[GEXM]

Would appreciate some help


1) What is a good (preferably out-the-door, assuming 6% tax) price for a leather AWD in good condition, with sunroof ? Say under 25k miles.


2) Is Enclave navigation any good, and would you go with a car that has nav over lesser mileage (say 5k difference) ? I am leaning towards the least mileage if the same price, but perhaps I am missing out ? In my experience the OEM nav software simply doesn't provide the same level of experience as Waze or Google (traffic conditions, up-to-date road closures etc).



3) Is it even worth searching for a vehicle outfitted with tow package ? I don't believe Enclave is that good of a tow vehicle anyway, but my co-worker is obsessed with those.



4) I am leaning towards the last year of production of that body style, any reason to go with '16 other than saving some cash ?


5) I usually buy a nice car used and run it into the ground. Because of my job, it's preferable that I get an American brand. My goal is to put at least 145k miles (total) on it without major costly issues. Think Enclave is likely to get there ?


TIA !

 

[electbc]

I just purchased a 2015 CPO Leather AWD with 42,000 miles in December. I paid just under 25 before taxes. I feel I got a decent deal and am very happy with it. The NAV is OK, you cannot enter a new destination while moving over 5 MPH, even as a passenger. It works, and if you have Onstar you get traffic alerts. I have the DVD package so I can play a DVD and see it in the front while parked, nice feature. You can always add a trailer hitch if you need to haul something light, if you need a full blown package the dealer or an after market installer can install it.
Hopefully they did get all the bugs out of this vehicle, I had a 2008 Outlook , I put some bucks into that, transmission, water pump, steering pump, steering rack, struts, but I did get 212k on her and sold it, the new owner is happy with it. I do have confidence in this product and hope to get another 200k on it.

 

[cfedor]

:thumb:

 

[GEXM]

I just purchased a 2015 CPO Leather AWD with 42,000 miles in December. I paid just under 25 before taxes. I feel I got a decent deal and am very happy with it. The NAV is OK, you cannot enter a new destination while moving over 5 MPH, even as a passenger. It works, and if you have Onstar you get traffic alerts. I have the DVD package so I can play a DVD and see it in the front while parked, nice feature. You can always add a trailer hitch if you need to haul something light, if you need a full blown package the dealer or an after market installer can install it.
Hopefully they did get all the bugs out of this vehicle, I had a 2008 Outlook , I put some bucks into that, transmission, water pump, steering pump, steering rack, struts, but I did get 212k on her and sold it, the new owner is happy with it. I do have confidence in this product and hope to get another 200k on it.

OK so if I want about 20-25k miles, I am probably looking a couple grand more so roughly 27-ish before tax ? They charge 25 cents a mile if you go over on lease, but I don't think that's how the used cars are priced, it would be $5k difference and that seems way too high.


The GM Nav will definitely not work for me, quite often I am on the freeway when I need to enter a new destination and there's no way I will stop every time. Too bad they don't have CarPlay in these models... but I can use my phone.


The tow package is not something very high on my list, just wondering. I am not buying a large boat anytime soon.



Thank you for the answers !

 

[JayS]

Tow package was a must for me (see sig) and it's towed my little over 4k load no problem all over NYS and one trip up to Quebec. Should be even better this year since at the end of the season I traded my old pig iron trailer for a shiny new aluminum one saving a few hundred pounds. If you don't have plans to tow much it's a dumb thing to limit your search to though because I found tow package Enclaves are pretty rare. No factory nav on mine but I wouldn't use it anyway. Waze with radar trap warnings > anything factory for a speeder like me. I also wouldn't go near an Enclave unless it was CPO. Too high a risk you're picking up a lemon that someone dumped on a dealer and the dealer is just trying to unload. With the CPO you'll have a warranty long enough to find any issues that may be lurking from the prior owner.

Price wise do a 300 mile radius search on autotrader and see what the high volume dealers with a big internet presence are listing them for. There's always a couple dealers somewhere within 300 miles that sells on volume instead of profit margin. Just don't expect to walk into that dealership that's well under everyone else and talk them down a whole lot. You can however often use their price to negotiate down one local to you. 16-17 AWD CPO cars with under 30k miles within 300 miles of me (Buffalo) are listed around $31k and not one under $30k. So my guess is unless you find a dealer that's motivated to sell (and spring is prime selling season) aiming for much under $30 is going to be tough. Not impossible, there's always some lucky SOB that walks into a dealership when they're 1 sale away from meeting goal for the week/month and walks out with a screaming deal because the dealer was willing to take a loss just to move one more unit. Drop the CPO requirement from my search though and $25-$28k list cars are all over.

 

[gig229]

I'd stick with the latest Enclave model year of the first body style - so '16 or '17. I would think that by then most of the main issues have been worked out with the first generation. My 2009 Enclave has been a nightmare to own and has costed me thousands to keep running - I've had far more trouble than any other car I have owned or my family has owned. So be warned, to get over 100,000 miles on these will take some $$$. Ask me how I know. Nevertheless, I really like the Enclave but with this bad experience unfortunately it will be the last GM product I ever own.

 

[alb]

The 16 and 17 are really no different than my prior 14. I need a car to carry lots of stuff and a large hairy dog a lot, so the Enclave fits the bill nicely. I have NAV and factory tow package. Just drove to and from Florida from Michigan and compared the NAV to my iPhone apps. Works pretty much the same, except as said can't be changed on the fly, and doesn't have options like Waze. From what I've read, you should pretty much know by 100K what kind of car you have. I had about 100K on my 14 and bought a 17. Rented a 19 when out of town in October--really nice car, but still new in the reliability area.

 

[electbc]

Just to clarify on the NAV. You cannot enter a New destination but to can select one from a saved or previous destination. A way around entering a new destination is if you have the MyBuick app, you can search on there and send it to the vehicle, this works nicely if you have the Onstar subscription.