Need 'real world' experience re; used car purchase...

[Black Dog]

With the vast knowledge and experience of my extended family at my fingertips, I thought I'd ask to see if anyone has any firsthand experience with a couple of vehicles I'm considering to replace my aging (and thirsty) 2003 Z71 Suburban.

I'm not trying to start a Ford/GM war, nor am I trying to ignore the imports.  I've talked with many owners, of many brands, but seem to be gravitating towards a couple, more than the others.  Specifically, I'm interested in anything you can tell me (good or bad) about the 2008 - 2010 GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave.  They are sisters, under the skin, and I've done a buncha research, but really would like some input from anyone that has owned/leased either of the two.

I no longer need to haul a sports team, on a regular basis (I do like the folding 3rd row on these), but I do need something that can tow my fishing boat that weighs in at about 2500 lbs. (both are rated at up to 4500 lbs.).  I've owned 3 Suburbans, and 1 Explorer (all used when I got them), since 1990.  All have been AWD/4X4, but I may consider one of these in Front Wheel Drive.  I live in Wisconsin, so I do have the occasional need/want for AWD.

Real world mileage (city, freeway, mix) would really help, and any issues that have nagged you while owning either, are what I'm looking to find out.

Thanks for any input you can give.

Black Dog

[Michvalk]

Can't help with the exact vehicle you are asking about, but just a comment. You don't want a vehicle that is just front wheel drive to pull a boat out of the water. Front wheel drive will have a problem with ramps that are slippery. I used a Ford Aerostar AWD to pull my 20' pontoon and it worked great for that, but would not have pulled up the ramp without AWD. Van was not heavy enough to maintain traction without it. Just some advice from personal experience

[MAD6Gun]

 Well Steve as you know I work at a GM dealer. Chevy dealer to be exact. We have seen quite a few Acadia/Enclaves and Traverses come in with Engine and Transmission problems. The Cam chains and tenshioners in the engine seam to have a problem on some early models. As well as the 3-5-reverse wave plate in the transmission. When that plate fails you will loose those gears.  Other than that they seam to be a good vehicle just make sure you check the past service records if you can. Make sure it still has powertrain warranty left or you can buy a extended warranty for it.

I hope this help Steve...................

[Hook#3287]

All I can tell you is my buddy has a Enclave and he loves it.

[Phil57]

I own a 2012 Enclave and have around 5000 miles on it. So far I really like this car. We are getting 17-22 mpg and I run at 77 on the high way. We had a 2002 Yukon and liked that as well. The fit and finish on the Enclave is excellent and it drives better then the Yukon.
There were issues with the 08 I think the biggest was the wave plate failure. There is a active forum for the Enclave that you might check out enclave forum.net. The 6 speed transmission is sometime a little busy or send to search for the right gear but every 6 speed auto I have driven is the same. I guess it's not better or worse just different. I have AWD and it handles the snow very well.
Good luck I would buy another enclave but maybe stay away from the first year 08's

[Jess from VA]

FYI (I have no idea if this forum is any good, some are)

Good place to post any questions.

http://www.acadiaforum.net/

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/fuel-sipping-three-row-suvs-2008-buick-enclave-gmc-acadia-saturn-outlook-page-11

[bscrive]

If you want to know real world fuel mileage, go to this site.  It can be a real eye opener.  You can see it in mpg and L/100km for the rest of the world.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/

[Phil57]

The mpg looks about what I reported. I don't baby it much and I'm not all that concerned with the mileage anyway. I don't drive out of town much and when I do the Enclave is getting towed behind the motorhome. I don't want to talk about mpg in the motorhome. The enclave forum is part of a 3 way forum for all the same car the Buick gmc and. Chevy.

[R J]

Steve, any used vehicle ya look at ask for a Car-Fax report.   It shows any damage the owner will lie about.

Wife's best friend has an Enclave, which she has awarded me when she passes.   She has stage 4 terminal lung/kidney cancer.   It is a 2011, and she has put 42,000 on it in it's lifetime with her.

She drives the hell out of it and still seems to get good gas mileage.     Wife says she wants one when her Toyota Highlander gets tired.    Do your homework as to what it is worth out the door and what your trade-in is worth.   Then only budge 1 to 3K in price difference.........    If they want to sell it, they will meet your offer, also make sure it is out the door at that price, no sales tax and license plates to be added.     If you have a chance to get an extended warranty, get it.

