Yukon, Tahoe, and Jeep GC's? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

-Ever- · 05-18-2004, 01:41 PM

My family's 1990 beater Chevy Suburban is about to crap out. We used it for Home Depot, snow board, and scuba trips mostly. While I'm recomending that we stay with status quo (IE just buy a newer, mid-milage suburban replacement), they're interested in upgrading. I think they're forgetting what we realistically use the car for, but I'm having a hard time convincing them that they don't need to spend so much cash.

Either way, they're turning to me for advice because I'm the main car man in the family. Here's their requirements:

-Bigger to do these kinds of trips in
-Cost isn't much of an issue yet
-Leather interior

My insite to them is that it should remain a beater and we should stick with cloth seats, but my mom is set on leather for some reason, even though she hardly ever rides in the car (Maybe twice a year!) Furthermore, there is a good chance that this car could eventually turn into my daily driver, and I think a Jeep Grand Cherokee would do much better for this than would the Yukons or Tahoes.

I apologize for being ambiguous, but that's why I'm turning to you guys. I have no idea how these three cars stand up against eachother, and I'm having a hard time trying to find what would suit us best. I guess personal experience with any of the cars would be some good feedback to hear about (especially noting on the uses that I mentioned above)

Thanks guys, I'm off to some dealerships with my dad.
-Tim

Peryn · 05-18-2004, 04:03 PM

Well, as for the leather vs cloth...they each have their advantages. While leather is mroe comfy, more expensive, whatever....it cleans easy and doesn't stain as much in my experience. It gets crapped up....just wipe it off. While cloth is very durable, it tends to stain real easy.

I personally, like the jeep idea, but it may not be what you want. You wanted it bigger...well, it is much smaller than your current suburban, or a new yukon/tahoe will be.

How many people do you take with you? For SCUBA and Home Depot, it ought to be just fine. For snowboarding, it will get a little more interesting. You will hafta strap your boards to the roof most likely, while the rest of you gear could fit inside. The bigger GM trucks will give you more room inside to store stuff.

I dont know how often you do that recreational stuff, but if its frequent, you might be better off with a Yukon, Tahoe, Suburban, etc. The Jeep will make a much better daily driver, but you will be sacrificing some interior storage room for it. It is smaller, lighter, and gets better mileage than the other two.

Check out MSN's Auto compare feature to get a good idea when looking through different cars.
Here is a quick compare of the three cars you chose : http://autos.msn.com/research/compar...96965&v=t97355

-Ever- · 05-18-2004, 04:13 PM

I appreciate it. What's funny is that you're right on. We just spent a few hours at the GMC dealership looking at all the new Yukons. They're very nice, but pretty pricey and we'd feel bad leaving one in the sun if we bought new.
So we checked out a similar one form 1999 and it was nice. Only has 5 seats, but was much cheaper and fit the "nice but still a beater" category. However the fact that it only has 5 seats and is still a big car (bad for daily driving) makes me think that I might as well just stick with Jeep.

So I've really been able to understand the pluses and minuses with the different car's sizes. What about in power? Our 2001 Jeep GC Limited has plenty of pickup, and the 2004 Yukon did as well. I couldn't really tell a difference. The only thing I can think of that's going to be bad with the Jeeps is that they aren't a true 4WD, I think they're AWD, correct...?

Thanks guys
-T

Kurant · 05-18-2004, 04:23 PM

Yukon or Tahoes basically are the same vehicle, one is GMC, on is a Chevy, although I'm sure you knew that. The Jeep, well, it's a Magnum engine, which IMO are garbage. Terrible gas milage, chronic compression issues, especially since most GC's come with the 5.9. The interiors are decent, not very roomy. I personally don't care for them because they are small.

I drove a couple GC"s with my wife before buying our Touerag. Nice cars, but too small for my tastes. As is the VW, but then again, I didn't get any say.

It's still much, much nicer then any GC we drove.

