Would you buy your Yukon or Tahoe again?

[dmad1]

We have a '17 LT with 26k and would trade back for our '12. May not buy another one unless Ford continues to put V6s in all of their larger vehicles. If Dodge had a larger size like the Tahoe I might give it a try. Have a couple of issues the dealer says can't be fixed until GM comes up with a fix. Says they will let me know, yeah right...
Buffeting with windows up on driver's side
Noise from under dash on passenger side and under the hood. Replaced fan motor and did not fix the problem. So they replaced the A/C compressor with no luck. Ordered a bracket under a Service Bulletin and it did not fit the '17. Rough idea they say is related to the cylinder deactivation and is normal. So now we wait.

 

[Wambliokiye]

What's up guys...brand new to the forum. I am a current Toyota owner (Tundra and Land Cruiser) and our last 5-6 vehicles have been Toyota or Lexus. Despite the fact that they are boring with not a lot of bells and whistles, the reliability is what has kept me coming back. That said, I came really close to buying a Yukon Denali a couple years ago for my wife until we stumbled onto all the online threads/articles about the booming/buffeting. That's when we decided to stick with Toyota and go with a certified pre-owned '14 Land Cruiser.

My Tundra Limited is an '08 and still in really good shape (only 150k miles) but I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a new vehicle. That said...I absolutely LOVE the look, size, and features of these Yukons however the nightmare stories that I read online about vehicle problems and/or horror stories about getting shafted by the dealer scares the crap out of me. This is a huge investment to have to deal with a ton of vehicle/dealership problems.

So my question to you is...if you had to do it over again, would you buy another Tahoe or Yukon? There are so many of these things on the road...it is hard for me to understand whether the horror stories and negative reviews online are the minority, or the majority and folks keep buying them anyway.

Thanks for the help guys.

Welcome From Reno, NV. I love the full size SUVs, my first was a 85 K5 blazer loved it. Since I have had a 93 454 suburban ran that to about 170k no major issues. Then a 98 454 suburban 166k, 2003 escalade 130k and now I have my 07 XL 150k. No major issues that involved a ton of money for repairs just the minor things that keep her running. I always look to buy from an adult owner like an older couple. Old people (love them) always take care of there stuff and its never been hot rodded raced or abused. I have never bought brand new because the new rigs still have bugs to work out! I see it as if you take care of it, it will take care of you. Neglect abuse and miss treat them then expect issues. Only thing is I wish and want to dump a 454 in my XL. But if I had to buy again I would buy the same, hands down. 20 yrs with big suvs from the late 80s, the 90s and 2000s never a major problem. I also have never bought brand new and I have found that a brand new rig still has bugs, a few years older by then all bugs gone and nothing to worry about and I got to put all my cash into upgrades instead of repairs. Thats my 2 cents, yes I would buy again. These are my girls... The Nali I have now and the past ones.

 

[4OFFSHR]

I started with a 92 GMC Suburban, had bought it used in 96 and in 2001 bought a brand new GMC Yukon XL SLT, was a beautiful truck and honestly never a single mechanical issue, the age and look of the truck was flawless, so nice that in 2010 it was stolen in broad daylight at my work in Irvine. We then searched High and low for a silver Yukon XL and could not find one, but found a Chevy Suburban, purchased brand new a 2011 LT fairly loaded and I have to honestly say that right away it seemed like the Chevy did not have nearly the quality that the GMC version had...I know, I know they are the same trucks, but honestly I think there is better quality control on the GMC production. We had some issues with the Chevy, but it was covered under warranty and for the most part is was a good truck, but was missing some options. That said we decided this last year to get a new GMC Yukon XL and purchased a new late 2017 SLT Production truck in October 2017 and it is truly a nice truck...I think compared to the early versions on this latest platform they fixed some of the issues people have had, but like all of today's cars these things have way more electronics in them and they are much more sensitive than the older generation trucks, but all in all I think it is a great truck. Unfortunately they seem like they are getting more expensive as time goes on...feel like I could have bought a Bentley for how much these things go for now! LOL!

 

[Terry Hurlburt]

What's up guys...brand new to the forum. I am a current Toyota owner (Tundra and Land Cruiser) and our last 5-6 vehicles have been Toyota or Lexus. Despite the fact that they are boring with not a lot of bells and whistles, the reliability is what has kept me coming back. That said, I came really close to buying a Yukon Denali a couple years ago for my wife until we stumbled onto all the online threads/articles about the booming/buffeting. That's when we decided to stick with Toyota and go with a certified pre-owned '14 Land Cruiser.

