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Other Vehicles Considered When Buying Av

midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

Charter Member
SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2002
Messages
3,580
Location
New Jersey - Exit 5
What other vehicles did you consider purchasing in addition to the Av? And what reasons eliminated the other vehicles from contention?

I considered a Tahoe, Suburban, Sport Trac and a full-size Chevy Express van.

The Tahoe had a third seat, but did not have a lot of room to haul stuff in the back. The Suburban was big enough, but the styling just didn't look all that impressive. The Sport Trac was too small and could only seat five people maximum with a tiny pickup bed. The van was just too long and awkward looking and did not come in 4WD.
 
I was shopping for a Suburban when I saw the Avalanche. I compared insides and then price and it was a no brainer.

You basically get the same interior (w/o rear seat) but for a bunch less money. Plus they were giving the Avy away where as not much discount on the Burb.

Also the midgate made it even better yet.

And to top it off the Avy looks 100 times better IMO.
 
We were looking for a replacement for our Mountaineer, so we were searching amongst all the mid size and up SUVs. While we were at the Chevy dealership, looking at their line up, we ran across the AV. I liked the AV when I saw it as a concept vehicle, and so it didn't take too much arm twisting on my part to look at it.
 
No other vehicle was under consideration. I had a 1998 Pontiac Transport Montana that was giving me all sorts of problems. The dealer I have service done is a slightly odd combination of Pontiac/GMC and Chevrolet (haven't seen GMC and Chevy trucks side by side too many times) and they had a big black North Face edition Av on the showroom floor.

While the service department was working on issue 367-A on my Montana I took an Avalanche out for a curiousity test drive - four days later I bought one. I went into the deal with the thinking they'll give me what I want or I'll walk. I had just paid off the Montana and I was really looking forward to having an extra $631 a month in the checking acount. Oh well, didn't take me long to figure out a new way to spend it (and had I not bought one - this site wouldn't exist)

 
There really wasn't any other vehicle. I was stuck on the AV since the time I first saw the prototype at the car show several years ago.

Although, there was a very slight chance of me getting a Ford F-250 four door long bed with a V-10. Once similarly decked out there wasn't enough price difference to make me change my mind about the AV. The 8.1L still has way more going for it.
 
In order of "Almost bought instead of the Av":
Expedition
Yukon
Sport Trac
Durango (for a short time)
 
I saw the prototype at the 1999 & 2000 Detroit Auto Show! I was sold. I surfed the net for any information I could find for 2 yrs. I loaded the screen saver from my Avalanche E-Mail Notifications from GM onto my computer in spring of 2000 and showed everyone. When it became June 2002 I swarmed every Chevrolet dealership looking for one to appear on their lot. Finally, early August 2001 I finally saw one in real life! Two weeks later after having to pay $2100 to turn in my 2000 Cavalier Lease early and to virtually become the first Avalanche owner in Lansing, MI, I was the happiest Man Alive! And the best part about it...I love my Avalanche as much as the first day I got it!
 
You mean that there were other vehicle options ??

I considered none other than the Av!! I think my first exposure was a Car and Driver review of the concept at some auto show. Seems like a long time ago now.
 
Olds Bravada - felt too small inside, not enough towing capacity...and I'm even a Olds man (owned them since mid 70's).
Nissan Pathfinder - same as the vehicle I was replacing. Not enough bells and whistles, mono frame.
Suburban - A little too big. :)
 
When we went hunting for a new vehicle we were considering:​

Suburban​
Silverado HD​
Dodge Quad Cab​

But once we all crawled inside an Avalanche...​
It was all over...Done Deal!​
An ALL IN ONE TRUCK & SUV...What more could you ask for?​
 
I was specifically in the market for a 4 door pickup. I did a bunch of online research in which most of the choices were ruled out because of cramped rear-seats/small rear doors. My other prime consideration (as a 300+ lb guy) was front hip room. I was reasonably certain I would need to get a bench seat for the room I wanted.

I had looked at the specs on the Avalanche and liked them, but had thought the price was more than I was willing to pay.

I seriously considered the Sport Trac, enough to take a test drive with money in hand -- even though it didn't have a bench seat option. I found the seat room tolerable, but was concerned that on long drives it would be uncomfortable.

Then when I was on my way to another dealer for another test drive, I received divine guidance to forego the SportTrac. Instead I drove to the local Chevy dealer and looked at the Avs. I went back home, did my research to find an area dealer with one configured as I wanted it (bare bones 4x4 in Pewter), arranged a test drive, and bought it on the spot.

Who says prayers aren't answered ;D
 
For a long time I was following the four-door ford pickups that were coming out, then really liked the Sport Trac colleting lots of info on them and test driving. But it just didn't quite meet muster as the box wasn't really big enough for lots of things a home owner needs. Also, like my Mountaineer, the Sport Trac interior didn't have the room one needs to be really comfortable. I was finally about to give in on the Sport Trac when it occurred to me I ought to at least give the Avalanche I had heard about a try. Within a time period of about five days, I forgot all about a Sport Trac and within two weeks owned an Avalanche. Not only is the inside and box room what a person really needs, there are many other unique features it has--not the least of which is that magnificant smooth and quiet ride. This is really one of those vehicles I just love to get in and drive every day!
 
Sport trac, mainly so my kids could drive it when needed. However, I just did not like the looks of the ST, so I bought the Av. Now the kids drive my wife's navigator when they need another car.
 
To be honest the Chevy Trailblazer is what got me into the dealership to begin with....once I saw the Av in person I was sold...I completely loved everything about it....

I was mainly on the market for a fullsize pickup and nothing else was really sticking out to me...there are so many F150's here they have officially owned the title of me too! trucks....

