Need opinions on '94 - '97 Tahoes/Yukons

[birchyboy]

My older 4Runner isn't able to haul a camper or a boat very well so I'm selling it to my niece and will be looking for an older Yukon or Tahoe. I was checking sites such as Edmunds and they give that particular range of years a big fat thumbs down for reliability of the engine and transmission. Has anyone here had experience with that year of GM V8's and automatic transmissions?

My impression has always been that they were rock solid but now I'm doubting myself. Are they really as bad as I read, or is it a bit of sensationalism?

[Husky]

My older 4Runner isn't able to haul a camper or a boat very well so I'm selling it to my niece and will be looking for an older Yukon or Tahoe. I was checking sites such as Edmunds and they give that particular range of years a big fat thumbs down for reliability of the engine and transmission. Has anyone here had experience with that year of GM V8's and automatic transmissions?

My impression has always been that they were rock solid but now I'm doubting myself. Are they really as bad as I read, or is it a bit of sensationalism?

The first Yukon I owned several years ago was a 97. It was a great car for me, the only problem I had with it was back than the doors were very heavy and tended to sag so I had to give it a good slam to get the door shut. Mechanically never had any problems. I towed a 18 foot enclosed trailer to the races and it had plenty of power and was very comfortable. I have since owned nothing but Yukons as I have had very good luck with them

[birchyboy]

Can the door sagging be fixed? New hinges?

[Chaos]

I would stay with '96+ as that's when the vortec came out, more power than the previous throttle body V8's. The main thing is, now these things are getting to be 15-20 years old it really depends on how well each vehicle has been maintained over the years. They are solid vehicles for the most part, but like anything if you don't take care of it, it'll be a piece of shit. I've seen honda's and toyota's under 100k miles on them be complete piles. I've seen ford and chevy trucks with 400k plus and still in decent shape. It depends. You usually get what you pay for, no matter what you are looking at take it to a trusted shop ( I recommend a dealership, they have guys there that know these vehicles better than most independent shops would) and PAY for a full inspection. They can usually tell if the vehicle has been cared for or been abused and beat to shit. that's my $0.02. (19 year ASE master tech)

[Chaos]

Can the door sagging be fixed? New hinges?

There's new pin and bushing kits you can buy, although it helps to have the right tools to install them.

[Captain Obvious]

There's new pin and bushing kits you can buy, although it helps to have the right tools to install them.

Agreed, and the pin/bushing kit applies to ALL the trucks from that year/range. Burbs/Tahoe/pickups. Bit of a PITA but only a 2ish hour job with a buddy.

We purchased a 1995 GMC Burb 1500 1.5 yrs ago. It had 130k miles on it. Now has 143k, used for road trips and hauling our camper, which would be too heavy / large for a "mid sized" suv. Original motor and tranny. Feels like it has plenty of life left in it, but I am guessing I am the first to really tow with it.

My buddy has a 94? Chevy 1500 and is at about 270k miles. After online reviews and his success, decided to go with a burb for the 3 rows of seats for a family mover. So far, love the Burb. Gas mileage isn't much worse than the Yukon but I feel like I have a notable amount of more space.

When I was shopping many had tears on the edge of the seats where you rub when you get in. Odd electrical issues here and there. Straight forward maintenance, not a ton of electronics. Lots of parts, fairly cheap to repair. But like others indicated, sometimes some vehicles run forever, some just have issues. There is a certain amount of luck, but I wouldn't run away. However, to date, we have had good luck with the ole girl.

Good luck with the hunt.

[birchyboy]

Thanks all. My plan is to get an inspection if the owner's allow it.

[Husky]

Everything everyone else said and yes the hinges can be repaired but dont buy junk yard ones as they will most likely be worn out too. But over all if the prior owner/owners took care of the yukon, most likely you will have a very solid vehicle for many miles to come. If you can get one with the Vortec engine definately do as the difference is like night and day from the prior engines. Enjoy your new car.

[jcj81]

They are good trucks but your year range has some fairly big updates from 96' and up. Engine,transmission both updates and new design for 96'+. I'd make sure you get an inspection, things to look for door hinges as already said but if it needs hinges check inside and outside door handles for being broke or cracking. The extra pressure from the door sag causes the handle to break. Lower intake leaks on all years your are looking at, a little oil is ok, but coolant is not. The 96' and up have a little more power, pre 96' if you do your own work are a little easier to work on but thats sujective. Let me know if you need anymore help. Also the body style that your looking for went until early model year 2000 then change to new style mid 00' so it will give your more options.

[rforsythe]

Thanks all. My plan is to get an inspection if the owner's allow it.

I'd walk away if they didn't.

[Captain Obvious]

I'd walk away if they didn't.

Agreed. I have a buddy at goodyear, warned him I was going to look, will call if I wanna bring it by. For a couple of the cleaner Burbs that might have worked, I asked the owner, "can we take a test drive, I'd like to get it on a rack. And if you can come with, we both will be able to see the same thing a mechanic thinks." The 2 that met my basic inspection were happy to go to a shop and listen. Helped one guy return his new motor to his mechanic since it had a leak we couldn't see until the truck was up in the air.

[Aaron]

Honestly if you can afford to go up to the next generation and get a 5.3L one, you'd be much better off. The TBI motors in that era sucked a lot more gas.

[birchyboy]

Thanks for all the tips. The good part is I'm not in a rush as we don't need a second vehicle and we won't be hauling a camper or boat this summer. After reading some other info I'm going to focus on finding a 2000 - 2001 with the 5.3L motor.

[jcj81]

Thanks for all the tips. The good part is I'm not in a rush as we don't need a second vehicle and we won't be hauling a camper or boat this summer. After reading some other info I'm going to focus on finding a 2000 - 2001 with the 5.3L motor.

The 5.3/6.0L way better performance wise, I've seen them when taken care of with over 300k miles.

[birchyboy]

I wish they made the 2wd/2 door in 2001 though....

[jcj81]

2wd can be found not very common in this area, never made 2 door though. Lots of 2wd versions in California, just a thought