Tahoe or Expedition

[MichiganKris]

I have a 2007 Tahoe and love it, no repairs other than normal maintenance. It also gets very good gas mileage. I usually average about 19 to 20 with mixed highway and city driving (more highway).

 

[nedac]

We just bought a 2011 Tahoe in July and love it... There is a bit more room in the Expedition's rear, but my wife wanted a Tahoe... to us, its just a sexier vehicle than the Expedition, especially with the chrome package. If it had been up to me, I would have gotten a Suburban, but my wife insisted it was too big. I had a Suburban about 4 years ago for work and I miss that vehicle more than any other I have ever owned.

Anywho, we drove to Disney in October and averaged 17.6mpg. Thats 1500+ miles including the trip there and back as well as 7 days stop and go driving at Disney. Not bad for a full-size SUV.

We had a 2007 Acadia before and the tranny went out with 43000 miles on the odometer. After 2 weeks, they could not fix it. We decided to trade it and not continue to fight with it. To be fair, it was one of the first Acadias off the transport, so I'm not surprised. Thats the last time I buy a brand new model of anything again.

One last point for the Tahoe vs. Expedition.... The Tahoe has a 5yr./100,000 mile drivetrain warranty, Expedition does not.

 

[AshleeH]

I drive a 2007 Expedition that I got (new to me) in 2010. I have never loved a car this much - it's a Limited Edition, so it's black leather with black exterior and I love that! My husband and his family run through cars like crazy and they all laughed when I got this car and said I would be driving it for 10 years. Two years in and I'm still loving it just as much as when I drove it off the lot. It's perfect for me, but it's also the perfect family car that we take on every vacation (my husband drives a new Explorer and that thing is awful!). Before this car, I drove a Honda Civic for three years (had to upgrade to an SUV because of back problems while lifting my son's carseat into a small car), then I drove a '99 Explorer and 2003 Explorer. I liked both of those (the '99 was my favorite) but the Expedition is the first car that has been really mine since my Civic and I'm not letting go of it anytime soon.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We just bought a 2011 Tahoe in July and love it... Anywho, we drove to Disney in October and averaged 17.6mpg. Thats 1500+ miles including the trip there and back as well as 7 days stop and go driving at Disney. Not bad for a full-size SUV.

That's one reason I suggested just using their truck for towing & having something more car-like for their "family car". We usually get 21-22 in our Acadia (and I know you had a bad experience with yours) on trips to FL, got 24 on a trip to WI (to be fair, speed limit in IL & WI is 65 and there are NO hills LOL), and 18-19 "around town". It's bigger inside than a Tahoe and the center AND 3rd row fold flat. And even at that, there are times I wish I had a "regular car" that could get 30+ MPG.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Another reason - true 4wd, including 4H and 4L. AWD (only thing available on my car) is basically useless in snow.

Personally, I find AWD mode far more useful in all but heavy snow. I have no AWD mode in my 4wd truck, and find that I really can't use 4wd with less than 2" of snow on the road. Anything less, and it binds up when you make a sharp turn. If it's deep, then yes I like true 4WD.

 

[cbnaquin]

One of the main reasons I chose the Expedition over the Taho was bc of the 3rd row - I have a 2007 Expedition with a power-fold 3rd row seat - it folds completely flat with the touch of a button.

I'm not sure that the Tahoe can do this.

 

[graceesmom]

Last night, Cathy and I stopped at Home Depot on the way home. While we were talking to the employee about a kitchen remodel, one of our toddlers \was getting antsy. Cathy gave him her keys to play with.

When we were done in the store, we returned to our truck. She loaded one child while I did the other. I took the keys from Jake and then tossed them into the driver's seat. Cathy and I finished with the kids at about the same time and closed the rear doors. That's when we realized that Jake had locked them. We quickly ran through our options: Call a locksmith, call the police, break a window.... Then we remember OnStar. Not two minutes later, we were on the road and headed home.

The Tahoe wins.

I loved my Suburban -- bought in new in 2003 and drove until 2011 when we bought a new Expedition. With all due respect, in the scenario above the Expedition would win b/c you would just enter your code in the door and the doors would be opened. You would never even have needed to have a conversation about what to do and the doors would have been opened in 5 seconds.

