I Bought the Dumbest Hybrid Ever for $3,900 and Its Engine Is Self-Destructing

[00:07] and it does begin tapping rather violently as the active fuel management takes a massive dump. And this is completely failed, so we And this is completely failed, so we have valves not opening right now.

[00:25] automotive channel in all of YouTube. And behind me is the dumbest hybrid ever made. 15 years ago, these were two words you never thought you would hear together, and that is Escalade and Hybrid. But yes, it did exist. They

[00:39] built these for about 5 years, and they were so, so stupid, and so stupidly expensive. And this one is even rarer because it is the Platinum Edition because it is the Platinum Edition Hybrid. So, brand new, $86,000.

[00:52] And it was dumped for a lot of reasons, but this one, well, I got it a lot cheaper than that. I bought it for $3,900 because it has one major issue that these are pretty famous for. But not only did I buy the dumbest hybrid

[01:04] but I am going to try to fix it. I also bought the very first Cadillac Escalade, a 1999 right here, the birth of a legend, but it's also pretty stupid in its own way. But still, all of them really cool. And

[01:20] behind me now, three generations or 30 years of Cadillac Escalade here in Hoovies Garage, and I'm going to give you a tour because I'm the biggest nerd ever for Cadillac Escalades, if you didn't know already. I'm sure a

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[02:43] certainly not just me thinking that this is the dumbest hybrid ever made. It was widely panned in the press when it came out 2 years ago because it was just so stupid. And the best article I could find was from Car Magazine, November

[02:56] 1st, 2010, and they called this one of the worst cars they had ever tested. And said, "It might have enjoyed a cult status as the preferred choice for rap artists, overpaid footballers, and other bling merchants, but believe me, the

[03:11] Escalade is so off pace, it never really made it off the starting line." And then they said the teachers should hold this up in class as an example of an oxymoron, and then went on to talk about how horrible this truck was to drive,

[03:23] and how it really wasn't all that efficient, and just really, really stupid. And for the most part, I agree, but it is a pretty interesting technical marvel considering where GM was back in 2009. And I know this from firsthand

[03:36] experience because I was a Cadillac salesman in 2007 and 2008, and these were really tough sales, especially going into 2008 when gasoline prices were $5 a gallon. People were trading in their Tahoes and their Escalades and

[03:49] their Suburbans, and wanting to get something more fuel-efficient, but GM to get this thing together really quickly in a couple of years, and it came out, and it was a big improvement. In the city, a stock Escalade would have

[04:02] highway, maybe just under 20. But with the hybrid, you would get a whopping 20 miles per gallon on the highway, so a major improvement, but really not much on the highway because it still needed all eight cylinders. And yes, this thing

[04:15] all eight cylinders. And yes, this thing still has a V8 under hood, a 6-liter V8, but it's being held by a hybrid system that is right here, and there is the high-voltage lines all around the 6-liter V8. And you can imagine it was a

[04:29] pretty problematic system. There are three big issues with the Escalade failure is the transmission that is unique to the hybrid, a CVT that kicks in, and it is very different from

[04:41] anything else GM had ever offered at the time in a big truck. And yeah, it is failure. The second most common is the battery. I guess it will happen eventually at some point, but this one is good. Uh the main issue with this

[04:54] truck is something that the 6-liter Vortec and the 6.2s uh pretty notoriously fail, which you'll hear instantly when the engine starts up.

[05:13] and it does begin tapping rather violently as the active fuel management takes a massive dump. So, that is cylinder deactivation. It'll shut down and be like a four-cylinder engine and go back and forth, but then kick into

[05:27] the power when you need it. And this is completely failed, so we And this is completely failed, so we have valves not opening right now. But if you do catch this in time, the engine can be saved, but the heads have

[05:43] to come off, and it is a massive, massive repair. You can see the flashing check engine light. It's it's all messed up. And that's why I got it for $3,900 out of Chicago, but it was also cheap for another reason. This is

[05:56] the Platinum Edition, so it should come with 22-in beautiful wheels, but those were taken off, maybe stolen, and these are like mid-2000s, like 2005 Escalade 18-in wheels. But the hybrid badges, they're still everywhere, all over this

[06:11] thing. Door sill has the hybrid badge. C-pillar has the hybrid badge, and there's the crazy circuitry in there. It is all over the place. Right here as well, along with Escalade

[06:26] and Platinum. But the good news is, overall, it is in pretty good shape. One to paint the bumper and get this chrome piece of trim right here. But being from Chicago, it's not all that rusty. We do have a busted door handle here because

[06:40] pretty nice shape. Just showed up dirty from Chicago, and it is the Platinum Edition, which is really cool when you go inside. Oh, one more hybrid badge. Saw that when the hood was up. Which the coolest part has to be the interior,

