Ford Excursion - I think I must have one! Comments welcome.

[ddivinia]

I have always wanted a Ford Excursion. I could never talk my wife into driving one instead of a Suburban, etc. The prices have come down a bunch. Also, we have 2 kids now. I have a Dodge 3500 for serious towing. I was thinking an Excursion would be handy for the kids, dogs, and tow.

It must be a 4wd & leather.

I am debating gas vs. diesel. Gas ones seem to be much cheaper. I don't plan on driving it that much - so, I don't think the fuel economy difference would pay for itself. Repairs on the diesels are expensive.

If I did go diesel it would have to be a 7.3 or one of the last 6.0s made. The 2003 models had all kinds of problems.

Comments, suggestions, etc. ?

Thanks,
D.

 

[WH401]

I have an 01' Excursion 2wd w/ the 7.3 and as far as the engine and drivetrain goes, it's been a very reliable piece. It has about 98k miles and the only problems I have had with it are "normal wear" parts needing to be replaced. Batteries, starter's, glow plug relay, camshaft sensor, and the alternator. Other than those things it's been great and I would seriously consider buying another one. I hate the fact that Ford stopped making them, and unfortunately with the way the economy has gone and global warming, I doubt you'll ever see a vehicle of that size again, even though the diesel version is more efficient than most of the gas 1/2 ton models of its day. It's good on fuel, but not as good as either of my 4wd 5.9's. It'll do about 15 - 17 in mixed city/highway driving, and 20+ on the open road at anywhere from 60 - 70.

Good luck with the purchase.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I had a 2000 diesel and it was way too big. In theory and in looks it made me want one, but once I got it, I hated the size. For me I just didn稚 like it as a daily driver. Now if one was on the road a lot had a huge and i do mean huge family sure, otherwise there are better alternatives.

I went to Washington DD last week and rented a GMC Yukon. It only had 1,550 miles on it and had all the bell sand whistles. When I turned it in after a week and they asked me how I liked the vehicle I said I am buying one when I get home. Talk about a 4WD cowboy cadillac, Even the wife drove it and fell in love with it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Never owned one but have had 3 Ford Diesels. I really looked at them last winter and decided for my type of driving and with money considered I would get the V-10. They were selling for around 10K for fully loaded Eddie Bauer ones with 80,000 miles on them. Probably should have bought a dozen and sat on them now that I think about it.

My boating buddy had a V-10 powered one, I am guessing it was about a 2003 and I drove it once. Like others said it was big but not any bigger than a 1 ton truck. It rode nice and had tons of power. He sold his big camper and bought a Motor Home so the Excursion got sold and he bought a F-150.

Chris

 

[ddivinia]

I like the Excursion size. I am leaning towards a V-10. I figure it is a lot cheaper up front and to repair. It will not be a daily driver, so the mileage is less of an issue.

I have found a 2000 Excursion 4wd with V-10 loaded 169K miles for $6300. 1 owner, etc - I need to go check it out in person.

D.

 

[JESSE1]

The Excursion was an excellent vehicle. I had planned on getting one to replace my '04 Expedition but they ended production before I was ready to trade. I bought an Expedition EL instead. I had driven both the diesel and gas versions. If you're not going to drive it much the V10 would be an excellent choice. They're really not any bigger than a short bed crewcab SuperDuty.

 

[ddivinia]

The Excursion was an excellent vehicle. I had planned on getting one to replace my '04 Expedition but they ended production before I was ready to trade. I bought an Expedition EL instead. I had driven both the diesel and gas versions. If you're not going to drive it much the V10 would be an excellent choice. They're really not any bigger than a short bed crewcab SuperDuty.

I am leaning towards the 4wd V-10.

THe nice thing is it has a covered bed. Great for the kids, dogs, hunting gear, etc and it will pull a trailer.

D.

 

[QueBota]

My next door neighbor had a nice one with the V10, every option but the sunroof(s), he got rid of it when gas went over 4 dollars a gallon. Traded it in on a F150, dealer stole it from him. I would have bought it from him at that price if my driveway wasn't already full.

