Well i have a 2003 Escalade ESV and am selling my 1999 Trans Am to buy the wife an SRX. Just started looking around and she says she definatly wants the AWD for when the weather gets rough. Is the V6 AWD noticably less powerful than the V8? Does that big ass sunroof suck or is it pretty cool?
Basicaly what i wanna know is what options suck on them and what do you consider "must have" options?
We are looking between 18k-25k. So probably a 2004-2006. Any tips or advice on shopping around?

I would consider at least an 06. Narrower door sills & power l/gate are nice.
Ultraview is great. some have closing/creaking issues. I love my V8 AWD.
V6 is no chump though. 3rd row is all but useless, except for small kids,and
puppies.

Get an 06 or later for the narrow door sills (your pant legs will thank you) and the power liftgate.

Get an 07 or later for the redesigned interior. (I don't mind the dash of my 06.)

I think the V6 is a bit weak for AWD, but others think it is fine.

Unless you really need the 3rd row seat, get the cargo management system instead. But, most V8 units came with the 3rd row seat.

It seems the majority of units came with ultraview. Unless you really want a sunroof, I'd try to find one without it.

People who have magnetic ride control (MRC) swear by it. I think it was a V8-only option. I understand replacement shocks are very expensive.

Check the service history with your Cadillac service dept.

Definitely get a certified pre-owned unit or at least a GMPP contract.

I would consider at least an 06. Narrower door sills & power l/gate are nice.
Ultraview is great. some have closing/creaking issues. I love my V8 AWD.
V6 is no chump though. 3rd row is all but useless, except for small kids,and
puppies.

We don't have any kids, yet, but do have two small doggies. Since we're Messycan, though, everyone else in our families has 1,000,000 kids so i wouldn't mind having the third row. saw a picture of that cargo storage thingy and that looked pretty cool too, though.

Get an 06 or later for the narrow door sills (your pant legs will thank you) and the power liftgate.

Get an 07 or later for the redesigned interior. (I don't mind the dash of my 06.)

I think the V6 is a bit weak for AWD, but others think it is fine.

Unless you really need the 3rd row seat, get the cargo management system instead. But, most V8 units came with the 3rd row seat.

It seems the majority of units came with ultraview. Unless you really want a sunroof, I'd try to find one without it.

People who have magnetic ride control (MRC) swear by it. I think it was a V8-only option. I understand replacement shocks are very expensive.

Check the service history with your Cadillac service dept.

Definitely get a certified pre-owned unit or at least a GMPP contract.
Yeah, i was wondering if the V6 had enough umph for AWD. Not gonna be racin it or anything but i'm the kind of guy that would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Both replies, so far, mentioned the narrower door sills. Is it really that big of a difference? Guess i should go to the Stealership and check them out in person. wife is all anal about not going to look untill we are ready to buy, but i like doing my research. Probably lookin at getting after we come back from spring break.

what i have noticed is that the bezel around the stereo looks pretty blah without the wood trim around it. But the only ones i've seen with wood trim are the ones with Nav. The navagation on my ESV sucks. Is the one in the SRX any better? It's touch screen isn't it? Does it also use a DVD for the maps?

The door sill is a HUGE difference. In my 04, I swore I would need a hip replacement from having
to swing my legs so far out to keep my pants clean. I measured the difference once in math data.
I want to say it was minimum 4 inches difference, if not more.

I'd search autotrader.com for a decently equipped 2007 AWD V6 or V8. The interior of the 07 is lightyears better than that of the 04-06 in my opinion. Also make sure you drive the car over some bumps or a rougher road and listen for any creaks and noises in the Ultraview. I am having a hell of a time getting mine to go away. Other than the noises, my 2007 SRX AWD V8 is an absolutely fantastic vehicle. If you like a sportier look the sports package introduced in 2007 really makes the car stand out. The DVD NAV was also upgraded for 2007 and is a nice improvement over the 04-06 and fairly simple to use, its touch screen. Good luck on your search, I am sure you'll enjoy whichever SRX you end up with.

