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Tell me about your Yukons/Suburbans please


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We have put off sending our faithful Odyssey to pasture, but now it is time. It is sitting in a garage 3 hours away. It died on a church field trip and I had someone else's kid with me. Fortunately dh had a friend from the town who recommended a mechanic and we got a ride home.

 

We are looking at a Yukon or a Suburban. We found 2 used ones here in town, a 2003 and a 2004, both with low miles (we buy used to let someone else take the depreciation.) One is at a Ford Dealership and the other at CarMax. I have found websites that say there are some problems with the cars, but if you get the right year they are great. OUr mechanic here loves them. The mechanic in Woodward, where the van is, loves them. Do you like your truck? 2003 seems to be a very good year, but 2004 looks to be the better of the two.

 

I just want your experiences. I know some of you hate the gas mileage and would buy newer, but this is unexpected, so we need to buy accordingly.

 

Thanks,

Ann

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We have a Suburban. The only thing that prevents me from setting fire to it in the driveway is the (entirely appropriate) felony charges that would follow.

 

In addition to the horrible gas mileage, it is, single handedly, the worst, most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. And I started with a British car. We have replaced every.single.major.part - including the engine at a little over 70K - and almost every minor one. The issues ranged from wipers that didn't work in the rain, a stalling problem that turned out to be a short in the fuel pump (which could have resulted in explosion), to the engine seizing for no apparent reason. I will never, ever, purchase a GM vehicle again.

Edited by MyCrazyHouse
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Our last vehicle was a 1994 Suburban- it was used and pretty beat up when we got it- but we kept it until 2 years ago at 250,000 miles and never had any major problems- we had to replace the radiator once and the fuel pump once.

 

Two years ago we got our used 2003 Yukon. The gas mileage is much better than the suburban (the main reason we went with the Yukon instead of the Suburban this time). I love this vehicle! Everyone fits comfortably and I have not had any problems at all.

 

HTH

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I love our suburban. We are on our second one; our first one was a 1994 and finally broke down with over 200,000 miles on it and our 2nd one is a 1999 and has over 150,000 miles on it and is still going strong. We are looking for a newer vehicle and our top 2 choices are another suburban or a Odessey. I thought we might like a Tahoe, but there is not enough room behind the 3rd seat and there is not much leg room for those sitting in the 3rd row. I loved our suburbans because they were so reliable and had plenty of room.

God bless,

Vicki

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We have a 2006 GMC Yukon XL and love it. Our gas mileage is ok, it handles well, love it in the snow (not on the ice). It seats our family of 7, soon to be 8 with enough room for all our stuff, something I can't say about our old minivan. We bought ours when it was 6 mos old at a fantastic discount (it was a company car). I'd buy one again if GM ever falls into private hands, otherwise we'll be looking at other brands.

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We bought a brand new 1999 Surburban and I absolutely LOVED it - AT FIRST. For the first several years I thought it would be the only car I'd ever own, trading up for a newer one when ready.

 

It was a TOTAL MONEY PIT. We had problems with the engine cutting out during a heavy load (towing or going through mountains) and this started at 36,000 miles and never stopped. We took it to two Chevy dealerships and two outside mechanics to diagnose the problem, nobody could.

 

We put 5,000 into repairs before it hit 100,000 miles and then when the 4wd gave out, something I may NEED just to get home at times, I was DONE. We had it towed out of our driveway THREE TIMES and I just could NOT own such an unreliable car.

 

I now have a Honda Pilot, also bought brand new. It's totally and completely reliable and we've had NO issues, but we are a family of giants (hubby and sons over 6 feet, me 5'9 and daughter who will be TALL, only short one is our adopted Chinese daughter ;)) and I can tell you FOR SURE that I miss the space of my Suburban. I've never once come as close in happiness with the Honda as I was my Suburban, but the unreliability and cost prevent me from ever buying one again.

 

Don't understand why some years are good and some aren't. Can't they learn? Maybe that's why they've gone under....