The Tahoe's and Yukon IMO drive better, but the interior's are ugly, but much more roomy. Don't get leather in a GM vehicle. I've owned 2, a 98 and a 2002 Silverado, and every year for 5 years, I've had a repair bill for cracked leather sets. I condition them about every 3 months, and keep them well cleaned. The seams are stiched as cheap as possible, and they rip at the seams. The items in the car, well, they seem cheap, and are cheap. I've had my heated seat button on the driver side get stuck, the ride control button break, the stereo keeps resetting the time just for fun. Also over time, the truck has devolped HORRIBLE rattles in the passenger side door, and there is a funny ass grinding noise in my seat everytime I get in. This is all in a truck with 22,000 miles on it.

I forgot to mention the tailgate fell off too, and the pulsating in the brakes since about 16,000 miles. I won't be buying another GM product. But, on a positve note, the ride is solid, handles well, plenty of power (I have the 4:10 gears for towing), quiet, and as comfortable as anything else I've ridden in.

EDIT: Spelling, Touareg, sorry. =)

-Ever- · 05-18-2004, 04:32 PM

Great info, I'm really looking for these personal experiences. Sounds like both Jeep and the Yukons have their downsides.

I personally would rather drive a Jeep daily. With a nice shell on top, I think space would be just fine except the fact that I couldn't haul 9 friends around. I guess the only reason I wouldn't like a Jeep more is if I was told a Yukon/Tahoe is going to outperform it in Snow/Rugged terrain by *a lot*.

DEI37 · 05-18-2004, 04:54 PM

I would personally go with one of the GM units. They are a reliable vehicle mostly. The GC's use the 4.7 SOHC V8 now, and I've not heard of anything seriously wrong with the engine themselves. The Chrysler Corporation STILL hasn't figured out how to build an overdrive transmission, though. I'd stay far, far away from a GC...plus, they are SO small inside.

VW's Touareg is a pile of shit. So many problems, it's not even funny. Trust me, I work in a dealership, and sell parts for VW's in general.

That's my 2c...good luck, let us know what you do.

cj2112 · 05-18-2004, 05:07 PM

my parents have a current generation yukon....very nice rig except for some minor electronics issues (seat location memory, and the factory amp on the stereo went bad) and the piss poor paint job that most new vehicles seem to have. Mechanically it has been a very good rig thus far.

Kurant · 05-18-2004, 06:40 PM

I guess I've gotten lucky then. Our VW is great. 11,000 miles in 4 months (She commutes with it) and not a single problem.

-Ever- · 05-18-2004, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DEI37
I would personally go with one of the GM units. They are a reliable vehicle mostly. The GC's use the 4.7 SOHC V8 now, and I've not heard of anything seriously wrong with the engine themselves. The Chrysler Corporation STILL hasn't figured out how to build an overdrive transmission, though. I'd stay far, far away from a GC...plus, they are SO small inside.

VW's Touareg is a pile of shit. So many problems, it's not even funny. Trust me, I work in a dealership, and sell parts for VW's in general.

That's my 2c...good luck, let us know what you do.

Besides they're being small, why else are you against Jeep enough to stick with a Yukon/Tahoe?
Thanks
-T

merkerguitars · 05-18-2004, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DEI37
VW's Touareg is a pile of shit. So many problems, it's not even funny. Trust me, I work in a dealership, and sell parts for VW's in general.

That's my 2c...good luck, let us know what you do.

The look nice and run nice....but as soon as you get a problem or something breaks out of warranty the mechanic bill on them is outrageous.

Too bad you couldn't find another suburban with lower miles, my mom wants a suburban really bad, most likely my dad will find one with a junk engine and tranny and rebuild them and get a nice long life out of it. I don't think your going to find a SUV that is bigger than a surburban...unless you get an excursion

DEI37 · 05-19-2004, 09:15 AM

-Ever-, my primary problem with the Chrylser Corporation in general is transmissions. The GC is a capable off roader, and I've not heard anything really bad about the 4.7 SOHC V8. The 5.2 and 5.9 V8's aren't so hot, what with them cracking head fairly often. I also like the way the GM twins look better.

