GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

gottagetaburb · December 2002

Finally had a chance to sit down with a local dealer yesterday. I proposed paying invoice (which includes a 2% advertising fee) minus half the holdback. The rep was very nice & I could see he was eager to do the deal. But of course "I have to go talk to my manager". Right. Over comes the manager. I restate my offer. You'd think I told the manager I was gonna take his wife, child, dog and favorite easy chair! He started whining about how last year he could get $1500-$2500 over invoice on Suburbans, how his comptroller would never accept a deal like that, that there's no way he's dipping into the holdback on a Suburban, blah, blah, blah. And he got up and walked away. I could almost hear him cursing the internet as he went back to his desk.

Surprising, to say the least. Seems like he's not aware of a)the state of the economy, b) GM's long string of poor results & gloomy outlook (http://biz.yahoo.com/n/g/gm.html), or c) that he had to do essentially nothing but take my order & take the plastic off the seats when the truck arrived to make a decent profit. Instead he chose to piss me off.

With dealers treating internet-savvy buyers like this, it's no wonder GM's market share & profits are falling.

Oh well, there's 5,273 other Chevy dealers to talk to...

beesampson · December 2002

Why don't you try the northeast area. I see ads for subs at 36,699.00. That for a 2003 4x4 1500 LT. The dealer is www.quirkcars.com.
I don't know what price you were quoted, But it might be worth the trip.
Good luck

lobbyist · December 2002

I saw ads in the Washington Post this weekend for $8000 off sticker on suburbans (or was it Yukon XL's). Anyway, those prices are plus freight and processing fees. Also, on Friday, GM extended it's 0% financing to 60 months because of overstocks on SUV's. I would call the dealer with the cranky sales manager back and reiterate the offer. After all, after you buy the vehicle, you don't have to communicate with the sales department any more. I take delight in pissing them off.

grogman1 · December 2002

'01 - YXL Does anyone have any suggestions for floor mats/protection? The front seats aren't really a problem - but I have the second row captain's seats and have been looking(without any luck) for a mat that covers the center isle as well as in front of the third row bench seat. Currently, I am using a homegrown version and the mats seem to scatter when the rugrats rush the isle to see who can get to the back seat first............thanks:)

sotex · December 2002

Anyone know what kind of gas mileage I can expect. Also, if anyone knows what a competitive price might be for a 2002 Suburban 2500 4wd LT with 7,000 miles I would appreciate it. Thanks

lobbyist · December 2002

The Cabelas catalog (www.cabelas.com) has a wide selection of floormats. However, I have not seen anything that covers the space between the two center row captains chairs.

lobsenza · December 2002

There does exist a mat that covers that area, but I don't remember where I saw it (not much help). I did not pay much attention because I have the bench.

dfwk2500 · December 2002

I ordered a one piece mat back in early '01 for our YXL that covers the second row bucket seats, the center aisle and the third row area. It has worked great with 3 kids. I'll check my file tonight at home and see where I got it from. I'll also search my previous posts as I remember discussing the purchase with someone else on edmunds at the time.

FOUND IT: http://www.premiermotoring.net/cgi-bin/webc.exe/suburban_new.html?sid=2cGKfU0X92dz11X-34102528058.66

I got the PM3200 from Premier Motoring Accessories. They will send you cloth samples to pick the color you want/need.

joeh7 · December 2002

I have owned a brand new 03 Yukon XL for about three weeks and have driven it 2,223 miles. The ride is terrible compared to my 99. I sold my gorgeous 99 to a friend and would re-verse the transaction in a second if I could. I know the experts will tell you that they added this suspension bar and that spring etc etc. but I am here to tell you I feel like I am driving an explorer and not the awesome 99 suburban that I use to drive. The entire vehicle feels light, cheap and I feel most bumps way more than I should. I owned my 99 for four years and it was the best vehicle with the best ride that I have ever had. I am afraid the next time around I will shop the competition. THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SELL OLD SUBURBAN.

grogman1 · December 2002

Thank You, Thank You & Thank You!

lobsenza · December 2002

Check your tire pressure. It should be around 32 PSI. If it is too high, it will produce a bad ride. I drove both the old body style Suburban and a new body style. The new style is much better than the old IMHO. By the way, do you have autoride?

