[tejstar01]

Hello Everyone, I am new to the forum and have read through tons of threads already. I used to have a 2002 Tahoe a few years back that I bought new but traded it in and my wife and I are really wanting a big sport utility again. We don't need AWD at all and it seems this is a real weak point for the Escalades plus the benefit of atleast 1 or 2 mpg better with the 2wd helps a little. What's the majority opinion on either a 2005 model or a 2006 model other than the 05 should be priced a little better? Secondly, I have seen a few with the 5.3 engine which gets a little better MPG, should I even consider it or strictly stay with the 6.0 engine? On my tahoe, I had a volant intake, magnaflow exhaust and a tuned ecu which made a huge difference in performance which is why I ask about the 5.3 engine is all!

All opinions and advice are welcome and appreciated!! We can't wait to have one of these amazing vehicles.

 

[shore]

if you don't need it then there ya go.....the only downside other not having it when it's needed is the resale....the 5.3's take a beating on resale.

 

[Playdrv4me]

if you don't need it then there ya go.....the only downside other not having it when it's needed is the resale....the 5.3's take a beating on resale.

LOL, don't worry about resale... they're all pretty much in the toilet. I mean... they're huge American luxury SUVs.

With that being said, the best combo for you by FAR is the same one I have. I have a semi-rare 2006 2WD 6.0L Escalade. Sometime in mid-2005 GM changed the option structure so that you could order the 6.0L motor and NOT have to be saddled with the cumbersome AWD system.

I paid 16,700.00 for my 2006 with only one previous owner and that was from a Caddy dealer with 75k miles last August, so you may as well just look for the newest one you can afford as they are ALL dirt cheap.

DO NOT get the 5.3 if you can avoid it, the added power of the 6.0L is like night and day and the MPG difference is nil. My 5.3L Avalanche always felt underpowered to me.

 

[tejstar01]

Thanks for the advice and I agree about the resale but since I'm not buying new than I can take advantage of the lower price 5.3's. It will most likely have a 150k+ miles on it if and when I decide to sell so resale is no big deal. However the 2006 w/75k miles that playdrv4me with 2wd for 16,700 last year at a caddy dealer is an awesome price! I will have to test drive both but I have actually seen quite a few 2wd models for sale and they do seem to be cheaper.

 

[luxurylife33]

i can also tell you the 5.3 is very under powered... i have a 6.0 EXT and my friend has the 5.3 avalanche.... night and day ... my ext has about 40k more miles too

 

[shore]

I wasn't talking about dollar lose...I'm talking about getting rid of it.Almost all the buyers will want the 6.0.The 5.3 is weak in this truck.

I have to have the AWD with the boat trailer and wet ramps...it was that or an H2 with an actual transfer case w/4lo.What killed the H2 for me was the already poor MPG of the Caddy vs the pathetic MPG of the H2 and it's acceleration is a joke compared to the Escalade.That's coming from someone that really wanted the H2.

 

[Playdrv4me]

I wasn't talking about dollar lose...I'm talking about getting rid of it.Almost all the buyers will want the 6.0.The 5.3 is weak in this truck.

I have to have the AWD with the boat trailer and wet ramps...it was that or an H2 with an actual transfer case w/4lo.What killed the H2 for me was the already poor MPG of the Caddy vs the pathetic MPG of the H2 and it's acceleration is a joke compared to the Escalade.That's coming from someone that really wanted the H2.

Nah, there are plenty of people in Middle and So. FL who will buy the 5.3, they just don't go for as much money as the 6.0s do, but it's also not a HUGE margin either.

5.3 buyers (not all of course) are usually "Ballin' on a budget" folks who want the Escalade experience for the least penny possible. We have plenty of market for that, trust me they DO sell (not to mention all the 2WD buyers who had no choice before 2005).

One odd thing I have noticed... ALOT of 2WDs I've seen here over the years for sale frequently have that GODAWFUL tu-tone appearance package with the gold colored cladding and body color upper section. I don't know who was churning those out or if it's a dealer or factory option, but my word it is terrible.

 

[tejstar01]

Thanks for all the sound advice and yes I think the 2wd for me is more important than the awd since we don't need awd. The awd is where all the maintenence and reliability issues seem to be the most. I'm sure that I will most likely end up with the 6.0 since I do love power but I didn't want to rule out a 5.3 especially if it was a really good deal. By the time I sell it with maybe 200k miles it won't matter what engine is in it since it will be worth probably 5 or 6k by then or I may drive it until the engine falls out.

 

[jordan00escalade]

$16,700 for an 06 Escalade in the bay area, would be impossible. That's the best price by far I've seen one being sold for. Dealers average about $25-26,000 or in some cases upper 29 to low 30's.. miles vary. Back to the topic though, I'd go for the 06 or 05 with the 6.0, if it is in the budget. If they list the vehicle as having "NAV," make sure the nav disk is in the vehicle. If the navigation isn't operational, it's false advertisement. Tell them to put it in the deal, or you will go with another that does. Put it on your DUE BILL, so they can't back out of it.

 

[coralreef35mm]

Speaking if dirt cheap....Here ya go!

http://flint.craigslist.org/ctd/1178679221.html

If I didn't already have Lade I'd buy it....Maybe I will anyhow!

 

[Playdrv4me]

$16,700 for an 06 Escalade in the bay area, would be impossible. That's the best price by far I've seen one being sold for. Dealers average about $25-26,000 or in some cases upper 29 to low 30's.. miles vary. Back to the topic though, I'd go for the 06 or 05 with the 6.0, if it is in the budget. If they list the vehicle as having "NAV," make sure the nav disk is in the vehicle. If the navigation isn't operational, it's false advertisement. Tell them to put it in the deal, or you will go with another that does. Put it on your DUE BILL, so they can't back out of it.