My Tundra Limited is an '08 and still in really good shape (only 150k miles) but I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a new vehicle. That said...I absolutely LOVE the look, size, and features of these Yukons however the nightmare stories that I read online about vehicle problems and/or horror stories about getting shafted by the dealer scares the crap out of me. This is a huge investment to have to deal with a ton of vehicle/dealership problems.

So my question to you is...if you had to do it over again, would you buy another Tahoe or Yukon? There are so many of these things on the road...it is hard for me to understand whether the horror stories and negative reviews online are the minority, or the majority and folks keep buying them anyway.

Thanks for the help guys.

We have had two Denali’s and love them both. The 2014 we lowered, added Willwood brakes and supercharged the 6.2 liter engine. Bought the 2018 last year in November. Absolutely love the vehicle, the ride is great and the mileage is amazing. (We get 25-27 mpg in cruise control at 65-75 mph! Just astounding for a vehicle of this size.) one day soon the 2018 Denali will get supercharged, as the additional power is just what the doctor ordered.
Terry

 

[mountie]

I had a 1988 GMC C2500 for nearly 400,000 miles.. A fun truck to work on and improve, but keeping mostly stock. I discovered & bought my "new" 2005 Yukon XL 4wd SLT, ... 1 owner, garaged & maintained.... nearly mint for the age ( 140,000 miles)...... So far it exceeds my expectations & rides like a limo.

( My good 'ol truck was exported to a collector in Germany)....

 

[cekkk]

I got my 2014 Denali XL from my daughter with 55,000 miles on it. It now has about 68000, no problems, but I far prefer Expeditions. Got to say though, it's great looking and Ford is just Bland, year after year after year.

We live in horse country and it seems every 3rd or 4th house hold has a Suburban or a Yukon. I think there are only a handful of expeditions in the entire area. Again, I attribute it to a little bit of snobbery as the GMCs and Cadillacs look much better than the Expeditions. And you can't find the Navigator with a magnifying glass

 

[adventurenali92]

I have a 2015 Denali XL that I bought new in 14. There a quite a few things that I like about it, but the bad things outweigh the good. 1...When using the cruise control on the highway or interstate, the vehicle will actually activates the brakes to slow down. It has a tendency to over accelerate down hill then brake and then it forgets to accelerate on the uphill until it looses 4-5 MPH, so it will vary from the "set speed" 4-5 too high and 4-5 too low. Drives me nuts. The dealership says it is within acceptable range and there is nothing they can do. 2...The brakes (all 4 corners) had to be replaced at 80,000 miles. 80% of my driving is highway / interstate and with previous vehicles, I'm usually at least double that but with this thing accelerating and then braking (cruise control), it is always working the brakes. 3...I had to replace all 4 shocks at 80,000 miles at a cost of over $3,000.00. This would be easier to accept if the shocks made the truck ride better, but it rides like a lumber wagon.

All in all, I love the practicality of the vehicle, but it is very irritating to drive.

80,000 miles on a set of brakes and you’re complaining!?!? You must live on completely flat ground with no traffic and zero rust issues. I’m lucky if a set of brakes lasts me 15,000 miles! But I guess living in the mountains will do that to a vehicle!

 

[Dooba]

We bought a 2016 SLT Yukon and when this topic was first posted, I didn’t really want to jump the gun and say that the car’s amazing.

We mainly bought a Yukon because we had a great experience with a 2004 SLT Yukon with the 5.3 even though the GMT800 platform is considered the golden generation. Also,in 2016 Ford’s platform was getting a bit mundane and outdated. We also generally didnt like what a similarly priced Land Cruiser (4.6L V8 Series 200) and Nissan Patrol (5.6L V8) offered. So with that all said, we took the plunge. We didnt get the 2015 model year since its always a safer bet to not get the first year of any new generation vehicle.

So 2 and a half years down the line:

Apple Carplay & Android Auto are a great addition which I extensively use.

Seats are comfortable, not as much as the 04, though. Ventilated seats are a nice plus. However, I had numerous complaints about people sitting behind me feeling the heat being released from the rear vents when I turn it on. The 2017+ models have revised seats so they may have fixed that.

The UI is easy to use and the car in general is extremely practical with all the possible places to store stuff. Never had an issue where we didn’t have enough space when traveling around, so never wished we went the XL route.

