Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

[Lou C]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

The 5.2/5.9 Magmum engines in the older Durango/Dakota are close relatives to that old 340 in the Cuda...just updated with a roller cam and fuel injection....
If funds would allow the newer style Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 Hemi is an awsome tow vehicle for it's size...the brakes are much bigger than on the older models and the suspension gives a much more stable ride...the main thing I'd add is the air bags in the rear coils because Jeeps use soft coil springs in the rear to allow the rear axle to articulate off road...

 

[jkust]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Consumer Reports annual edition hated darn near every American SUV. I tried using it as a starting point but had to just figure it out myself.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Consumer Reports annual edition hated darn near every American SUV. I tried using it as a starting point but had to just figure it out myself.

Curious...Which American SUVs did you try? What did they hate about them?

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Gang,

Gonna check out a 2002 Tahoe LT 5.3L, auto, 4 x 4 tow package, 121k for $8200

A 2003 Yukon LT 6.0L, auto, 4 x 4 tow package, 109k for $9950

And a 2002 Yukon LT 5.3L, auto, 4 x 4 tow package, 132k for $8300

All look very nice and well cared for...

I'm taking my time, and plan on my mechanic inspecting anything before purchase. He sad all are great vehicles, parts are readily available. All are notorious for ball joint issues, but a great vehicle overall. He mentioned the price will go down once spring hits and the snow melts... So I may just wait to pull the trigger until then.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Bear, Of the three you have chosen to closer inspect, all are good choices. My only comment is this, the 6.0 is a gas hog. I have an 01 Chevy 1500HD 4x4 with the 6.0. 13mpg unloaded. Never gotten better... Pulls like a team of Clysdales, but the mileage sucks... If you are not concerned about it, the 6.0 would be my choice. Not sure of the mpg on the 5.3 packages, but it has to be better....

What really get me about the mpg of my truck is that I also have a 03 Excursion 6.0 desiel, and it is a heavier truck, rated to tow more and gets 17-22 mpg all the time....

 

[Trophyboy]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

I've effortlessly towed my Trophy (about the same weight as your boat) with a 98 Mountaineer (Explorer) V8 for the last 7 years. I looked at the Tahoes, Yukons etc but don't tow often enough to justify the poor gas mileage of the bigger truck as a daily driver. My truck gets 17/21 and all of 11 mpg towing. While my trailer has surge brakes and the whole rig stops fine, the boat does jerk the truck around a bit.

 

[Ocean Airbrush]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

a durango is definitely the way to go, I just purchased my second one and I can assure you it will tow your rig without a second thought.
I have seen a lot of comments in here regarding the brakes and comparisions being made to Dakotas. Durangos do not use the same braking system as the Dakotas and it is a lot more stout than the Dakota system. The ONLY thing they have in common is the rotors. Check your part #'s. Durangos also have a third crossmember in the frame adding a distinct advantage in tosional stiffness which is a huge advantage in keeping a towed load under control.
As for the trans, I am on my second durango and have never had a problem but both of mine had the tow package with the upgraded tranny cooler. Common sense if you ask me.

The 360 would not even be required for the load you tow but the axle ratio will definitely give you better milage with the trailer in tow. My 5.2 gets about 10mpg with 5000lbs of boat in tow. I am actually planning to swap out for the 3.92 gears this spring. If you tow 10 miles it's trivial but I pull my boat to the keys and back (900 miles) 4 times a year so a few miles per gallon make a difference.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

If you want a Durango you can get them cheap becuase they are one of the 10 most depreciating cars. Of course there is a reason for that.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/12/cars-resale-value-lifestyle-vehicles-autos-depreciation.html

Quote from the article:

"The Sebring, the Durango--these are pretty lousy cars," Quincy says. "They've done pretty poorly in Consumer Reports tests."

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Love the Gm trucks as the gas engines are superior power and durability wise, at work we have a few who keep flashing low coolant lights with no leaks.
51k on an 03 and 65k on a 05 both 6 Litres.

Hit GM CASTECH HEADS into a search and read for yourself, maybe avoid bad ones if possible ?
Gm bulletin. http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/Bluegorilla/2008-12-05_142924_Coolant_loss_5.3.pdf

I guess even the good ones have woes, damn machines.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

i also have an xterra and im feeling that its barely up the task on my new 21 ft boat, probably 4000+lbs with the trailer. the newer model xterras and frontiers, 05 and newer, have a much more powerful engine. thats what im looking to upgrade to soon. may be more than the 8k budget though... i drove a newer xterra and it felt way better. more power and more solid. i figure i love my old one, ill just replace it with a newer one.

just my .02

 

[jkust]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Curious...Which American SUVs did you try? What did they hate about them?

