We are looking to buy a few year used 2005 or 2006 ESV to replace our Jeep. From my research, the truck has taken most of its depreciation hit already. There are quite a few on the market with low miles. Anybody drive one here. Can you give me the good and the bad?

Here is the vehicle we are looking at:


Thank you

The Bad:

- flimsy frame makes for comfortable ride; poor cornering, not the best trailering
- removing 3rd row seat is a PITA
- first gear of the transmission is too low, slow off the line with boat in tow.

The Good:

-It's a VERY NICE VEHICLE!

D-Rod...thanks. But the 3rd row seat was a concern of mine as well. But they split the seat into two parts. Only 40 pounds each part and was very easy to remove. One other thing...there will never be a time where we will have the 3rd row out anyway.

Thanks for the other "bads". But I have a better one for you...mpg 12 city 16 highway

You probably will not get milage that high. My Parent's 2004 Z71 Tahoe only achieves 11 in the city and 14.5-15.5 on the highway. It has a 5.3L with 3.73 gears.

Your numbers will be closer to 14/15 on the highway.

The Tahoe also has the 50/50 rear seat. Getting the halves in and out of the vehicle isnt the problem. The problem is where do you store them when they're out? It's a bigger issue for us with the the Tahoe as we don't have as much space. Typically, we find the seats need to be out of there until we get to the destination, then we want them back. Folding them forward works just fine except they take about 12" of useful space.

The Suburban used to use a full, not spilt, 3rd row seat. Those were/are a even BIGGER PITA.

For giggles...have you tried test driving a 2007 model? I've always wanted to drive the models back to back to compare the differences.

Nope...won't even look at an '07. I know myself...I will love it and then try and justify the extra $20k. If I don't ever take a look at one. I will not know what I am missing and be thrilled with my '05 or '06 and pay cash

Understood!

20k? Dang????

Looks clean.

Those models took a HUGE hit in value with the new body style. There are tons on the market. Make your offer accordingly.

Is it the Platinum Edition? Those are a little rarer.

Good luck!

The good news is you should be able to find one at killer prices.

2 months ago we took one in for $10,000 below Kelley Blue Book wholesale, thinking that was a safe bid. Ran it through the Saqn Diego Auto Auction and NOBODY bid on it at that price.

The older ones that used to bring $12-14,000 now command $5-6000.

Mid life crisis doggg??

I almost wish we needed a vehicle right now, I wouldn't mind a mid-size SUV, and the deals are amazing! My commute is 15 minutes, so the MPG wouldn't be a significant hit for me, and the increase in tow capacity would be great! However, having a paid off and almost paid off pair of vehicles makes me dismiss that thought pretty quickly.

Speaking of deals, I have a buddy who just picked up a 2000 Lincoln Towncar with 80,000 miles for 4,000. He also has a short commute, so it was a great deal for him. The car was days away from heading to auction, they just couldn't move it.

Sorry for the sidetrack, back to your regularly scheduled Escalade news.

D-Rod; are you saying the GM frames are flimsy? Or are you referring to the softer ride due to the suspension? The frame is the same as the suburban that I've seen so many people wishing they had.

This is the one I see WD in:


WD, your mileage will really drop at highway speeds at/above 70. When I had my Navigator I could squeak out 17-17.5 mpg by driving 65-68mph. Once I hit 70-75 It dropped to about 15 mpg. As far as the third row seat, the Navigator had the one large seat and we only pulled it about 10 times over the 4 years I owned it. I could even do it myself, so a two piece third row should be easier for one person to handle.

One other thing I'm not sure if the Caddy takes premium fuel like my Navigator did, there's another 20 cents a gallon.

Absolutely not...I would never do a truck wrong like that. Give me stock. I joined a Cadillac board and people are reporting getting 18 - 19 mpg at 70 mph on the highway.

The truck does not require premium gas. Some people have reported better gas mileage with the premium though. I will just do some testing.

OK...being I have never bought a used car. Maybe someone can give me some pointers. Truck is a 2005 with 55k on the odometer. Asking price is $23k...what should I offer in this economy? Also, dealer is a Ford dealer. Should I take this to a Caddy dealer and have them do a once over on it?

Much appreciated.

Doing a quick search to see some prices for the Michigan area, the price they are asking is right in the ballpark. I'd say start with $17,500 and go from there. The economy and the price of gas won't get many buyers right now.

Btw, the interior looks very clean.

Two years ago, I bought my current truck, an '04 Durango. Asking price at a Ford dealer was 23k. I paid 18k. I'd definatly start out at 17 and go from there. Since your paying cash, I'd offer 17k out the door. If they balk, leave them with your number and tell them to call you when they want it sold. They will call in a day or two. I bought mine when gas was cheap compared to today, told them 18k, they said they best they could do was 21k. Two days later the sales manager called me asking me to come in. An hour later I left in the Durango.

