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We paid about $500 for a unit with a 6/7" or so screen. It has detachable screen which we hang over the back of the seat and I run the DVD player setting it in the front passenger seat.
Wife and daughter ride and watch in back. (Dog wanders wherever.)
I've seen some now that the whole unit will hang and it's much smaller and lighter for about the same price. We've put quite a few hours on it with no problems and it is very bump & jolt resistant.
Concerning the DVD entertainment system, we did not get a factory unit. I was going to get an aftermarket Audiovox unit with 7 inch lcds built into the headrests. (the entire headrests are replaced by exact replicas with units built in - not curring), a dvd, rf modulator, and the ability to play 2 sources, one to each of the two screens. Total cost with 5 yr warranty from Ultimate Electronics was $2200. Much more functional than the factory, as each child could watch a different source and wear wireless headsets that only heard their screen. BUT, we chose to go with a g2g portable dvd player with a brighter 7 inch lcd, and an extra 7 inch lcd. Both with speakers built in, or wired headphones. 2 separate sources can be connected, and it has a better picture and can be used indoors or other vehicles. A "C" for appearance, but functionality, etc. WOW. Total cost with 3 year warranty from Sams club, tax included $585.
I used a PIE adapter so I can go into the stereo directly through the CD input. The power is from a lighter socket which I hooked up to switched power.
Thanks.
I put Sylvania SilverStar low beam bulbs with stock wattage on another car that had older halogen headlights and I noticed a slight improvement, but not much. It did improve the 'cool' factor since the beam is now lighter like an HID. I suggest you attempt this approach, since this will cost you only $40 in bulbs vs. $1000 +-$ for a true HID system.
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What are people offering/getting as far as over/under invoice for an '04 DXL, and is the over/under more or less firm regardless of additional options (e.g., navi, DVD, captain's chairs)--i.e., is it fair and reasonable to pay a bit more than say $500 (just as an example) over because of additional add-ons, or should one stick with a cutoff point regardless of options?
Example--I'm in Northern California and am looking at an '04 DXL w/ navi, sunroof, and 2nd-row captain's chairs; according to Edmunds, MSRP (incl. destination charge) is $55295, invoice is $48437, TMV is $49782. IS TMV still a fair offer at this time of year or should I ask for much closer to invoice; and if so, how much (or, how little) above? Note--offer is before any rebates, bonuses, and/or other incentives and discounts are factored in.
Thanks!
The vitals--it's a self-contained (screen and DVD player) overhead unit (similar to the factory), made by Power Acoustik; 10" flipdown and rotatable (horizontally) screen, two IR headphones, IR and FM transmitters (so that you can listen in through speakers), can play CD/DVD/MP3, aux input (at least according to the specs on the box). Sure you'll either have to install it yourself or find/pay someone else to do it, but for $749 after rebate I think it's a pretty good deal.
Lets agree that the exterior of the Denali is much cleaner and upscale compared to the cluttered two tone Eddie Bauer. Nicer running boards, too.
But the Denali interior is the same old Chev pickup truck interior we've seen for 10 years. No discernable wood on the dash, any color leather you want as long as it a mauve gray, and as an upgrade to the Tahoe, two doors on the console to better obstruct your use of the cupholders and change holders! (I suspect that in the real world these stay permanently open, so whats the point?). The EB interior had much nicer pig-skin colored leather, round chrome HVAC ports, some wood, overally it felt airier, etc. The Ford fold flat rear seat to me is a wash with the Denali removable third seat (although many Ford fans disagree).
The engines are similar (5.4 Triton vs. 6.0 for the GM--I didn't hear any cold start knock today on this winter day. Has GM cured this in 2004?); the Ford has rack and pinion and IRS, the Denali has neither. Both can be run in AWD come December 15. The Denali rode better; the EB without the air bag option seemed choppier. (I wonder though how long the autoride shocks are going to last and what you do for replacements. Do you trash the Denali autoride system and throw in Bilsteins?)
Lets run some numbers. Start with a "base" 4X4 Eddie Bauer and option it up to be comparable to a Denali. This means adding climate controlled seats, the safety canopy, trailer tow package, stability control and a moon roof. Do this and you are at an Edmunds TMV of $38098. The comparable Denali is $43767. Is the Denali really "worth" $5700 more?? What did I miss? Given the resale of the Denali I must have missed something big time.
