Broke Down and Bought a GM

[blofgren]

Well, after a lot of thought about our tow vehicle, I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to do the job for us. It has decent power, but I wasn't convinced that it was heavy duty enough for serious towing, chassis and brake wise. So I started shopping....and came home with a GM for the first time in my life!




It is a 2001 GMC Yukon SLT 4x4 5.3L that I bought from the original owner! :B It is absolutely like new inside and out and serviced at the GM dealer from new. It will be used to tow our 18' Maxum bowrider 4.3L because I wasn't convinced that my wife's 2005 Acura MDX would be a great tow vehicle for it.

The Yukon drives and rides beautiful. I spent a few days over the Christmas break servicing it, replacing corroded brake lines (bad problem for GM's of this era), cleaning ABS sensors, etc. I think it will be a great addition for us!

[FishOnOne]

Glad your happy with your purchase.

[blofgren]

Thanks to all for the comments and tips. It already has an exhaust manifold leak on the drivers side; the bolt closest to the firewall is broken off. I tried to use a Dorman clamp to seal it up but no luck, at least not yet. I’ll try tightening the bolt on the clamp after a few heat cycles. If it doesn’t seal up I may have to have the manifold removed, machined, and reinstalled with new gaskets and bolts. I’ll definitely check out the receiver hitch too.

It has 262k kms (about 160k miles) and the transmission has been rebuilt. It has had a bunch of other things done too like both front wheel bearing assemblies replaced, etc.

It looks great for its year; it is bright white with tan leather interior. The PO also had it into the body shop to take out some minor rust and scratches so it really looks new on the exterior. It also has a nearly new set of Michelin Defenders. So far we’re very happy with it.

[Cummins12V98]

Bought 2001 RAM Sport 4wd 2500 last Summer to tow our 23’ 7k GlasPly Boat. Boat trailer parking areas are no place for a DRW.

Oh ofcourse its powered by the BIG “C”

Would have used our 99 Tahoe 350 but that would be too much boat to handle IMHO.

Should be a great rig for you! Our 99 has around 235k with all original running gear.

[Lessmore]

Congrats, think you got a great vehicle. The Yukon has always had an appeal for me.

[LIKE2BUILD]

blofgren wrote:
2001 GMC Yukon SLT 4x4 5.3L that I bought from the original owner! :B It is absolutely like new inside and out and serviced at the GM dealer from new. It will be used to tow our 18' Maxum bowrider 4.3L......
I spent a few days over the Christmas break servicing it, replacing corroded brake lines (bad problem for GM's of this era), cleaning ABS sensors, etc. I think it will be a great addition for us!

Corroded brake lines and corrosion on the wheel hub where the wheel speed sensor attaches were extremely common problems.

Since this will be towing, pay attention to exhaust leaks at the manifold. These 5.3's and the 6.0 were notorious for breaking exhaust manifold bolts on the rear and fontmost ports. It seems the heat generated from the strain of towing tends to make this issue surface.

Oh, and I'll jump on my usual soap box.......replace the OEM receiver. There were a horrible design that were weak, poorly welded, and would definitely break in the wrong conditions. This Curt Class III Receiver is money well spent.

[colliehauler]

B.O. Plenty wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
I had a friend that did something similar. He lived about 5 miles from the lake and got tired of hooking and unhooking his boat trailer along with his other trailers. So he just bought a beater for a few grand and it stayed permanently attached to his boat trailer.

It's all good until you get the insurance bill.

B.O.

The liability insurance on my old 99 Ford 250 7.3 is next to nothing, around 10 bucks monthly for the minimum coverage.

I would never drive a new 70k truck through the salt and slush of winter, I keep my trucks at least a decade.

[B_O__Plenty]

ShinerBock wrote:
I had a friend that did something similar. He lived about 5 miles from the lake and got tired of hooking and unhooking his boat trailer along with his other trailers. So he just bought a beater for a few grand and it stayed permanently attached to his boat trailer.

It's all good until you get the insurance bill.

B.O.

[ShinerBock]

I had a friend that did something similar. He lived about 5 miles from the lake and got tired of hooking and unhooking his boat trailer along with his other trailers. So he just bought a beater for a few grand and it stayed permanently attached to his boat trailer.

[DutchmenSport]

Delete

[Lwiddis]

2001 Yukon is your new TV? Interesting. Kelly Bluebook says value is between $3200 to $5300. Happy pulling.

[Grit_dog]

Always nice when you find a vehicle that you know was cared for like you would have!

[bob213]

Your Ram wouldn't tow an 18' boat or did you just not want to get the tires wet? 😉

[All_I_could_aff]

Smart move! No sense in stressing the Ram 3500 DRW Cummins by pulling that 18 foot boat!
Just kidding, I imagine the Ram will be busy pulling the fifth wheel at the same time.