Car Recommendation

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ctc

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I currently have an '05 Yukon XL. The tranny has started slipping a little and I want to get rid of it soon. I think I'm going to be stuck with a Sienna mini van due to our requirements list:

AWD or 4WD
Seats 7
2nd row captains chairs
Better gas mileage than the Yukon
Under $13000 used

I'd like to pick people's brains to see if I'm missing something. I've thought about a diesel Excursion but I've read nothing but bad things about their boat like nature.
 
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You will hardly be "stuck" with a Toyota Sienna Mini Van.
Our daughter has a 2010 Sienna and it's comfortable, very
quiet, rides well and filled with useful features. It most
definitely has more useful room in it than the Yukon. It gets
17-18 MPG around town and 22-23 MPG on the highway. It's FWD
and the AWD will get a bit less mielage. She's had absolutely no problems with it and it serves her family well. A point of note, the 2010 AWD ( and other years )came with very hard riding and EXPENSIVE run flat tires. Might be something to watch for and avoid.
 
If you're not soured on GM because of your experience with your Yukon, check out the Acadia or other Lambda cousins. They offer what you need, but I'm not sure on the cost.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
If you're not soured on GM because of your experience with your Yukon, check out the Acadia or other Lambda cousins. They offer what you need, but I'm not sure on the cost.

might be able to pick up the saturn version (outlook) for cheaper. it's a nice truck (wagon?)
 
What is wrong with minivans? I am getting tired of people hating on the minivan- i have one and i love it, kids love it, wife loves it. I especially love it when i have to go to home depot and need drywall, plywood, cabinets or anything else that is big. Wife loves it when we got to sams, bjs or costco becuase we can fit all the stuff we need without packing stuff around the kids.

And remember- automatic doors (priceless)
 
Originally Posted By: ctc
I currently have an '05 Yukon XL. The tranny has started slipping a little and I want to get rid of it soon. I think I'm going to be stuck with a Sienna mini van due to our requirements list:

AWD or 4WD
Seats 7
2nd row captains chairs
Better gas mileage than the Yukon
Under $13000 used

I'd like to pick people's brains to see if I'm missing something. I've thought about a diesel Excursion but I've read nothing but bad things about their boat like nature.


A diesel Excursion is a REALLY big truck... You'd want the 7.3L, not the 6.0L. And they are more rare.

What would be the reasoning in getting an Excursion?
 
I'm also going to be stuck in a minivan soon. The other "options" listed will be wildly smaller than any minivan. If you need AWD the Sienna is the way to go. Try to get an 07 or later with the 3.5 if you can in your price range, more power and timing chain vs belt. AWD comes with no spare and runflats, which you should know.

Don't get me wrong, it's a a nice car (and realistically all that will satisfy your needs assuming they are similar to mine) but for fun to drive factor... it has none.

Compare a Pilot with an Odyssey or a Highlander with the Sienna and it's laughable. The minivans are half again bigger inside.
 
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The Sienna AWD is ho hum at best. Its really FWD+ some traction of rear wheel. I looked at it and asked some owners who were a bit disappointed with it in tougher conditions(winter).

It heavily uses Traction control applying brakes. It works okay but in tough conditions falls down. The current RAV4 has a similar system which my sister has gotten stuck with. However the RAV4 has "software" based locker under 25MPH that disables the traction control and the vehicle claws it way out.

The Sienna lacks this important feature AWD locking ability.

Sienna's are great vehicles, spend the money on best winter tires for it.
 
Get the GMC ck'd out before you trade.

Some of those tranny issues are minor electrical probs.

Last time fuel filter was changed?
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
If you're not soured on GM because of your experience with your Yukon, check out the Acadia or other Lambda cousins. They offer what you need, but I'm not sure on the cost.

might be able to pick up the saturn version (outlook) for cheaper. it's a nice truck (wagon?)


This...look for an AWD Outlook.
 
If you have no use for towing ability, why get a monstrous Excursion? They are based on the Super Duty trucks and will not ride and handle even as well as your current Yukon XL. A diesel will be way over budget do to a lack of a modern replacement (large diesel suv's no longer exist). I was checking out 7.3L Excursions a little while ago and they were all over $20k. Rare and in high demand I guess.

The biggest negative I've heard about the Sienna is the run flat tires due to a lack of a spare. This might be an AWD issue only? Not sure, I've never really looked into it.

Why not just get the trans. in the Yukon XL looked at?
 
I highly doubt you'll find an AWD Sienna for under $13K. Especially in today's market.