I've been thinking about how crazy the $16,700 thing sounds over the past few days so I went back and checked my paperwork. Sure enough when considering trade allowances etc. the out the door price for the truck was $16,691.00 because I DIDN'T want to put a dime down.

I would LOVE to say that I did some kind of out of this world mack daddy negotiation to arrive at that price but the truth is the price they had the truck listed for wasn't that much higher and it was the terms of my financing and the huge negative equity on my 745i that dictated the end of the line selling price. If I recall correctly the LISTED price on the internet was $17,991. Again, keep in mind here... this is when gas was $4.00 a gallon. NO ONE was buying SUVs.

When you consider all of this, they must have paid the original owner of the truck 15k when they bought it, maybe less. Maybe alot less. Pretty obvious why I drove 200 miles to do the trade and pick her up. I was so thrilled when I first got her and MORE thrilled to have dumped that E65 BMW.

 

[tejstar01]

You definitely got a screaming deal, I have searched and prices are atleast 3 grand higer now it seems for what you have. Hopefully that peace of mind helps with some of the negative equity you had on the bmw back than!!

I'll keep searching and hopefully find a great deal also. I have a feeling even today the asking prices and what people or dealer will actually sell them for in this market is a large difference.

 

[Playdrv4me]

I have a feeling even today the asking prices and what people or dealer will actually sell them for in this market is a large difference.

You are absolutely correct. Just be patient, you WILL find one.

 

[shore]

I can one better ya....lol.
I bought my 05 6.0 loaded w/60k for $14.5k at our local caddy dealer in december.It was soo clean it had towels wrapped around the floormats.I was surprised with the number they gave me after I made an offer on it.I went outside to the car and got the cash then went inside and bought it...I'm fairly certain they didn't think I was serious as I was hungover and probably stunk like booze from the night before.Matter of fact the gf was in her car sick while I did the deal....they kept asking if she was okay and if she needed anything.
That was a funny day.
A month later they have the same truck with 50k on it for $24.9k.....not sure how that is supposed to work but whatever.

 

[MatthewC]

From a new owner that did a ton of research before buying my Escalade, If you don't need to dump a car as a trade in and are a "cash buyer" the best deals in the country seem to come out of Florida and Texas. That is where I found some of the cleanest, lowest miles, and lowest priced Escalades. Just my .02 cents,
Matt

 

[coralreef35mm]

Whats up with those 7 series Beemers anyway?

They seem to loose $40K in value in the first 3 years..

Either they must be junk, or expensive to own...Or both..

 

[Playdrv4me]

Whats up with those 7 series Beemers anyway?

They seem to loose $40K in value in the first 3 years..

Either they must be junk, or expensive to own...Or both..

They are junk unless you get lucky and get a good one. The F01 (the new 7) is light years ahead of the old E65/66. However, neither of them tops the E38 (1995-2001) for timeless elegance and durability.

 

[02BLacLady]

1. Yes, south florida is a great place to look. Ballers and great weather.
2. Anyone who can afford a 7 series probably wants a new car for 90 g's and BMWs cost more to repair when out of waranty than the payments. (My last car was an M3 and i know this to be true). A cheap asking price on a used beemer doesn't mean that it's affordable to own. My lade is way cheaper to own, but different.
3. I got my 02 in dec 09 for 13.5 at coral Cadillac in sofla with 51,000 miles on it in black and in mint condition, with a waranty to 75,000 from gm. It has a 5.3. I get 13.6 miles per gallon with my 24's driving only city and little highway. With the factory wheels i got 14.5 miles per gallon city. A full tank averaged 19.00 miles per gallon highway on a 4 hour trip with the stock rims.
4. It is definitely on the underpowered side, but its not bad. My bro has a 6.0 awd denali that is definately faster, but speed is not why I bought an escalade, and I don't tow boats. If you do tow, get the awd. The 2wd will probably have less problems down the road in high millage condition due to less moving parts and no front diff to break.
5. Either way you cant go wrong imo, but if your looking for speed, handling and performance, the 6.0 lade still is no m3 or vette.
6. Get the 6.0 if you can but i'd rather have my low millage great condition 2wd (seats not cracked, no door dings, perfect paint) than a beat on awd.

 

[Playdrv4me]

2. Anyone who can afford a 7 series probably wants a new car for 90 g's and BMWs cost more to repair when out of waranty than the payments. (My last car was an M3 and i know this to be true). A cheap asking price on a used beemer doesn't mean that it's affordable to own. My lade is way cheaper to own, but different.

That's actually a pretty broad generalization. If you had an M3 (I had a 2002 Convertible) then you had probably the most maintenance intensive and expensive BMW to own after the E65 7 Series. The M3 was the only BMW I didn't like almost as much as the 7.

However, ALL of my 3 Series' (1 1999, 1 2001, 2 2004s), both of my E38s (2000 740iL and 1995 V12 750iL), and our old 2002 X5 4.6iS were perfectly reliable, and only a couple still had warranty left. The Escalade is definitely extremely reliable but then... it's a Chevy truck, it should be.

EDIT: Almost forgot! My 2003 Range Rover (probably my favorite vehicle I ever owned and basically a stretched BMW X5 chassis with all BMW parts) was actually MORE reliable and dependable than my 2003 Escalade AWD was. Pretty amazing considering all the bad press Land Rovers get.

 

[02BLacLady]

Bimmer = reliable

BMW Repairs = $$$

03 range, 750iL, 4.6is, ///M3, Lade = Good taste