As a final thought, if for whatever reason a guy really preferred the GM product, one could buy Yukon SLT (or a Tahoe LT) and option it up to close to the Denali. THEN you could pick up one of these dashboard wood kits that are advertized in the back of Autoweek and Road And Track and IMHO come up with a much nicer dash/console/door effect than the Denali.
Avolvofan, yes the resale on the Denali is mindboggling. But allow a little bit of that for the limited supply and focused distribution: If you want one you have to go to a GM truck store for one. And there aren't that many GM truck dealerships. For example, only one that I know of in ME and only two in Eastern MA. By their nature, these dealers aren;t going to wheel and deal like a high volume, urban Chevy store, so perhaps the pricing is firmer.
Click through this link and see what you come up with. I'm not sure what model trim you are looking at to get below 40k.
Steve, Host
I tinkered with one at the dealers and found that it required an elf,s fingers to manipulate.
In addition the tiny knob to enter the data was overly sensitive because you had to use it for control and input and what took me 3 minutes to do on a portable Garmin took me 20 minutes on the Denali GPS. Any comments?
Concerning the navigation system. I can enter an address within 4 minutes. Plus if it is a business, all you do is enter the phone number and it is all there. Less than 2 minutes to do this. It is a little cumbersome at first, but after you do it a few times, the speed rapidly picks up. It has performed amazingly well. Try the phone entry for business', 1 minute the address and routing is there. Happy New Year
Sorry, I'm one of those old curmudgeons who learned to figure out where I'm going before I leave (and probably abnormally blessed with a great sense of direction, if truth be told). I can even count change back accurately too! (Though I must admit also that I've had no opportunity to do so for many a year now.) ;-)
For me, the Navigation System is more of a curiosity and a gadget that came with the truck. If they try to sell me a subscription for updates to the map database, I will pass.
As for curmudgeons who cant see GPS.Let me tell you.I am an 80 year old curmudgeon and want to tell you youngsters out there when you get to be a sensior a number of things happen.
Visual adaptation at night decreases which means street signs etc are more difficult to manage even if you have 20/20 vision.
Oncoming traffic glare articularly with halogens becomes more trying
I cn go on and on.The gist of it is that GPS is a blessing.When tht voice tells you 1/4 mil opn right is your final ETO. WOW!
It is not a distraction at all because you dont look at the map.Your passenger may want to do that but you just set the destination and listen.What you have in essence is your own co-pilot.
The fact that Denali's NAV is not anywhere near state of the art is yet another indication that GM's technology lags badly (no safety curtains, only two valves per cylinder, pushrods,etc. etc.). But, the product sells and has less complaints than many of the leading edge (e.g., Mercedes E Class) manufacturers that may have good engineering buy lousy electronic integration.
Though only pressing hard on 50 myself, I'm thinking "spry" has a pretty good sound to it -- especially trying to keep up with our 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old! ;-)
There are some inconsistencies as far as the offered features/options between the foreign and domestic companies. The lower and middle trim levels on domestic vehicles have more features/options on them than the comparable foreign offerings. The lighted controls on the door, automatic-volume-adjusting stereo, electric mirrors/locks and excellent seat comfort on even my old 1999 F150 SLT Supercab are examples of things not available on any but the highest trim levels of Toyota or Honda bigger-than-passenger-car offerings. Add to that the Bose stereo, left/right/rear-individually-adjusted climate control, power driver's seat, auto-leveling, and quieter cabin of my Yukon XL SLE.
I'll give you that the top ends of both lines might leave the GMC's on the low side of the balance arm. But the situation reverses when you look lower down the trim level lines as I see it.
Saying it differently, I think that no one really gets up in the morning and decides to actually BUY a GM car (e.g, a Cavalier). Instead of people buying GM cars, GM SELLS them thru rebates, agressive dealer-level arm twisting, etc.
One thing the whole truck does lack is the refinement that people expect in expensive luxury cars. Things like the cold start piston slap and interior material/ergonomics are not quite par with the class. I personally bridge this shortcoming by the fact that I view this vehicle as a truck and am willing to live with the compromises since the overall package is so well executed.
On the other hand, it would be nice if GM would go to a three valve or four valve head, improve the interior (climate controlled seats, maybe even offer "sport seats", heated steering wheels, safety canopies, less plastic), etc.