 

[sbell111]

I loved my Suburban -- bought in new in 2003 and drove until 2011 when we bought a new Expedition. With all due respect, in the scenario above the Expedition would win b/c you would just enter your code in the door and the doors would be opened. You would never even have needed to have a conversation about what to do and the doors would have been opened in 5 seconds.

Is that standard on all Expeditions, or is it an option? (It should also be noted that OnStar does loads more than just unlocking he door.)

 

[graceesmom]

Is that standard on all Expeditions, or is it an option? (It should also be noted that OnStar does loads more than just unlocking he door.)

It is standard.

I am certainly not bashing the Chev. Tahoe or Suburban. I loved driving mine for many years, but I didn't love On Star. Maybe they have better trained employees now, but I gave up my subscription to Onstar pretty early after several less than helpful calls to them.

The main reason I chose the Expedition was the power folding 3rd row seats and that the 3rd row seat in the Expedition had as much or more leg room than the Suburban. The Tahoe 3rd row seat basically sits on the floor so there is no leg room there.
I don't know why Chev. hasn't added the power folding seats that disappear into the floor. That has been available on many other manufacturers models for many years. That and that the greater seating configurations on the Expedition with 3 individual folding seats in the 2nd row and and a 70/30 split 3rd row sealed the deal.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I've had 2 Expeditions and 3 Tahoes over the years. The Tahoe edges out the Expedition for me. Can't say exactly why, they are both great SUVs.
Driving a 2012 Explorer now, and keep longing for a Tahoe.....

 

[surfgirl]

Just traded in an '03 Expedition with over 150k miles. Nothing other than wear and tear...

What'd we replace it with? Another Expedition and I love it! I was hoping to wait a few more years for an update, but I didn't want to tempt fate, so we did it now. I am so glad we did!

I love the keypad on the door - it is so convenient when your keys are in the depth of your pocket, or when I send a kid out to the car to get something (they can open it), or when I give my tailgating friends the key code in case they get back after the game before we do (we have all the coolers!).

Having said that, I have never had a Tahoe, so I can't speak to it. Who will do the primary driving? Also, when we make big decisions like this, if you don't really have a strong preference buy your husband does ... and he really cares... then let him make the decision. Exercise veto power when the decision is important to you.

good luck

 

[Leleluvsdis]

Ok - I am a rare find. I currently drive a 2011 Expedition and my previous vehicle was a 2004 Tahoe - both of these vehicles I purchased new. I drove the Tahoe from May of 2004 until August 2011 - at the time I sold it I had over 90K miles on the speedometer. I had very little trouble with it during the years that I drove it - first set of tires went to 65K miles with no problem. I did have to replace the instrument control panel twice (there was a factory recall on this so no charge). I also had to replace the throttle body switch at about 80K miles - a cost of about $800. Other than that a great and reliable vehicle!! For my new vehicle I went with the Ford Expedition mainly due to cost but it is a bit roomier on the inside than the Tahoe. I have had no problems with it at all (thank goodness) and really do love the ride and the handling. I love the fact that the rear seats on my Expedition fold down and do not have to be removed when handling large loads. I the Tahoe they had to be removed (which was easy) but the seats were heavy. (My son-in-law had a 2001 Expedition that had over 300K when it was destroyed in the April tornadoes in Alabama - it still ran and looked good when destroyed) Good Luck!!

Thank you for your responce. The main reason DH is opposed to the expedition is bc the 3rd row folds flat into the floor. I had a 05 pathfinder previously that had the same option, but unfortunatly it took away from the suspension and made horrible for towing anything, but besides that I can honestly say I LOVED that car!

Let me toss one other option out there - what type of cab does your husband's truck have? Is it a regular cab (seats 3), extra cab (suicide rear doors), or a crewcab (4 fullsize doors)? If he has a crewcab, I would suggest forgetting the truck-based SUV altogether. Spend $1,000-1,500 on a good camper shell and put all your luggage in the back on those long trips when you need to tow the boat. Supplement that with an actual car or a car-based crossover instead. Crossovers ride nicer than the truck based SUV's, have more usable interior space thanks to the lack of a full boxed frame, and get better mileage. And if you can get by with a typical sedan instead, better still. No, they don't have the towing capacity of a real truck (our 2008 Acadia is "rated" at 3,500lbs towing and I think the new ones are rated at 5,000, but I know better - we didn't even GET a hitch for it as I also own a truck), but you already HAVE a truck for when you need, well, a truck.

