Need Advice on Purchase
 

Hello Everyone! I am new to the forum and I am hoping to get advice and guidance on a possible purchase of a Tahoe or Suburban. I am looking at used from 2008 to 2011 which seem to fall in the range I can afford. When I say afford I mean purchase outright or small shorter term loan. Mileage for those vehicles that are in that range(15k ish) are anywhere from 131k to 176k. My main concern is should I be worried in purchasing with the mileage levels I am finding. What kind of longevity do the engines, transmission and other items (water pumps, fuel pumps, suspension etc.) have. I dont want to drop that kind of cash only to turn around and pay for a tranny rebuild or an engine swap. I am not looking for perfection mind you I realize they are going to be used and stuff does wear out. A lot of the ones I have looked at appear to be in very good shape even with the higher mileage. It could be window dressing just to sell it or they are truly in as good of shape mechanically as they appear. I would like to just get some input so I can make an informed decision and possibly some negotiating leverage. Is there any thing else to be mindful of? Things to look out for? This vehicle will have to last me quite awhile but I have read that with care these vehicles can last a long time. Thank you and I look forward to the information I receive.

I just sold my 2008 Yukon XL 5.3L with 268k miles, mostly because it was a play and work car that I sometimes take customers in, and was showing a lot of wear (console leather cracks, seats, door handles, paint chips, cracked window, etc, etc). But engine and transmission were still solid. Never leaked anything. Transmission tight. I never had a major repair. Replaced batteries, alternator, ball joints and stuff like that. Changed oil religiously. I'm very confident that I could have run it to 300k+.
Bought a 2017 Suburban LT 4WD. Its ok, but runs like crap compared to my 2008. (Had it checked out by dealer, "that's just how they run". Eg, idles at 500RPM).

Hope this helps. They're out there, keep looking.

Mrs. Cusser has a 2005 Yukon XL Denali (since 2010), now 200K, all wheel drive, 6.0 engine. We had a transmission rebuild ($2K total) done about 150K, not that she does tow horses with this. Replaced radiator (crack in plastic end) last year, water pump, starter, AC compressor (Arizona, used almost year round), brake master cylinder (hydroboost) also have been replaced. Original alternator, several batteries, pretty reliable for its use.

I sold the previous 1994 Suburban in 2010 for $1994 (listed in Craigslist for $1 a year); it had over 200K on it and was 2WD and 5.7 engine, did not tow as well as the 2005 Yukon.

Being in AZ, older vehicles with lower miles can still look like new, so an option here in the southwest. And used SUVs seem to sell for less used than the corresponding pickup trucks which were originally less expensive.

Just sold my 2009 Tahoe LTZ for $13,000. 151,000 miles. everything worked.

I would stay away from model years 2007 to 2009 with the 5.3L afm engine. Oil consumption issues.

I bought a 2011 2 years ago with 135k miles on it. It looked great. Unfortunately, it had a LOT of issues.
I probably put $5,000 into it in 2 years, and got REALLY tired of paying for repairs before I traded it recently on a 2018. I decided I'd rather pay monthly payments than continue to pay for repairs and have no idea what was going to fail next.

I do think I got a lemon. I loved it while it worked, but I could never tell what was going to go wrong next.