[06:53] which on these Platinums has a beautiful wood inlay here in the dash with that Platinum badge. And it is very rare to find one of these in Platinum and also hybrid. Speaking of hybrid badges, another one in the cluster there. You

[07:07] traditional Escalade. But also, with this thing, you get heated and cooled seats along with heated and cooled cup holders. But this one is kind of unique because it doesn't have captain's chairs in the back. It has a bench seat. And

[07:21] then somebody wanted to add even more TVs, so you have the factory system right here, and then two more headrest TVs that appear completely functional, which is cool. But since it came from Chicago, and

[07:35] well, even if it is bolted down, disappears, well, unfortunately. I saw all this in the ad when it was traded in dealer wholesale. Uh so, missing that practicality right

[07:49] there. But I really can't complain for the price I paid at $3,900 because new, like I said, $86,000 for this truck when new. And obviously, especially if it's gone. I'd have to roll the dice on a used engine, and I

[08:03] especially with engines that are very common for failures, which is what this is famous for, not just in the hybrids, but all 6-liters and 6.2s of widespread with General Motors, especially with their very long

[08:17] intervals. And then around this year, they also switched to a lower oil weight. So, basically, very thin oil, which caused all kinds of problems. Recently, GM did a recall and went back to the thicker weight oil on their

[08:30] it just to make them more efficient. I'm not sure what they were thinking. They They just decided, "Oh, we can go with a thinner oil. It'll be fine." And it definitely wasn't fine. So, now the 6.2s, it is a widespread known issue

[08:44] where this Escalade, or even the earlier versions of this non-hybrid ones, sell versions of this non-hybrid ones, sell for more than say a 2015 or 2016 because everybody knows that the 2015 and newer Escalades are junk. The engines are a

[08:57] big risk. And Escalade owners vastly prefer these generations. Of course, this one, well, I've had it for a while now. It has only 18,000 original miles on it, and it is the truck version, and it was also the most expensive sale of

[09:10] an Escalade ever on Bring a Trailer. It's since been topped with one that had 2,000 miles on it. I didn't pay that much for it, but still, it is a total time capsule of the goofy truck version where all this folds down just like a

[09:23] Chevy Avalanche into the cabin, so you have a full-size bed. But also, the same rear entertainment without the headrests still from the factory. So, this one, a total time capsule. It is my baby that I just worship as a shrine in this garage

[09:39] to my Escalade insanity. But when I was in California a few weeks ago, I hopped on Facebook Marketplace and saw this and immediately fell in love. It is a immediately fell in love. It is a one-owner 1999 Cadillac Escalade with

[09:52] 90,000 miles. And yeah, I immediately bought it and shipped it home to Kansas. So, the very first Escalade right here, the birth of a legend, and it actually came about as a response to Lincoln. A few years before they came out with a

[10:06] Navigator and completely caught General Motors with their pants down. A luxury full-size SUV based on the Ford truck platform, and people went nuts for them. GM really had nothing in the pipeline, so they hastily came out with this along

[10:19] with the Yukon Denali, where they basically took a Chevy Tahoe, put some cladding on it, put on a different nose, and basically said, "Yep, that'll do for on the next generation of full-size truck platform, and really went all in

[10:32] with the next generation of Escalade that really launched the legend. So, not many of these sold back in the day when new. It's not that different inside than a Tahoe, but they tried. They added this wood here, and somebody also went crazy

[10:46] cluster. That is aftermarket, but you really can't tell the difference between the factory and the aftermarket. I think this is factory, and then this stuff is all aftermarket. They just wanted to make it look a little more upscale. They

[10:59] perforated leather that's heated, a wood wrap steering wheel, even though it is obviously a GMT 400 steering wheel, and a bench seat behind it with no third row. Part-time four-wheel drive on these, and the same 5.7 L V8 under the

[11:15] hood as you got with all of them. So, really nothing special if you look at it really cool. And there's nothing that drives quite like the GMT 400 platform because it is a full-size truck, but

[11:28] it's not massive like the ensuing generation. So, you get that trucky kind of feel without the crazy size, and that's why I think a lot of people are drawn to these. You're seeing crazy money for say two-door Tahoes of this

[11:40] chassis, but you rarely see a Cadillac Escalade because they were like $10,000 more than a fully loaded Tahoe, and it didn't make any sense to anybody at the time. But clearly, I have no self-control. I just had to

[11:54] buy it. I hadn't seen one for sale in years around here, so I was very excited to get a lifelong California car, one owner, and it's just ridiculously clean underneath. I just had it washed, so it's a little bit wet under there, but

[12:07] I'm not sure about this bull bar here on the front, whether I should take it off. I definitely don't want these wheels because they are Well, even though to get a Cadillac sort of ish badge on it, they're pitted and ruined. And I

[12:20] think the factory Escalade wheels, the 16-in from this period, are pretty neat-looking, so I'm going to hunt some down and replace those. So, actually, I need to find two sets of Escalade wheels because this one Well, clearly the wrong

[12:32] But now I have dueling Escalade projects, and I'm totally thrilled. AC compressor is out and a few other small things, but this one clearly is I'm a little scared to drive it, so I'm not going to drive it up to the Car

[12:47] Wizards today, but we can putt-putt around the property engine. But despite being very wounded in the engine, she still moves on her own power and feels very majestic.