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Our 2003 Surburban has been trouble free for most of its 120,000 miles. We have put on new tires, charged the air, changed a belt, and routine maintenance. Right now the only problem is that the speedometer sometimes doesn't work right. I'll be driving on the turnpike and it will say I'm doing 100 mph and, I swear, I AM NOT! Other times it will say I'm going 25 mph when I'm doing 50 mph. I guess it's some sort of module problem and dh doesn't want to spend the money right now to fix it - besides we can use the GPS for a speedometer ;)

 

This vehicle has raised 4 boys. We had a 1996 prior to this one and loved it too. My son is driving a 1999 Tahoe and it's been trouble free, too.

 

So...if you want a big boat, I think these are great.

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My 1993 Suburban is still going strong - and I think it's still on the original engine, although I may be mistaken. The odometer rolled about 100 k miles ago; the most serious trouble we've had with it since we've owned it is the air conditioner stopped working. :glare:

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Between my mom, my aunt, and my cousin we have 3 Yukons in the family. The oldest is an 02. They each have over 100,000 miles and we absolutely love them. My mom had a few minor problems with hers but we have a dealer in town with a great service department that has handled everything well. I think they will easily last several more years and do well. The men in all 3 families love how well they can tow their boats, campers, and trailers. Yes, the gas can be very expensive - when gas was over $4 a gallon it was easily $150 to fill one. If you travel though, they ride smooth with little road noise and they are very comfortable. We just had 8 people in my mom's today (including 2 carseats). No one was squished or uncomfortable (except maybe my 300 lb brother in the front seat but he doesn't fit well anywhere).

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We bought my 2001 Suburban new and I LOVE IT! Mine has over 150000 miles and is still going great! My dh was teasing me that they may do away with Suburbans/Yukons because of trying to get everyone to go with smaller vehicles ---I told him he could just right out and buy me a new one then while there are still plenty on the lots!

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Thanks. We are back from the wilds of Weatherford OK and have the van in the garage. We looked at the Yukon. It is a Denali, 4wd, leather, sunroof, satellite radio. We did not put a deposit down because I didn't want to feel rushed, but if it hasn't sold, we will be having the mechanic check it out. I hope it all works out.

 

ann

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We have a Suburban. The only thing that prevents me from setting fire to it in the driveway is the (entirely appropriate) felony charges that would follow.

 

In addition to the horrible gas mileage, it is, single handedly, the worst, most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. And I started with a British car. We have replaced every.single.major.part - including the engine at a little over 70K - and almost every minor one. The issues ranged from wipers that didn't work in the rain, a stalling problem that turned out to be a short in the fuel pump (which could have resulted in explosion), to the engine seizing for no apparent reason. I will never, ever, purchase a GM vehicle again.

 

I could have written this entire post! We had the brakes go out on our Suburban with only 1,600 miles on it, going down Pikes Peak Road. The same trip that the DOOR FELL OFF and onto our then four year old son. Our first clue should have been, when it died in our driveway within an our of bring our brand spankin new vehicle home.

 

We could not get rid of it fast enough...and are delighted with our Odyssey.

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Quite honestly, I'm surprised you'd go from Honda to Ford/GMC. Seriously check the ratings on them. My husband's family is dyed in the wool Buy American, Union, etc. After going through a series of Chevy, Ford and Chrysler, DH finally decided to 'cross over'. And WOWSA! We started with a subaru outback, which we finally got rid of after 10 years. He drug me kicking and screaming from that car to my Prius. (The mileage helped drag me!). And now, he'll have to drag me from that. We have 2 Prius' (I know, we do only have 2 kids!) But we bought them at about 50K mileage, and after 3-5 years have had no major problems. At All. (I know, tomorrow the engine will fall out of both of them!)

 

All that to say, I've never had either, but if I were to get a SUV, My first choice would be the Highlander. (Well, I'd really love a Land Rover Defender, which you can't even buy in the states anymore).

 

jmho

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When my dh and I were married, he had an Accord and I had an Acura. We were confirmed Honda drivers. The Odyssey has been a disaster. We cannot seem to go on any trip without it breaking down. We lost the transmission in NC visiting my folks, the power steering pump went out on a trip I was taking with the girls without my dh, we have been through 2 oil pans, the ignition cable went out in a deserted part of OK on a trip I was taking with my girls without dh, there is a weird chemical smell coming from the engine that no one can diagnose. Our ignition switch went out on a camping trip in a town that was basically a wide spot in the road. I had to get a new catlytic converter to the tune of $1000. My breaks continually squeal even when the repair was done per the Honda instructions on the problem with Honda parts.

