Misty's 2006 Grand Prix GXP

http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3469740160.html - Misty wants a Suburban…now. I dropped the price from $12.5 to 10K to dump the car. Pass it around. That’s giving it away but is enough to buy a good used Burban.



-Mike

Mike

I know you have a large and changing inventory, but according to your inventory list in your signature you already have one in stock.

Tom

I gave my Mom our '03 Suburban to use about 2-3 years ago. It's still a good truck, but has 180K miles on it now. She drives maybe 80-miles a month so it'll last her until the end of time, but we need one with less miles on it to replace the Grand Prix.

Just trying to dump the GP now for I can go get a clean used Burb with 80-110K miles on it.

-Mike

Have you posted it over on the pontiac/GXP forum.Probably get it sold over there quick!

Flasheroo wrote:

Have you posted it over on the pontiac/GXP forum.Probably get it sold over there quick!

I need to do that for sure.

Down to $9500. I can't believe it has not sold yet.

Sold the Grand Prix to Henna Chevy and picked this up for Misty, cheap. 2001 GMC Denali

http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3560297170.html



It’s a little older and higher miles than I wanted but it's CLEAN, and we gave the seller a lowball offer and he took it. Owned by a doctor, Austin truck since new, zero rust and straight as an arrow, Also lots of recent work done and drives tight and strong. Never towed with either. Has the 6.0 Vortec in it. Hopefully it’ll be a good truck!

On thing, it had a 3m Clearbra on the front of the hood and the front bumper, and it's all dry and cracked. Any idea the best way to get that off? It's the only ugly thing on the truck. Hair dryer and fingernails??

Only options missing are the sunroof and a DVD player. Misty INSISTS on a DVD player, so I've got to go find an aftermarket setup. If anyone had experience with those, please let me know.

-Mike

That Denali is sharp looking Mike.

What 117K miles high? I don't think so. There is ton's of life left in that and besides, you'll probably won't have that 2 years. Maybe, you'll have it 3 at the most.

Tom

Mike,
Let's see a photo next to the OCC.
COL

I'm glad you got a new to you suburban/Denali XL. It looks nice.

I hope the goal wasn't fuel economy with this swap cause the 6.0L chugs gas like a college student on spring break funneling beer

At least you have something to tow that BIG boat with now.

COL wrote:

Mike,
Let's see a photo next to the OCC.
COL

He sold it, he had it 3 months. Ha Ha

tom

Nice Denali, I am picking up my 06 Denali XL with 59k on it on Monday, also white. My wagon went to Canada, left SC last night.

Thanks all. I really lowballed the guy and was tickled when he took my offer. I would have liked a vehicle with under 100K, but this thing is clean and well kept, and I have service records from new. For what we're paying for it I could not pass it up.

We've had three Suburbans in the past ('96,98,'03), and loved them all. Our last one, the '03, went to my mother drives now and it has over 180K on it. I'm hoping the Denali will be as reliable as our past Burbs were. This is the first time I've had one with the 6.0 and AWD.

As for gas mileage, we gave the '03 to my Mom when we got the '01 Grand Prix GT from my in-laws a few years back. That first GP got great mileage (3800 V6), but we sold it last summer for the '06 GP GXP, and with the 5.3 V8 in it, it got pretty poor mileage, so going to the Denali should not be too painful for Misty.

My main joy in all this is we now have a vehicle other than my wagon that is large enough to haul my expanded family. Will stop putting all these miles on my wagon. Will keep the Denali for 2-3 years until it's close to 200K miles and then sell it...for another Burb-ish something.

Oh, and I love this, with the Grand Prix gone the OCC or Cutlass will get it's garage spot next to the GTO.

silverfox103 wrote:

COL wrote:

Mike,
Let's see a photo next to the OCC.
COL

He sold it, he had it 3 months. Ha Ha

tom

I'm not done playing with it yet. When I finally get it just the way I want it, that's when I'll sell it. Or once it goes over 100K miles...then the "new feel" will be off it and I'll have to find another low-mile wagon.

