04-05 Yukon potential buyer

[kendog23]

hello,

I am seriously considering financing an 04 or 05 yukon this coming Feb or March and have a few questions for other owners.

Cloth or leather? I'm thinking of going with leather because I believe it adds to the look of the car, more spiffy and luxurious. I hear it can be awful in the summer on your legs though. Cloth is also comfortable. Which is best?

About performance- how is the acceleration and HP on the 5.3L? Is the $800 upgrade from 4.8 to 5.3 a worthy investment? I am considering it.

Good leg room for rear seat passengers? I am not getting XL.

Any other tips or suggestions are appreciated, thanks for reading.

[Vroom2]

Good luck with your purchase decision.

I may be able to answer your first question by answering the second one first. I think the upgrade to the 5.3L is a must, unless you just happen across a deal too good to pass up on a 4.8L truck.

That said, you'd be hard pressed to find a 5.3L-equipped truck with the cloth interior. They're out there, but there are many, many more with leather. Summer months can be a little tough, but I've found the leather to be very comfortable. It's also nice for resale value as well - as is the 5.3L engine.

Personally, I've found the rear seat (middle row would be more technically correct, I suppose) leg room to be a bit disappointing, particularly considering the size of the vehicle. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad, but if there's a tall driver and a tall rear seat passenger, it can get a little cramped.

My wife has an XL, and I've noticed that there is more rear seat leg room in hers. I believe this is possible because of the full rear door opening on the XL, which allows the rear seat to be positoned a little further back. Nothing scientific - just a guess.

And speaking of the true rear seat - the third row, it's all but unusable on the standard model.

In general, I'm very happy with my truck. Plenty of power, lots of room, it's quiet and dependable. The General's financing deals are the icing on the cake.

Take care,
Jerry

[kendog23]

thanks for the info Jerry. BTW what SLT package do you have? I'm looking at the first of 2 SLT packages, because I don't want the OnStar or Xm Radio in the 2nd. Signal mirrors would be nice though, but I guess I can always add them on later.

[Vroom2]

I actually have a Denali. I was under the impression signal mirrors are standard? Could definitely be wrong, though...

Have you visited a dealer or two? That'd probably make you most comfortable - checking out the interior trim, leg room, etc.

Good luck!

Take care,
Jerry

[00' GMCYukon]

hi, i got a 200 GMC yukon...yes i no its not a 2003-4 but it has the same options pretty much. on my truck i have the SLT 1SD package which is the "metter" or has more options the the 1st SLt package. It has onstar leather heated seats 5.3 v8 auto climate control ect.. but if i were you id obviously option for the bigger engine 295 hp 330 ft lbs torque from the 5.3 vs 4.8 being 285 hp (not much diff) but only 290 ft lbs of torque. the leather is great and if 7ou have the cash to spend and you want to get the SLt package with he 5.3

[00' GMCYukon]

sorry 2000

[jdaviso1]

I have a '04 Yukon SLT with the 1SD package. I love the leather and highly recommend it. I also would not get anything less than the 5.3L engine. I have a ski boat. The 5.3 pulls the boat, along with the wife, three kids and all our stuff without a problem.

I too thought I didn't want the OnStar and XM radio. I was only partically correct. I cancelled the OnStar after my initial trail period, but the XM radio is awesome. I hate paying for it, but I can't see myself living without it! Now I want to get XM for my boat.

[kendog23]

thanks for the post...how much do you pay a month for xm?

[jdaviso1]

It's $9.95 a month. I pay $28.95 quarterly.

The music is great. I'm a NASCAR fan so it's nice to be able to listen to the race. We also travel a lot on the weekends. It's great to be able to listen to the radio on a 300 mile drive.

I live in San Diego and XM just added a channel with 24 hour weather and traffic reports. The have similar channels for about 20 other metro areas.

http://www.xmradio.com

[ncyukon28]

Cloth and 5.3

Leather is too much to keep up with and the 4.8 sucks...believe me I know.

