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Need help deciding on Avalanche

C

Chilhowee

Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2004
Messages
12
Hi,
I'm on the verge of buying an SUV to replace my old Chevy Blazer. My wife and I've driven and I loved the 2004 Avalanche and believe it will work well for what we'll primarily use it for. Day to day on-road running around, with occasional use for ski trips and hiking & backpacking adventures. Love the looks and the potential for functionality, but my wife still leans on the traditional SUV like the F**d Explorer (Eddie Bauer edition). We'll want whatever we get to be fully a loaded 4x4.

Any experience and suggestion to help me convince my wife would DEFINITELY be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Chil
 
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:my friend tell her the truth, the av is the best buy,,the best ride, the best quality,the best resale,the best look,the best safety,,,,the best advice i am the head macho,its an avalanche darling,we dont want to lower are standard in society by buying a ford,we are not the regular run of people,we are people in the know and ahead of the curb,,,darling when i choose something,i dont make mistakes,thats why i choose you,,it was not a mistake,imade the right choice,and am happy,so love its avalanche abuelito
 
Chilhowee,

Asking for help here will get you a majority of votes for the AV...What I suggest is, do the homework and find out what the both of you really want. The AV is an awesome truck, and if you choose the AV, good on you! (y) I guarantee you'll love it! That's just my 2 cents.

Cisco :B:
 
these are all good. But what I tell people is if you look at the ride The Av is better than the Explorer. and that is hands down. Now both fit 5 or 6. but more room in the Av. Now for the best part. how many bags can you get into the back of the Explorer? I beat you can get double in the Av.
You talk about going hiking, ski trips, back packing. you can put your skis inside the truck. I want to see a person put everything that I have put in the back of my Av in the back of a Explorer. and have people in the back seat.

Tell her you have a SUV and a truck both in one.
the Av has a 5 foot bed when it is a SUV and a full 8 foot bed as a truck.

For the money you will pay it is the Av and That is why I got one.
I have three small girls ages 8,5,4 and I have no trouble out of them. They sit back there and watch TV and leave each other alone.

It is up to you. but I would see if I could not get them side by side and look at it.

I think you and your lovely wife will pick the AV.


Good luck and please let us know either way..

Pete
 
she may be a bit concerned about the size... let her drive one for a bit... maybe someone in your area would meet you for coffee and give you a first hand "educated demo"... share some experiences and take you for a test drive...

If you buy one.. theres NO going back... 'cause there is NOTHING else like it in the world....

you may want to post the city where you live.. that way they will know
 
Friends don't let friends drive F@&d$.
I liked the AV so much I own two. 'Nuff said?
542983_1_full.jpg

Aloha,
Murman :cool:
 
Consumer Report just recently rated the AV #2 offroad SUV, #1 was a T :7:Y :7:TA.
AP review last week of GMC Envoy ended with, "...buy an Avalanche." Can you buy a new 60" HDTV or refrigerator and take it to go and still carry 5 or 6 people in any other SUV ?
 
let her checkout the site. she should be impressed with the family we have made here. all the info, fun, stories, and advice can not be found on any other SUV/ Truck owner site in such multitudes. that should be a selling point alone.
 
(y)The one thing that really impressed my wife was the turning radius that really kicks in on those trips to the mall or grocery store. :love: The other posts are correct in saying you (and your wife) should drive one in "real world" conditions. ;)


Good Luck - Willstoyz
 
Explorer vs Av? That's like apples and oranges. My wife :love: her Av. She's had Cherokees, Discoveries, Trailblazers, pickups and Suburbans. Loves the Avalanche over any of them. With the side assist steps she has no problem getting in, mirrors are big enough for manuevering (she has a CDL), great for forcing small SUV's out of her way and FLEXIBILITY to handle any combination of load/passengers/animals you can ever imagine. :B:
 
Best bet is to try them both and then decide. I have found that the AV drives a lot smaller than it looks. The handling is great. See your Chevy dealer for a 24 hour test ride and then decide. I'm betting that you will pick the AV> Good luck in whatever you choose. Herb
 
Roch207 said:
...My wife :love: her Av...mirrors are big enough for manuevering (she has a CDL), great for forcing small SUV's out of her way...
Click to expand...