We have talked about that, but it would only be sufficient for now. Once we have kids we will be back into the same siuation we are in now. Also right now, if we take our 2 dogs, which we do when we go camping we have to drive 2 seperate cars if my parents and niece go with us.

My hubby loves his 2000 Expedition. We bought it used and he has had minimal issues with it. He even had my son drive it as he was learning to drive.

I don't mind driving it, but I feel it's a little big for me. (I drive a 2010 Camry).

It's a very solid car that does a lot.

I think they look bigger than the tahoe, so maybe that's why I'm leaning more towards the tahoe.

I love my 2003 Expedition. I plan to drive it until the wheels fall off. I have a few friends who have Tahoes and while they are definitely nice vehicles, I just do not like that you have to completely remove those 3rd row seats. With the Expedition, the row just lays down flat when you don't need it. Also, in the third row of their Tahoe, the floor board is a bit higher than normal so I felt like my knees were right under my chin.

This is why DH is against the expedition. The seats folding down into the floor take away from suspension or so he has read.

I drive a 2004 Denali XL - bought it new, it now has around 120k miles. We've had very little repair - did some stuff with the speedometer recently, otherwise just regular maintenance. If you look at an 04 or so GMC make sure their Onstar has been upgraded - we didn't upgrade ours (and there is a fee to use it, anyway) so have some useless buttons!

All that said, our next SUV will be either an Expedition EL or Navigator L. 2 main reasons - fold flat 3rd row and keypad for entry.

Another reason - true 4wd, including 4H and 4L. AWD (only thing available on my car) is basically useless in snow.

You you have a yukon or envoy? They both come in the denali XL opt. I had heard most yukons come in AWD which is the main reason I am looking tahoes instead, and although I know they are the same vehicle, I like the body style of the tahoes better for some reason.

I have a 2007 Tahoe and love it, no repairs other than normal maintenance. It also gets very good gas mileage. I usually average about 19 to 20 with mixed highway and city driving (more highway).

We just bought a 2011 Tahoe in July and love it... There is a bit more room in the Expedition's rear, but my wife wanted a Tahoe... to us, its just a sexier vehicle than the Expedition, especially with the chrome package. If it had been up to me, I would have gotten a Suburban, but my wife insisted it was too big. I had a Suburban about 4 years ago for work and I miss that vehicle more than any other I have ever owned.

Anywho, we drove to Disney in October and averaged 17.6mpg. Thats 1500+ miles including the trip there and back as well as 7 days stop and go driving at Disney. Not bad for a full-size SUV.

We had a 2007 Acadia before and the tranny went out with 43000 miles on the odometer. After 2 weeks, they could not fix it. We decided to trade it and not continue to fight with it. To be fair, it was one of the first Acadias off the transport, so I'm not surprised. Thats the last time I buy a brand new model of anything again.

One last point for the Tahoe vs. Expedition.... The Tahoe has a 5yr./100,000 mile drivetrain warranty, Expedition does not.

DH want's a suburban, but I agree with your wife. It is too big, although DH's arguement is if I can drive his 4 door long big chevy disel, I should be able to drive a surburban, but it just seems bigger for some reason

I drive a 2007 Expedition that I got (new to me) in 2010. I have never loved a car this much - it's a Limited Edition, so it's black leather with black exterior and I love that! My husband and his family run through cars like crazy and they all laughed when I got this car and said I would be driving it for 10 years. Two years in and I'm still loving it just as much as when I drove it off the lot. It's perfect for me, but it's also the perfect family car that we take on every vacation (my husband drives a new Explorer and that thing is awful!). Before this car, I drove a Honda Civic for three years (had to upgrade to an SUV because of back problems while lifting my son's carseat into a small car), then I drove a '99 Explorer and 2003 Explorer. I liked both of those (the '99 was my favorite) but the Expedition is the first car that has been really mine since my Civic and I'm not letting go of it anytime soon.