SCbarber wrote:

Nice Denali, I am picking up my 06 Denali XL with 59k on it on Monday, also white. My wagon went to Canada, left SC last night.

Well sorry to see your wagon go but good luck with your new Denali. Being an '06 I bet it has the digital climate control and GPS...two options I wish they'd had in '01!

COL wrote:

Mike,
Let's see a photo next to the OCC.
COL

Soon! Got to wax it first and need to buy more wax!

Between the OCC, the Denali and the Cutlass I have a lot of white vehicles now..... Was not planned...

Here is the one I bought

Mike.
Looks nice. It will be great for "Yarding". More verticle space.
Dick

Oofah... A 6.0 with awd? Yikes. You'll be happy when you can get the average up to 13mpg for a whole tank! My 6.0 is lucky to get 12-13mpg, and I drive around in 2wd in all but heavy snowfall. I couldn't imagine the mileage with it in 4wd all the time... On a strange note, it doesn't seem to matter how you drive it, mileage is the same. Drive like Cole Trickle or grandma and it's 12mpg. I get about 1mpg less when I tow, but it drives like the trailer isn't even there...

Sharp truck though. I'd rock it!

As far as dvd, just get a cheap pair of headrest dvd players off ebay. You can get them in a color that'll be a close color to stock, and some even have a zippered flap to hide the screen when no in use. A lot of them come with hesdphones, games and a controller for each screen too. Not bad for like 180 bucks for the pair. Hook up a power and ground and you're good to go. They even have FM transmitters in em now so you can tune in the station on your radio and listen through factory stereo without having to hook up and run any wires.

SCbarber wrote:

Here is the one I bought

Nice! I love my B-body wagons but also love Burbs. The entire time I was growing up my Grandad had a yellow mid-70's Burb with woodgrain on the sides. He put 300,000 miles on that truck before he passed away in 1986. I remember how thrilled I was when I bought my first Burb in 1999. Felt like I was continuing a family tradition. Besides in Texas a Suburban, well at least until 2008 when gas went nuts, is pretty much a requirement for living here. They're just such good trip vehicles for the long empty roads down here.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Oofah... A 6.0 with awd? Yikes. You'll be happy when you can get the average up to 13mpg for a whole tank! My 6.0 is lucky to get 12-13mpg, and I drive around in 2wd in all but heavy snowfall. I couldn't imagine the mileage with it in 4wd all the time... On a strange note, it doesn't seem to matter how you drive it, mileage is the same. Drive like Cole Trickle or grandma and it's 12mpg. I get about 1mpg less when I tow, but it drives like the trailer isn't even there...

Sharp truck though. I'd rock it!

As far as dvd, just get a cheap pair of headrest dvd players off ebay. You can get them in a color that'll be a close color to stock, and some even have a zippered flap to hide the screen when no in use. A lot of them come with hesdphones, games and a controller for each screen too. Not bad for like 180 bucks for the pair. Hook up a power and ground and you're good to go. They even have FM transmitters in em now so you can tune in the station on your radio and listen through factory stereo without having to hook up and run any wires.

Thanks for the great tip on the DVD player! Will look on Ebay today.

Funny about the mileage, our '96 Burb got 14mpg always....no matter what you did. The '03 Burb got 16 when I first bought it, with 75K miles on it, and last summer on our beach trip to Corpus Christi it averaged 14mpg...with 175K miles on it then.

I'm expecting 12-13mpg on the Denali. My uncle is on his third Denali, and I called him before making the offer on this one (was scared of the AWD). He's had an '01, an '04, and currently has an '09 with the 6.2 and 90K miles on it. He said the AWD is bulletproof, and told me his past Denali's like the one we're getting got around 13mpg.

We shall see!

-Mike

This looks to be NOT a fun project.

I'm going to order some of those plastic razor blades and get a case of beer.

Found this video online....mine is in about this shape. PG-13 language in this, but about right.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t7kSHagZaY

Also this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutxyn74N8s

Seems the plastic razor blades work best.

Man this stuff is on the hood and upper fenders of the Denali...and covering the entire BIG front bumper.

