Anyone own a Chevy Avalanche or Caddy Escalade XT?
 

At almost 190k miles my '98 Tahoe 4x4 is getting a bit long in the tooth. I have loved this truck and it has served me well. The one niggle I have had was when trying to transport tall items like trees and larger bushs. Also since mine was a Tahoe and not a Suburban a full sheet of drywall hung out the back which sucked when it was raining or in the winter.

I am going to replace it with another 4x4 Chevy truck, probably something between an '04 and an '09. I really like the concept of the Avalanche / Escalade XT but I don't know anyone who actually owns one. My second choice would be a full size pickup, but with a king cab I loose too much of the bed. I tend to haul a lot of drywall and plywood so the ability to convert to a 4 x 8 bed is important.

Anyone out there have one of these beasts? If so what are your thoughts on it? What do you like or dislike. This time around I am going to get one of the nicer units, looking for a Z71, LT3 package, or the caddy.

I know a lot of you guys have opinions on Chevy vs Ford vs ....... I am a GM guy and will buy a GM product so _please_ keep the discussion on track.

Thanks, Harry

What about an ext cab or crew cab long bed?

Avalanche
 

I had an Avalanche...with the back seat down you can fit 4x8 sheets in and close the tail gate.

I thought about that, but with our underground garage I would never be able to park it at work. If I go pure pickup it will be a short bed and I will just have to avoid hauling wood or drywall in the rain or snow! I was surprised at the price difference between a real pickup and an Avalanche, more to think about.

-H

Overall what did you think about the vehicle? I wanted input from the folks here rather then the guys at the GM Truck forum since I figure I am more likely to get an unbiased opinion here.

-H

dont have an EXT but do have an Escalade.
I love this for a tow vehicle and family loves it for
its room and comfort.Downside is that Lade in 4x4
only has 6L which isnt real economical (until you get into +07s)

being just a little south of you , I know what problems to look for from chicago based ones , several guys have complained about water leakage by the back window and the floors starting to rust from the inside out ( carpet holds the water ) the other problems where 4x4 drivelines mostly transfercase chains having to be replaced from being driven on dry pavement with it engaged . other than that most of them like it , but they are hard to find in a decent shape ( interior) or lower milage around here .

We have the Escalade EXT and enjoy it. I have towed my cars (open trailer) with no problem whatsoever. We enjoy the comfort and have also used it as a "work truck". I have hauled a yard (scoop) of material in the back many times.

Cammer, Ya my Tahoe sucks for mileage as well so I am used to supporting Shell Oil.

Thanks Stimpy, One of my buds mentioned the rear window leak. He thought they had gotten that worked out by the '05s.

Dave, Good, glad to hear it is a workable truck. I like the look of the Caddy. After I closed my construction business I replaced the interior of my Tahoe with one from a Caddy, I've gotten used to the "upgrade", lol.

-H

Good friend of mine just traded in his 80k mile 2008 Avalanche LTZ yesterday. I drove and worked on the truck quite a bit. Here are some observations:

Average fuel economy with the 5.3 is roughly 15 MPG.

Pretty decent power. It is heavy.

The body hardware is garbage. He had the plastic chrome exterior door handles, and broke 3 out of 4, and one of the interior handles. Also replaced te drivers side window regulator.

No major mechanical issues. Needed pads and rotors at 70k. The drive by wire throttle body needed to be fully cleaned at 75k. Put new GM wires and plugs in it at the same time.

Fit and finish was good. The black textured plastic panels on the back of the truck were starting to badly fade as of trade time. The bowtie on the grille was delaminating, and had to be replaced.

Resale value is mediocre. The truck sold for over $52k new, and he had to fight to get $24k on trade. Bought a brand new Subaru WRX Premimum to replace it.

I wouldn't buy one, since I don't see the value in one.

