I was looking at the older NBS Denalis, Tahoes, and Yukons but decided against it because of their gas mileage. I just couldn't justify driving something that would net me 12-15 MPG all the time. I happened to come across both an '09 Yukon Hybrid and an '09 Tahoe Hybrid both with just over 140k miles on them. Seeing that these can get 20+ MPG, that was my threshold. If I can get one of these that doesn't get 12-15 MPG I'd love to get it.
But I have never owned anything hybrid and I'm quite nervous what kinds of things I'd have to worry about on one with higher miles like this. At what interval do things need to be serviced? What are the weak points? At what mileage/age would one of these be highly likely to need a new battery (as I know that's the big dollar item on hybrids). Are there actual alternatives to replacing it, or are you pretty much going to have to pony up the money to get the battery?
A friend has an RX450h and suggested I look at one. When I was dismissive, he explained how in the RX's case it was more powerful than the RX350 and very dependable. He had 137k miles on his and hadn't had any issues, but that's a Lexus and an RX is a lot smaller than a Tahoe.
If I consider one of these, I am guessing it would be paramount to have a pre-purchase inspection performed at a GM dealer? How about the rest of the vehicle, I know Tahoe/Yukons tend to be pretty tough but when looking into the NBS I had heard about various little things here and there adding up. I was actually looking at an RX for their reliability and figured I could haul most of what I needed to in it (I will not be towing a boat nor hauling a full family around basically ever, and for that reason would not drive a non-hybrid full-size SUV). I know the '08s are more problematic, so being '09s are these generally pretty good to go? My budget limit was $16k and both of these Hybrids are $14k which is conveniently below my limit.
But I have never owned anything hybrid and I'm quite nervous what kinds of things I'd have to worry about on one with higher miles like this. At what interval do things need to be serviced? What are the weak points? At what mileage/age would one of these be highly likely to need a new battery (as I know that's the big dollar item on hybrids). Are there actual alternatives to replacing it, or are you pretty much going to have to pony up the money to get the battery?
A friend has an RX450h and suggested I look at one. When I was dismissive, he explained how in the RX's case it was more powerful than the RX350 and very dependable. He had 137k miles on his and hadn't had any issues, but that's a Lexus and an RX is a lot smaller than a Tahoe.
If I consider one of these, I am guessing it would be paramount to have a pre-purchase inspection performed at a GM dealer? How about the rest of the vehicle, I know Tahoe/Yukons tend to be pretty tough but when looking into the NBS I had heard about various little things here and there adding up. I was actually looking at an RX for their reliability and figured I could haul most of what I needed to in it (I will not be towing a boat nor hauling a full family around basically ever, and for that reason would not drive a non-hybrid full-size SUV). I know the '08s are more problematic, so being '09s are these generally pretty good to go? My budget limit was $16k and both of these Hybrids are $14k which is conveniently below my limit.
