High $$ GM Trucks\SUVs vs Low $$ ones-Differen

[Threxx]

I've noticed it doesn't matter what I sit in- can be a 55k dollar Cadillac Escalade or my 22k dollar Silverado.  They all seem to have nearly identical interiors.

 

I mean I know the guages and knobs are a little different from model to model.  But I'm talking about the seats, the steering wheels, the head-liners, and the dash especially.  I couldn't believe it when I saw my Silverado's cheap-feeling hard plastic dash inside of my friend's 55k dollar Escalade!

 

So the interiors seem to be the same.  The engines are shared all over the place- the 6.0 is used in several of GM's premium trucks and SUVs... it's the 'top of the line' motor.. but it's nothing more than a 5.3 with more displacement from what I've heard.

 

The trannies they use are shared all across the board, and so are most of the suspension components.

 

Seems like the chassis\frames are shared all the way down the line as well.

 

So I ask you... if you were to turn my friend's Cadillac Escalade into a standard cab truck Escalade... besides his nicer radio, .7 cubic inches of extra displacement, fake wood trim, better headlights, goofy looking guages, slightly better sound-proofing, higher quality leather, and subjectively better exterior looks... what is it that makes GM's premium truck\SUV line worth so much more money than their 'work' and 'standard' truck\SUV line (silverado, tahoe, etc)?

[Roofer]

You ask why they can charge so much??? Answer is, because they can. It is mostly in the name. Why do you think they pick names like "Escalade" and "Denali". It's because they are identifyable names to being expensive. If someone says I bought a Denali, you know they paid more for it than a regular 4x4 SUV, and they like it that you know that. It's called "keeping up with the Jones's", but everyone wants to be "the Jones's". Everyone likes to get what they need and maybe a tad more, but these high buck SUV's are out of control. It's just like high school most of your life. Most want to be known by how much money they flaunt to the public. These people want something better than thier neighbors or uncles or co-workers or friends GM SUV.

[RyanbabZ71]

my dream right now is to work for gm in their interior engineering dept.  I have so many rattles in my truck it isnt funny

[Stepside Z]

I am starting to develop some serious rattles myself. Must be the cold weather.

[Corey 68]

Well, I for one didn't buy my '03 Serria Denali to keep up with the "Jones's".  I purchased it for the 4 Wheel Steering option.  My father has a classic car restoration bussiness and we tow across country at times.  Not counting  towing my race car to the track or towing my Harley on the weekends.  Until recently this option was only availible on the Denali.

I have no regrets for spending the amount os $$ that I did.

 

my .02

[Threxx]

Well, I for one didn't buy my '03 Serria Denali to keep up with the "Jones's".  I purchased it for the 4 Wheel Steering option.  My father has a classic car restoration bussiness and we tow across country at times.  Not counting  towing my race car to the track or towing my Harley on the weekends.  Until recently this option was only availible on the Denali.

I have no regrets for spending the amount os $$ that I did.

 

my .02

I'm not trying to say you're wrong- I'm just wondering what you feel you gained by going for the higher dollar vehicle.  For the 03 model year you can get 4-wheel steering in a much less expensive silverado or sierra... you don't need to get the denali version for the 4WS- so there has to be some other reason why you felt it was worth the thousands of extra $$$?

[Roofer]

Well, I for one didn't buy my '03 Serria Denali to keep up with the "Jones's".  I purchased it for the 4 Wheel Steering option.  My father has a classic car restoration bussiness and we tow across country at times.  Not counting  towing my race car to the track or towing my Harley on the weekends.  Until recently this option was only availible on the Denali.

I have no regrets for spending the amount os $$ that I did.

 

my .02

I knew the 4 wheel steering or the AWD would come up sometime. I realized that after I made the reply.

[RyanbabZ71]

For the 03 model year you can get 4-wheel steering in a much less expensive silverado or sierra... you don't need to get the denali version for the 4WS- so there has to be some other reason why you felt it was worth the thousands of extra $$$?

