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Thinking about picking up a used 2001-2005 Escalade, Yukon XL or Suburban for around $10-$12k. Its going to be the main family transport, towing occasionally. Vehicle has to offer 4wd.
any suggestions on what to lean towards or what to stay away from with those models?
The reviews on the the escalade is basically owners complaining about the cost of parts to fix this vehicle, and how often they are in need of repair. I wonder if this is an Escalde issue, or true of all three of these?
Escalades are available with AWD. It has no low range. You can get the other two with "true" 4wd which means it can be shifted in to true 2wd mode and most of them have a low range where you can lock the diff for 50/50 torque split. AWD is okay for most people but if you need to do some moderate off reading you will most likely prefer true selectable 4wd.
The main complaint for parts prices is the Ride Control system, which are electronically modulated air shocks on the 1500 series trucks and magentic ride on the 2500 series ones. The shocks are upwards of $900 each at the dealer, though you can get Arnott versions of the air ride for $400 per corner. Most people end up using regular shocks and let the Service Ride Control light stay on.
My '02 2500 Suburban 4x4 has the magnetic ride shocks and the rears no longer adjust. They still ride fine and do the job, so I'm going to leave them the way they are for the next 100k miles...
There's a company in Canada that will reprogram the ECU to ignore the ride control sensors and make the message stay off, however it's about $400 to do that.
Your 3 options are essentially the same truck.
I would add the Ford Expedition as a better option at least for the leg room for 3rd bench.
I agree the Expedition is worth considering, but keep in mind the OP is talking about 2001-2005. So there are two different generations of Expeditions in that timeframe, and at a time when Ford also made the Excursion. It's been a while since I looked at them, but from memory (and a quick google of the sepcs) I don't believe in the second first/second gen Expedition has more leg room then the same period Suburban/Yukon XL.
I'm also guessing the OP is referring to the Escalade ESV, as that is the Suburban size one.
Out of the 3 in the poll, if you want some additional style, go with the Escalade as it has some diffrent ligths and such. Otherwise, save the little bit of money and get the Suburban or Yukon XL. Other than a the grill and a maybe wheel options, I think those two are pretty much exactly the same.
Assuming you don't need 4lo, I would just search for all three and try to find one in the best shape, lowest miles, that you like the best and falls in your budget. Yukon XL, and Suburban can both be loaded damn near to the extent of an Escalade. All 3 are very similar under the badges, just find the one you like best.
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