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Any prior Avalanche Owners? About to purchase JGC

2K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  TurboRush 
#1 ·
Hey Jeep Garage, I'm new here but a reader for the past few months.

About to give up my 2008 Avalanche for a 2014 Summit V8. I never used the pickup bed for anything more than golf clubs and hockey gear, so I won't be missing that. Anyone else here that used to drive an Avalanche (or equivalent crew cab pickup) that now traded up for the Grand Cherokee? Any regrets?

Looking forward to hopefully joining your owner's club here. Thanks!


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#2 · (Edited)
I had a 2010 Avalanche that I traded for the vehicle that got traded for the Jeep.

In general, no regrets - the transmission in the Avalanche drove me nuts from about day 2 on but it was a good truck overall. The 8speed (hemi) is smooth and effortless, the Jeep is better in the snow and more capable off pavement if needed (I even whacked the Avalanches from skirt on a curb).

After about 15k miles the interior in the Avalanche was wearing more than I would expect it and black/blue from my suit was showing on the armrest and the leather. At 14k in the Jeep there was no noticeable wear anywhere (just sold the Jeep as I am being relocated to the west coast).

The Avalanche was mechanically perfect in the 15k or so miles I had it. The Jeep needed a new radiator at 3k (I suspect it was a dud from day 1 or the massive stone I ate at highway the week before played a role), other than that I didn't have any real issues.

There were a few times where I wished I had the truck bed but a quick rental of a uhaul utility trailer solves that problem every time.

Basically, if you don't need the size you won't have any regrets.
 
#9 ·
Out of curiosity, what are you planning on replacing the Jeep with once you get out there?
 
#3 ·
TurboRush-thank you so much for help, exactly the response I was looking for.


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#4 ·
While the 2000 Tundra I owned two vehicles ago wasn't a crew cab, it was still a pickup truck. You find the JGC to be a lot more nimble, especially for turning radius, for example. I think you're going to love your new Summit!
 
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#5 ·
I had a 2004 Avalanche that I absolutely loved. It was heavily modified and was trouble free for 70K. I traded it for the 2013 Summit and never looked back. I had used the bed in the Avalanche for some handyman work and quit doing that and was interested in something more refined that still would go off road and carry 5 people in comfort. The only thing I did not like about the Avalanche was the weak 5.3L...it never had any guts from day one. On the other hand, the Summit hemi screams! It is like night and day with performance! Good luck.
 

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#7 ·
I traded in a 2011 GMC Sierra CC w/ 6.2L for my Hemi powered Overland. There was around 50K miles on my Sierra when I traded it. I am happy to a degree, but also have some regrets. The Sierra for the time I had it was completely trouble free. Just standard maintenance was ever preformed on it. My Jeep only has 8k miles on it currently and it has already been back to the dealer for two recalls and issues with Uconnect (with a third recall on the way apparently). The fit and finish on the Sierra was also better in terms of alignments and such. That's actually my biggest complaint on the Jeep - trim pieces falling off and misc. interior pieces looking out of whack. I do like the Jeep's size for where I live better (Boston, city). I also really like the 5.7L engine mated to the 8-speed transmission, however gas mileage is just as poor as the 6.2L was. I thought I would get slightly better with the slightly smaller engine, but no dice. I get around 13-14mpg in the city and 19-20mpg highway, which the 6.2L did. In terms of comfort they are about the same. My Sierra was an upscale SLE with leather, navigation, auto climate, etc. just as my Overland is. I do think the seats in the Sierra were more supportive, but the Jeep's are comfortable as well. I do miss the truck bed sometimes, but overall the Jeep's utility works for me 90% of the time. Towing wise, both tow my boat with ease, so no issues there.

To sum up, knowing what I know now, I think I would rather have kept the Sierra. It was trouble free, same on gas, and just as comfortable. Honestly the only advantage of the Jeep is its size in the city. The Jeep does have a few more bells and whistles (blind spot monitor, ACC, heated & cooled seats, heated steering wheel), but these were all easy to live without. Not trying to deter you, just giving my honest experience and opinion. Best of luck in your decision.

-Eric
 
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