stakeout · December 2002

we have two '01 Subn's...both acquired last year NEW.. got mine, a Z71 at this dealer just south of Charleston, SC..it's Marchant Chevy... here's their online site.. http://www.marchantchevy.com/en_US/ not sure where you are located.. I know others on here have dealt with them also.. they do a $98 over invoice plus ALL REBATES go to the BUYER.. I wound up paying invoice+$98 minus $1k Subn loyalty rebate minus a $1K Dealer's Cash Rebate...

go to their site and run a NEW Inventory search for Suburbans.... and you'll get ALL the Surburbans they have on the lot... they show their MSRP as well as the Selling Price... no add-ons.. no gimmicks.. straight stuff.. I just ran that search and they are showing 31 Subns on the lot...

I was happy ..good folks.. my local dealer hemmed and hawed about finding a white Z71 at the time and matching prices with this second one after he matched my wife's Subn price from them.. he zigged .. so I said to heck with them and drove down the 125 miles from our place near Myrtle Bch to buy it from Marchant direct..

if nothing else you can use their posted prices to compare to other dealers...

good luck

kasmill · December 2002

Am thinking between a minivan (honda or Olds) and YukonXL. Drove a suburban to NC from Chicago over thanksgiving and loved it. However, wife is a bit afraid of the size and getting around town and getting the kids in the back, we will shortly have 3 under 3. Any insight out there?
Thanks

b10751 · December 2002

Go for the YukonXL. We had a minivan for years and it served us well. In May, i sold it and bought a yukon. So far, it has been flawless and is a joy to drive, especially on trips. We originally had concerns about it's size, but it maneuvers and handles better than the minivan. My wife is only 5'2" tall, and she loves it. Took a little getting used to at first, especially backing up, but it's no big deal. Getting kids in and out is no problem either, just get running boards to make the step up not so high. No regrets here switching from a minivan to the yukon.

jdr6 · December 2002

I am in the process of ordering a suburban. I would like suggestions about getting a locking rear differential or the stabilitrak system. You can't have both. The stabilitrak sounds like a good safety item, but no one seems to know about it. The locking rear differential sounds like a useful tool for those occasional trips to the snow. Please help with my confusion

joeh7 · December 2002

I do not have autoride and I may have made a mistake by not purchasing it. I wanted that option but would have had to wait another few months to get my color and all the other options I wanted. I will check the tire pressure as well. Tks.

lobbyist · December 2002

JRD5--If you get the stabilitrak, you lose the controls for the 4WD. Without stabilitrak, you get controls that allow you to move between 2WD, 4WD high, 4WD low, and an automatic mode simply by pushing buttons on the dashboard.

gottagetaburb · December 2002

Thanks to all for suggestions & encouragement. I ordered a 2500 LT 8.1 from Berglund Chevrolet in Roanoke, VA yesterday. Got it for $85 over invoice. No advertising. :-)

No comes that hard part - waiting for it to come in. With a two-week production shutdown over Christmas I figure I'll get it sometime early February.

Again - thanks all. This board rocks!

jonkao · December 2002

We have a Toyota Sienna XLE and Yukon Xl. Originally I wanted my wife todrive the minivan.
After a few days, she wanted the Yukon XL and will not gobacktothe minivan. Now I am stuck with the van and have to use it for my commute.

I prefer driving the XL,too, but she insisted that XL makes her feel safe and nice with 3 kids in the vehicle.

stever · December 2002

If you want to be a bit devious, you could go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov and check out the rollover resistance ratings. Tell her the Sienna is predicted to be a bit safer that the Yukon for rolling over and you have to drive the XL since you aren't hauling the kids....

(Of course, if you play this card, you may become the chief kid chauffeur in the Sienna <g>).

Steve, Host

vindog45 · December 2002

i have 2000 YXL.....suddennly lost power steering, almost caused accident.....pump was gone....42000 mi.....had to pay over 400.00 to fix....warranty was up....anyone else have this happen?......vin

jczoka · December 2002

I recently bought a 95 suburban from a private owner. The information sticker on the drivers door that shows tire pressure has faded and can't be read. Everywhere I've looked for this info(owners manual, online etc.) says to refer to this sticker. If anyone owns a 94-95 suburban 2wd 1500 please let me know what the recommended pressure is by looking at your sticker. My tire size is 235/75R15. Thank you

