Yukon/Tahoe VS. Commander

So if you had attached a poll to this thread, it seems like it would be a landslide.
 
I just spent $105 on sparkplugs for the Hemi...

I just cant get over that..

I hate GM, I wouldnt buy either of the other 2 options.. But I could not recommend a Commander either..
 
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Its a good thing i seen this thread. We were also looking at getting a commander in the future for the wife. After hearing everything bad in here, its not in the running for our next vehicle. Most likely going with the Tahoe or Yukon. Now to decide if we want the XL version or not. Thanks for starting this thread Kman.
 
Jeepguy91 said:
Its a good thing i seen this thread. We were also looking at getting a commander in the future for the wife. After hearing everything bad in here, its not in the running for our next vehicle. Most likely going with the Tahoe or Yukon. Now to decide if we want the XL version or not. Thanks for starting this thread Kman.
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XL!! :D
 
Sounds like we are both looking for the same thing Kman. Don't know what prices are up your way on them but they still go for a decent price even with a lot of miles on them down here.
 
I was debating replacing my WJ with a Commander a coworker is selling, but now Im really thinking that would be a bad idea. Already have enough issues with the WJ, I dont want do deal with the same stuff in a more expensive package.

Are the Tahoes reliable once they get up in the miles? Most seem to be in the 150k+ mile range. Of the three people I know who have Tahoes/Suburbans in the 03-06 range all have 150-250k miles and they are relatively perfect condition. However, they take these cars into the dealer for windshield wipers, so I cant say if thats a testament to the dealers work, or the quality of vehicle.

How do the Tahoes do offroad? Not crazy stuff, but can they at least handle fire trails and casual offroad? Did the Z71 package actually do anything or was it just a shock package?
 
kmanxj5050 said:
We will be getting an XL also. Unless we find a smoking deal on a regular, but a third row is an absolute must.
Click to expand...

My dad's current (06 Z71) Tahoe has a third row seat. It also has the captain's chairs for the second row.
 
kmanxj5050 said:
We will be getting an XL also. Unless we find a smoking deal on a regular, but a third row is an absolute must.
Click to expand...

You can find Tahoe's with third row though most of them only have captains chairs in the middle. There are third row with the middle row bench. They're just harder to find. Any Tahoe, or non XL Yukon are going to be pretty tight behind the third row for whatever your wanting to bring. The Suburban, and XL Yukon will have quite a bit more room in the back. Not to mention most are eight passenger.

kmanxj5050 said:
Found a nice 04 yukon XL loaded with 140k miles for $6,500 last night.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a fair price.

Starboard M said:
How do the Tahoes do offroad? Not crazy stuff, but can they at least handle fire trails and casual offroad? Did the Z71 package actually do anything or was it just a shock package?
Click to expand...


They will do IFS good. Fire roads, and mild trails are no problem. The Z71 package is just more than shocks. It has plastic rocker protection, and wheel well flairs. 17in wheels stock. Colour keyed grill, and bumpers. Skid plating, heavy duty sway bar, supposedly heavy duty springs, heavy duty jounce bumpers, 2x4/ full time 4x4/ part time 4x4 with 4 low, and most importantly the G80 Eaton locker!
 
Despite having some rough times already in the first 90 days of ownership

I do still want the full experience, last month I added a 2" lift and 1.5" wheel spacers, and this week I finally got some 265/75/17s..

The one thing that still keeps me intrigued with the commander is the quadra drive II, simply lock it into 4lo and both front and rear differentials lock aswell..
Making it extremely capable in comparison..



 
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Thanks for starting this thread. I guess a lot of us XJ guys have a hankering for the Commander maybe because of the visual similarities between the XJ and XK, it being a heep, and the prices having tanked on the XKs. Before reading this thread I had spent a good amount of time reading up on Commanders. JeepCommander.com has some good threads about reliability of the XK. Overall they sound pretty reliable for a more technologically advanced vehicle. For a vehicle that cost over $40K new and was built to compete with other Mid trim to lower level luxury SUVs of the time the mantenance costs are going to be higher than say, an XJ. The troubles one member had here are unfortunate, but other than the recalls (btw did you see the ignition switch recall has been released for another number of Chryco vehicles, including the XK) which I admit are concerning, spending some bucks on what I would consider mid-life maintenance, and sorting out a few odd gremlins, comes with the territory. Notwithstanding the time spent on my lift, I have at least several days worth of hours in work I put in to my XJ which I bought dirt cheap on Craigslist around mid-like (140k miles) just from common wear problems (RMS, valve cover leak, oil filter adapter leak, troubleshooting broken aux fan, cracked OEM radiator... You get my point).

For those of you that do own a XK I am curious how the interior space is? I know the third seat is pretty much a novelty, but I am looking for something that is considerably bigger than the interior of the XJ. Is it an improvement?