The Silverado was another consideration, but the Av is the one I put my money on and have had no regrets ever since..... ;D
 
I was in the same situation NJAV...I was in a 2000 GMC Sierra 1500 extended cab...the model RIGHT before they went to the 4 door version. I was in the market for another full size truck, and was looking at the Yukon XL or Suburban. I was immediately drawn to the AV....I looked, drove, and then thought about it for about a month....then my wifes dad bought one, and I got a chance to see it a bit more in detail, and hear what he had experienced....then I bought one. It's a great truck, and it is versitile enough to handle anything I can throw at it.
 
I hear ya...basically they said I could get a fully loaded trailblazer for the same price I could get a fully loaded Av....this became a no brainer.....much more versatility...and I don't mind being one of the bigger folks out on the road.. ;D
 
We were considering a ?-ton Suburban or a 2500 HD extended/crew cab. The trucks were too long for our garage and the Suburban, while nice, didn't come close to having all the features of a 2500 Avalanche.

We made the right decision in buying the Avalanche. We have all the creature comforts of the Suburban, yet we can use the truck part for hauling game out of the field (we hunt).

The Avalanche freightens small children. And that isn't a bad thing.
 
I have to tell you I never owned anything larger than a minivan. When I had the tranny rebuit on my minivan and saw the gears striped from an occasional boat pull, I started looking for a larger vehicle on the web. When I saw the AV I knew it was what I wanted. I looked for a dealer that had the options I wanted and bought it without a test drive and have not regreted since.
 
Well I was looking for a 4 door truck. My last truck was a 2 door ext cab. I was driving a Ford 4 door ext cab as a temp. I did not like the way the doors open and close. I started looking at the Chevy HD1500 trucks. I really like them. When I was looking all the 01 HD were gone and the new 02 HD were just showing up. They did not have one with bench. The sales lady asked me if I wanted to look at the Av. I told her I wanted a 4 door truck. Well she got the keys of one on the lot and took me for a ride. She did not have to do much to sell me the truck. I knew more about the Av than she did. It was her first day and I was here first customer. I was sold on the smooth ride of the Av. The other plus was it had a 5.3 engine not the 6.0. I do a lot of city driving and the 6.0 would kill me.
 
Well, this may sound weird, so please don't laugh. ?I was pretty much set on a ML320 (small SUV). ?I had been preparing to get it for about 2 years. ?I did my research and learned about the good and the bad, the nuances, etc. ?I was involved with some customer product groups and customer newsgroups, etc. ?But, in the end, I decided that MB was not offering the customer a good value. ?We had many complaints on file with MB on low quality materials, fit/finish, leaks, noise, etc. ?They are really nice vehicles now, since many of the early bugs have been addressed and they updated the exterior lights. ? Still, I was not as gung-ho about it after a while and was looking to break out of the past. ?

The Av was perfect for me, ?It was a forward-looking and thinking vehicle. ?It satisfies my needs for luxury, while at the same time makes a statement about individuality, with its aggressive looks. ?Its the best vehicle purchase I've made, to-date.
 
I had a 99 Sierra 1500 SLT and really liked it. When the Av came out it's new looks blew me away. I also considered getting a Denali truck with the quad steer. But for the price like someone else said "it's a no-brainer" No regrets here ;D
 
I had a jeep YJ and about three years ago I bought a high mileage f150 to haul stuff around for my house. I ended up driving the ford all the time because it drove like a caddy (especially compared to a leaf sprung jeep) so I wanted to just replace the jeep and keep the PU for what I had originally bought it for. I had looked at the jeep liberty but it did not have enough head room for a 6'2" 300+lb guy and looked to "girly" to me :-[, I also considered a land rover discovery but in researching it I found the reliability to be too questionable for a $30k+ vehicle ???. Then I saw a AV while I was driving down the road and thought "that's a neat truck but kinda ugly", then the Seattle Times had an article about the AV and I was sold as I could replace both vehicles with the AV. :cool:
 
I had a 99 Silverado (one of the first ones). ?It was loaded with leather heated seats, but only had a third door and not a full back seat. ?I had the 5.3 liter, but I had so many bugs (not engine) that I was sick of it. ?In the end I got everything fixed on it, but the window noise from the two back pop outs. ?I even tried tie strapping them shut and I was about to seal them shut with black silicone.

I had my heart set on a 2002 Pontiac Firehawk with all of the SLP options. ?It would have been black with T-tops, composite hood and 345 horsepower.

After having a 89 I knew it would be useless other than flying down the highway and I couldn't afford both.

I used to think the Avalanche was ugly, but after I saw them on the road a couple of times (probably being test drove from the near by dealer), I decided to check one out. ?I loved it and after I found a dealer I could deal with, I had 4 on the lot to choose from with all the options I wanted.

I opted for one that hadn't been pin-striped and didn't have a luggage rack and I got the factory chrome nerf/step bars as part of the deal. ?

Funny, I got the same color although it looks better (Pewter) than I had on my Silverado (It's also lighter). ?I decided the 4 door HD trucks were too big.

I have a baby on the way and (just about 4-5 weeks till my wife's due) I wanted a full back seat. ?Plus with the windows being so dark, I won't have to worry about the sun. ?Also, folding the seats down and opening the mid-gate is great when I have to take my 93 lb German Shepherd somewhere. ? ;D ;D ;D
 
:D NONE :D

I was happy with my S-15 off-road and my caddy Seville. I had a day to spend in Chicago and "had" to go to last years Auto Show. They had an "Orange" on a platform, and it was love at first sight.

Went to my friendy dealer, and waited 6 months. The only Orange they had was on the Silverado, and I was not sold on the color - so I went with Pewter. The Orange on the AV did turn out better, but I am happy with the Silver. :D

Bottom Line - This Truck Sell Itself - Even when you are not looking to buy.
 
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