805engineer · December 2002

JDR6:
I know the two seem interrelated but they are not. Stabilitrak tries to prevent your truck from going into a skid in a turn if you are on a slippery surface. When it senses you are going into the skid it applies brakes at certain wheels to try and keep the vehicle moving in the direction you are steering. My wife has it on her Intrigue and she has had it kick in a couple of times on curves in the snow. It works great. Locking Dif on the other hand only increases your ability to get started on a slippery surface by locking both rear wheels together and doubling your traction. It would be great to have both but I think there is some technical reason why you can't get both. Hope this helps...

jgmilberg · December 2002

No offence but the NTSA roll over tests are GARBAGE!!!!! They are "VIRTUAL", meaning that they are based on figures, not ACTUAL data. It's a computer program that takes the center of gravity and the wheel track width to figure it out. This does not take the suspension travel, spring rates, or anti-sway equipment or any other design characteristics that the auto makers has built into the vehicle to keep the vehicle from rolling over.

It all came about because that stupid Ford Exploder. Personally I think it was the tires combined with drivers not knowing how to handle the vehicle with a flat tire. I place 50% on the tires, 40% on Ford for putting crap rubber on the SUV, and 10% on the driver for not doing a better job of handling the vehicle in a crisis situation.

The roll over ratings are bogus, the program does not take critical components of the suspension, and until they do I will hold this opinion firmly.

terryasullivan · December 2002

Tell me about $1,000 suburban loyalty rebate.
There are $2,000 rebates floating around in lieu of 0% financing. Is that what you really got?Can you give me an email address?
terry.sullivan@xcellenet.com

stakeout · December 2002

....that was last year's 2001 Subn/Tahoe Loyalty Rebate as stated in my post#2663 when I got our two new Suburbans LAST YEAR... sorry for the confusion..

at that time Chevy sent out Rebate letters to all prior Subn/Tahoe owners ( I had a '99 Subn) for $1K Rebate.... it could be used on as many new Subn/Tahoes as you cared to buy/lease at the time.. I used mine 2x for both new Subn's... at the same time there was a Dealer's Cash Rebate for another $1K that most dealers do NOT pass along or even let the buyer know about.. I found out about it on Edmunds in the 'Incentive and Rebate section'.. Marchant Chevy south of Charleston, SC in Ravenel had actually promoted it in their newspaper ads at the time and passed that rebate along also..

rooch · December 2002

I'm ready to purchase a Yukon XL and I'm discussing price with dealers on the phone. I was surprised to find that some include advertising cost (up to $700) to pad the invoice price. Is this acceptable practice?

stever · December 2002

"12. Why should I pay advertising fees?

Most vehicles carry a legitimate advertising fee levied by either the manufacturer or by regional dealer groups. National or regional advertising fees, when charged, should not exceed 1 percent of the vehicle's MSRP. Because individual dealership advertising is a cost of doing business, you should never pay an advertising fee levied by the dealer rather than a regional dealer association or the manufacturer."

Frequently Asked Questions

Irritating isn't it? Sometimes it's better to concentrate on the "out the door" price and ignore the line items.

Steve, Host

looram · December 2002

Does anyone know if the 2004 Chevy Suburban is going to remain as it is now, or is it going to be redesigned like the Chevy Silverado. I want to buy a new Suburban but will wait till next year if it is going to be changed.

lobbyist · December 2002

I have not seen any news that the Suburban will be redesigned for 2004. I have seen reports that they will offer a hybrid gas/electric engine for 2005 in the suburban. Perhaps that is when there will be a redesign.

kitchens · December 2002

Got my 2003 Suburban 2500 LT 4x4 this past Tuesday evening. Awesome vehicle. Has alot of features that my 01 1500 suburban did not have. I traded to the 2500 to accomodate towing my trailer. Took almost a month to the day to take delivery from the time I ordered it--good timing--I actually was not expecting it until the beginning of the year. It was made in Mexico, like my 01 suburban.

Quick question: I have the power extendable power mirrors. I believe that besides extending there is a power folding feature. However, I cannot figure out how to make the fold. I think the truck has this feature but when I have the mirror selection switch in the middle then push the right button, they retract, then do nothing. Anyone else had a similar experience? Is this feature not working properly?

