We are in the market for a vehicle, and we've always been happy with Chevy's in the past so we're looking at the Tahoe. I have 3 young kids, so I want to get 3 seats across & the Tahoe middle seat fits them perfectly. I test drove one today for the first time, but I was so disappointed in the cargo area! The one I drove was a 2007, and the way the third row seat just folds up against the middle row was a big turn-off for me. I didn't like how much room they took up, and how all the grooves and latches just stuck up all over the place. I thought the third row would fold flat so it would be a more usable storage area Are all years like that?? Or is it a 2007 thing?

 

All like that. You can remove the third row too.

2015 folds flat

 

Welcome to the forum, naomi02.

Due to some problems, I'd recommend not getting anything older than a 2010.

I agree that the removable third row is a PITA. While the fold flat seats reduce the volume for hauling stuff, they are still the better option IMHO.

 

I would have to agree with Shark and look at 2010 and newer. You may also want to consider a Suburban if you are looking for cargo space. We looked at both the Tahoe and Suburban. Settled on the Suburban. Similar in price, but better storage. Third row seat is actually usable

 

Sorry about the double post, sent from my pos phone.

 

Three kids here - also recommending a Suburban. More cargo area, kids can spread out. Got our first Burb when the kids were 7 and 5 (twins). Now they're 15 and 13, and they still prefer the Burb to mom's minivan.

First Burb was an 8 seater - bench in the middle row. New one is a 7 seater and they like the 2nd row captains chairs and the easier access to the third row.

And all of our stuff for a two week vacation fits inside without needing to use the roof rack. Oh, and it can also pull our 7000-lb travel trailer with ease.

 

we're kind of in a tight spot ... we've had 2 cars in the last year with major problems (Mazda and Subaru) so my husband is so frustrated over dealing with it that he says he's only going back to Chevy or GMC. And because of having 3 kids and all the outdoor stuff that we do, we think the Tahoe is the best fit for us.


However, my husband hasn't car shopped in forever & is pretty old-school ... thinking he should be able to find something in the range of $15,000-20 tops. But I quickly realized ... you just can't really find much in that price range for a Tahoe.


So what kind of problems do the older models have?? I did see a 2010 Yukon at a dealer yesterday with only 30k on it ... but at $33,000 it was WAY over what we were thinking of spending.

 

oh, and I might mention ... I have a limited time frame for looking. The last car, the Subaru, broke down while on vacation so we had to leave it at the mechanic about 800 miles from home. It should hopefully be done in about 3 weeks, but in the meantime I'm just borrowing a truck & trying to drive it as little as possible.

 

Autotrader has a very customizable search function. It's what I used to find my last used vehicle. You can search a price range, distances, and even specific options.

For $15-$20k you should be able to find a GMT900 with reasonable amount of miles on it.

I still think you should at least consider the Suburban/Yukon XL with 3 kids. Lots more room than a Tahoe/Yukon. Especially for road trips/vacation.

 

I've been looking on autotrader, just haven't found anything yet.


How does the mileage of the XL compare to the shorter version?