2003 Chevy Yukon

[PaulV7]

My father just purchased a 2003 GMC Yukon and I went to check it out. I must say it has some nice features that I wish the Pilot had.

First off the adjustable peddles/ Sunroof/ Memory seats/ a separate rear radio with headphone jacks/ Bose' sound system

Plus it has the display to tell you how far you can go on your current tank of gas. I always liked those.

OK now for the really cool thing. His car is programmable. He setup the car so when he put in the key the seat moves to where he likes it for driving. When he shuts off the engine the seat slides back and down to make it easier to get out. Also the side mirrors fold in when he turns off the engine (keeps people from banging them). They fold back out when he puts the key in the ignition.

The memory seats not only control the seat but mirrors, pedals and radio settings, and lumbar support.

If you push the keyless entry (keychain) lock button and a door is open it will wait 5 second give you a warming beep then as soon as you shut the door it will lock.

I'm sure it does some other neat things he told me he was only a third of the way through the manual. I was joking with him telling he is going to have to learn to write code soon to configure his new car.

Overall I like the feel on the Pilot better. The Yukon feels like your driving a tank (heavy). Even tho it does have alot of pickup when you want it. The main thing that stuck out to me was how big the windshield on the Pilot is. I felt like had no visibility in the Yukon.

[Rainbowslim]

Hey PaulV7 - How much did your Dad pay for his Yukon? I would love to have ALL those features on my Pilot, but I would imagine that would push the cost and feature content to close to the MDX.

[PaulV7]

Last week the sticker was $42k. He went over there Sunday to look at it again and they had dropped the sticker to $38k. Monday he went in and talked them down to $35k w/ his trade in. He said he got up and walked out 3 times each time they lowered the price closer to what he wanted. He also had print outs of Kelly Blue Book on this old Buick so they he wouldn't take anything less.

I'm not totally sure of the number but is was $35,000 or $36,000 for it before taxes.

[kemosabe]

Plus, isn't the Yukon built on the same body frame as the General Dynamics M1-A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank??? That means it gets about 3 gallons per mile...!!!!

[Rainbowslim]

Originally posted by kemosabe
Plus, isn't the Yukon built on the same body frame as the General Dynamics M1-A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank??? That means it gets about 3 gallons per mile...!!!!

Isn't the Hummer H2 built on the same platform as well? Since the aerodynamics and weight on those vehicles are a little better than a tank I'm sure GM can can get about 5 miles to the gallon. That way you can at least make it from one gas station to another.

[kemosabe]

Originally posted by Rainbowslim


Isn't the Hummer H2 built on the same platform as well? Since the aerodynamics and weight on those vehicles are a little better than a tank I'm sure GM can can get about 5 miles to the gallon. That way you can at least make it from one gas station to another.

How very true!!! You know? The amazing thing (seriously) that I heard from watching the CNN/MSNBC/etc. coverage of the war is that the M1A1 tank consumes just as much fuel idling as it does when it's hauling ass so the tank drivers prefer to keep moving and let the support vehicles catch up later... Any present or former tank drivers (not including the Yukon/H2 ) out there who can confirm this???

[PaulV7]

I would assume tanks use diesel off-road fuel. Off-road fuel is for construction equipment not cars/Trucks. Off-road fuel has a higher sulfur content and is also dyed so it is easy to see. It's illegal to put in a normal on-road vehicle because it is a higher pollutant.


Most construction equipment burns fuel at about the same rate if it's idling or running. But you usually leave them running all day because they burn 10x more fuel when they are cold.

[colorider]

Assume you are talking about a GMC Yukon (the Chevy equivalent is the Tahoe). Pretty much same-o same-o. My wife's nephew has a near-new Tahoe which I drove about 100 miles recently. A lot of nice features, similar to what I had on my Park Avenue.

The interesting thing about comparing it to a Pilot is the residual value after 36 and 60 months. The large difference in sticker price really disappears later on - to just over $800 difference in value at 60 months (compared to an EX-L).

[Jiaronnis]

Originally posted by PaulV7
I would assume tanks use diesel off-road fuel. Off-road fuel is for construction equipment not cars/Trucks. Off-road fuel has a higher sulfur content and is also dyed so it is easy to see. It's illegal to put in a normal on-road vehicle because it is a higher pollutant.

What's an off-road diesel?
Tanks, as well as other military vehicles, use the same diesel fuel as diesel-engine passenger vehicles/trucks. The EPA is very strict in enforcing its standards on the military so I can't see them using a more polluting type of fuel. Military aircrafts may also use the same diesel fuel used by vehicles.

[PaulV7]

colorider: yes I meant GMC


Jiaronnis:

Off-road diesel has more sulfur in it. It also has no highway tax so it is a lot cheaper than regular fuel. Most states have harsh penalties if you put off-road diesel fuel in cars because it has no tax. I know in North Carolina there is a $1000 fine for on-road vehicles having off-road fuel in them.

[Rainbowslim]

Originally posted by PaulV7
I would assume tanks use diesel off-road fuel. Off-road fuel is for construction equipment not cars/Trucks. Off-road fuel has a higher sulfur content and is also dyed so it is easy to see. It's illegal to put in a normal on-road vehicle because it is a higher pollutant.


Most construction equipment burns fuel at about the same rate if it's idling or running. But you usually leave them running all day because they burn 10x more fuel when they are cold.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as "off-road" fuel. Boy there sure are some smart folks on this board living in Maryland.

[PaulV7]

Incase your wondering

On-road diesel fuel is dyed Green
Off-Road diesel fuel is dyed Red

[nighthawk]

Originally posted by PaulV7
Last week the sticker was $42k. He went over there Sunday to look at it again and they had dropped the sticker to $38k. Monday he went in and talked them down to $35k w/ his trade in. He said he got up and walked out 3 times each time they lowered the price closer to what he wanted. He also had print outs of Kelly Blue Book on this old Buick so they he wouldn't take anything less.

I'm not totally sure of the number but is was $35,000 or $36,000 for it before taxes.

Depreciation over the years will be a big hit after you drive a Yukon off of the lot.

42K Sticker
38K Purchase
34K Resale value after a Year (average according to KBB depending on which model Yukon)
30K Resale value after 2 Years (average according to KBB, depending on which model Yukon)

That's a chunk of depreciation in just 2 years. You could buy a Civic w/ that cash .

[ShorePilot]

Actually it looks like all military vehicles run on aviation fuel according to this article:


"It's JP-8, the fuel that almost everything American runs on in Iraq, in the skies and on the oceans. What gurgles in the belly tanks of KC-135 air-refueling planes, sloshes in the giant bladders of forward bulk refueling stations and flows through the injectors of Army trucks is JP-8, otherwise known as MIL-T-83133, Fuel, Aviation Turbine Engine."


http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=4902

[kemosabe]

You're right about the JP-8 (for USAF aircraft), ShorePilot!!! When we performed tests on the Pratt & Whitney engines (for the F-15) and the General Electric engines (for the F-16), I remember how pungent (for lack of a better term) JP-8 smelled... I didn't realize it was used in "ground" vehicles...