Happy motoring.

[fudgie]

Kit drives a Acadia at work and really likes it. A coworker has one and my partner hates it. Its to small for her and she is 5' tall and 110 lbs.  Like mad said, get a extended warrenty no matter what. I bought a Blazer with 74k on it and the tranny went out 3 months later. Only cost $100. 

[Black Dog]

Great stuff guys 

Keep it coming...  I was aware of a few of the sites linked, but appreiciate the new ones. 

Mark,

Good info, and will be used as ammo, when dealing 

Just like some of the posts on this board, it seems that those that have had problems, seem to bitch the loudest (with good reason), but folks that have many trouble free miles, seem content to just motor along without sharing their joy...  Heck, to a 'newbie', the Valk would seem like you were tempting a flaming death with all the petcock gripes, or that yer gonna get stuck in the wrong place when yer rear end grenades on ya...  But we all know there are quite a few of us that have had nothing but normal wear/maintainance issues.

Still looking for stories from folks like Phil57, that have owned, or do own these vehicles.

Thanks again.

Black Dog

[JimC]

Its to small for her and she is 5' tall and 110 lbs. 

HEY BIG BOY!

That line from fudgie says a lot, in case you have not looked in the mirror lately, you are not what anyone (in the real world) would classify as a petite type guy. In fact, I have seen you your suburban, and you pretty much fill it up.

What ever you buy, make sure they fill the tank and will let you take it for a few hours to make sure you fit!!!


Jim

[Phil57]

I'm 6' and 200lbs and it fits me fine. In fact its one of the few cars that i have the seat pulled forward. Most cars I put the seat as far back as I can but not this one. There is still good room in the back for a good size person. They come in several different trims. I have the premium trim and like the creature comforts that it comes with. The Nav system and radio is a little be hide times for a luxury Buick. Not all Enclaves come with the tow package and a lot of people add a hitch so watch out for that. I also opted for the 20' chrome wheels and they look great of course what Valk owner doesn't like chrome. Any way good luck.

[YoungPUP]

Just my personal experience, Car fax is crap.   Its been run  for my 2003  Jeep Grand Cherokee that I  KNOW ( i was the driver in one accident, my wife in the other)has been in 2 major accidents, header into a power pole and a t bone going through an intersection and neither shows on the carfax.  Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe its no good. The body shop that handled the repairs was the one who showed me the printout after I asked about it after the last accident.   Clean as a whistle....

[Titan]

Just my personal experience, Car fax is crap.   Its been run  for my 2003  Jeep Grand Cherokee that I  KNOW ( i was the driver in one accident, my wife in the other)has been in 2 major accidents, header into a power pole and a t bone going through an intersection and neither shows on the carfax.  Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe its no good. The body shop that handled the repairs was the one who showed me the printout after I asked about it after the last accident.   Clean as a whistle....

Now this is some darn good information! I've never used it but didn't know that it was complete crap! I'm glad you posted this information.

[YoungPUP]

In my experience its crap.  I know people that swear by it and it has saved them a few times.  I personally wouldnt bet on it though. JMHO...

[cookiedough]

carfax is hit or miss, definitely not the tell all it claims to be.

Chevy Traverse will usually be cheaper than their clones Buick or GMC simply because Buick and GMC are supposedly more upscale which they are not.  Just like GMC Sierra vs Chevy Silverado, both the exact same except trim pieces is all. 

NO experience with any of them, but they do look nice and are pretty roomy inside.  My mother-in-law has the predecessor to this, the Buick Rendevue (spelling?) and she likes it a lot, very roomy, and rides very soft like a Cadillac floating along great for hwy. miles with the 3.5L V6 achieving 25-26 mph hwy. but ONLY 18 mpg in city.  Acceleration sucks in the 3.5L V6 but it runs decent with no problems and is going to be a lot cheaper than Enclave, Traverse, and Arcadia used since older model years.  Not my cup of tea since pickup speed sucks, but if price is a concern would want to drive that as well can get the 7 passenger seating as well in that also. 

For something smaller that will still tow 3,000 lbs., have you considered a used 2011 3.5L V6 Hyundai Santa fe like we have or say a 2008-2011 3.5L V6 Toyota RAV4?   Both achieve 25 mpg hwy. and are more fuel efficient than your 3 choices having bigger interiors.  I had a RAV4 V6 and like my current Santa Fe much better being roomier inside and very nicely equipped .  Plus,  say a 2011 3.5L V6 Hyundai Santa Fe can be had for a lot less than your 3 choices. 

