Thinking about replacing my 2005 4WD SLT Plus (172K miles) with a 2012 Yukon 4WD XL SLT2 (all the bells and whistles) with 62.5K. My 2006 is mechanically sound but has some roof and hood fading. The 2012 is selling for $ 20.5K and has a small dash crack and broken front passenger door armrest/pull. It also has a few minor scratches and one small door ding. I could probably get it for $20K before TTL. My only concern is that the 2007-2014 seem so sluggish compared to my 2005. They also seem to be less nimble and have a larger steering radius. On the other hand, OEM parts are beginning to dry up for the 2002-2006 models. Any opinions as to what I should do (get the 2012 or pass).
Should I?
- Thread starter Webster
- Start date
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That's too much money for a 2012 SLT, IMHO. I paid $20K for my 2012 XL Denali 3 years ago with 92K on the clock. Low mileage doesn't mean as much to me as how it's been driven. Given that it has a broken armrest/pull, I'd say it probably made a billion small trips, driven by an owner who didn't treat it gently. And, if you're already feeling like the 5.3 in this generation is sluggish, do yourself a favor and get a Denali with the 6.2. That engine is a BEAST. I liked my first one so much I bought a second one. 
intheburbs
Full Access Member
GM was pretty heavy-handed with the torque management on GMT900. A Blackbear tune seriously woke up my 2008 2500.
I'll continue to scream it from the rooftops - AFM, for me, is a deal breaker. But if you get the 2012, you can kill two birds with one stone by getting a tune to 1) disable AFM, and 2) reduce torque management and increase responsiveness. Also, the six-speed is a nice improvement over the 4.
And as said above, if you test drive one with a 6.2, you'll never "settle" for a 5.3.
Price does seem a bit high, but those are pretty low miles for an 8 year-old truck.
I'll continue to scream it from the rooftops - AFM, for me, is a deal breaker. But if you get the 2012, you can kill two birds with one stone by getting a tune to 1) disable AFM, and 2) reduce torque management and increase responsiveness. Also, the six-speed is a nice improvement over the 4.
And as said above, if you test drive one with a 6.2, you'll never "settle" for a 5.3.
Price does seem a bit high, but those are pretty low miles for an 8 year-old truck.
That's too much money for a 2012 SLT, IMHO. I paid $20K for my 2012 XL Denali 3 years ago with 92K on the clock. Low mileage doesn't mean as much to me as how it's been driven. Given that it has a broken armrest/pull, I'd say it probably made a billion small trips, driven by an owner who didn't treat it gently. And, if you're already feeling like the 5.3 in this generation is sluggish, do yourself a favor and get a Denali with the 6.2. That engine is a BEAST. I liked my first one so much I bought a second one.
Thanks for the advice. The dealer has dropped the price by a bit over $1K. Price seems in line with what I see on-line and I can't find any good private party ones within 200 miles of El Paso. Most on the small lots have rebuilt titles. I'm having wet feet so will keep looking. BTW, what mileage are you getting in the Denali?
AFM is Active Fuel Management. Some refer to it as DOD or Displacement On Demand.
It is where the vehicle will disable 4 cylinders through the use of collapsible lifters that allow the cam to keep turning but not open the valves. It also shuts off fuel and spark to those cylinders. This is done with split second timing of applying and removing oil pressure to the collapsible lifters as the motor is running. If for any reason the pressure isn't where it needs to be in time, due to plugged oil lines or slow pressure valves, the lifter takes a beating and eventually fails.
This feature is able to be turned off through the use of devices like Rangers AFM Disabler or through a tune. Others go so far as to physically replace the AFM parts with NON-AFM or AFM Delete parts. This also requires a tune.
If it's just me in the car and I'm driving like a normal person, 18-19 is the norm on the highway, though I've gotten 21-22 on a few trips. If I'm hauling the my wife and kids, and a whole heap of stuff, or driving like a hoon, I'll get 17. Hauling our 4000 pound trailer with kids and gear, I'll get 11.
Dave
What Wade said. And, the 6.2L didn't get AFM until 2010. If your 2006 is well-maintained and treating you right, I'd get the thing painted and drive it another 10 years if it were my money.
It'll go 300K easy.
avalonandl
Full Access Member
Used prices on the GMT 900's has jumped (actually all vehicles).
Consider throwing 2k into paint etc on the 2006....
Consider throwing 2k into paint etc on the 2006....
BTW exactly what OEM parts have you found that are drying up for the 00-06? I haven’t had a problem except for cosmetic pieces or parts that can be sourced from wrecking yards or eBay.
CaptainAmerica1
Full Access Member
Keep the 2005
TILA
TYF Newbie
From someone who had a 2002 Suburban LT who recently was on a search for an 05 or 06, keep yours. I still find your era to be a much more attractive rig. I ended up with an 07 Tahoe LT. Visually, it is growing on me. It seems to lumber more than the Suburban, and despite the supposed increase in HP, it doesn't feel as snappy as the Suburban was. Around town, which is all I've done with it so far, I don't notice any increase in MPG from the 02 Suburban. My ex talked me out of that 02 on her way out the door. I talked to her the other day and she's got 240,000 on it now, so you've lots of miles left on what you have.
swathdiver
Full Access Member
The 900s are more nimble with a tighter turning radius because of the rack and pinion steering and different front suspension. The '12 you were looking at might have had 3.08 gears, if it doesn't have a 2-speed transfer case, it's got 3.08 highway gears and towing capacity is less than if had 3.42s. Those are doggy off the line with those highway gears compared to 3.42s. Mine with only a BlackBear tune puts down 307 RWHP through the traps in the quarter mile. Is the motor in the '05 more reliable? Yeah, but it's now 16 years old versus 9 though the 800s may be the ones LMC Truck makes parts for and not the 900s, time will tell.
As for prices, that's a deal right now, over the past few months prices on these things have jumped $4-5K, especially the short ones! There are actually some good deals to be had on pickups right now, we peruse the various websites daily looking for that needle in the haystack.