Thanks for any input.

ryanbab · December 2002

"Does anyone know if the 2004 Chevy Suburban is going to remain as it is now, or is it going to be redesigned like the Chevy Silverado. I want to buy a new Suburban but will wait till next year if it is going to be changed. "

I have heard from a reliable source that the tahoes and burbs will remain unchanged until the next major update (05).

lobsenza · December 2002

I think the 04s will get the exterior treatment of the pickups. I would wait until 05 if there is a complete redesign then. Quadrasteer will probably be availabile on the 1500 Suburban by 04. It is expensive, but it sure has gotten good reviews....

lobbyist · December 2002

I saw a news report indicating that the 05's also will get a gas-electric hybrid engine. That should improve the mpg and might be worth waiting for as you might be able to qualify for significant ($2K) tax credits.

ryanbab · December 2002

the burbs and tahoes will not get the ext treatment of the pickups. Heard this from a reliable gm insider

I didnt believe it either

larryk5 · December 2002

I have a 01 XL SLE (no sunroof) and want to add a DVD/VCR player to the headliner. Any suggestions to where to go and what model to look at and approx cost.

Also, Have Bridgestone Duler H/L tires with 35k miles and may get another 15 before I have to replace. I did not rotate as often and had some toe-in up front that caused wear. Anyone run these along with Mich X-teran as I am considering the Mich and would like opinions on quite ride and rain handling. No snow or ice to be concerned with.

Merry Xmas
Larry

resque84 · December 2002

I presently have a 2000 Yukon XL and always use the Auto 4WD setting in rain, I am getting a 2003 Suburban and want to know what are the settings on the dash with stabilitrak ? Right now I have Auto 4WD, 2 hi, 4 hi, 4 lo, what would the settinngs be on stabilitrak models is there an Auto 4 WD switch as well ?Thanks

beesampson · December 2002

I recently put mich x cross and a dvd in/on my 01 sub. The tires replaced dierstones that had the same toe in problem. Made a great improvement, and are very quiet,and have a good ride.

The dvd player is a panasonic 6.8in. flip down. Install was easy, I replaced the rear climate control unit with this. Picture is good, came with the wireless head phones which is a god send with 2 little ones.

jdr6 · December 2002

805engineer:

Thank you for your response. I agree both would be the best, but you can't seem to have your cake and eat it too. I am going with the stabilitrak, since it is a full time safety system. Besides, it is my wife's vehicle and that is what she wants.

ted44 · December 2002

The rear of my 2002 Burb is always 1 to 2 inches higher on the right side than the left side. Does anyone know of a way to lower the right rear to make the rig set level? I'm thinking that sliding the AutoRide sensor connection that is back there a little to the rear might make the computer think it is high and as a result it maybe it would lower it a little on that side. Thanks for your help.

tdoh · December 2002

I recently bought an '03 Yukon XL and I had some questions regarding the floormats and aluminum wheel options:

1--I have the 2nd row bench seat option, and was wondering if the 2nd row floormat is supposed to be a two-piece (meaning, nothing covering the center portion of the 2nd row) or one-piece mat?

2--I also have the polished aluminum wheels, and noticed that they came with the non-colored GMC logo centercaps; did GMC decide to elminate the colored-logo centercaps as standard (at least for these wheels) or did the dealer swap them out with the plain ones thinking that I'd be none the wiser? Just wondering since the GMC website has a pic for the polished wheels which have the red GMC logo centercap, whereas there is no pic for the machined wheels (which I assume are standard for the 1500 since polished wheels are a $200 MSRP option)--which I found kinda odd; you'd think that they would have a pic for the standard wheels.

jgmilberg · December 2002

The factory polished six spoke wheels do not have the red painted circle and GMC logo anymore. It's GM's cost cutting tactics flat out, that's all there is to say about that one. If you liked the old ones ask the dealer to swap out your old ones for the new ones.

Factory 2nd row mats are 2 piece, if you want one that will cover the hump you have to go aftermarket, like Catch All mats.

Hope this helps.

tuition06 · December 2002

i have had two older suburbans which i enjoyed, an 85 and an 87. currently have a 97 toyota land cruiser (lexus lx 450 version) for two years now, 52,000 miles, got it with 27,000. not one problem. i am interested in the 2000 or newer burb since everyone here seems so enthusiastic about the improvements and enhancements. can anyone think of any reason not to change back over to the 2000 or newer suburban?

tdoh · December 2002

A couple of things that perhaps others can shed some light on:

1--Is it normal for the parking brake pedal to go just about all the way to the floor? I asked the service guy to adjust it because I was worried that constant application of the parking brake with that kind of travel could eventually wear out the carpet where it touches the floor; he said he did but the pedal still almost reaches the carpet. FWIW--the car does hold with the parking brake applied when I press the pedal to a point where it almost touches the carpet.