I say test drive them all and see what you prefer.  Pretty sure reliability overall will be much better in the RAV4 or Santa fe/Kia Sorento but not ride as well as your 3 choices though. 

[alph]

We almost got the Acadia, but ended up with a Durango. You can't get a V8 in the Acadia, but you can with the Dodge. We've got a 6200# towing copacity if that means any thing to you, has all the bells and whistles but was about 5 grand cheaper. (It's a '12).  The Durango came out with a new body style in '11, MUCH nicer than the older Durango look. Only thing I don't like are leather seats, I prefur cloth.

[cookiedough]

We almost got the Acadia, but ended up with a Durango. You can't get a V8 in the Acadia, but you can with the Dodge. We've got a 6200# towing copacity if that means any thing to you, has all the bells and whistles but was about 5 grand cheaper. (It's a '12).  The Durango came out with a new body style in '11, MUCH nicer than the older Durango look. Only thing I don't like are leather seats, I prefur cloth.

The Dodge Durango's do look nice as well and agree leather seats are so not worth the added cost.  Seems like what is wanted is something to pull 3,000 lbs. max, seats 7 people on occassion, and roomy with gas mileage not much of a concern so a V8 in the Durango being bigger is an option since doubt the Durango V8 gets over 20 mpg hwy.  The Kia Sorento clone twin to Hyundai Santa Fe does offer a 3rd row seat unlike the Santa Fe as well as the RAV4 offering a 3rd row seat although pretty small.   If fuel economy is considered,  the 3.5L V6 in the Kia Sorento used say 2010-2011 model year or used slightly smaller interior Toyota RAV4 both achieve excellent 25 avg mpg hwy though with plenty of power.  But, both of these 2 vehicles wouldn't pull much of anything over 2500lbs. with 3,000 being the max. since the suspension of each, especially the RAV4, is not designed for heavier hauling.  I do like the styling though of your original 3 choices being roomier and can tow a tad more weight but the price might be higher but used GM products can get a better deal on usually vs. buying new of course.

Not a fan of GM after learning that they are exporting a lot of their business to Communist China.  In the near future,  who in their right mind in the U.S. would buy what is supposedly an American mfg., say Chevrolet, if the window sticker stated made in China?    I understand a lot of vehicles/parts are made in say Korea or Mexico or Canada, but China is a little more hard to swallow, at least for me. I see the products we sell where I work over 90% imported from China and the quality, although improved somewhat the past few years,  are still not worth buying.  I have even seen packing lists a few years back for the crap we get in with Chinese writing on them like how are we suppose to read that and determine sku# and qty. and description if in Chinese for god sakes let alone the PO#??

[Black Dog]

Good stuff, good stuff...

Fudgie (and Jim),

I'm thinking yer partner may be mistaken about what vehicle she is talking about (maybe?), as the two I'm talking about a very close in size and cargo space to the full sized Tahoe/Yukon.  Nothing small about them.

Alph,

The towing capacity of the GM's (4500 lbs.), is more than what I currently need.  Never considered the Durango, as the last Dodge product I owned (mid 80's Ramcharger) was a POS.  I've seen the newer ones on the road, and they are HUGE!  I may need to take a look/ride.

Cookie,

Not too sure I'm ready to take the fork in the road that leads to Kia/Hyundai...  Nice cars, great warrenty, but once yer done driving them, what are they worth for trade/sale?  As to GM/China...  We are dealing with a global economy these days, and while it bothers me that GM is planning on doing buisness over seas, the 'used' vehicles I'm looking at, still have their American roots.

Regarding CarFax, I agree...  It can only inform you of what has been officially reported, and how that happens, I don't know.  My son was looking at a car that had a clean CarFax, and when I took it to a mechanic buddy for a once over, we found evidence of a major frontal crash, that was not on the CarFax.

I guess I'll need to get out and do some test drives, and get a feel for what these (and others) can do.

Still looking for feedback from some other owners...

Black Dog

[R J]

Steve, you never mentioned Dodge before, but I'm on #11, and have not had a iota of a problem with them.

The one I had just before this Dakota (discontinued) was a Big Ram Hemi.   It was an 11.      The window sticker did not have an estimated MPG on it.    I didn't give a crap cause I wanted another Hemi.

