99 OBS Suburban, which was fine but started looking a little ragged. The 3rd row rear seats on shorter wheelbase vehicle is pretty sweet. It's considerably more maneuverable than my OBS Suburban was.

The OBS engine you have will last forever after replacing the intake gaskets and injection spider, but the 6.0 in the Denali is a lot more powerful and I've had no problems from it. The transmissions are the same for this generation, although the Denali apparently has a 4L65E, which supposedly good for more hp. The heater hose issues are still there on this generation. The sagging headliners and crappy leather used on the seats are also on this generation, same as yours. I was not much of a fan of the full time AWD until I got it in this vehicle, and now I seriously love it. I wouldn't go rock crawling or mudding in it, but it's great for driving where you're normally drive in adverse weather conditions.

The clear coat on the top and hood is getting pretty jacked on mine, which I don't think was a problem on OBS trucks. I haven't really noticed a difference in MPG between the two, but I drive mostly city. Just like the OBSs I've owned, they're pretty solid vehicles as long as you don't mind paying for gas.

HaHa! I forgot about the gas mileage as Inhave accepted that’s its far cheaper than having to pay a monthly note. I get 12-13 mpg in town and 15-17 on the highway. Pulling my small utility trailer with anything on it and the mileage drops to about 14 highway. Pulling my pontoon drops it to 7 mpg.

 

[drakon543]

mpg doesn't bother me me either. my 97 tahoe was right around its rated mpg when i first got it. i avg 18-19 usually now