4" :eek:
I'm ganna have to head over to the dealership to check out the door sill difference and the 07 interior. Don't know if i want that big of a payment for an 07' though. Don't wanna pay more for this than i'm payin for the ESV.

I originally wanted a SRX in 2004, but the wiiiide door sills made it impossible for my wife to transfer from a wheelchair, so I bought a CTS. GMJim is right about the 4" difference. On 04 & 05s, the distance from the side of the car to the outside edge of the passenger seat was 12". On my 06, that distance is 8".

As for the wood trim, see the attached pic of the luxury package w/o nav on my 06.

Regarding dogs, I have the cargo barrier and rubber pad pic attached.

We are still very pleased with our 2005 SRX N*V8 RWD, UltraView, Tow-package (for the extra cooling, no hitch), no NAV, rear storage unit instead of 3rd row seat, manual deck opening. We find that our 2005, when compared with an acquaintance's 2008 SRX, offers more small storage niches in the doors and rear quarters, which we like. I do not have trouble with the wide door sills (although my wife sometimes might prefer the narrower ones); and the "old style 2005 dash" works OK for us without the "bright VW metal trim" and the analog clock. Good luck finding an SRX that fits you!!
We are still enjoying our SRX since taking delivery in Jan 2005!!

I have an 05 SRX AWD with the V6 and it is great!

Wife just told me she only wants a $350 car payment, so looks like we'll be lookin at '04 SRX's.

Wife just told me she only wants a $350 car payment, so looks like we'll be lookin at '04 SRX's.

I hear ya, but the phrase penny wise and dollar poor comes to mind. Just make sure the 04 has some warrantee left. These are complicated vehicles and I would not buy one that did not have at least some warrantee left - if even a few months - so that I could figure out everything that was wrong (at the time) and get it corrected by the dealer. If you can get a CPO 2004, that would be great! They are great vehicles, just a bit complicated due to all the cool gizmos and high tech features.

I hear ya, but the phrase penny wise and dollar poor comes to mind. Just make sure the 04 has some warrantee left. These are complicated vehicles and I would not buy one that did not have at least some warrantee left - if even a few months - so that I could figure out everything that was wrong (at the time) and get it corrected by the dealer. If you can get a CPO 2004, that would be great! They are great vehicles, just a bit complicated due to all the cool gizmos and high tech features.

I understand where you're coming from but i never buy cars with any kind of exteended warranty. I work on cars an the side (mostly 98+ Corvettes, Camaro's, Trans Am's, GTO's, GM trucks), I have my own Tech 2 and have quite a few buddies that work at dealerships to get a discount on parts.
Just wondering what goes out most on these SRX's and what do i look for when test driving it?
What was the deal with the radios?

Sent you a PM regarding my 2004 SRX V8 AWD for sale.

Sent you a PM regarding my 2004 SRX V8 AWD for sale.

Sorry but she's worried about gas so she decided she wants a V6. Awsome car though what wheels are those on it?

The gas mileage difference between the 6 and the 8 is small. The power difference is big. One of the reasons we bought out SRX, is the massive depreciation on the new ones. I paid $15,016.00 for our 2004 V8, 2WD, 22,000 miles, one owner, still under factory warranty. $15k for a $46k car with 22000 miles...

The gas mileage difference between the 6 and the 8 is small. The power difference is big. One of the reasons we bought out SRX, is the massive depreciation on the new ones. I paid $15,016.00 for our 2004 V8, 2WD, 22,000 miles, one owner, still under factory warranty. $15k for a $46k car with 22000 miles...

Was out test driving today and the V8 didn't really feel that much better except when going over maybe 75% throttle. This is for the wife so we ended up getting a 2004 AWD fully loaded (minus navagation, which i think sux on my Escalade). Gonna post pics in a new thread.
Thanks for all the advice guys.

Congrats on the purchase!

How much & how many miles?

20K out the door with the certified pre owned. 49K miles.

20K out the door with the certified pre owned. 49K miles.


Nice Caddy with a warrantee till 2010 for twenty grand. How could you go wrong!?! ;)