 

the sierra denali trucks with 4ws did come out a few months prior to the silverados/sierras (i still havent seen one other than in pictures) so he kinda didnt have a choice if he wanted it then

[99silveradoz71]

Got a little more noise in the dash now too with the temperature drop.  Does anyone else have their window make a "Binding" or prolonged squeek when going down?  I think it just needs the salt, etc cleaned off.  As for keeping up.  I'll agree, you can see it with every 30-40 year old woman who doesn't have to work because the hotshot husband is bringing in the big bucks working for the firm, and she's out driving the Suburban to go to get her hair done during the day.

[Corey 68]

so there has to be some other reason why you felt it was worth the thousands of extra $$$?

 

Well when I heard about the 4WS I knew that's what I wanted.  I then learned the $$$ difference and thought about what am I really gaining for the money.  Well, down here in South Louisiana everybody and their brother has Z71's.  That's what I had originally planned to buy at first.  What I gained is a little different look, a little nicer interior and a little more power.  Was it really WORTH the $$$ money?  Of course not, but I priced a loaded Z71 (with either 0% financing OR $2500 cash back).  It was the SAME pice as the '03 Denali with 0% financing AND $2500 cash back.  The Denali is the only truck where you can get both.

 

That was my reason of purchase.  

[MarkD]

This is just a couple observations...

 

Escalade = $55k compares w/ Yukon =$40k

Escalade EXT = $53k compares w/ Avalanche =$40k

 

$13k-$15k premium for the following:

 

Nameplate

Nicer Features

Better materials

Better support

 

Most manufacturers charge out the a$$ for options.

 

Just look at the price difference between a stripper version and a decked out version of ANY vehicle.

 

My SS was $34k, a Z28 was $23k, a base camaro could be had for $17k-$18k (half of SS)

 

An Accord could be bought for about $16k-$17k, a decked out one was $27k-$32k.

 

I agree it is ridiculous, just a fact of life.

[RyanbabZ71]

Better materials

 

Mark i disagree with that one

[CapnDean]

Ryan & Mark;

 

    You both raise very valid points.  Probably the best illustration is the difference in price of the maxed out escalade vs the stripped tahoe (if you figure that you can buy a tahoe stripped).

 

Essentially a 20K difference assuming the Tahoe is 35K and the Escalade is 55K.  

 

Yes...there is a market for the higher end...and GM gets it..some folks buy it for the name, some for the prestige, status, options....endless reasons to buy a caddy over a chevy.

 

For the average Joe however...moneywise the tahoe is the better deal because $55K is a bunch to invest in a vehicle.

 

Somewhere between 100-150K miles on the odometer...the values of the two vehicles merge.  What you are seeing is the economic principle that "automobiles make poor investments".

 

I wish I could afford the escalade...I like the quiet and downright mushy ride that caddy's give.  I just couldn't justify the extra 20K to get it.  As far as keeping up with the Jones's???

 

Money never equalled class.

 

CapnDean's 2 cents again!

[Markeaux]

Essentially a 20K difference assuming the Tahoe is 35K and the Escalade is 55K.  

My 01 Tahoe LT 4x4 AutoRide (5.3) with every option listed about 42K (I got for 6K less) and the Escalade and Denali AWD (6.0) were about 52-54K ... so for the ~10-12K difference you got a bigger engine, AWD, StabiliTrak, DIC, better stereo and wheels,  and a lot of "uplevel" trim and I think at least for Cadillac you get better service (at least my mom did) with free loaner cars (which were typically Cad's).

 

I know that since I got the Hoe some of the unique options like StabiliTrak have become avail on the lesser models.  I maybe would have paid about 4K more for the 6.0 engine alone but a whole other 10-15K just to get it (in an Escalade/Denali) was out of the question for me at the time.

[AZ-Z71]

Slightly different twist here, does anyone know if you can take a complete cab out of an Escalade and put it into a z71 or is that like the LT version?