-Ever- · 05-19-2004, 09:20 AM

Ok cool so it's just an overall concern then. I was just making sure you weren't completely against them.
Thanks guys
-T

Nimisys · 05-22-2004, 12:28 PM

For the most park the Yukon/Tahoe are a solid truck design. The GenIII V8's in them (4.8 or 5.3 in the tahoe, the 5.3 or 6.0 for the Yukon and Denali) scare a lot of the heavyline GM techs due to their solid reliability and lack of work they provide the techs. the only two complaints with the motors is they lack the low end punch of the old TBI 5.7s, the other one is with the air induction and fuel delivery systems. they need to have fuel system cleaner ran through regularly (about every 15K) and the Throttle body also needs to be regularly cleaned and de-carboned to prevent low idle and hesitation drivability issues. otherwise the engines are quite solid. some still exhibit a cold knock condition, but it goes away when warm and so far engineering is reporting zero wear caused by it on fleet engines at 350,000 miles. The 4L60E transmission is fairly solid, with timely maintance. burnt 2-4 bands and stripped reactionary sun shells (no reverse) are the two primary failure conditions, and entiher requires a full overhaul to repair. i have seen a few of the 6.0L Denali's eat the input gear set, which most of the time does require a SRTA for a cost effective repair. the rear ends are stout for the most part, though the genII (upto 99) had a some weak side carrier bearings. the front diffs however can be spotty. they often need to be resealed once under warranty for leaky and the case split. also they have been getting shitty bearings acorss all the front diffs, resulting in a howl on the coast side.

a yukon or tahoe and a GMPP through 75,000 miles is a very nice setup. they enjoy a tight turning radious and a roomy interior. whle it is plasticy for the most part they last quite well and aren;t to noisey. there are far worce choices on the market right now.

another truck to consider would be the avalanche. it is built ont he suburban frame and shares the same driveline and interior bits. it benefits those who want the open bed space of atruck but the roomier seating of an SUV. the plastic lined cargo box int he back would work exceptionally well for suba equipment and snowboards where things can be sprayed off in the truck. now that they can come without the side mouldings they aren't nearly as ugly anymore either.

-Ever- · 05-22-2004, 05:50 PM

Thanks for that indepth writeup! Recently, we've been looking towards smaller rides in the Jeep GC range, like 4-runners and such, mainly for their daily-driveability.
Any opinions towards suv's in this size?
Take care
-T

jizzmasterp · 05-22-2004, 08:01 PM

The 4runner is a great SUV. The older ones are kind of small but they are bulletproof. The new one excels in all areas and beats the pants of a GC.

Nimisys · 05-23-2004, 09:08 AM

the Envoy/Trialblazer/Bravada/Rainier/Izuzu Ascender package is not bad at all either. they use the same the transmission and rear differentials as the C/K trucks. the 4.2 I6 in them is arguably the amoung most advance I6 on the market. 275hp and 280ft-lb of torque. the 5.3 v8 is availabe in the extended wheel base versions but only supplys 10 more HP and 10 more ft-lb of torque. they are closer to the size of the GC but a bit more roomy with more cargo space. the Envoy XUV is quite versatile, though it is only on the extended frame (which is near the szie of a tahoe). i think that i have only heard of one instance of a motr beign replaced in one, and that was an early production model. the cam phaser switch (has variable cam timing on the exhast cam) is known to lek oil through the connector on occasion, however it is fairly rare and an inexpesive repair. Body and Trim wise they had an issue of them eating rear lighting plates (what the brake light, turn signal and reverse light plugged into) however the new current design appears to be lasting, where the originals would only go 10k miles or so. trim and body wise, the only other chronic issue that comes up was weatherstripping coming off its pressed on position (they do not use glue from the factory to hold it in place), however it is easily fixed with 3m black weatherstripping adhesive and being pressed back into place. overall they are quite solid, with nothing else coming to mind as a chronic issue.