LMAO...Do you mean she has a (CDL) "California Drivers License" and that us Californians have no road manners??? LMAO...hahaha... :eek:
 
My wife has no trouble at all with 1500 Z71, it really drives as well a car., my 2500 she dosnt like so much because of the more trucky ride.
 
MurmanZ71 said:
Friends don't let friends drive F@&d$.
I liked the AV so much I own two. 'Nuff said?
542983_1_full.jpg

Aloha,
Murman :cool:
Click to expand...


;D ;D ;D


yeah....I just made my 4th AV purchase..... :eek: :eek: :eek:

They are the BOMB!!!!

My wife points out that "women love them too.... The ride is great... and you can haul stuff around in them."

There are 3 couples (2 are in the club) in Portland (that I know of) that have two AV's .... They are REALLY growing in popularity and NO OTHER vehicle generates this kind of excitement.

However, they are spendy and I know some people simply don't like them.... GO FIGURE :cautious: ??? ???

Good luck in your endeavour...
 
I CHNGE said:
LMAO...Do you mean she has a (CDL) "California Drivers License" and that us Californians have no road manners??? LMAO...hahaha... :eek:
Click to expand...

I thought [CDL] was "Combat Driving License", I have family in CA and you sure need a CDL :p , rented a new Grand Prix last time there. Gonna drive the AV next time and drive on Pismo Beach, there are dunes you can drive on near there too I believe. :B:
 
Just traded my Eddie Bauer for an 04 Avalanche. The Av rides better by far than the Exp. Just because the AV is big don't think it rides hard like old trucks, its GREAT. When you do get the Avalanche make sure you get the steering wheel controls they are definitly worth it.(I didn't and its the only thing I miss) :E:. Hopefully JPcustome will come to my rescue with controls.
 
The Av is a great vehicle I use my AV to go up snowboarding I was driving up every weekend there for a while and it handles great on the snow. I had to make a trip to Portland once when there was packed snow/ice all the way from here (250 miles) yes it took me a while to get there but the AV performed great. I love the AutoTrac setting when I am headed up to Anthony Lakes and the roads are not bad but there are a few conners that have snow, the autotrac works great. I have put 78,500 miles on my 2002 and I still love the AV as much as I did when it was new. I currently and looking at upgrading to a new AV that is how much I love them I would not driving any thing else.
Also if you use it for skiing then I would get the optional luggage rack so you can put your ski's and snowboards up there leaving the box free for luggage.
 
You'll find that Ford SUV's don't do so well in many ratings (except by maybe their own magazines). The Explorer comes out poorly in most.

Safety concerns are improving but the public & the gov't. is still concerned.
U-Haul still won't hitch any trailer to an Explorer!

The ONLY safety concern that I know of, with an Av is the rear visibility. And that's more of an inconvenience. The visibility in backing up is solved with back-up cameras and/or object detectors.

Whether decked-out or basic models, she needs to drive the Av's. When she drives an Exploder or even the other vehicles you're considering afterwards, I would think she'll understand what wer'e talking about!

My Sister-in-law has an Exploder - `not too thrilled. Now they have to wait to get ahead with the value/payments, take their loss or whatever and not even consider another one at all!

Read some articles about magazine surveys and best of all the J.D. Power's ratings about Chevrolet and especially the Avalanche's customer retention reports. Show it to her!

