New Tahoe or used QX-80?

Joined
Jun 17, 2015
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514
Location
Seabrook, TX
The Wrangler we have is becoming too small for our growing teens and the Wife is looking at full size 3 row SUVs. I had no idea Tahoes were $65k which prices in a year or 2 old Infiniti. The newer QX-80s have the 3.5L twin turbo and significantly more power and torque than the 5.3L Tahoe. I am steering clear of the 6.2L fiasco and also not thrilled about the 10 speed auto in the Chevy. From what I can find the drivetrain in the Infiniti is pretty solid. A used Tahoe didn't seem to be a big cost savings compared to the Infiniti but I am still looking around. Both have middle row captain's chairs which is what She wants.

Tahoe Premier vs QX-80 Luxe, essentially.
 
Not sure how anyone could consider buying new given all the readily available information
Both of those seem to be a big roll of the dice.

Infiniti is Nissan. There's a somewhat famous YouTuber mechanic who says stay away from Nissan carte blanc.
He's they guy who says "Stay Dirty"

I'm sure others have more current and better advice tho.
 
Not sure how anyone could consider buying new given all the readily available information
Both of those seem to be a big roll of the dice.

Infiniti is Nissan. There's a somewhat famous YouTuber mechanic who says stay away from Nissan carte blanc.
He's they guy who says "Stay Dirty"

I'm sure others have more current and better advice tho.
Powertrain or all of the dang screens and "tech" in the Infiniti? I prefer analog controls for some things but it's becoming harder and harder to find.
 
Not sure how anyone could consider buying new given all the readily available information
Both of those seem to be a big roll of the dice.

Infiniti is Nissan. There's a somewhat famous YouTuber mechanic who says stay away from Nissan carte blanc.
He's they guy who says "Stay Dirty"

I'm sure others have more current and better advice tho.
Meanwhile the VK and VQ engine series retain legendary status.
 
I'd do the Tahoe. I've had Yukon's and Tahoe's in the past taken over 150k miles with towing duty on both.
Currently have a '23 6.2 Silverado, no engine issues at 45k miles. Engine has a 150k warranty since it passed the GM inspection.
Tahoe is a robust truck underneath.
 
GM or Ford for full size gas SUVs. Rivian R1S if you’re OK with electric. Although if I HAD to pick something not from a domestic automaker else it would probably the Highlander EV.
 
I’d get the Tahoe. QX’s fuel tank is way too small.

23.6 gallons is not that great but we rarely get farther than 2 hours along the highway before someone has to use the dang bathroom.

23.6 gallons isn't all that small, our WJ has a 20 gallon tank and pulls maybe 19 MPG on the highway tops. Most 1/4 tank fill-ups happen with less than 250 miles on the trip meter, however. Definitely not a road trip truck.

Meanwhile, my '01 S60 has a massive (for a small sedan) 23.5 gallon tank, giving it a 600+ mile highway range. Engineers I tell ya.
 
Not sure how anyone could consider buying new given all the readily available information
Both of those seem to be a big roll of the dice.

Infiniti is Nissan. There's a somewhat famous YouTuber mechanic who says stay away from Nissan carte blanc.
He's they guy who says "Stay Dirty"

I'm sure others have more current and better advice tho.
Better advice is here: Learn why Nissan gets bad rep. Answer: CVT. POP QUIZ! Does the vehicle in question have CVT??? No it does not. It has a solid drivetrain & powertrain. I'd take it over the Toyota V6TT anyday.
Powertrain or all of the dang screens and "tech" in the Infiniti? I prefer analog controls for some things but it's becoming harder and harder to find.
The tech is just as reliable/unreliable as any other car with screen galore today. I got more trust in Nissan/Infiniti, then Kia/Hyundai/Genesis for example.
 
My MIL had a QX and all I know is around town I felt like I had to fill up every 3 days.
That may have been the 5.6L V8. This newer engine should be a little better around town for mileage, albeit not a compact car efficient by any means. The Jeep gets about 16 which is wha the Infiniti is rated for.

The QX80 has a traditional transmission, not a CVT.
 