Also how is the ride with the Hemi? Is the interior quiet at highway speeds?
 
beasticles said:
Thanks for starting this thread. I guess a lot of us XJ guys have a hankering for the Commander maybe because of the visual similarities between the XJ and XK, it being a heep, and the prices having tanked on the XKs. Before reading this thread I had spent a good amount of time reading up on Commanders. JeepCommander.com has some good threads about reliability of the XK. Overall they sound pretty reliable for a more technologically advanced vehicle. For a vehicle that cost over $40K new and was built to compete with other Mid trim to lower level luxury SUVs of the time the mantenance costs are going to be higher than say, an XJ. The troubles one member had here are unfortunate, but other than the recalls (btw did you see the ignition switch recall has been released for another number of Chryco vehicles, including the XK) which I admit are concerning, spending some bucks on what I would consider mid-life maintenance, and sorting out a few odd gremlins, comes with the territory. Notwithstanding the time spent on my lift, I have at least several days worth of hours in work I put in to my XJ which I bought dirt cheap on Craigslist around mid-like (140k miles) just from common wear problems (RMS, valve cover leak, oil filter adapter leak, troubleshooting broken aux fan, cracked OEM radiator... You get my point).

For those of you that do own a XK I am curious how the interior space is? I know the third seat is pretty much a novelty, but I am looking for something that is considerably bigger than the interior of the XJ. Is it an improvement?

Also how is the ride with the Hemi? Is the interior quiet at highway speeds?
Click to expand...
Interior space is not bad in my opinion, The XK was an upgrade from our previous 2002 Acura mdx, so we actually feel the third row is much more spacious than expected..it is definitely bigger than an XJ inside.. But it's not quite a Tahoe/expedition size..

The Hemi power is great, and very quiet in stock form, I find myself using cruise control often, 58-65mph is a good sweet spot for the M.D.S. To shut down 4 cylinders.. And see an average of 17-19mpg on the highway..

Ride is quiet, smooth, predictable and comfortable, but due to the nature of the "large box in the wind" you can hardly talk to your passenger with any windows open..

A few annoyances are, how far the windshield is from the driver..
The sun visors are placed too far forward and as a result completely useless for blocking the sun coming in through the door window

The fuel tank is just too small, 19-21 gallon for a thirsty 5k lb SUV is just not enough.. 26-28gal would of been proper..

The AWD system and traction control system mesh weird.. Hard to explain but they tend to fight each other
 
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After reading this thread (last nail) there will be no XK in our household, no WJ either. I'm done with Jeeps other than the MJ restomod that I need to finish. Jeeps always seem to need too much F#@&ing with it seems compared to other vehicles and I don't need another can of worms. I've been a Jeep guy for a long time so it almost pains me to say/ type that.

My next touring machine will be a Land Cruiser. For the price of a nice XK you can get into an earlier UZJ100 soccer mom car. Now that I'm happily working full time again I'm seeing a URJ200 as more likely. $$$ upfront but I can keep it for a decade or more without having to upgrade the hell out of it to make it work like I did the XJ. Hell, I've got 200 series money into my XJ at this point. Not the smartest thing.

JMO

2¢
 
Starboard M said:
Are the Tahoes reliable once they get up in the miles? Most seem to be in the 150k+ mile range. Of the three people I know who have Tahoes/Suburbans in the 03-06 range all have 150-250k miles and they are relatively perfect condition. However, they take these cars into the dealer for windshield wipers, so I cant say if thats a testament to the dealers work, or the quality of vehicle.
Click to expand...

my FIL's work buddy has a tahoe w almost 450K on the original 5.3 motor. he works the truck pretty good (tows a lot), but he maintains it very well. he says he is really good at swapping out 4l60s though... i think he is on number 5 or 6. he picks up junkyard ones and tosses them in until they burn up. it's his DD.
 
Root Moose said:
After reading this thread (last nail) there will be no XK in our household, no WJ either. I'm done with Jeeps other than the MJ restomod that I need to finish. Jeeps always seem to need too much F#@&ing with it seems compared to other vehicles and I don't need another can of worms. I've been a Jeep guy for a long time so it almost pains me to say/ type that.

My next touring machine will be a Land Cruiser. For the price of a nice XK you can get into an earlier UZJ100 soccer mom car. Now that I'm happily working full time again I'm seeing a URJ200 as more likely. $$$ upfront but I can keep it for a decade or more without having to upgrade the hell out of it to make it work like I did the XJ. Hell, I've got 200 series money into my XJ at this point. Not the smartest thing.

JMO

2¢
Click to expand...
Interesting. I have my own reserves with both of the vehicles you listed, But to each their own:cheers:

EDIT: New problem with my XK, rear Full float 29 spline 8.25 has a Failing Unit-bearing. $150 fix.
 
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