HTH!
...Steve

 
Ok, here are my two cents, if you haven't decided already. If you both Love the AV, what is the hold up? Here are things to consider when comparing a "traditional" SUV and the AV. First of all, the AV is not a Traditional SUV. In a Traditional SUV, when you go to Home Depot to pick up some lumber, you first need to leave your SUV seats at home, that is if you can get them out. With the AV, all you need to do is fold up the rear seats and drop the midgate, you can now fit a full sheet of plywood, drywall or 8 ft 2x4s in there and still are able to close the tailgate, and you don't have them hitting you in the back of the head. The Exploder is a mid sized SUV, you should be comparing it to a Trail blazer, not an Av. Towing in the AV, if you have a utility trailer or a Travel Trailer is possible. I am not sure what the Gas mileage is in the Exploder, however, the 1500 AV's get excellent mileage for their size and power, I would think that it might even be better than the explorer. Then there is comfort and ride, hands down the Avy has the best, trust me if you buy an Avy all 5 people will be comfortable on a long trip. All of this to say that an AV has all of the capabilities of a "traditional SUV" and then a whole lot more, there are things that you can do with the Av that you can't do with the traditional SUVs, heck, you can't do them with a regular pickup, when was the last time you saw a pickup truck driving down the road with 2x4s sticking out the back? As for handling and ride, you just can't beat the ride of the AV, and you do get used to the poor vision out the back and over the tailgate. Do yourself a favor and do the 24 hour test drive, then see if you can get the same thing with the explorer. You might be happy with the exporer today, but you will be happy in your Av for as long as you have it.
 
I have owned both the Avalanche and the Ford Explorer....In fact I pwned two Explorer Sport Trac's.....I still have my 02 Av which is a 2500. I had the Sport Tracs first and while they were decent vehicles they were no match to the Av. Now here is my predictament.

I want the options offered in the 04 Av except the 05 is going to have one more option, the indash GPS system.

If I could believe that the GPS would retrofit the 04 I would be standing in my dealership now.....anyone got any suggestions?
 
rab356 said:
and you do get used to the poor vision out the back and over the tailgate.
Click to expand...

got mine June '02 and never looked back :B:
 
As you would have guessed, most of us will vote for the Avalanche. For the value, utility and ride, they can't be beat.

Being based on the Suburban, they ride fantastic. The turning radius makes them drive alot smaller than they look. The Explorer advertises the same number seats, but the Av has more comfortable usable seats. Real seats for real size people.

Today I will take five adults to dinner in comfort. Last weekend I picked up a couch and love seat from the store with the tailgate up! Try that in an Explorer.

The only thing we all admit is a downer is the rear visibility. Some have the cameras or alarms, I don't.
Two fish eye mirrors, adjust the mirrors well, and after you are used to it, its is a non-issue.

I admit, it was not on my list of potential new cars, but now that I have it, I could not think of a better, more versitile truck for me.
 
From another post where someone was looking at the new F150 and Titan and Avalanche...


SgtSchultz said:
F-150
Handsome. Quiet.
Fit and Finish on par with the Av.
5.4L is underpowered. :C: Get the 6.0L V8 diesel or V-10gas if its still offered.
Av is a better value when comparably equipped, especially at the high end.
You either love or hate the interior. Leather seats are just a notch below the Av.
Ride and handling is one step below the Av.
Highway cruising comfort after 50,000 miles on the odo is two steps below the Av. :E:
XLT Lariat Crew Cab/King Cab is too much $$ compared to Av. :eek:
Ford does not have all the bugs worked out yet. Still a new model.


Titan
Good at first look. Then look closer. Very low quality materials used in the interior. :p Fit and finish is below Av.
"Altima approach to trucks" - attractive looks, dumpy interior. Everything you touch inside says cheeeep. :p
Body stiffness is poor. Watch the crew cab/king cab flex when you have both doors open and close the rear. :D:
The 5.6L gas is the best powertrain of all these trucks. :D
Quiet around town, noisy on highway cruises. :E:
Ride and handling is equal to the Av, better than the F150.
A new model - bugs haven't been discovered yet to allow working out.


Av
Take the best of all the above (minus the 5.6L V:cool:, add the midgate, a healthy rebate, invoice pricing, and you win. ;D :D And no new model bugs. The platform the Av is built on has matured and is one of GM's most reliable offerings. Driveability is best in class; smoothness and deep wells of torque every time you need it. :B: :B:
Click to expand...
 
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