Made a trip to Colorado to pick up my new trailer.   We run it about 80 MPH on the big slab.      I know it is hard to believe, we were surprised anyway, but it averaged 23.2 for the round trip.

After I fell out of it, due to phony knee not being able to support my big fat ass, I sold it outright and bought this Dakota in Southern Illinois.

Since the Dakota is no longer available, a Durango Hemi will be my next purchase if they still make it with a Hemi.    Love the low end torque of the new Hemi.  Otherwise it will be a Jeep Cherokee with a Hemi.    Yes, I do love my Hemi's, CHP got me stuck on Hemi's, the old 426, and they are kind of hard to get out of your mind.

My daughter was in over her head after her divorce, so I bought her Nissan from her and she put herself into a KIA 4 door, 4 cylinder Turbo.     She puts a lot of miles on a car in her work.    The KIA is a 12, and she has over 50K on it already.

Only problem she has had with it is when her company gave her a PU to drive on on of her jobs.  Her car set for 3 weeks.   A mouse ate into the wiring.    Fixed that and she just goes out, hits the starter and takes off.    I do believe she likes it very much.    I haven't heard her talking of trading it off anytime soon.

[cookiedough]

I understand your hesitation on Kia/Hyundai, but I took the risk in 2011 with my Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6 only,  the 4 cylinder is way underpowered and doesn't offer any more hwy. mpg.  Knock on wood, but has been the most trouble free car the past 2 years of any I have owned so far in my life in the first 2 years nothing but oil changes, very sold vehicle as well.  Ride is a tad rougher than a full sized SUV, but tolerable.  Very powerful V6 6 speed tranny and buttery smooth shifting much more so than my former 3.5L V6 RAV4 5 speed tranny both achieving 25 mpg.  I don't see the Kia/Hyundai lineup anymore as a bad car company and would put it in line and even above on some models what the Big 3 have to offer nowadays, including Toyota and Hyundai.  Kia Sorento (more rugged look inside and out) though only has a 3 rows of seat offered but that did not interest us so went with the 5 seat capacity of the Hyundai Santa Fe.  

Only you can decide and I would highly recommend driving all of them and if possible, ask the dealership to drive them overnight and return the next day since a 5-10 minute test drive is not enough time to decide on a 20-30K purchase.  Back in 2007 I had it with my new 2007 Chevy Silverado crew cab and when the new 2007 redesigned 5.7L V8 awesome powerful motor/tranny came out in the Tundra,  the dealership offered me to test drive it all weekend long even after I told him we were planning a trip putting on about 500 miles that weekend.  That long test drove convinced me to get the tundra over what anything else the Big 3 had to offer even though returned about 2 less mpg as my chevy silverado.  Maybe you can find a dealership like that and let you keep the vehicle to drive for 1-2 days as well.  

[Phil57]

My kids bought a Kia van I at first thought it was a nice car well laid out at went down the road nice. Then she needed a brake job. I found where they cut costs. That pos was rusted so badly I had to get help beating the rotors of. I have never seen a bigger mess on a 3 year old car. I have sworn off Imports for ever. I'm looking for a midsize truck for me and I think I'll look at a ford or a gmc canyon.

[BradValk48237]

I have had several Dodge/Jeep vehicles over the last 8 years... 2 Jeep Commanders and now a Dodge Journey.... so far all of the cars were trouble free... never had to go back to the shop for anything....

I liked the Commander alot.. I did lease 2 in a row and would have gotten a 3rd if the had continued to make them... On hindsight, I should have bought the last one as it had a V8, 4 wheel drive and had plenty of room and pickup and would tow almost anything..... They were smaller than the similar  GM and Ford products and I liked the look........ The Journey can be had in all wheel drive and a V6.... you can tow with the, but, they are more car than truck. I have had mine for 2 years and had no problems.... one nice thing about the Journey is that its interior room is actually about the same as the Commander for loading and hauling stuff...

That being said, I had a good friend that bought a 01 Durango and he drover it for 12 years and 280K!  and the body was in good shape and the only issues he had were ball joints twice.....

Milage on the Commanders was the same wiht a V6 or V8... I had both about 17 MPG overall, his V8 Durango was about the same.... My Journey averages 21 overall........

Used Commanders are going for decent/resonable money right now... Like I said, I should have bought mine when I had the chance......

Just my $.02

Brad

[fudgie]

Well my partner drives a expidition so everything is small compared to that.