05-18-2004, 01:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
-Ever- Junkie Location: San Francisco	Yukon, Tahoe, and Jeep GC's? My family's 1990 beater Chevy Suburban is about to crap out. We used it for Home Depot, snow board, and scuba trips mostly. While I'm recomending that we stay with status quo (IE just buy a newer, mid-milage suburban replacement), they're interested in upgrading. I think they're forgetting what we realistically use the car for, but I'm having a hard time convincing them that they don't need to spend so much cash. Either way, they're turning to me for advice because I'm the main car man in the family. Here's their requirements: -Bigger to do these kinds of trips in -Cost isn't much of an issue yet -Leather interior My insite to them is that it should remain a beater and we should stick with cloth seats, but my mom is set on leather for some reason, even though she hardly ever rides in the car (Maybe twice a year!) Furthermore, there is a good chance that this car could eventually turn into my daily driver, and I think a Jeep Grand Cherokee would do much better for this than would the Yukons or Tahoes. I apologize for being ambiguous, but that's why I'm turning to you guys. I have no idea how these three cars stand up against eachother, and I'm having a hard time trying to find what would suit us best. I guess personal experience with any of the cars would be some good feedback to hear about (especially noting on the uses that I mentioned above) Thanks guys, I'm off to some dealerships with my dad. -Tim __________________ Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life. A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet Earth. Like a priceless jewel buried in dark layers of soil and stone, Earth radiates her brilliant beauty into the caverns of space and time. Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home And experience of this place to visit and play with reality. You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster... --Acknowledge your weaknesses--

05-18-2004, 04:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
Peryn Junkie Location: San Diego, CA.	Well, as for the leather vs cloth...they each have their advantages. While leather is mroe comfy, more expensive, whatever....it cleans easy and doesn't stain as much in my experience. It gets crapped up....just wipe it off. While cloth is very durable, it tends to stain real easy. I personally, like the jeep idea, but it may not be what you want. You wanted it bigger...well, it is much smaller than your current suburban, or a new yukon/tahoe will be. How many people do you take with you? For SCUBA and Home Depot, it ought to be just fine. For snowboarding, it will get a little more interesting. You will hafta strap your boards to the roof most likely, while the rest of you gear could fit inside. The bigger GM trucks will give you more room inside to store stuff. I dont know how often you do that recreational stuff, but if its frequent, you might be better off with a Yukon, Tahoe, Suburban, etc. The Jeep will make a much better daily driver, but you will be sacrificing some interior storage room for it. It is smaller, lighter, and gets better mileage than the other two. Check out MSN's Auto compare feature to get a good idea when looking through different cars. Here is a quick compare of the three cars you chose : http://autos.msn.com/research/compar...96965&v=t97355 __________________ Dont cry kid, It's not your fault you suck.

05-18-2004, 04:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
-Ever- Junkie Location: San Francisco	I appreciate it. What's funny is that you're right on. We just spent a few hours at the GMC dealership looking at all the new Yukons. They're very nice, but pretty pricey and we'd feel bad leaving one in the sun if we bought new. So we checked out a similar one form 1999 and it was nice. Only has 5 seats, but was much cheaper and fit the "nice but still a beater" category. However the fact that it only has 5 seats and is still a big car (bad for daily driving) makes me think that I might as well just stick with Jeep. So I've really been able to understand the pluses and minuses with the different car's sizes. What about in power? Our 2001 Jeep GC Limited has plenty of pickup, and the 2004 Yukon did as well. I couldn't really tell a difference. The only thing I can think of that's going to be bad with the Jeeps is that they aren't a true 4WD, I think they're AWD, correct...? Thanks guys -T __________________ Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life. A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet Earth. Like a priceless jewel buried in dark layers of soil and stone, Earth radiates her brilliant beauty into the caverns of space and time. Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home And experience of this place to visit and play with reality. You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster... --Acknowledge your weaknesses--

