2006 Yukon XL, a 2021 Perspective

[dareo]

I impulse bought a 2006 Yukon XL 2WD SLT. The good old 5.3 liter V8 before any cylinder deactivation and a 4L60E transmission. This one checked all the boxes of a good used car. It lived it life in Texas. 2nd owner before me owned it for 10+ years, huge stack of maintenance records, even a dealer installed reman trans 25k miles ago. This rig has nearly 200k miles but still seems to run and drive well. Very comfortable, great visibility for such a large wagon. Yes, i'm calling it a wagon since its 2wd and i can. It has a low amount of rust on the frame and none on the body. The tires and brakes are in great shape. Being 2WD there is a lot less to go wrong. You don't really want a 200k+ mile 4x4 unless you love fixing things every weekend.

The GMT 800 platform is old enough now that people largely ignore them. This could a good place to look if you want a low price large SUV. Being a 2WD and 2006 put it at a disadvantage in the Utah market. I was able to negotiate a great price. If you spec out this vehicle today, brand new, its about $63k. If i add up every dime spent, including $100 in gas to fill the tank, insurance bump, registration, parts replaced, i'm at $4k, or just a hair over the value of two ounces of gold. Back when the GMT 800s came out, two ounces of gold was worth $600-700 and that amount of dollars would maybe buy a vehicle on its death bed or something needing a major repair like engine or transmission replacement. I don't see why this Yukon couldn't make it another 100k miles with just random little things replaced here and there.

Eventually i would like to redo the front seat covers as they are starting to crack open but not bad yet.

Why did i buy it? I dunno, just wanted to. It's like a middle finger raised towards the current new vehicle market. I'm like "I'l just buy cheap old stuff thats still perfectly good."

GMT 800 for the win?

 

[JavierH19]

I've have a Texas 2005 xl Denali since new with over 314k and the engine, trans. front rear diff and t case and even the oem delphi shock absorbers still haven't failed. Just fluid changes and small little dumb things i can do myself. Darn good these old gms are.

 

[dareo]

I've have a Texas 2005 xl Denali since new with over 314k and the engine, trans. front rear diff and t case and even the oem delphi shock absorbers still haven't failed. Just fluid changes and small little dumb things i can do myself. Darn good these old gms are.

Thats awesome, the Denali has a lot more bits to go potentially wrong. I thought about paying more for one of them but this was just right.

 

[john_pifer]

Nice find!

I find myself nodding my head in agreement with you on your point about 2WD being cheaper, simpler, and more reliable, long term. Also more fuel-efficient, and quicker acceleration, due to having to push around a few hundred lbs less weight. Not to mention, most people rarely go off road or even engage their 4WD system. We went the 2WD route on the wife’s 4Runner earlier this year for all these reasons.

I also tend to believe that body-on-frame, RWD vehicles, especially trucks, are built tougher and will generally last longer than FWD cars. Easier to service, too.

Parts will be very easy to find, and affordable, for a long time to come, tech data is readily available, and there’s lots of tribal knowledge out there. Just about every repair is well-understood and there are multiple videos and forum write-ups on how to do them.

Im sure this will last you a long time to come!

Any maintenance you plan on doing in the near future?

 

[dareo]

Already did the oil and filter of course, couldn’t wait! Maybe i bought it just to change the oil. It got some fancy BMW 5W30 oil i had in the stash and a fram XG. I did a battery, evap solenoid, headlight switch, and i paid discount to get all the TPMS working. I picked up a trans filter and will do that in the near future. Keep it clean and fresh and it should last.

Pulling out of the spray wash gas station some guy stopped and did the Roll Down Window gesture. I obliged. “Hey, do you want to sell the Suburban?” I laughed internally and let him know i just got it and was fixing it up. I dunno if this guy is a dealer and tries to buy everything he comes across but he literally stopped traffic into the gas station to make a pass at my humble Yukon XL. I swear i am not making this up.

 

[350Rocket]

I impulse bought a 2006 Yukon XL 2WD SLT. The good old 5.3 liter V8 before any cylinder deactivation and a 4L60E transmission. This one checked all the boxes of a good used car. It lived it life in Texas. 2nd owner before me owned it for 10+ years, huge stack of maintenance records, even a dealer installed reman trans 25k miles ago. This rig has nearly 200k miles but still seems to run and drive well. Very comfortable, great visibility for such a large wagon. Yes, i'm calling it a wagon since its 2wd and i can. It has a low amount of rust on the frame and none on the body. The tires and brakes are in great shape. Being 2WD there is a lot less to go wrong. You don't really want a 200k+ mile 4x4 unless you love fixing things every weekend.