I have an '03 Avalanche Z71 with 255,000 miles ( bought it 1-1/2 years ago with 228k). The vehicle still runs, drives and looks excellent. The Avalanche is basically a Suburban with the back cut out. One thing to consider with these vehicles is that they are coil sprung in the rear.... which delivers excellent ride quality.... but squats really bad when you put a load on it. I use mine to tow a car trailer... when loaded puts the axle on the snubbers (I am too cheap and lazy to install air bags). It does a great job though and has plenty of power.... just make sure you keep it out of overdrive when towing. I use the vehicle for work (I own a used car lot) and carry a lot of tools etc... and it is nice to be able to keep everything locked up and secure. It can also carry 5 passengers comfortably... which is nice when picking up vehicles out of the area. I am looking to upgrade to a 1500HD/2500HD crew cab short bed in the near future though...

BTW - Mine does NOT have that ugly plastic sh** or that funky front and rear bumper.

I bought an 07 LTZ for my wife this last summer. She just loves it. The only problem was the tail gate handle broke off. It only gets around 15 mpg but I didn't get it for the fuel economy. It handled the blizzard this week just fine.

My Lade with 5.3 gets about 14-15 in town and 18-19 on hiway
when towing 6-7K it dips to 14 average.
I think all the Caddys came with trailer towing package and alot of other features that are no cost when you buy a used one.
I really like the look of mine with the E+G grille,shown here with a couple of our other black vehicles.

I had an '03 Avalanche for about 4 years. Loved it, as it was very versatile. I could go get drywall, plywood, tow and go racing, then take the family out to a nice dinner the next night. Mine was LOADED to the hilt with crap I never even used. I was sad to sell it, but I went back to school full time, and was not towing any longer....otherwise it would still be in my driveway!

I've got an 07 LTZ Avy with the 6.0 and I love it. I'm about to turn 70k miles and it's still fun every time I drive it. I've never had a daily driver this long, I usually get the bug for something else after 2 years or so. I've towed Pontiacs from Jersey to Ohio, Kentucky, and Virgina a few times and it does very well. With the GMT900 platform, it's much more like a big car than a truck. I'm only averaging around 12mpg but I've got a heavy foot and the truck has lots of mods. Only mechanical problem I had was a bad starter that fragged the flexplate, fixed under the 100k powertrain warranty. I would not hesitate to buy another, especially now that they have the 6sp auto tranny, but sadly no more 6.0.

[QUOTE=77 Canamman;4228910]Resale value is mediocre. The truck sold for over $52k new, and he had to fight to get $24k on trade.


It's hard to believe how expensive these are, since they are built in Mexico.

Joe.

I paid $17K for mine in 2006 (43k miles), and sold it in July 2010 for $15K (73k miles). I got mine for a steal when I bought it! They are so overpriced when new.

The AV is a vesatile truck. You must be carefull with the drains that are built into the rear cargo area. Particularly the front floor drains closest to the mid gate. If they get clogged with debris you stand a good chance of getting a water leak in the cab under the rear seat. Wife had an 03 that she totaled. She liked the truck enough that she is out shopping for another one.

Well last night I brought home an '07 Avalanche LTZ with literally every option on the books, including the twin DVD players built into the headrests. This might have been an executive car, I've never seen one loaded up like this before. Color is Pewter with a tan interior, color combo looks much nicer then it sounds. It sure is nice to drive a vehicle that is still nice and tight, I didn't realize how sloppy my poor old Tahoe had gotten until I drove this bad boy.

It has lots of toys that I don't need, but the price was right and whoever owned it took really perfect care of it. Doesn't look like it was ever driven off road or used to haul anything but luggage in the back.

So far the only thing that does not seem to work is the "heated" washer fluid. I will look at that later, but am not too concerned about it. It is a GM "Certified" used car so I do have a 12 month 12,000 warranty on it.

Thanks for all the feedback, now I have about 700 pages of user's manuals to go through!
-H

Oh ya, the remote start was a God send this morning in the sub 0 temps!

The heated windshield washer fluid system will never work on that vehicle. GM issued a recall for that system. Their solution, rather than make it work correctly, was to pay the owner a $100, and permantently disable the system. The problem is that the system would catch the vehicle on fire.