I pretty much looked at and tested all the American Midsized from Ford, Chrysler/Jeep and all the GM ones. I checked out some full sizers too but really had to exclude full size because of garage space. I don't recall all the categories Consumer Reports has but the concensus was overwhelmingly negative to the point where I could swear bias had to be there or foreign was simply superior. This held true for all the Domestic minivans too. I really disliked the Fords all around and the Durango interiors were very utilitarian and I only wanted the Limited with Hemi and Moon roof which again were hard to find. The Chrysler Apen (Chrysler version of Dodge Durango) interior was a bit nicer but those are expensive and weren't many available. I actually liked the new body style Jeep Grand Cherokee and seemed to recall Consumer Reports did too but even a used GC with decent miles was expensive. My wife had sort of an Escalade taste but we only set aside 10k to spend which equals domestic that has depreciated a lot and you have to accept a few more miles.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

I pretty much looked at and tested all the American Midsized from Ford, Chrysler/Jeep and all the GM ones.

LOL...i was under the impression from your post that Consumers Reports hated them and you had to figure out for yourself that you hated them!

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

My buddy said to put a hitch on my 'Cuda...

This Mopar can pull anything!

No, sorry, your cuda won't pull your boat. Having lots of power is only a part of the mechanics necessary.

Your Xterra is fine. The tow rating is based on the combination of engine/drive train, frame and brakes. Your tow rating needs to include persons and gear in the vehicle as well as the boat, trailer and fuel. Maxing out your rated capacity works. The engineers who designed it, labeled it's rating below its designed maximum capacity. The additional capacity is known as "factor of safety". This includes the steep hills, sudden stops, etc. "We" in the real world want to keep our towed packages below the rating because we know that we have extra people, gear and supplies to carry as well.

I have a 2001 Suburban 2500 w/ 190k miles. It is an urban assault vehicle capable dismantling anything in its path. I have driven it in hurricane force winds. Pulled well beyond its 10k rated capacity. Carried inside it 4,000 lbs of ceramic tile. It gets 14-15 mpg on the highway. It doesn't know the boat is behind it. It'll get replaced by a new 2500HD one day.

 

[jkust]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

LOL...i was under the impression from your post that Consumers Reports hated them and you had to figure out for yourself that you hated them!

Ha ha, no my problem with Consumer Reports is their reports don't match my experiences with domestic vehicles. Either I have been the luckiest domestic car owner for the past 20 years having spent little to nothing on major repairs, been very satisfied, driving my cars well into the 100,000+ mile range or their reports are just simply skewed IMO. I always feel their is a sort of kool-aid effect with foreign cars. Maybe they are superior but I guess I will never really find out since I am unwilling to pay the foreign car premium in the used market. The only foreign car I ever owned was a disaster.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

The only foreign car I ever owned was a disaster.

I am proud to say that to this day I still have never owned one...

 

[jkust]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

I am proud to say that to this day I still have never owned one...

Believe me I never intended to either. It was many years ago and I lent a hand and took over payments for my sister since it was going to get reposessed. What I learned was they do break down but the bonus is getting them fixed costs more than the equivalent domestic.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

I would NEVER buy a vehicle based solely on a consumers reports recommendation.

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Gang,

Gonna check out a 2002 Tahoe LT 5.3L, auto, 4 x 4 tow package, 121k for $8200

A 2003 Yukon LT 6.0L, auto, 4 x 4 tow package, 109k for $9950

And a 2002 Yukon LT 5.3L, auto, 4 x 4 tow package, 132k for $8300

... All are notorious for ball joint issues, but a great vehicle overall...

I can't speak for the 1500's. However, I recently had my 2001 Suburban 2500 in the shop (Chevrolet Dealership) and requested they check the front suspension parts. The Service Rep and Mechanic both questioned why. They said the parts are not readily available because they rarely wear out. Only time they've ever replaced the parts was due to an accident. The "why" is because Sears told me they were bad and needed to be replaced. It took them a week to get one of the parts and I said no to the rest of their estimate. Turns out, I was screwed by Sears. A friend told me the 2500's use the same suspension and frame components as the 3500/4500 series. And I'm telling you, it's a tank.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

Hey Gang,

Well I bit the bullet!

After much research and looking on-line and in person, I found this 2001 Yukon SLT with air ride, 5.3 V8 loaded to the max, factory towing, tranny cooler, 4 x 4, 3.71:1 rear gear... It wasn't under $8k. Most of the Tahoe's or Yukons ~ that price had issues. My buddy is a ASE certified mechanic with his own business, and after looking at 3, we decided this was the one. The only issues he could find were serpentine belts would need replacing next year, a few courtesy light burnt out, and it needed new wiper blades. The interior is mint, chassis and suspension clean and tight, new brakes/rotors and tires on all 4 corners. We traded in our Blazer ($3700) and walked out the door for $8.5k tax, title, and license... I can't wait to tow the boat! Thanks again all that gave opinions and advice! I really appreciate it! iboats rules! Here are a few pics... Dark in my now even smaller garage...

 

[lowkee]

Re: Good used mid size SUV with V8 for under $8k

They never look that big outside, do they?

Nice looking truck, and nice find. Does the wife's truck still fit in there? I recall an ultimatum about that during your restore