The GMT 800 platform is old enough now that people largely ignore them. This could a good place to look if you want a low price large SUV. Being a 2WD and 2006 put it at a disadvantage in the Utah market. I was able to negotiate a great price. If you spec out this vehicle today, brand new, its about $63k. If i add up every dime spent, including $100 in gas to fill the tank, insurance bump, registration, parts replaced, i'm at $4k, or just a hair over the value of two ounces of gold. Back when the GMT 800s came out, two ounces of gold was worth $600-700 and that amount of dollars would maybe buy a vehicle on its death bed or something needing a major repair like engine or transmission replacement. I don't see why this Yukon couldn't make it another 100k miles with just random little things replaced here and there.

Eventually i would like to redo the front seat covers as they are starting to crack open but not bad yet.

Why did i buy it? I dunno, just wanted to. It's like a middle finger raised towards the current new vehicle market. I'm like "I'l just buy cheap old stuff thats still perfectly good."

GMT 800 for the win?

If I could find something like that for that price I would find a way to buy it now. Perfect backup work truck and can haul more people than my half ton. I think that would be a $10,000 truck here.
My 2006 Silverado has 214k miles and most maintenance didn't get done until I got it (differential fluids, transfer case etc). In the past I would agree with your statement about 4wd but it doesn't seem to be the case on these ones. The odd one has pump rub on the transfer case and axle seal leaks are very common (mines been looking for 6 or 7 years now). But the CV axles don't seem to go bad and the 4 wheel drives don't go through u joints like the 2 piece driveshaft in the 2wd trucks (not sure if this is the case with the Yukon).
The main reason I would like the 2wd as a backup is gas mileage. Most days I don't need 4 wheel drive but it saves me lots of walking when I do need it.

 

[dareo]

Okay, i took it out for a no reason sunday freeway drive. It goes down the road like a bank vault, smooth and planted. At an EPA 14 city 19 highway you could almost make the case of this being a low budget luxury commuter. 5-15 miles to work? The gas mileage wont kill you and the savings on the vehicle could pay for it over the next few years until new cars are stacked up left and right again. The lower ride height of 2wd and reduced weight pays off in this case.

This may sound stupid but this Yukon XL feels small to drive around compared to brand new stuff that is bigger. It has a very low belt line, big wide mirrors to see out of. What it takes in gas mileage it gives back in a pleasing cruiser type ride.

I'm quite happy with this acquisition.

 

[dbias]

I've have a Texas 2005 xl Denali since new with over 314k and the engine, trans. front rear diff and t case and even the oem delphi shock absorbers still haven't failed. Just fluid changes and small little dumb things i can do myself. Darn good these old gms are.

I put 260k miles on my 2003 Denali XL. In that time I put a front left wheel bearing and the front window regulators were replaced free after warranty had expired. The 6.0 engine was a good one.
Oh I forgot I had to do the fuel pump too. Of course it went out about 10 miles after filling it up. I had it towed to my fire station and changed it out in about an hour. That tank was about 5 1/2 foot long and very heavy with 32 gallons of gas in it.

 

[dareo]

If I could find something like that for that price I would find a way to buy it now. Perfect backup work truck and can haul more people than my half ton. I think that would be a $10,000 truck here.
My 2006 Silverado has 214k miles and most maintenance didn't get done until I got it (differential fluids, transfer case etc). In the past I would agree with your statement about 4wd but it doesn't seem to be the case on these ones. The odd one has pump rub on the transfer case and axle seal leaks are very common (mines been looking for 6 or 7 years now). But the CV axles don't seem to go bad and the 4 wheel drives don't go through u joints like the 2 piece driveshaft in the 2wd trucks (not sure if this is the case with the Yukon).
The main reason I would like the 2wd as a backup is gas mileage. Most days I don't need 4 wheel drive but it saves me lots of walking when I do need it.

Yes, these are good work related vehicles now, especially in 2wd. The roof rack is reachable as a normal height person. If you needed to haul big ladders around or something they could go up there easily. Mine has 4 captains chairs and the rear row, probably take the rear row out and maybe one of the rear captains chairs and be able to haul a lot for work. Lots of lockable storage for tools or whatever.

 

[JavierH19]

I put 260k miles on my 2003 Denali XL. In that time I put a front left wheel bearing and the front window regulators were replaced free after warranty had expired. The 6.0 engine was a good one.
Oh I forgot I had to do the fuel pump too. Of course it went out about 10 miles after filling it up. I had it towed to my fire station and changed it out in about an hour. That tank was about 5 1/2 foot long and very heavy with 32 gallons of gas in it.

Strangely my fuel, water, and oil pump never failed. Just two fuel filters but yeah it's heavy. Only the alternator failed at 270k.

 

[JavierH19]

If I could find something like that for that price I would find a way to buy it now. Perfect backup work truck and can haul more people than my half ton. I think that would be a $10,000 truck here.
My 2006 Silverado has 214k miles and most maintenance didn't get done until I got it (differential fluids, transfer case etc). In the past I would agree with your statement about 4wd but it doesn't seem to be the case on these ones. The odd one has pump rub on the transfer case and axle seal leaks are very common (mines been looking for 6 or 7 years now). But the CV axles don't seem to go bad and the 4 wheel drives don't go through u joints like the 2 piece driveshaft in the 2wd trucks (not sure if this is the case with the Yukon).
The main reason I would like the 2wd as a backup is gas mileage. Most days I don't need 4 wheel drive but it saves me lots of walking when I do need it.

