Tommy and Brendan headed to the Dealers Auto Auction of the Rockies this week and stumbled on an immaculate, fully loaded 2020 GMC Yukon XL. Curious as to why a vehicle in such good shape would be at a dealer auction and not parked on a dealership lot, the duo investigated and soon discovered the reason. The long-wheel base Yukon has 230,898 miles on the odometer. That works out to 69,800 miles a year. Crazy, for the average commuter!
The story of this high-mileage GMC Yukon XL
Turns out, this GMC served out the last three years as a livery vehicle, being driven all day and probably all night, every day of the week since it rolled off the lot at just under $70,000 in 2020. The CarFax report indicated that the truck was registered in California, Florida, then Texas in the SAME first year of ownership. From there, it ended up in Arizona and finally here in Colorado.
The only error code appearing on the dash was a low-tire pressure light, likely due to the significant drop in temperature this winter. Everything else was in working order except for the motor and struts on the rear power liftgate, which makes sense for a livery vehicle. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be a cheap fix.
The 5.3-liter V8 still pulls strong and smooth. The ride quality is what it should be, surprising after so many miles. And neither Tommy nor Brendan noticed or heard any worrisome sounds, creaks, or squeaks emanating from the SUV. As Brendan points out, under average use, this GMC would have around 45,000 to maybe 55,000 miles on the clock and be valued at around $35,000 in its current condition. But with 230K on the engine, transmission, and suspension, KBB values the SUV at $17,000.
The Case for High-Mileage, Late-Model Vehicles
So would you buy it? Brendan claims it’s worth considering for these reasons: The SUV’s value has bottomed out, so losing money to depreciation is no concern. Assuming you maintained it, you could sell it in a few years for what you paid for it. Second, as a livery vehicle, this truck had to be operational to make money, and it had to be safe to avoid liability in an accident. The easiest way to accomplish this is to follow the maintenance schedule religiously and replace any worn parts immediately.
Props to GMC for producing such a workhorse SUV. We see it as a real-life demonstration of how well a vehicle will last and run when taken care of. If the next owner does the same, we see no reason this Yukon won’t run trouble-free for another 100,000 miles, minus that busted liftgate.
Take a look at the video below to see this high-mileage gem yourself. Maybe you, too, can wrap your head around owning a $17,000 late-model Yukon.