 

 

We are extremely good about maintenance but this is ridiculous.

 

When we got the transmission fixed the man at the shop said he is extremely disappointed in HOnda over the Odyssey transmissions. There is a major design flaw in them that prevents early diagnosis on problems as well as an easy fix. My sister has a 2002 and her transmission is having problems, we have friends who got rid of theirs after getting the 2d transmission under 125k miles, and a friend with a 2004 is experiencing transmission problems.

 

Bottom line - we expect better from HOnda. My mechanic and several others I have spoken with say they don't know where the reliability problems with the Suburubans come from. They don't see it. Sure there are some lemons, but they are more disappointed in the Odyssey than the Chevy.

 

I cannot continue to break down in small towns where they can easily fix American cars but they have to wait for enough Honda parts to make it in from OKC or Memphis or Jackson or whatever the big city is in whatever state we are in.

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Just a thought.

 

We have friends with Yukon/Suburban SUVs who complain constantly or have theirs die on them.

 

We have a Toyota Sequoia and LOVE it! It gets better mileage (17-18mpg) than the other and we plan to drive it until it dies. Right now it has 75K miles on it but our friend's has 220K miles on it!

 

Ours is a 2004 and still runs like the day we bought it.

 

Dawn

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We have a 2004 Suburban with over 130,000 miles on it. Other than routine maintenance, we haven't had any trouble with it. Wait, I take that back. Our speedometer quit working. Turns out, it was a factory recall. They replaced it for us for FREE! The only other issue we have, is with our 4WD. It has a short, so the push buttons don't always work. We can bypass them though, but putting it in 4WD before we turn the key all the way. It's $1000 for the stupid electrical part. So, we haven't fixed it yet. lol. I do love my Burban though. Will I buy another one? I dunno. I want to keep it atleast 3 more years. By that point, one of my kids will be in college and another will follow behind shortly. I might be able to downgrade in size, which is what I'm hoping. When gas was $4 a gallon, it cost $100 to fill up the vehicle. I cried every time I pulled up to the gas pump. Now, it's about $55 or so. Much better. I could never go back to a mini-van though. The space in my Suburban is amazing.

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I haven't read the other posts. I had a Yukon that my ILs had passed down to me. It had 100,000 miles on it when they gave it to me and I put another 20,000 on it before it was totalled this last winter in a car accident.

 

I never had any trouble with it. I don't think we had any repairs done. The main thing I did not like about it was the size. I had a little trouble parking it and every time I would brake, everything in the car would go flying forward. I went back to a minivan after the Yukon and I have been so much happier. We have the same seating space and better storage for luggage and such than we did with the Yukon and the van just drives and parks so much better for me.

 

I know it also cost me more to fill the Yukon's gas tank than the minivan, but I can't say how much since there has been so much fluctuation in the gas prices over the last year.

 

Lisa

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We are currently driving our 4th Suburban/Yukon XL. We love them! No major repairs comes to mind in the 18 years we have been driving them. Our first one was ruined by the garage...long story, but they ended up taking it on trade.

OUr last one was a 2003 and there was some major concern about "engine knock" noise..something to do with the wrong size pistons in those engines. Forgive me, I am not a mechanic. We were diagnoses with the problem, but never had to do anyting about it. DH decided to trade it in before it became a problem. I would do some serious research about it before I bought one from that year. We had ours for 5 years and it never developed an issue.

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We have a 1995 Suburban. Bought it used in 1997 from a dealer and haven't had any major problems yet. Did have to replace a part in the air conditioner last year, but found the part on ebay and it was an easy fix. I used to drive it as my main car until two-three years ago when gas prices started shooting up. We purchased a used Camry and I drive that now, but our Suburban was always faithful to start each and every day, even now. It gets us up in the mountains each summer pulling an older heavy 25 ft. travel trailer. It's been a workhorse. We love our 'burban! It IS a gas hog though and not the best choice for an every-day car in today's economy. :tongue_smilie:

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