Strangely nothing has leaked in my drivetrain over than the gasket. My t case, diffs, and cv axles haven't leaked or ever failed. I expect the cv axles in my 2021 escalade to fail though knowing it's a modern gm.

 

[dareo]

Strangely nothing has leaked in my drivetrain over than the gasket. My t case, diffs, and cv axles haven't leaked or ever failed. I expect the cv axles in my 2021 escalade to fail though knowing it's a modern gm.

The new one is so much bigger than the old one, am i right?

 

[350Rocket]

The new one is so much bigger than the old one, am i right?

I drove my bosses 2016 Silverado and I really didn't like it compared to my 2005. Sure it rides smoother and likely has a lot more power (but I didn't get a chance to try out) but I hated the throttle and the shifting and just the overall feel of it. I believe it did feel bigger, but it has terrible ground clearance compared to the 2005 even before I removed the plastic below the front bumper.

 

[dareo]

Added a 05 escalade today after much searching. Heres pic before any cleanup. Was a private party deal, 111k miles, clean interior but some exterior scuffs on passenger side. The Yukon XL will get demoted to the work hauling wagon and this will be my new daily. Gotta love these old GMT 800s for bang for the buck!

A 2011-2012 escalade of similar miles/interior is 3x as much or more.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I'm running a 2008 Suburban with 225,000 miles. No plans to sell it.

 

[tblt44]

We love our 2006 Tahoe 5.3.
Owned since new.
218k on the clock, garage kept. Still drives live new.
Florida truck no rust

 

[CKN]

I impulse bought a 2006 Yukon XL 2WD SLT. The good old 5.3 liter V8 before any cylinder deactivation and a 4L60E transmission. This one checked all the boxes of a good used car. It lived it life in Texas. 2nd owner before me owned it for 10+ years, huge stack of maintenance records, even a dealer installed reman trans 25k miles ago. This rig has nearly 200k miles but still seems to run and drive well. Very comfortable, great visibility for such a large wagon. Yes, i'm calling it a wagon since its 2wd and i can. It has a low amount of rust on the frame and none on the body. The tires and brakes are in great shape. Being 2WD there is a lot less to go wrong. You don't really want a 200k+ mile 4x4 unless you love fixing things every weekend.

The GMT 800 platform is old enough now that people largely ignore them. This could a good place to look if you want a low price large SUV. Being a 2WD and 2006 put it at a disadvantage in the Utah market. I was able to negotiate a great price. If you spec out this vehicle today, brand new, its about $63k. If i add up every dime spent, including $100 in gas to fill the tank, insurance bump, registration, parts replaced, i'm at $4k, or just a hair over the value of two ounces of gold. Back when the GMT 800s came out, two ounces of gold was worth $600-700 and that amount of dollars would maybe buy a vehicle on its death bed or something needing a major repair like engine or transmission replacement. I don't see why this Yukon couldn't make it another 100k miles with just random little things replaced here and there.

Eventually i would like to redo the front seat covers as they are starting to crack open but not bad yet.

Why did i buy it? I dunno, just wanted to. It's like a middle finger raised towards the current new vehicle market. I'm like "I'l just buy cheap old stuff thats still perfectly good."

GMT 800 for the win?

Congrats-but wouldn't want to own a 2WD in Utah Yes-they do a fantastic job plowing the main roads right away-but the secondary roads and especially parking lots can be a PITA when it snows. BTW-you can't compare it in anyway to a new Suburban. So now you own 2-TWO wheel drive vehicles where it's going to snow eventually.

 

[dareo]

Congrats-but wouldn't want to own a 2WD in Utah Yes-they do a fantastic job plowing the main roads right away-but the secondary roads and especially parking lots can be a PITA when it snows. BTW-you can't compare it in anyway to a new Suburban. So now you own 2-TWO wheel drive vehicles where it's going to snow eventually.

The yukon XL is 2wd and the escalade i bought today is full time 4x4. Changing the fluids on its whole drive train now.

I ordered a snow tire 18” set for the mini van so we will be ready for a nasty snow if it happens.

The escalade is surprisingly clean underneath, a little rust here and there but not bad. It lived in the Bay area for a number of years before coming here.

 

[Falcon_LS]

They are solid, reliable and easy to work on. I really like those.

 

[parshisa]

just for perspective, my buddy has 2014 gmc sierra (i believe denali but might be wrong), the one with v8 and cylinder deactivation. anyhow, just couple of weeks ago with 115k on the clock (no towing till 90k and just recently some towing), transmission took a dump out of the blue. He was told 3rd and 4th gear did something that destroyed everything internally. He also has been told that it's about how much you can get out of these transmissions. oh, and he had tranny fluid changed once at 90k or so.