The 5.3 is a great engine, always wished I had the 6.2 but its not a lethargic engine, especially with 3.42 gears from the HD trailering package.

Did not notice any of the booming or vibration issues a lot of people talk about here, so I’m thankful for that. Drove around at various constant speeds, even at ones that I wouldn’t really want to admit to haha.

Ride quality is alright and got much better when I put on Michelin Defenders tires, I feel less of the road on the 04 but its on aftermarket shocks & has a much larger sidewall since it has much smaller rims.

Haven’t towed with it, so can’t comment on that.

Third row space is abysmal, so its always down and rarely been used. The load height is higher than whats normally excepted, but I haven’t been bothered by it really.

Headlights on non-Denali & non-LTZ/Premier trims are horrible, easily rectified if you go the LED or HID setup route, ymmv.

The antenna had to be replaced 3 months back since I couldn’t get a GPS signal. It was covered under warranty and didnt affect anything else. All in all, not too worried about it since I don’t really use nav anyways.

Overall, I would buy this vehicle again but I would consider the Denali trim a bit more. Didn’t go the Denali route because there simply wasnt a good deal at the time going on one.

 

[Jorge1313]

Wow I have been to many forum but this Tahoe forum I am amazed of the quality of people here very helpful . I too come from a back ground of Japanese car and Mercedes I was to unsure after leaving Mercedes for many year of if to try out gm. I got tired of expensive part and maintaince of the Mercedes. I too been worried about the reliability of the Tahoe but I looked around and saw that I think the year with most problem was 16 so I kept out the. 16 year models. I do find the Tahoe has more bell and whistle than the Mercedes . The only thing I regret is the back up camera looks not to clear it just ok comming out of a Mercedes it is day to night on the camera I think it could be better. But then again I still have the factory nylon the the screen haven’t peeled it of yet . I kept it on as a protection not sure is it any good. I too alway s driving non American cars this is my first always concerned about reliability . But after I seen all you Chevy forum member say how reliable you Tahoe been even up 200000 mile on it . I think I can say it a good suv. Only time will tell

 

[LT1ZOB]

So far, I truly am impressed with mine. Great truck, living room on wheels for my day to day driving

 

[homesick]

I just sold an '01 Tahoe I bought in '06. My wife drives an '02 Toyota Sienna we bought new.

In 12 years the only failure on the Tahoe was the fuel pump. The Sienna has been a constant stream of problems; mostly minor ones, but not all.

I'm a life-long Chevrolet customer and have never been stranded by one; never regretted owning one.

I sold the '01 Tahoe only so I could buy my current '95 Tahoe.

joe

 

[MidnightRider]

Considering how many 15+ models are on the road I do not really feel like there is that much complaining going on. I see as many as 10 in the mornings on a three mile drive to take my son to school. I have an ‘18 Tahoe with 11k on it and have absolutely no regrets about buying it and would certainly buy it again. Good luck with your quest.

 

[Jorge1313]

Matt in new to this forum . I can tell you I driven them from most reliable car German to least reliable . I driven Mercedes bmw Audi Honda toyota Acura’s . Let me tell you one thing they all have problem. You want reliable buy a Lexus 470 sluggish old interior be inthe 55k range also cramp up like tunas in a can. The rear door is ackward. And at the the end of the day when warrenty is up be sure you don’t get an engine leak that will put you 6k out. It is a boring tuna can vechile that also breAks and parts are expensive. I always had import vechile expensive not reliable as used to be and gas hungry. I switched to American cheap parts to fix find them anywhere and yes any jo go shop can fix it the motor has space to work. I bought a new Tahoe is it comfortable yes is it big yes is roomy for a family yes. Can I find a shop to fix it if I’m in the middle of no where yes like the smoky mountains yes. If you want reliabilty as in the old days you can drive the most expensive tuna can and ugly as heck as an Acura MDX. Full of problem with all that tech stuff they sell you and ugly as hell and tight. I driven one I never go back to Acura I felt I had no personality I’d rather drive a Kia thier fun and cheaper. I bought American not for the cause I do Spend my money wisely first it roomy second comfortable for family and third safe safe safe . To me safe is a Brinks vechile this is as close as a consumer you come to in weight and size for a family and it not a like a truck interior it has more room . Does it consume gas yes it does, but it a trade off no gas then drive a small mini with no space. To me the move the only thing that compares to this is the Toyota seqoyia something like that in spelling. First I hope you know it eats up gas like a mad dog. And the look is 1981. Good luck on your purchase let us know what you decided.