2--Temperature readout on the ISRV mirror sometimes reads 97-98 deg F for long stretches, or until I turn off/on the ignition; dealer readjusted sensor but it's still doing it. Yeah, I know that this can be fixed but it's frustrating that I have to take my truck back again to get something fixed that should have been taken care of correctly the first time.

3--More of a QC issue, but you'd think that for a $40K-something SUV GM could have better QC on the fit and finish; the passenger-side A-pillar plastic trim is loose. I don't know if it's held in place either by double-sided tape or plastic fasteners but in any case the trim is bulging out midway between the top and bottom of the windshield. In all fairness the dealer has ordered a replacement part but still--stuff like this shouldn't be overlooked.

lexlan · December 2002

I just bought a 03 XL with the XM option. It has the higher profile large antenna. I tried to get the dealer to swap it out from one of the low profile antennas shipping on current models. Does anyone know if I can swap this out and where?

markmueller · January 2003

I am planning to order a 2003 Suburban LT. I have some questions that I would appreciate assistance with.

1. If I order the truck after January 15, 2003, will it come with the smaller XM antenna? Does the smaller XM antenna have a smaller base or just a shorter mast?

2. Is there any way to specify a plant at the time of order, or is it up to GM? Anyone have a Suburban manufactured in Mexico, and if so, how is the quality?

3. I reside in California. The Suburban with the gas only engine and California emissions (YF5)is rated at 13/17. The bi-fuel engine available in other states is rated at 14/17. The dealer tells me I can order the 2003 Suburban with the Federal option (FE9) and the California Emissions override (NB8) and get the bi-fuel engine. Does anyone know what the differences are in the two engines? Is one option better than the other? Finally, will I have trouble registering this in California?

4. I have an offer from a dealer to sell me the truck at the employee discount, less the rebate. Has anyone else purchased one using the employee discount, and if so, what was the discount?

By the way, I have a 1990 2500 4x4 with over 225,000 miles on the original engine, transmission and drivetrain and it still runs and looks good.

Thank you for your help.

Mark

aa555zz · January 2003

Yes, it is normal for the parking brake pedal to go near the floor.

ryanbab · January 2003

you cannot specify the plant where your vehicle is built.

tdoh · January 2003

I've had my '03 Yukon XL at the dealer twice to resolve an issue where the temperature display on the ISRV mirror sometimes thinks the outside temperature is 90-something degrees F when it clearly isn't. The dealer has replaced the sensor twice, to no avail. Yes, I'll bring it in to the dealer--again--to have them figure out what else it could be. However, since it appears they couldn't get it right both times, I'm looking to see if someone here might have a better idea. Could it be possible that there is a computer module that in part is responsible for processing the temp readings being read by the sensor; and if so, is it located in the ISRV mirror itself or somewhere else? I'm guessing that it can't be the sensor because from what I can gather, it seems that the module (assuming that it is indeed a module) has a problem properly displaying temperature anywhere between 40 and 50 degrees F--I have visually confirmed that it'll display correct temp readings for anything over 50 and under 40 deg F--IOW, I have yet to see the ISRV temp display show anything in the 40-degree F range, and the erratic 90-something display seems to correlate with the ambient temp falling below 50 until it reaches below 40, in which case the display is once again correct (reading 30-something). I have driven the Yukon in places where temperatures can be in the forties, but like I said I have never seen the ISRV mirror display a 40-something reading--only the false 90 readings.

Does my guess hold any water? Thanks!

tdoh · January 2003

Is it normal to hear clunks when slowing to a stop? It almost sounds like the tranny is downshifting all the way to first gear; the exact scenario I'm experiencing is that just about when I'm about to come to a standstill (meaning, maybe no more than a second before I actually do come to a complete stop) I hear two or three faint but audible clunks in rapid succession. Is it really the tranny shifting down to first, or is it something else? FWIW my vehicle has StabiliTrak, so perhaps it might have something to do with it?

Just wanted some feedback before I bring it up with the dealer. FWIW I had a '99 Tahoe and it never exhibited the symptoms I just described.

Thanks!

GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

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