Used Tahoe Advice/Help

[cbuckeye20]

Hello, I'm in the market for a used Tahoe and had a few general questions.

This review _seemed_ helpful

Auto Trader Recommendations

We recommend sticking to 2009-or-later Tahoes. This is due to reports of excessive oil consumption and dashboard cracking on 2007 models, and the fact that most 2007-2008 models came with the less-efficient 4-speed automatic transmission and not the more flexible 6-speed unit that began in 2009.

2007-2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Used Car Review - Autotrader

1) Do you guys agree to try and steer towards 2009-2014 models? I see you have quite the thread on the 2007 cracked dashes


In that review they listed some of the new standard/optional equipment as the years go on. I was hoping for something similar to 2014 Tahoe: Options & Z71 Package | Chevrolet

2) Is there a place to view standard options year by year for each trim package?
2b) How accurate have you found VIN decoders to be?

3) Those with nav and/or backup camera. Do you like it or would you go aftermarket with something more modern. I saw it became an option for 2009 but I'm not sure when it became standard like the 2014 model states

4) Are the blind zone alerts any good?

5) Bonus question: http://goo.gl/QD1S5G is that a good deal?

Thank you for any help, looking forward to my "new to me" Tahoe

 

[ccapehartusarmyINF.(ret)]

okay would say not really a good deal i booked it with karpower not kbb online i used to work for a wholesaler and there charging about 5 grand over book wholesale is 21k on that tahoe and there also about a grand soft at the auto auction so real money on that tahoe is 20k say 21500 out the door thats what i would offer on that vehicle not a penny more and if that dealer says hes into that tahoe more then 21k hes blowin smoke up yer ass id say thanks for yer time and walk out the door theres millions of tahoes on the market

my general rule of thumb when buying a used vehicle is never buy anything over 100k miles i just dont mess with it ive learned my lesson in the pass buying a high mileage vehicle and paid dearly for it

dude if yer willin to pay that kind of money it shoot for a a 2013 maybe a 2014

---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 PM ----------

oh and if possible i dont know if you can anymore avoid that freakin flex fuel crap its nothin but BS and little things like the fuel filter on a flex fuel vehicle requires a special 70 dollar tool remove the freakin thing when a regular fuel filter you can remove with a adjustable wrench and a pair of pliers

 

[cbuckeye20]

Thanks a bunch for looking that up. Did not know about karpower, thats cool insight on how much they over-list at. Is it normally % based or a flat markup of say 4-5k dealers normally try for?

Also thanks for the tip on the flex fuel crap. I'll keep an eye out.

I also had a 2007 LTZ on my radar, about 54k miles for $23k, but then read that autotrader review saying to shoot for 2009+ and shied away starting to look for higher mileage later years in same price range

 

[tsuintx]

I'm sure we all know the saying about opinions...

I would still say that 100K is nothing to sneeze at. As long as the truck has been maintained, of course. But since it sounds like your budget is above 20K, I'd say don't even have to look at trucks with such mileage.

For somebody looking in the lower price range, they are worth of consideration. Then again, low miles doesn't also always equal to good maintenance, so good test drive and pre purchase inspection are important.

Good luck with your search!

 

[CrashTestDummy]

It seems that Chevy was making a fair number of upgrades and fixes during the '07 ad '08 model years, so yeah, I'd tend to look at newer models, especially if your budget is >$20K. I'll note here that if you own just about any NNBS truck, you probably WILL have a cracked dash. Just get over it. If you don't have one, you're lucky.

There tends to be a pretty good price break when a vehicle gets more than 100K miles on the clock, but with your budget, I'd be looking at newer and lower-mileage vehicles.

 

[Freedom Motorsports]

One other thing to do is this, once you find what you think will be the one you want, get the VIN and go ask the service department for a VIS report. (Vehicle Inquiry System report). That report will tell you the history of repairs and maintenance done at any GM dealership. If the vehicle has had any kind of regular or above average warranty issues you can find out that way and avoid those. A carfax is also a great idea obviously.

 

[ezdaar]

08+ gets you the better 5.3 and optional 6 speed trans..
Plus all of the good gadget upgrades.
Conan says "its whats best in life"!

lol well sort of

[yt]Oo9buo9Mtos[/yt]

 

[cbuckeye20]

One other thing to do is this, once you find what you think will be the one you want, get the VIN and go ask the service department for a VIS report. (Vehicle Inquiry System report). That report will tell you the history of repairs and maintenance done at any GM dealership. If the vehicle has had any kind of regular or above average warranty issues you can find out that way and avoid those. A carfax is also a great idea obviously.

If a dealership is already linking the carfax, would the VIS provide any further detail?

Btw, thanks all for your thoughts and advice! First time buying a used car myself. My wife's father worked for Ford and would always get us the family plan + a $2k bonus from his credit card reward + whatever rebates. Even with all of that a brand new expedition is serious $$ (plus I dont like the looks )

 

[Freedom Motorsports]

If a dealership is already linking the carfax, would the VIS provide any further detail?

Btw, thanks all for your thoughts and advice! First time buying a used car myself. My wife's father worked for Ford and would always get us the family plan + a $2k bonus from his credit card reward + whatever rebates. Even with all of that a brand new expedition is serious $$ (plus I dont like the looks )

Yes Sir, the Carfax reports information from the department of motor vehicles, titling and ownership history, reported accident history, etc. The VIS report is not accessed by Carfax and will show the repair and maintenance history for the vehicle for everything done through a dealership. It is good for looking into whether the vehicle has had a given history with any particular warranty issues. It will not list work done by independent shops, but it helps to know what has been done to it through dealerships.

 

[cbuckeye20]

Awesome, thank you for the explanation!