Thanks guys. $17k is where I was going to start. Like I said, if this one does not work there are quite a few around. I wish we did not need to replace our Jeep...we have owned since new and treated us well. Just going to be too small a vehicle in the future.

Mark - do you find that service on your Lincoln cost more than what a Ford would cost? One concern is because it is a Caddy...service will cost more than a Chevy Suburban.

Doggg,

You are better off getting a Denali XL of the same vintage, all the same underpinnings and under $20k for sure.

The thing I miss most about ours was that the center row captains chairs were heated. Everyone loved road trips in it!

However, the newer ones are night and day. You can pick an '07 Escalade up for low $30s now. Or even better a '07 Denali under $30k.

'07 Escalade

Or even better...

'07 Denali

'07 Denali XL

They are the standard length versions and the Denalis have higher miles, but gives you an idea. You should be able to negotiate a killer deal, as they can't move these things right now and there are tons out there.

By the way, the '07s have the 6 speed trannies on the Denali and Escalaldes. Its always easier to spend more when its not our money .

Dogg,

One other thing. You can buy the Escalade in 2wd, that is probably where people are reporting better milage. Otherwise the AWD really hampers the milage. I miss the AWD though also, no thinking about it at the ramp or during the winter, just go.

I couldn't break 17 on the highway unless I was coasting downhill. However, I average 13 to 14 around town. 16 to 17 on the highway at 70 or at 80, didn't really seem to make much of a differnece. Over 80 and it dropped like a rock.

bank...our Jeep has AWD and it is great. You are right about that. Yes, we need to open our search back to the Denali. But the few I have seen don't seem very well cared for. That amazes me as these are $40k - $50k vehicles when new. Why would someone NOT take care of that . I have run across a lot more Escalades that have been cared for much better. But we will keep the options open.

WD, I didn't find any real difference in service costs.

Bankonit has the right idea. The Denali's are sweet looking vehicles for a little less change.

This vehicle is nothing more than a Suburban in a Tuxedo. The long wheelbase will afford a very stable trailering experiences outside of a heavy duty truck. It does appear however this model, likely due to the overall weight, has a rather marginal towing capacity that you should consider.

The third seat, which I would hardly describe as flimsy, flips up quite easily and leaves a ton of room for storage. Unless you are hauling a 4X8, you'll likely never pull the seat.

The 6.0 will give you more than enough power to tow your Four Winns

The bad: fuel economy is going to suck. Period. You can look at all the specs in the world that will suggest 14-15 but the reality is, these are dam heavy vehicles. My Yukon XL avgs 10mpg around town and really not that much better on the highway. Granted I have a 3/4T with 8.1L but I'd be surprised if the Escalade did much better. Also, much has to do with your driving habits.

Filling up one of these beasts is no joy either, my Yukon XL has a 38.5 gallon tank. You are potentially looking at $125 fill ups. Not fun.

As for the price, chances are the dealer took this in on rock bottom trade. Also, with the dead market especially on full size SUV's you should be in a position to negotiate a very favorable price for such a high end luxury vehicle.

roc...thanks for the insight. Just to make it clear. MPG on a vehicle is not going to be a deal breaker for us. We know it is bad...prepared for it and will accept it if we want to drive something like this.

Since you're paying cash, start your offer at 17K OTD and write the check for the full amount to submit with your offer.

Salesmen/MGR's HATE to give a check back (it's easier for them to say no w/o a check staring them in the face).

In fact, I'd write the check for 16K and then give them their "bump" (so they feel good and will look good to mgmt)up to 17K in increments of $200 or so.

It's a win-win...

Buying is fun!!!

Good luck!

As stated earlier, I wouldn't rule out a Navigator. Not the big hp, but nice low end torque. Shorter though than an extended Sub.

One of guys at work has an 03 Denali. Seems to not be wearing well on the inside, but he is a little hard on cars.

I can't tell you about mileage directly with the Escalade, but I can tell you that our 06 Yukon XL, 5.3, 3:73, gets 14-15 around town and 19-20 on the highway at 70-75 mph. That's not by the computer (although it is acurate on ours), but doing it the old fashioned way.

I sure do want one! (Caddy ESV or a Denali Yukon XL). Would really like to upgrade from our '99 Burb.

Like everyone, cash is tight, so not real smart for us now.

Whatever the gas mileage it gets, I'd have to deal with because I'll need another full size anyway. My last quick search would give me 2K# more towing capacity, with only a 1MPG drop from City/Hwy from what my 'Burb currently gets. Decent tradeoff in the scheme of things.

One tip a co-worker suggested is to wait. If I could squeeze another 3-4 years out of the 'Burb, then the current new breed of fuel efficient (Hybrid?) cars will start hitting the pre-owned (lease return) car market.

Tough temptation....

I love threads like this about big ole gas guzzlers. Keep it guys. Good for our oil industry and I thank you all.