[JackBauer]

I have the Denali 03, with the 6.0L which is a rocket! So I would go with the 5.3. As far as Leather or Cloth, go with the leather.

Yukon or Yukon XL. The difference in the Denali model was about 4 grand more which I didn't feel was necessary as it's three of us in my family. I also like the Short look better. It draws your attention toward the features like the grill, and it's easier to park.
Not sure with the Yukon and Yukon XL what the price difference is, I am hearing that the standard Yukon non XLs I selling three times as many. If you have 3 kids go with the XL, as you will be taking their friends around etc. Otherwise go with the standard. Most people don't even need the extra six inches in the back. Young people buy them because Rappers and all have them but in actuallity the reason they get the XL is because they take out the third row and put in a Giant Speaker system. In so that's like one whole speaker more plus the subwoofer. Defeats the purpose of an SUV but whatever.

Also the OnStar is great it's free for a year and it's great peace of mind. Especially if your one to lock your keys in the car. XM is great too, I love the comedy station. What I do is I let the trial run out, then wait about a month and they will call you and offer you the service for 5 dollars instead of ten then you get the deal feel them out.

[tonytone]

Originally Posted by JackBauer

XM is great too, I love the comedy station. What I do is I let the trial run out, then wait about a month and they will call you and offer you the service for 5 dollars instead of ten then you get the deal feel them out.

They never called me...

['05DenalID]

Hey ken,

Glad your considering buying Yukon. Are you even considering a Denali, because that would eliminate a few of your questions. If not a Denali, I have always had cloth trucks until I bought my Denali. The leather is fantastic, its very comfortable and im not sure but I think all leather models have electric seats which means heat during the winter. Although tough on the legs during the summer it in my opinions add to the look and feel of the rig not to mention the resale price. I am not sure about the performance difference between the 5.3 and the 6.0 but obiously larger engine=better performance. In the XL the rear seat is hardly usable much less for a short truck.

Hope this helped your decision and hope you enjoy your new truck.

[99DenaliMan]

My only advice would be to Finance an 03-04. Skip the 05 stuff. Deprecation value is to high. Personally seeing as how the average losses somewhere between 60-80% of its value in the first 5 years and 60,000 miles, I'd say go with an 03, or possible depending on your area you probably can find an 04 with at least 13,000-15,000 in manufacture and dealer incentives. Think about this an 03 with 20,000 miles runs 28000. BOOK-can probably pcik up for 25,000 feb-mar next year. an 04 with 10000 runs 32,000- a little less bargaining room since it's newer. Probably get for 30,500. and a new dealership price runs over 36,000 and thats with the smaller engine. the first two where with the v-8 pricing. Honestly, for 11,000 I would say take off 30% of the price and lose less than 10% of the vehicle's life. Of course some people want new for the warranty, You're paying big bucks for that though. Here's proof of depreation. There is a 00 Denali for sale at a DEALERSHIP-MARK UP-WHEEL AND DEAL GALORE--and there asking price for the truck with 46,000 miles is 19,000. Probably sell for 90% of that @ 17,100. FOR A Denali less than 50,000 miles and Flawless as can be.

[cjb1214]

If I were you I would avoid GMC or Chevy all together. I currently own a 02 yukon xl. So far in 30k miles the radiator has gone bad the transmission went out 3 weeks ago. I had it in yesterday because the computer controlled a/c went out for the 3rd time and they nothiced my new transmission is leaking fluid, so it goes back tmrw for that repair. Also I had 2 recalls repaired this month also. The rear seat has a squeak in it and after the dash has a ratle in it. Oh I almost forgot the leather seats are the cheapest things you have ever seen. Mine tore at 29k miles. This is not an isolated incident or I got a lemon. I had even more trouble out of the Suburban I sold before I bought this one. The quality at GM is non-existant. Just my .02.