Which year(s) to buy?
 

Hi guys, Newbie here.

I'm looking to buy a used suburban or Yukon XL in the next couple of months and am looking for advice on the best years to look for. My budget is under $15k. So far what I've found has been in the range of years from 07-10 mostly with a few outliers. I am a very mechanical person and will do any and all repairs myself so I'm not worried about that type of stuff, but am looking to stay away from major issues. (Think Ford 6.0L powerstroke)

What advice have you got for me?

It is a family car that will get used everyday and we'll end up putting 100k miles on it most likely and have it for maybe 10 years.

TIA

do not by a 5.3 with a build date before november 2009 or risk oil consumption issues

09 added a 6 speed auto, bluetooth, electric brake controller, cooled seats, and blind zone sensors, over the 08.

Can confirm. own 5.3. burns oil. trading in on model 3, for no oil!

good to know about the oil burning issue. What causes it?

If there was any chance you could up grade your budget to a 2014, it might be worth it. In 2014 the GM V-8’s were upgraded to eliminate the AFM problems that some 5.3’s had. Search AFM to learn more.

The Denalis get the 6.2 and no AFM issues. Ditto if you include the Escalade and ESV.

My 2011 Experience
 

I got a 2011 last year with 135k miles, and it cost me $15.5. I thought I had a great deal. I had a garage look at it first, and they loved it.

It's been almost 12 months and I've put well over $2,000 into it so far. I had front wheel hub and sway bar issues (which made a HORRIBLE noise), I had to replace the battery, radiator, the front lower ball joins, I replaced my back up sensors but now I get an error message whenever it's in drive (they work in R though), and it just feels as if things will continue to go wrong. I'm now getting some weird noise from the radio that is making me nuts. I still love the Suburban. The interior is great (except for the fact that the driver's side 2nd row seat won't fold up because the latch is broken and I got a quote for $800 to fix that). The ride is wonderful.

You'll sacrifice something at $15k. I got a "newer" one, but it had a ton of miles. I'm starting to see that the miles took their toll. If you can do these things yourself you're in better shape than me. You can get an older one with fewer miles that may not have the issues mine has, but may be better mechanically.

I'm no expert. Just figured I'd share my experience.