Go the extra step and get a suburban.

Look far and wide use cars.com, cargurus and others and don't be afraid to book a ticket to pick it up and a one or even two night if needed when bringing it back. Just make sure you check the dealer website for the specific one after finding it on those search places since they might forget to remove them and contact them directly on the dealer website not through the contact info on the search place. The search websites are best used for finding not contacting and making a deal.

Look for brand new ones and used ones 2021 and newer if you want. I'm seeing new suburban LS's for 60k, LT's for around 66k, Premiers for 73k, high countrys for 79k discounted by super high volume dealers that make a big business out of charging less to get people to fly in and buy so much they make more profit on the volume along with more financing contracts than low volume but higher margin and low count financing contract dealers.

You can also get used 2021+ ones great shape inside and out are as cheap as 20-25k with around 150k miles where if the engine and trans are soon to fail big deal they're so cheap you could remove and replace both with reliability upgraded ones that will outlast anything sold new and still be way under budget. Those high miles discount them a lot enough to where they're worth buying and sometimes they last. A family member bought a used 2015 escalade with 140k miles in near perfect shape inside and out for 21k he was waiting for the afm 6.2 and 6l80 to fail any moment but they never did and still has it with over 230k now last I visited in 24 and said it was the best vehicle he'd ever purchases it's been reliable, good looking, and cost nothing. Sometimes you get lucky and they still last but if not they're so heavily depreciated it doesn't really matter if they don't.
 
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I've been keeping an eye out for Armada/QX-80's for a friend who is looking to replace an older Navigator. MPG's aren't a concern for him so I was looking at ones with the 5.6 v8. While those are thirsty, they are very reliable and cheaper than the newer v-6 turbo variants. Believe I saw a 2-3yo one with low miles for around $40k when I was looking and it didn't seem much like much of an outlier.

I know folks with a new AT4 Yukon with the 6.2 and they haven't had any issues. $80K truck though... We went with a Honda Pilot since we have the crew cab Ram if I need to do truck stuff and haul the fam. Pilot is IMO far more plesant to drive day to day than BOF SUV.
 
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I will check out used Tahoes as well. Suburban may be overkill but I know a lot of people regret not getting it over the Tahoe.

QX80 requires premium fuel, I believe. That may be a deal breaker right there.
 
The Wrangler we have is becoming too small for our growing teens and the Wife is looking at full size 3 row SUVs. I had no idea Tahoes were $65k which prices in a year or 2 old Infiniti. The newer QX-80s have the 3.5L twin turbo and significantly more power and torque than the 5.3L Tahoe. I am steering clear of the 6.2L fiasco and also not thrilled about the 10 speed auto in the Chevy. From what I can find the drivetrain in the Infiniti is pretty solid. A used Tahoe didn't seem to be a big cost savings compared to the Infiniti but I am still looking around. Both have middle row captain's chairs which is what She wants.

Tahoe Premier vs QX-80 Luxe, essentially.
I can't believe people are in here recommending a 5.3 GM motor with dynamic fuel management, knowing what that does to the lifters...AND it has the 10 speed transmission.

I would take the Nissan drivetrain over the GM 6 days a week and twice on Sunday.
 
I'm not a Nissan fan, but anything using the Armada/Titan/Frontier platforms would get a consideration from me. I have friends and family with them and have seen them go the distance. That said, I like GM trucks too. Good time to get your butt in the seats and try them out. Maybe even rent one for a week. Test drives don't tell me enough.
 
I've been keeping an eye out for Armada/QX-80's for a friend who is looking to replace an older Navigator. MPG's aren't a concern for him so I was looking at ones with the 5.6 v8. While those are thirsty, they are very reliable and cheaper than the newer v-6 turbo variants. Believe I saw a 2-3yo one with low miles for around $40k when I was looking and it didn't seem much like much of an outlier.
We have a 2014 Armada Plat Res that we bought new, has been rock solid at 175K, I do maintain it well though. They are not fuel efficient, but also not terrible for a full size 3 row V8 with 4x4 and 9K towing capacity.
 
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