New SUV questions.

Schwinn68

Schwinn68

little gearhead
Jan 9, 2008
632
0
0
Minooka IL
I bought the wife a 2009 escalade hybrid a year ago. It's been a good truck for her and our two kids but I've had to out more money in it than I would have liked. It's got too many fancy gadgets for its own good.

We have a big road trip coming in march that we will be taking her vehicle on as its the family transporter. I would like to have something different before then.

I'm looking for suggestions for either a brand new or under warranty used SUV to replace the caddy. I've tried to talk her into a four door duramax but she just won't drive a truck. She's too short to reach into the bed with the tailgate down.

Our budget is between 25-35,000. It has to be domestic or even german and all wheel drive. I would like at least 20mpgs combined driving.

We have been looking at the Chevy equinox so far but not sure if its big enough for all the gear that comes along with two small children. Plus it needs to be big enough for all of our luggage for the road trip. I will buy the carrier that mounts in the hitch if I have to tho. Something diesel would be great but the available options are out of our budget.
 
btfarm

btfarm

you know
Nov 25, 2010
387
0
0
Sandwich, Illinois
I'd LOVE to part with the wife's '07 Tahoe LTZ with 85k on it Ben because I think she needs something smaller but haven't been able to convince her. Might that be what you're looking for or too many miles?
 
Schwinn68

Schwinn68

little gearhead
Jan 9, 2008
632
0
0
Minooka IL
We want to buy either new or one year old still under factory warranty. Plus I'm planning on trading the escalade in on whatever we get. We love the size and with the hybrid it gets 18 mpg it's just expensive to fix if something goes bad.
 
TexasRob

TexasRob

New member
Dec 19, 2012
319
0
0
Canyon Lake Texas
My wife has an Audi all road that I bought her. It is a 2003 and I have had it for over a year and no problems. They are on the smaller size since its a wagon. But they are all wheel drive and twin turbo.
 
T

turbo_bu

Member
Mar 27, 2007
198
6
18
Central IL
My wife has a 2012 Equinox and she likes it. Though with 2 small kids, it does fill up fast. If you want room, I'd stick with a Tahoe. It is small enough that your wife won't feel like she is driving a truck, but still have lots of room for the kids stuff. Combined MPG though will most likely not meet your 20 MPG goal.

Only other GM option is the Traverse. It's bigger than Equinox, but smaller than a Tahoe. My neighbor has one, and it's nice, but only has the V6. From what I have heard, it's no gas sipper either. For the $$$ and the MPG ... I'd still take a Tahoe.
 
Schwinn68

Schwinn68

little gearhead
Jan 9, 2008
632
0
0
Minooka IL
I looked at the touregs and there aren't any close to me that are near my budget. Tahoes are nice and basically what we have now but they are out of budget as well especially with awd. We are hoping to go drive an equinox this weekend. We really want to buy new or very close to it. I don't want to worry about the vehicle my wife and kids spend their time in.
 
duratothemax

duratothemax

<--- slippery roads
Aug 28, 2006
7,139
10
0
Wyoming
Schwinn68 said:
I bought the wife a 2009 escalade hybrid a year ago. It's been a good truck for her and our two kids but I've had to out more money in it than I would have liked. It's got too many fancy gadgets for its own good.

We have a big road trip coming in march that we will be taking her vehicle on as its the family transporter. I would like to have something different before then.

I'm looking for suggestions for either a brand new or under warranty used SUV to replace the caddy. I've tried to talk her into a four door duramax but she just won't drive a truck. She's too short to reach into the bed with the tailgate down.

Our budget is between 25-35,000. It has to be domestic or even german and all wheel drive. I would like at least 20mpgs combined driving.

We have been looking at the Chevy equinox so far but not sure if its big enough for all the gear that comes along with two small children. Plus it needs to be big enough for all of our luggage for the road trip. I will buy the carrier that mounts in the hitch if I have to tho. Something diesel would be great but the available options are out of our budget.
Click to expand...

Whats gone wrong with the Escalade?

Other than the powertrain, basically all the other interior bits are shared with the other GM full-size trucks/SUV's...so im not sure what you think you'll gain in reliability going to a gas tahoe or duramax...?

Unless its specifically been only problems related to the Hybrid system in your escalade?

Ben
 
MACKIN

MACKIN

Smell My Finger...
Aug 14, 2006
3,948
1
0
Connecticut
The Escalade is 4 years young or there about what has gone wrong with it that isn't under warranty? I figure base 3/36 B to B is what you had then 5/100,000 on drivetrain? Why not just extend the warranty through GM and keep it? The reason I say is it fits your bill it would seen with the exception of the MPG which will be hard to get with in your needs based on the size of vehicle you want/need.
 
Schwinn68

Schwinn68

little gearhead
Jan 9, 2008
632
0
0
Minooka IL
It's hard for me to admit this but I rushed into buying the escalade without going it a proper looking over. We bought it the week before my wife's mom died from cancer so we were in a hurry to get a bigger family vehicle. It was a very stressful time in our life and I didn't do my due diligence. The dealership we used was a huge disappointment for us as well. The vehicle itself is perfect for our needs. This particular one just has some annoying things


The gimmicky shocks/air ride system have been a constant problem. I've had to replace all four shocks for complete failure at 250 each and the message still comes up. The rear screen for the DVD has never worked. One of the mirrors doesn't fold in. The transfer case is starting to make noise which I have since found is a more common problem with these. I guess that I didn't expect a vehicle with an almost 80,000 new price tag would have such quality issues so quickly.

I guess we are just ready to get back to our trusty Chevy's. Something new with a full warranty. I know I sound kind of whiney but this is the vehicle that my family spends its time in. My truck has plenty of little nuances but they don't bother me because its usually just me in it. I just turn up the radio. Lol.
 
Schwinn68

Schwinn68

little gearhead
Jan 9, 2008
632
0
0
Minooka IL
Not sure about the mileage we get. Could be the driver. Could just be the vehicle. Duramax trucks are all over the place on mileage too. Luck of the draw.
 
T

turbo_bu

Member
Mar 27, 2007
198
6
18
Central IL
Understand about not wanting to worry about the rig your wife and kids ride in. That's why my wife has the new one at our house, and my work beater is a '99 S10. I'm not sure how much your gonna be out $$$ wise, but I would think that you should come out pretty close by trading in that Escalde on a 2-3 year old Tahoe. We like our Equinox, but it can be a little gutless and small at times. Never had an issue with either of those things from a Tahoe.
 
custom8726

custom8726

Active member
Feb 25, 2008
2,784
0
36
Upstate N.Y
I can Relate to the O.P. :eek: We just traded in my wifes Yukon Denali with 82k on it and it had a bunch of little shit that annoyed me. Everything started right around 75k, The compressor was always cycling due to the air suspension leaking, The power steps constantly were binding up getting froze midway or all the way down, The Nav worked but the voice guidance did not, etc, etc... Nothing major, just annoying and expensive little items when your out of warranty, so we traded it in on a 2500HD Denali For me and I bought her a Lexus RX350 SUV. It has a 5 star crash rating, is Ranked one of the most reliable SUV's on the market, gets 22MPG highway and most importantly it's safe for the kids, paid for & she likes it...:)
 
Texas Chevy

Texas Chevy

Active member
Feb 14, 2011
1,103
0
36
Vista, Ca
We started with the traverse and within the year moved into a tahoe then moved into our suburban. Traverse was nice but small for long trips with bags and kids. The tahoe was great but with people in every seat there was no room for gear inside. The suburban is perfect for long trips and people with not having to use a trailer hitch rack or the roof rack.
 
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