I thought our 2008 Honda Odyssey was absolutely horrendous in the snow until I replaced the factory tires. That difference was night/day.

Go a step further and get a second set of snow tires for your minivan and you will have impressive winter traction given the weight of the suckers.

If I were buying used, I'd go with a 2008+ Chrysler, or a Kia/Hyundai or Nissan. IMO, you're better off buying brand-new with a Yota or Honda.

Joel
 
ain't no shame in a minivan. though we had to look hard to stay in our budget ($6k). used, they are still commanding a decent price these days. I realize that's not a lot to pay, but it was hard to find even the dime-a-dozen chryslers in that price range here! I ended up with an 03 with 84k on the clock, right at 6k.

BUT-- I've put $700 in parts and 30 hours of my time to date repairing what the PO neglected. It's one of those--- was still good but starting to fall apart if not caught--- type of situations.

Fun to drive?

Accurate steering. The 3.8 just pulls up hills without ever coming out of lockup and is happy to loaf along at 1200 rpm. Seats are comfy and supportive. Dash illumination is fantastic, as is visibility. Corners are easy to read and I can sling it in reverse around the bend into a parking spot. Squeals the tires no problem, but being fwd there's less joy for me there. Wallows some on the hwy but new shocks are in the mail. I really like the monoleaf-sprung rear axle setup on this model. It drives well, and it tows well, if you need it to.

The image may not be as manly, but real men don't need a fancy car to be themselves anyway.

If I needed to drive this thing daily, I could.

EDIT: I had a '11 dodge caravan rental, and it was an impressive steer. rode great, the big huge side windows rolled down, i got 24 mpg with air off on my commute, good stereo, awesome dash and lighting, and that 3.6 pentastar was smooth, torquey and refined. Not sure when that generation came out but it's not bad, but methinks its smaller than the honda and 'yota.

M
 
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Thanks for all the replies. I'll try to answer most of the questions.

Excursion...because we like trucks. But it probably isn't in the cards. There are a few in our price range but they're of Y2K vintage.

Minivans...sorry, I just don't like them but I'll probably be driving one again. Yes we had one from 2006-2008.

Runflats...if I'm not mistaken these started becoming standard on the AWD Siennas in 2006. We're looking 2004-2005 because of price range.

Price...there are about 3 AWD Sienna XLE and Limiteds from 2004-2005 below $13000 in our area right now.

Tribeca...I like the styling of the current iteration but the first few years I thought were ugly. Also, I don't think you can get 2nd row captains.

Fix the current truck...I have commitment issues with vehicles. The moment I suspect something big is going to break I ditch 'em. The tranny slipped while going into first yesterday from a stop sign. (Or was it already in first?) It has also slipped between 2-3 before. These are recent occurrences over the last few months. I've had it for 2 years and it didn't have these issues before.

Saturn Outlook...thank you for reminding me of this one. A quick search of craigslist revealed 1-2 in our price range but most of them are still too pricey. I will keep an eye out though.
 
my idea is to have a good mechanic and buy a car brand that he likes. he will work harder that way. my mechanic is not cheap, BUT the job gets done realy good, and never breaks later. what more do you want. when i started driving, 1965, my dad showed me how fix cars. we liked that brand, it worked well. now i live in an apt and cant work on my truck. i have a good mechanic. he does a great job, and if he told me to go to a different brand i would.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
I highly doubt you'll find an AWD Sienna for under $13K. Especially in today's market.


This. A game of musical chairs is going on and you'd do better to sit in what you already have. What's left out there (for sale), is not worth sitting in.
Quote:

If I were buying used, I'd go with a 2008+ Chrysler, or a Kia/Hyundai or Nissan. IMO, you're better off buying brand-new with a Yota or Honda.

Joel


Again, this. What kind of moron would get out of a "good" Sienna? There's likely insidious trouble (wrecks, floods, etc) in those "creampuffs". >$10k is a lot of motivation to really scrub something clean and flip it.
 
I'm surprised we've made it this far without a recommendation for a Crown Victoria.
 
Originally Posted By: ctc
Runflats...if I'm not mistaken these started becoming standard on the AWD Siennas in 2006. We're looking 2004-2005 because of price range.


I could be wrong, but I believe that any AWD model of that generation will have the runflat tires. This is because, like the ChryCo vans with Stow N Go, the Sienna's spare tire is mounted centrally under the front seating area. The AWD models send the rear prop shaft through this area, thus the "requirement" for the runflat tires.
 
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