05-18-2004, 04:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
Kurant Junkie Location: Don't worry about it.	Yukon or Tahoes basically are the same vehicle, one is GMC, on is a Chevy, although I'm sure you knew that. The Jeep, well, it's a Magnum engine, which IMO are garbage. Terrible gas milage, chronic compression issues, especially since most GC's come with the 5.9. The interiors are decent, not very roomy. I personally don't care for them because they are small. I drove a couple GC"s with my wife before buying our Touerag. Nice cars, but too small for my tastes. As is the VW, but then again, I didn't get any say. It's still much, much nicer then any GC we drove. The Tahoe's and Yukon IMO drive better, but the interior's are ugly, but much more roomy. Don't get leather in a GM vehicle. I've owned 2, a 98 and a 2002 Silverado, and every year for 5 years, I've had a repair bill for cracked leather sets. I condition them about every 3 months, and keep them well cleaned. The seams are stiched as cheap as possible, and they rip at the seams. The items in the car, well, they seem cheap, and are cheap. I've had my heated seat button on the driver side get stuck, the ride control button break, the stereo keeps resetting the time just for fun. Also over time, the truck has devolped HORRIBLE rattles in the passenger side door, and there is a funny ass grinding noise in my seat everytime I get in. This is all in a truck with 22,000 miles on it. I forgot to mention the tailgate fell off too, and the pulsating in the brakes since about 16,000 miles. I won't be buying another GM product. But, on a positve note, the ride is solid, handles well, plenty of power (I have the 4:10 gears for towing), quiet, and as comfortable as anything else I've ridden in. EDIT: Spelling, Touareg, sorry. =) Last edited by Kurant; 05-18-2004 at 04:27 PM..

05-18-2004, 04:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
-Ever- Junkie Location: San Francisco	Great info, I'm really looking for these personal experiences. Sounds like both Jeep and the Yukons have their downsides. I personally would rather drive a Jeep daily. With a nice shell on top, I think space would be just fine except the fact that I couldn't haul 9 friends around. I guess the only reason I wouldn't like a Jeep more is if I was told a Yukon/Tahoe is going to outperform it in Snow/Rugged terrain by a lot. __________________ Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life. A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet Earth. Like a priceless jewel buried in dark layers of soil and stone, Earth radiates her brilliant beauty into the caverns of space and time. Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home And experience of this place to visit and play with reality. You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster... --Acknowledge your weaknesses--

05-18-2004, 04:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
DEI37 Go faster! Location: Wisconsin	I would personally go with one of the GM units. They are a reliable vehicle mostly. The GC's use the 4.7 SOHC V8 now, and I've not heard of anything seriously wrong with the engine themselves. The Chrysler Corporation STILL hasn't figured out how to build an overdrive transmission, though. I'd stay far, far away from a GC...plus, they are SO small inside. VW's Touareg is a pile of shit. So many problems, it's not even funny. Trust me, I work in a dealership, and sell parts for VW's in general. That's my 2c...good luck, let us know what you do. __________________ Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

05-18-2004, 05:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
cj2112 Unbelievable Location: Grants Pass OR	my parents have a current generation yukon....very nice rig except for some minor electronics issues (seat location memory, and the factory amp on the stereo went bad) and the piss poor paint job that most new vehicles seem to have. Mechanically it has been a very good rig thus far.

05-18-2004, 06:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
Kurant Junkie Location: Don't worry about it.	I guess I've gotten lucky then. Our VW is great. 11,000 miles in 4 months (She commutes with it) and not a single problem.

05-19-2004, 09:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
DEI37 Go faster! Location: Wisconsin	-Ever-, my primary problem with the Chrylser Corporation in general is transmissions. The GC is a capable off roader, and I've not heard anything really bad about the 4.7 SOHC V8. The 5.2 and 5.9 V8's aren't so hot, what with them cracking head fairly often. I also like the way the GM twins look better. __________________ Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

05-19-2004, 09:20 AM	#12 (permalink)
-Ever- Junkie Location: San Francisco	Ok cool so it's just an overall concern then. I was just making sure you weren't completely against them. Thanks guys -T __________________ Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life. A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet Earth. Like a priceless jewel buried in dark layers of soil and stone, Earth radiates her brilliant beauty into the caverns of space and time. Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home And experience of this place to visit and play with reality. You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster... --Acknowledge your weaknesses--