This would be my change exactly. A 99 civic to either a tahoe or expedition.

That's one reason I suggested just using their truck for towing & having something more car-like for their "family car". We usually get 21-22 in our Acadia (and I know you had a bad experience with yours) on trips to FL, got 24 on a trip to WI (to be fair, speed limit in IL & WI is 65 and there are NO hills LOL), and 18-19 "around town". It's bigger inside than a Tahoe and the center AND 3rd row fold flat. And even at that, there are times I wish I had a "regular car" that could get 30+ MPG.

We would be keeping my civic to drive back and forth to work for me, and also for a spare car.

One of the main reasons I chose the Expedition over the Taho was bc of the 3rd row - I have a 2007 Expedition with a power-fold 3rd row seat - it folds completely flat with the touch of a button.

I'm not sure that the Tahoe can do this.

As far as I know you still have to take them out, but that isn't really a problem. I want a bench seat, so I would probably just leave them out, unless we needed the extra seating for some reason.

I loved my Suburban -- bought in new in 2003 and drove until 2011 when we bought a new Expedition. With all due respect, in the scenario above the Expedition would win b/c you would just enter your code in the door and the doors would be opened. You would never even have needed to have a conversation about what to do and the doors would have been opened in 5 seconds.

Is that standard on all Expeditions, or is it an option? (It should also be noted that OnStar does loads more than just unlocking he door.)

It is standard.

I am certainly not bashing the Chev. Tahoe or Suburban. I loved driving mine for many years, but I didn't love On Star. Maybe they have better trained employees now, but I gave up my subscription to Onstar pretty early after several less than helpful calls to them.

The main reason I chose the Expedition was the power folding 3rd row seats and that the 3rd row seat in the Expedition had as much or more leg room than the Suburban. The Tahoe 3rd row seat basically sits on the floor so there is no leg room there.
I don't know why Chev. hasn't added the power folding seats that disappear into the floor. That has been available on many other manufacturers models for many years. That and that the greater seating configurations on the Expedition with 3 individual folding seats in the 2nd row and and a 70/30 split 3rd row sealed the deal.

DH never had his renewed. Mom used her for the 1st year bc it was free, but didn't renew after that for the simple fact it was used maybe twice, and it was just bc it was there. We were looking for somewhere to eat while traveling.

I've had 2 Expeditions and 3 Tahoes over the years. The Tahoe edges out the Expedition for me. Can't say exactly why, they are both great SUVs.
Driving a 2012 Explorer now, and keep longing for a Tahoe.....

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We have talked about that, but it would only be sufficient for now. Once we have kids we will be back into the same siuation we are in now. Also right now, if we take our 2 dogs, which we do when we go camping we have to drive 2 seperate cars if my parents and niece go with us.

You might seriously consider a van or Suburban or the long version of the Expedition if that's the case. Once you get over 5 passengers plus dogs, you're not going to be left with much space for cargo. Now granted, you can stow some stuff in the boat.......well, maybe you can make it work. I dunno

 

[tinatark]

You you have a yukon or envoy? They both come in the denali XL opt. I had heard most yukons come in AWD which is the main reason I am looking tahoes instead, and although I know they are the same vehicle, I like the body style of the tahoes better for some reason.

Yukon.

It is a bus, but I would never get a standard length!

I will say, the seats seem more solid in the Yukon than in the Expedition.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You you have a yukon or envoy? They both come in the denali XL opt. I had heard most yukons come in AWD which is the main reason I am looking tahoes instead, and although I know they are the same vehicle, I like the body style of the tahoes better for some reason.

IIRC, it's only the Denali version of the Yukon that comes with the single-speed AWD-only transfer case. The other versions should have hi, lo, 2wd, Awd, and 4wd modes.

After suggesting the Suburban last night (Yukon XL is the same basic vehicle) or the van, the more I thought about it I'm going back to my "just use the truck" suggestion. You had mentioned the truck would probably work "for now", but probably not down the road as the family grows. But, who's to say what other factors might come into play "down the road"?

