Learn Me: 2007 Escalade

Sounds like a good plan.

A couple of comments

Needs front shocks - read the option code sticker in the glove box.  There are a lot of different suspension options on these.  Make sure you know what you have.

Fuel gauge needle doesn't move off of E (I feel like that's going to be a PITA) - If you're lucky the DIC (Driver Information Center, that is) will register the correct range and gallons used and you can rely on that.

Headlights cloudy - unfortunately I haven't found a good source for cheap replacements.  

- AC doesn't always blow cold on ds

This sounds very much like a Caddy that I'm very familiar with ......the fix, pull the entire FREEKIN dash....and now I know the source of the motivation for the XJS.....pull the bullet....toss the magazine....wink

In reply to 759NRNG (Forum Partidario) :

Pulling dashes are so cringe 

In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :

Thank you!

Tangential question: about 7 years ago I had jury duty on a drunk-driving case involving an Escalade. Every time the prosecutor mentioned the vehicle he pronounced it "Es-ka-laud-eh". 

Has anyone, anywhere, ever heard it pronounced like that?

Sounds like you're stealing it. Excellent. Ours is still hammering along at 169k and serving us very well. 

Re: The headlights. I actually replaced one of ours earlier this year. I bought a refurb light from these guys for $250 and it has been perfect. I would've just done a 3M headlight resto kit on the old one, but it had a small crack and the oxidation was on the inside.

I'm dragging this one back from the grave. I have questions. 

I've been shopping escalades pretty hard. It seems that the 2007-8 is the sweet spot for these...but I'm not sure on price. 16ish for one with under 100k is doable, but they get a lot cheaper as the mileage goes up. I'm honestly not even sure if that's a good price for a 13 year old luxury suv- my general buy in price is $500 and I'm a terrible negotiator. 

Other questions- is awd worth it? I live in Florida. Obviously, this truck will likely never see snow. I will be using it as a tow rig eventually, either for home improvement projects or race car things. Nothing like buying a rusting hulk and dragging it home with a caddy. Swmbo likes the idea because road trip car, so gas mileage may be a concern from time to time. My commute is less than. 5 miles a day and I intend on decreasing that to zero sooner or later, so mileage does not concern me. I currently put about one tank in every 90 days on my jeep. 

The other rmajor question- longboi vs regular. The esv escalades are admittedly harder to find. Swb is plentiful where I am, but the lwb is a bit of a reach. The biggest vehicle I've ever owned is my 500$ jeep liberty and it's pretty small still. I'm looking at it from a tow/haul perspective. I will never use all of the passenger capacity, I don't have that many friends. I do however own all manner of stupid E36 M3 I'll want to throw in the back, bikes and whatbot. Will the capacity in the Tahoe annoy me? 

16ish for one with under 100k is doable, but they get a lot cheaper as the mileage goes up. I'm honestly not even sure if that's a good price for a 13 year old luxury suv

Ehh..  13 year old GM luxury suv is where I choke on that one.  I'd way rather spend ~22 on a 2008 Lexus LX570 than ~16 on a 2008 Escalade! Once you're down around 10-12k the Escalade starts to make sense to me. Is that what they go for? No idea. 

But yeah as a fellow $500 car buyer AND a mechanic my ideas of what things are really worth is 'distorted' from the norm, although i think it's distorted to be MORE in line with reality and everyone else is ignorant and/or crazy. 

If you don't need full-size space and just want something bigger/prettier/faster/more luxurious/more reliable than a Liberty and would even consider spending 16k, you can get the Lexus GX470 for less than that and i think they're pretty good. If you don't care about the luxury mystique at all you can get a good Sequoia for like 4-7k.

But the money the OP is talking about on this Escalade is a slam dunk no matter what kinda deal. 

In reply to Vigo (Forum Supporter) :

It comes down to a few things. I DO want the luxury- I was looking at ctsvs not too long ago. I've always wanted a Cadillac- I don't really know why. I honestly never considered the Toyotas because of the toyota tax so prevalent in florida. Maybe I need to take a closer look. 

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

Tangential question: about 7 years ago I had jury duty on a drunk-driving case involving an Escalade. Every time the prosecutor mentioned the vehicle he pronounced it "Es-ka-laud-eh". 

Has anyone, anywhere, ever heard it pronounced like that?

That’s how I’ve always heard it.  Where did you go to skewl?  :-)>

Mndsm said:

In reply to Vigo (Forum Supporter) :

It comes down to a few things. I DO want the luxury- I was looking at ctsvs not too long ago. I've always wanted a Cadillac- I don't really know why. I honestly never considered the Toyotas because of the toyota tax so prevalent in florida. Maybe I need to take a closer look. 

You can find decent 2007-2009's around here for $8-10k all day. I would not pay more than $10k for one though. Unless it was within the last 10 years in age. If I was looking for a SUV in the high teens $ then I'd just find the best $20k 2015+ Expedition lol. But that's because I like them lol.  

Initially, I was going to buy this Escalade for $4500 or something but I forgot about it and a year later we agreed on a better (for me) deal. I could honestly take the drivetrain and swap it in my XJS and come out on top. Or I could part it or fix it and flip. 

In reply to Mndsm :

Do you have more than 1 kid? I feel like a none ESV is def a good choice if you're not using the third row + luggage behind it.  AWD I think it's just a bonus but not needed for sure. Probably tows better in as a rwd. 

I have a 7.3 Excursion that I frequently used for long roadtrips and had 4 or 5 people in it + luggage. Super useful and the gas mileage is almost impossible to beat given its size. I get 1000 to the tank (44 gallons) when I drove to Virginia at 65mph. 

yupididit said:

In reply to Mndsm :

Do you have more than 1 kid? I feel like a none ESV is def a good choice if you're not using the third row + luggage behind it.  AWD I think it's just a bonus but not needed for sure. Probably tows better in as a rwd. 

 

I have a 7.3 Excursion that I frequently used for long roadtrips and had 4 or 5 people in it + luggage. Super useful and the gas mileage is almost impossible to beat given its size. I get 1000 to the tank (44 gallons) when I drove to Virginia at 65mph. 

It would be me and mrs mndsm. My kid is with his mom because...that's another story. The excursion was extremely high on my list, but diesels fetch full retard money around me. For sure the non esv is a lot cheaper- though the mileage is higher. I'm also looking during covid pricing, which is about as sensible as feeding a cat donuts. 

In reply to Mndsm :

Got it. I have shared custody of my oldest with my ex wife. 

You should find reasonable rwd 7.3 excursions in Texas. But, the GM's drive much better. How far are you willing to look? 

yupididit said:

In reply to Mndsm :

Got it. I have shared custody of my oldest with my ex wife. 

You should find reasonable rwd 7.3 excursions in Texas. But, the GM's drive much better. How far are you willing to look? 

Don't know. Haven't decided yet. Not too right this second because everyone is insane- but I've flown to Maryland and cannonballed a $400 corolla back to Minneapolis before ......

In reply to Mndsm :

Let me tell you. People are insane with these used car prices. But there's still deals out there!

In reply to yupididit :

Yeah, I'm keeping my eye out, but I think I'm waiting til after the new year.