[13:02] The ride of these things is so nice. This big trucky feel, but then all luxuried out with the Escalade and the Platinum Edition, it just feels all that much better. The engine's currently going, but it will go into golf cart

[13:16] batteries, not the fancy really expensive batteries, and that all seems the road to get some gas since it was almost empty, and it did seem like the

[13:28] battery was working, but even if that is broken, it's not the end of the world because it's an old-school sort of nickel style battery, not some crazy lithium-ion thing. So, replacements are 2,500 bucks with new cells. A lot of

[13:42] money, but pretty reasonable in comparison to other hybrid battery packs that can be double or triple, and then electric cars with their massive lithium batteries, you know, going underneath the car, those can be 15 or 20,000

[13:54] dollars. No warning lights other than the service parking assist, and of course the check engine light that is flashing, but everything seems to be working, and it's not gross. That's the other part of this interior.

[14:06] It's not disgusting. It seems like it was a car that was pretty well taken care of, not abused. So, I do feel like it's worth saving. Say if I have to put 3 to 5,000 dollars in the engine, I feel like I wouldn't be throwing money away

[14:19] because this car would be worth, you know, 8 to 10,000 dollars in the end. But now the battery's finally charged up, and we are going to golf cart mode right now. The engine is not running.

[14:34] 7,000-lb Escalade. She's still in electric mode. She's still in electric mode. Still. It's It's really neat. It's really stupid, but it's really really neat. But

[14:49] drive it 30 miles down the highway with it eating its cam to the Car Wizards. So, I got the trailer, and I'm going to load it up and take it up with my electric Silverado EV, which means yes,

[15:02] another electric towing test. So, that is in the next video, but there is one Escalade inside that we can take out for a longer drive. And I imagine this is getting a little self-indulgent right now because I'm the only crazy Escalade

[15:14] me. Hopefully you're enjoying yourselves, too, because I certainly am. Now it's time for a little throwback here.

[15:26] The very first Escalade. And there's some amazing renderings out there of before this, say with a square body in the '80s, looking a whole lot like the Breaking Bad Cadillac that I have in there. And it would have been epic if

[15:40] it's amazing nobody thought this up until really the '90s with luxury SUVs. I guess you had the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and the Range Rover, but the Navigator obvious success, it's crazy they didn't

[15:54] offering for the Escalade, yeah, it's a It's It's a little basic, most I said, but the driving experience of these is just so so nice, even in the

[16:06] stock Tahoe form, because of the thick tires and the long travel suspension. weren't really too concerned about rollover protection either or much for safety. So, the ride is just so nice and supple. And like I said, the size is

[16:21] just perfect. This isn't taking up the entire lane because it's not as wide or as long, and it just It feels just right. And you can't get a Cadillacs or mid-size Cadillac SUVs that are the same size as this, but they don't have this

[16:34] this feel. And that's why people are flocking to this GMT 400 platform because it's something that you just cannot buy new anymore. No vehicle offers this kind of driving experience. And not only that, it's just so easy to

[16:49] keep these things running. It's in the sweet spot. That and my other Escalade, the '06, as far as reliability meets comfort and practicality, where you can literally forever as long as it doesn't rust apart. This thing definitely needs

[17:04] test drove it, one of the wheel weights fell off because it was so corroded, the wheel itself, that it couldn't stick to it. Uh so, it needs some things. I think the AC compressor as well, but overall, should be much easier to sort out than

[17:18] that hybrid in there with all the technology and everything that's going Escalade is the future. Where hybrids were pretty fringe back 15 years ago, it's very mainstream now, and these are the problems that we'll be dealing with,

[17:31] you know, 10 or 15 years in the future, except everywhere. It It won't be a funny joke like it is with the Escalade Hybrid. It'll be in most every car, and well, we'll be pretty miserable. Or everybody will be buying old GMT 400 or

[17:44] 800 platforms like Well, here's one passing by, an 800 Yukon. Thank you so much for watching. They're really just still everywhere here.

[18:00] Oh, so that is totally collapsed, the lifter, huh? The active fuel management lifter, huh? The active fuel management lifter is collapsed.