My sister & BIL didn't really use their boat at all for the 1st year their oldest was around, and sold it completely when kid #2 showed up. A few years later, they got another boat, this one a bit larger than the first one. If you were to do the same, could you justify owning 2 gas-guzzlers in the interim? If you upgraded to a larger boat, would a Tahoe be able to pull it, or would you require a 3/4 ton truck? Don't know how old your niece is, but will she still want to go with you a few years from now? Or, will she be a teen with her own "thing" going on? If you purchase a used Tahoe today, will it be old enough to warrant replacing it by the time you actually "need" it?

All things you should consider when looking into making a purchase today that is intended to meet your needs "down the road".

One last parting shot, I found getting infants in & out of car seats a real pain in my full-size GMC truck. You have to climb up into it, and the same would apply with a Tahoe. Cars aren't much better - there, you have to fold yourself up to get down into the car. Crossovers and (gasp) minivans are 10X more convenient because they have that perfect balance of tall doors but low ride height, with the minivan being exceptionally convenient with the sliding doors.

If you really want a Tahoe or Expedition, don't let me stop you. Lots of people love 'em. But, this *is* the budget board after all, so I'm gonna always suggest the cheaper route

 

[Svhadden]

This is funny because my sister and I were JUST having this discussion. She has a large fam (5 kids ), and drives an Excursion. I have 2 kids and drive a Tahoe. In fact, I'm S*T*I*L*L driving my '01 Tahoe that we've put 210,000 miles on. At this point, I plan to just drive it till it quits, which is looking to be quite a while. It runs fantastic, looks fantastic, and when it does finally go to it's eternal reward, I'll replace it with ANOTHER Tahoe.

My sister loves the room in her Exc, but does talk about it being difficult to drive/control, especially in smaller areas. I'm like, "Ummm, yeah, it'a an EXCURSION lol." But my sister is used to minivans and the like...this is her first full-size SUV. She also said she closes her eyes when filling it up because the it's a gas-hog. But I've been driving a big SUV for years, so major gas-usage doesn't scare me.

My sister did tell me that she likes the Exc for long trips as there's plenty of room for luggage and kids, but for a daily around town driver, she's not crazy about it.

I absolutely adore my Tahoe...we've driven it to Disney many times, trips all over the Southeast. It's wonderful to travel in. I'm always somewhat shocked when I have to drive a car for whatever reason, and I think to myself, "Why does ANYONE prefer to drive a car lol???"

Anyway, my truck has had only very minor repairs (and some of those were cosmetic...it *is* over 10 yrs old). We're very fastidious about maintenance, and I'm convinced that this is part of the reason we're getting such good service from it. Regular oil-changes, balance/rotate, filters, tranny svc, etc.

Love.My.Tahoe.

 

[T. Lynn]

I have a Suburban as well and as a girl, felt very comfortable towing my own travel trailer. I was scared at the thought but once I started driving, I barely noticed I was towing it. Hands down win for me

 

[heartsy77]

Just to throw another hat into the ring LOOK AT A NISSAN ARMADA! I traded my 2007 Pilot for a 2006 Armada and I love it! I loved my Pilot but it wasn't big enough for my larger daycare kids, my own teenagers, and towing our camper. Now my Armada is the fancy model but so was my Pilot; the interior room is amazing and at the end of the day it's a Nissan!

My friend bought a 2010 Tahoe last spring and hates it! One of her daycare children barley splashed soda near her dash and the radio shorted out! She is coming to realize it was cheaply built and it is ready to trade it already!

 

[BrookeTx]

I have a 06 Expedition (EB edition). It just rolled over 100k miles. I had an Explorer previously and love the expedition! We've had it for about 18 months now.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Just to throw another hat into the ring LOOK AT A NISSAN ARMADA!

Knowing the Armada is based on the Titan, I'm assuming it has the same rear axle (it's an aluminum Dana 44, which is the smallest rearend used in any full-size), which has been problematic for many owners. They seem to be a good vehicle overall and most folks rave about the way they ride & drive, but I wouldn't buy one without having a professional give it the once over.