05-22-2004, 12:28 PM	#13 (permalink)
Nimisys Crazy Location: San Diego	For the most park the Yukon/Tahoe are a solid truck design. The GenIII V8's in them (4.8 or 5.3 in the tahoe, the 5.3 or 6.0 for the Yukon and Denali) scare a lot of the heavyline GM techs due to their solid reliability and lack of work they provide the techs. the only two complaints with the motors is they lack the low end punch of the old TBI 5.7s, the other one is with the air induction and fuel delivery systems. they need to have fuel system cleaner ran through regularly (about every 15K) and the Throttle body also needs to be regularly cleaned and de-carboned to prevent low idle and hesitation drivability issues. otherwise the engines are quite solid. some still exhibit a cold knock condition, but it goes away when warm and so far engineering is reporting zero wear caused by it on fleet engines at 350,000 miles. The 4L60E transmission is fairly solid, with timely maintance. burnt 2-4 bands and stripped reactionary sun shells (no reverse) are the two primary failure conditions, and entiher requires a full overhaul to repair. i have seen a few of the 6.0L Denali's eat the input gear set, which most of the time does require a SRTA for a cost effective repair. the rear ends are stout for the most part, though the genII (upto 99) had a some weak side carrier bearings. the front diffs however can be spotty. they often need to be resealed once under warranty for leaky and the case split. also they have been getting shitty bearings acorss all the front diffs, resulting in a howl on the coast side. a yukon or tahoe and a GMPP through 75,000 miles is a very nice setup. they enjoy a tight turning radious and a roomy interior. whle it is plasticy for the most part they last quite well and aren;t to noisey. there are far worce choices on the market right now. another truck to consider would be the avalanche. it is built ont he suburban frame and shares the same driveline and interior bits. it benefits those who want the open bed space of atruck but the roomier seating of an SUV. the plastic lined cargo box int he back would work exceptionally well for suba equipment and snowboards where things can be sprayed off in the truck. now that they can come without the side mouldings they aren't nearly as ugly anymore either. Last edited by Nimisys; 05-22-2004 at 12:30 PM..

05-22-2004, 05:50 PM	#14 (permalink)
-Ever- Junkie Location: San Francisco	Thanks for that indepth writeup! Recently, we've been looking towards smaller rides in the Jeep GC range, like 4-runners and such, mainly for their daily-driveability. Any opinions towards suv's in this size? Take care -T __________________ Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life. A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet Earth. Like a priceless jewel buried in dark layers of soil and stone, Earth radiates her brilliant beauty into the caverns of space and time. Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home And experience of this place to visit and play with reality. You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster... --Acknowledge your weaknesses--

05-22-2004, 08:01 PM	#15 (permalink)
jizzmasterp Insane	The 4runner is a great SUV. The older ones are kind of small but they are bulletproof. The new one excels in all areas and beats the pants of a GC.

05-23-2004, 09:08 AM	#16 (permalink)
Nimisys Crazy Location: San Diego	the Envoy/Trialblazer/Bravada/Rainier/Izuzu Ascender package is not bad at all either. they use the same the transmission and rear differentials as the C/K trucks. the 4.2 I6 in them is arguably the amoung most advance I6 on the market. 275hp and 280ft-lb of torque. the 5.3 v8 is availabe in the extended wheel base versions but only supplys 10 more HP and 10 more ft-lb of torque. they are closer to the size of the GC but a bit more roomy with more cargo space. the Envoy XUV is quite versatile, though it is only on the extended frame (which is near the szie of a tahoe). i think that i have only heard of one instance of a motr beign replaced in one, and that was an early production model. the cam phaser switch (has variable cam timing on the exhast cam) is known to lek oil through the connector on occasion, however it is fairly rare and an inexpesive repair. Body and Trim wise they had an issue of them eating rear lighting plates (what the brake light, turn signal and reverse light plugged into) however the new current design appears to be lasting, where the originals would only go 10k miles or so. trim and body wise, the only other chronic issue that comes up was weatherstripping coming off its pressed on position (they do not use glue from the factory to hold it in place), however it is easily fixed with 3m black weatherstripping adhesive and being pressed back into place. overall they are quite solid, with nothing else coming to mind as a chronic issue.