2004 envoy xuv What should I know before buying?

[cplrowland]

I am looking at a 2004 Envoy XUV and am planning on buying next week. It has about 70k miles on a V6. It looks clean and runs great from what I can tell. Are there any particular issues I should look for before buying? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[maxwedge]

There were several recalls, make sure they were done, if a dealer get the records, private is another issue. Do a Carfax to look at the history also.

[cplrowland]

I got a Carfax and it lists only a minor collision with no significant damage. The vehicle is at a small dealership. I do not know that they have the records. Is there a way to look up recall work by the VIN? Also, where can I find a reliable list of issued recalls?

[maxwedge]

A GMC dealer can give that info , usually the Carfax show those issues also.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by cplrowland

V6.

It's an in-line 6. and one of the best engines GM has ever made, (imo) preferable to the V8 model.

I am sure you know that dealers can hardly give away SUV's (especially big, long-wheelbase ones like this) so be sure to haggle for the best deal.

This site is handy to look up reliability issues.
http://www.carsurvey.org/
Look at the Chevy Trailblazer reviews as well as the Envoy, since they are the same design.
Imho some owners tend to be too harsh when writing their reviews and unfairly condemn the entire truck when all they have are minor issues.

[cplrowland]

Great! Thanks for the help

[cplrowland]

I ended up buying the vehicle today. I let my fiancee drive it home from the dealership, while I drove her car. After hiding her car in the garage, we went out for lunch. i noticed that the fuel guage needle was well above the full mark and thought it was odd. The digital readout said 107 miles to empty. After lunch, I went out and started it up, and the guage went further, at this point it was pointing almost straight down. I brought it back to the dealership, and they can't get it looked at until Monday morning. In the mean time, he had an employee follow me over to the gas station to fill it up, since I couldn't tell how much gas was in it. He filled it up, and when I started it up again, the needle moved clockwise and now just kind of flutters near the fuel symbol below empty. Any idea what this may be? I just want to protect myself from a temporary fix if there may be a more serious underlying issue.

[dvo33]

Sorry to hear about your fuel gauge issues. I have a 04 XUV I purchased new, it current has 61,000 miles on it. I love it! It is very versatile. I am just at home taking it out to dinner and valet park it or push the top forward and load firewood in the rear. It has been quite dependable for us.