Maybe I should just look for a new front bumper....

Heat gun?

Gastt wrote:

Heat gun?

Possibly. Guess I'm going to find out.

I know that when I took the wood off my wagon it was like somebody crazy glued it on. The heat gun took it off in huge sheets.

Took me a week to get the wood off the tailgate of my wagon, it had cracks in the vinyl ever 3 inches it seemed. I'm sure the sides will be much easier.

Take it to a place that applies it. Pay the man to remove it.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Take it to a place that applies it. Pay the man to remove it.

Hahaha, called around and was quoted $100 per hour to removed it. Said on average it takes 4 hours.



I'll be learning how to remove this myself.....

I do vinyl work on the side, so I am the man to remove it.

nstg8r wrote:

I do vinyl work on the side, so I am the man to remove it.

Not the man if it took you a week to get the vinyl off your taligate.Be cheaper to buy another front end!

It took me a week of after work late nights and two weekends to remove all the wood on my '89 Custom Cruiser. Sadly from what I've read this should be a lot harder....

We'll see!

Got to be a easier way Mike,find out what adhesive was used and what its chemical weaknesses
are.Could be something simple like using a UV light or canned spray duster turned upside down and
rapidly freezing it!
You work for Dell,investigate!

Easier?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlTym--AemU&feature=fvwp&NR=1

Eraser wheels FTW. Best invention ever.

The plot thickens! I was supposed to drop the Grand Prix off at the Chevy dealer this weekend, but got a call for a guy in Waco Friday night BEGGING me to sell him the car. He said he was a retired police officer, had owned a black cherry '08 GXP, and sold it a few years ago and missed it terribly. He said he'd been looking for another one and could not find any that were not modded out or torn up/worn out. He offered me $500 over my asking price, but asked me to meet him in Temple, halfway between Waco and Austin, to do the deal.

Now there are some kook on Craigslist, and I was a little worried. I asked my Dad to follow me in the Custom Cruiser. We met the buyer and his wife in the parking lot of a Whataburger off I-35, and it went great. He was thrilled with the car and paid me in cash. I now how money for the DVD setup Misty wants for the Denali.

BUT...there is always a BUT...on the way home the cruise control died on the OCC. No reason why, was cruising at 75 and the pedal popped up, and no fiddling with the stalk would get it to come back on. Fuse is good, and I unplgged and re-plugged in the box under the hood on the fender. Nothing. Doh. Will post this part in the electrical section. Open for ideas.

We pick up Misty's new-to-us Denali tomorrow. I'm taking it straight to my buddy Truong's shop to have all the fluids changed and for a general once-over. From there it's going next-door to the body shop where they are going to give me an estimate to remove the 3M Clearbra mess, and from there it's going to my interior guy...he's going to re-pad the driver's seat base. SO sometime next week we'll have a new truck. Ha!

-Mike

Don't let your buddy Truong have his helper work on this car, especially the tranny.

Tom

silverfox103 wrote:

Don't let your buddy Truong have his helper work on this car, especially the tranny.

Tom

Yeah he got let go over that previous issue. He's gone and good riddence.

I hear that idlf the third brake light bulbs blow out that the cruise won't work... Maybe that's it?

toomanytoyz wrote:

I hear that idlf the third brake light bulbs blow out that the cruise won't work... Maybe that's it?

I'll check that, thanks!

HaHaHaHa...the ABS and Brake idiot lights popped on in the Denali. That was fast. The seller had the front and rear brakes done at Brake Check (who I don't trust) in 2012, so they're supposed to be new. Wonder if it's just a sensor or what...? Misty said the brakes still feel fine.

Ah the joy of used vehicles....

-Mike

Probably the wheelspeed sensors in the front hubs. They wear out every couple years. I got about 10 months out of my Timkin ones in the slut. Nit bad for 300 bucks each.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Probably the wheelspeed sensors in the front hubs. They wear out every couple years. I got about 10 months out of my Timkin ones in the slut. Nit bad for 300 bucks each.

$300 each? Jeez! I never had this issue on my last three Suburbans.

We shall see...