Please don’t take this as a boastful article in the context of Oooh look at what I got! I just want to share what I have been doing prep wise and offer up ideas for thought.
I personally just had enough, the Yukon XL was nickel and diming me to death. The defining moment was $1000 dollars for a break job for all four corners. The brake roters were shot. Towed a trailer once. I could see the brakes crapping out in daily city driving, but we don’t live in a city. Not had good luck with GM vehicles over the years.
There were other issues that cropped up with the vehicle over the past couple of years, burned a quart of oil every 2000 miles (seriously! GM even says its normal for that engine), interior pieces rattling and squeaking, the interior door handles had a recall because the plastic chrome was sharp enough to cut your hand if you did not open the door carefully. Leaned against the back tail light assembly one afternoon and the whole thing came off in my hand! Plastic had dry rotted around the screws holding the light assembly to the body. Found out after we bought the vehicle that the CarFax did not report a accident, spent $800 getting the front fender fixed and repainted. Just could not justify spending anymore on keeping a fairly new vehicle running. Love the way it rode, lots of room, we could spread out and the dogs loved it.
I take care of my vehicles, and don’t run the crap out of them but there is a point where you have to cut your losses. Consumer Reports did not rate the Yukon very well either for that year, I knew that when we bought it. But enough GM bashing. After all they are a federal government agency now, you can’t expect great things from a bureaucracy.
Enter the Tundra (Cue dramatic music)
Ok, its not mine. GF bought it and we are rid of the Yukon. I won’t bore you with all the specs, other than it is a 4×4 and can burn E85 if needed. It really towed a space shuttle too! How can you argue with that?
The truck will still carry what we need it to in the event of having to move to a safer place, and I know in the event of a EMP it is going to be a 3 ton pile of metal slag sitting in front of the house. But until that time? We are just going to have to deal with it! We have only put a couple hundred miles on the vehicle so far. Since I don’t get to drive it to much I don’t have and gripes.
Here is a pretty cool BOV based on a 2010 Tundra. Exterior is completly sprayed with Line X Xtra.
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