Recent Arrival! 2002 Cadillac Escalade White Diamond
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
4.7out of 5 overall
5.0
Extremely well built suv
by Shatteredtime | on 7/4/2022 5:58:50 AM
I bought my '04 Escalade ESV platinum edition about a year ago and love it. It had 194,000 miles on it when I got it and now has 238k and runs like new. I've owned 3 different mercedes e class sedans, a mitsubishi eclipse, a top of the line toyota tacoma trd, a ford explorer, and a dodge ram pickup so have a basis for comparison.
The escalade rides as smooth as a benz, but its an suv that's built like a tank.The interior quality is not as nice and durable as a benz, but is still fairly nice and not as "plasticky" as other reviewers criticize. The seats are extremely comfortable, on par with older mercedes sedans. And it has all the features you'd want, including most of the standard features you find on cars being produced today, except for blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and power tailgate. I installed a double din kenwood with 7 inch touchscreen, built in gps, wireless apple carplay, and reverse and dash cams making it on par with todays new productions. The bose speakers sound excellent with my kenwood.
I'm running it on michelin defenders and it handles amazing in the snow. For a big suv, it handles fairly well around corners. And the engine is powerful and the transmission runs smooth. I never feel any lack of power even on inclines. The brakes are very effective and quiet.
But one of the best things about this truck is you can get a used one now for a fraction of the price of a new one- pennies on the dollar, and its so easy to work on and parts so cheap given its overlap with its chevy and gm counterparts. Other reviewers who claim this car is expensive to repair don't know what they are talking, or don't know how to deal with mechanics who probably overcharge them.
At 200k miles you have to expect any car would need to be serviced. I redid the entire upper engine gaskets with fel-pro, o2 sensor with harness, water pump, alternator, one front wheel bearing, idler and pitman arms, tie rods, rear brake pads, tensioner pulley and belts, and a complete front diff rebuild, using all high end brands like ac delco pro line and moog, or advance autos premium line, and it cost me less than $1k for all the parts. And now, most of the serviceable parts on the car have been adressed and are now brand new, with lifetime warranties on both the water pump and alternator. A benz would have cost significantly more.
As a hobby mechanic, i find working on the engine and other mechanical systems, significantly easier than the mercedes, chrysler, and ford vehicles I've owned based on the layout of the engine compartment and related mechanics. I've struggled far less on this escalade with rusty difficult bolts, and bolts breaking or stripping than with the Chrysler, ford, and even my tacoma which was also an excellent machine.
It does guzzle gas, i get about 16mpg overall, but the ride quality and low cost of maintenance and repairs makes it worth it. I expect this truck to easily make it beyond 400k miles and will probably be the owner getting it there.…
5.0
Fantastic vehicle
by Joe | on 4/2/2022 8:11:05 PM
Always wanted an Escalade, even though this thing is high mileage (220,000) it is very comfortable and nice to drive. It has all the bells and whistles, and everything works just like it was new. If there was any negative thing to say would be the fuel mileage has been right around 17mpg. But it is a big heavy vehicle with the 6.0 engine. I love this vehicle!!!…
5.0
The best vehicle I've ever driven
by Joan | on 3/19/2022 5:07:28 PM
Very reliable over the years. Drives well in all road conditions. I can't say enough about this vehicle. Just regular maintenance. The odometer read 262k miles when I sold it. Extremely roomy and comfortable for family trips!!…
4.7