 

[homesick]

Matt in new to this forum . I can tell you I driven them from most reliable car German to least reliable . I driven Mercedes bmw Audi Honda toyota Acura’s . Let me tell you one thing they all have problem. You want reliable buy a Lexus 470 sluggish old interior be inthe 55k range also cramp up like tunas in a can. The rear door is ackward. And at the the end of the day when warrenty is up be sure you don’t get an engine leak that will put you 6k out. It is a boring tuna can vechile that also breAks and parts are expensive. I always had import vechile expensive not reliable as used to be and gas hungry. I switched to American cheap parts to fix find them anywhere and yes any jo go shop can fix it the motor has space to work. I bought a new Tahoe is it comfortable yes is it big yes is roomy for a family yes. Can I find a shop to fix it if I’m in the middle of no where yes like the smoky mountains yes. If you want reliabilty as in the old days you can drive the most expensive tuna can and ugly as heck as an Acura MDX. Full of problem with all that tech stuff they sell you and ugly as hell and tight. I driven one I never go back to Acura I felt I had no personality I’d rather drive a Kia thier fun and cheaper. I bought American not for the cause I do Spend my money wisely first it roomy second comfortable for family and third safe safe safe . To me safe is a Brinks vechile this is as close as a consumer you come to in weight and size for a family and it not a like a truck interior it has more room . Does it consume gas yes it does, but it a trade off no gas then drive a small mini with no space. To me the move the only thing that compares to this is the Toyota seqoyia something like that in spelling. First I hope you know it eats up gas like a mad dog. And the look is 1981. Good luck on your purchase let us know what you decided.

This is off-topic but I want to ask you a favor.

Some of us have a difficult time reading long, run-together posts. Please break posts up into bite-sized paragraphs. It helps some of us read and it also helps the clarity of what you're trying to say.

Thanks.

joe

 

[mtocrs1]

No! We purchased it new and it’s now a squeaking, rattling, shaking mess with only 55k on it.


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[2015Denali4WD]

No! We purchased it new and it’s now a squeaking, rattling, shaking mess with only 55k on it.


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Welcome to the club of shaking, squeaking and rattling mines an 2016 with 60k on it.

 

[ChrisYukon]

I've had mine for 10 months, and love it.

Somebody mentioned the Acura MDX. I've driven Hondas over 650,000 miles over the years, and I'm done with them. Their weak spot has always been a lousy electrical system - which is really bad in today's cars with tons of electronic gizmos. Also - the one I traded in with 171,000 miles had 60,000 miles on it's third transmission.

 

[homesick]

I've had mine for 10 months, and love it.

Somebody mentioned the Acura MDX. I've driven Hondas over 650,000 miles over the years, and I'm done with them. Their weak spot has always been a lousy electrical system - which is really bad in today's cars with tons of electronic gizmos. Also - the one I traded in with 171,000 miles had 60,000 miles on it's third transmission.

Same with Toyota. I do not understand why their reputation is so good. What other car maker has had to recall chaassis? My wife's Sienna has spent the last 17 years developing new problems-

Engine recall after class action suit, sliding doors that won't slide, headlights that randomly go dark and won't stay repaired, broken door handles, outside mirror that won't maintain position, and more.

joe

 

[K2 Kaiju]

Same with Toyota. I do not understand why their reputation is so good. What other car maker has had to recall chaassis? My wife's Sienna has spent the last 17 years developing new problems-

Engine recall after class action suit, sliding doors that won't slide, headlights that randomly go dark and won't stay repaired, broken door handles, outside mirror that won't maintain position, and more.

joe

Its a cult. They brainwash their customers into believing reliability, and make them the culprit when something goes wrong (you must have done something to it!). And dont get me started on the dealer add ons...

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[Danny3737]

I've had mine for 10 months, and love it.

Somebody mentioned the Acura MDX. I've driven Hondas over 650,000 miles over the years, and I'm done with them. Their weak spot has always been a lousy electrical system - which is really bad in today's cars with tons of electronic gizmos. Also - the one I traded in with 171,000 miles had 60,000 miles on it's third transmission.

I’ve had 4 Hondas ( 2 Accords and 2 Odyssey’s ) Both Odyssey’s and 1 Accord had catastrophic transmission failures between 105K to 120K. I will never own another one. My trucks will always be GMC/Chevy and Toyota’s for cars