Very nice and solid vehicle, gas mileage around 10 or so, didn't drop a whole lot when pulling a trailer. His major issue was front brakes and rotors, although he did tend to drive fast and use the brakes a lot. Rides a little better than an empty PU due to the weight of the body on the back, but still rides like a truck.

Unless you need the capacity of the Excursion the Suburban isn't bad. I have a Suburban for the wife to drive and haul the kids/friends/stuff around and it does a good job and gets approx. 17 mpg city/highway combined. Leather is a must for us with three kids, wish I could have found one with the carpet delete option, may delete the carpet myself and install some rubber mats.

I have a Dodge Cummins 2500 if I need to pull or carry something heavy, the Sub is definitely not up to that task, it is very car like but does what it was built for and will go through 12" of snow without any trouble.

Dave

 

[ddivinia]

We had a 2005 Yukon XL - it sucked at towing much of anything. Check engine light would come on most times. That truck was a dud in more ways than one.

I tried to talk my wife into a 3/4 ton 4wd but she would not go for it as a daily driver. We shopped around and found a certified pre-owned Cadillac Escalade 4wd with 22" wheels. 4wd is nice in the rain and weather, etc it is all time 4wd and no low range. The factory 22" wheels look great and with the magnetic ride suspense won't beat you to death. I have never taken it off road but with no side wall I suspect it would suck.

Excursions have come way down in price and it seems that it would be a good tow, hunting, and ranch rig. Mine - not my wife's. I don't have to worry about a scratch, etc. It might sit a while between uses so a V-10 seems to make more sense.

Don't really need another vehicle, but you know how that goes. Whenever i go hunting - my Dodge Ram turns into a 2 seater if the weather is not good. Heck - I don't like leaving stuff in the bed. Blows out, stolen, etc.

I wish I could have talked my widfe into a 3/4 WD burb, but oh well. When I would need it - she would need it or something along those lines.

When we bought the 2005 Yukon i tried to talk her into buying one of the last Excursions...she would not go for it. Now - she would have. Oh well...

D>

 

[Dargo]

I like the Excursion size. I am leaning towards a V-10. I figure it is a lot cheaper up front and to repair. It will not be a daily driver, so the mileage is less of an issue.

I have found a 2000 Excursion 4wd with V-10 loaded 169K miles for $6300. 1 owner, etc - I need to go check it out in person.

D.

I bought a V-10 Excursion a couple of years ago when gas prices started rocketing up. Like your situation, it's not a daily driver but with my family of seven it certainly has it's place. I've had either 4 or 5 Suburbans over the last ten years and can say that I've honestly been quite disappointed in what you get for $50k in a Suburban. Having said that, the Excursion has been like a breath of fresh air. The interior specifically is leagues ahead of the Suburbans I owned when it comes to quality, fit and finish as well as lack of the gazillion squeaks and rattles I had in each Suburban. I'm extremely pleased with my Excursion and can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon.

Even though I have the V-10 gas, I don't get any worse fuel economy than I got with the V-8 Suburbans and I have considerably more power and the engine feels smoother than anything I've ever driven. Mine is a 4X4 Limited version with leather, dual power seats, rear heat and A/C etc. I think it does have every option except the diesel engine. I bought it from the original owner and it had about 80k on it. Based on looking up NADA, Edmonds and KBB it appears as if the price has gone up since I bought it just over 2 years ago. I paid $6500 for it back then and diesel versions were going for about $10k more. That made my decision between the V-10 and diesel a no-brainer. As a side note, I did drive an X with a 5.4 V-8 in it and it felt extremely under powered and constantly shifted on the highway like a pickup pulling a heavy load. A friend of mine bought the V-8 I drove back then and, besides really lacking in power, he gets slightly worse fuel economy than I do with the V-10.

Good luck with your quest. I'm tempted to buy another Excursion, perhaps the last model year made (2005?), if we have another spike in gas prices. I just wish I hadn't been a 'died in the wool' GM person and would have checked out the Excursions years ago. Hopefully they'll make them again, but I doubt it. The overly liberal global warming type seem to completely miss that the Excursions were no worse on fuel than most all 3/4 ton pickups, full sized work vans or even GM's Suburbans. They got targeted by the 'greenies' and Ford folded rather than point out the obvious that I just began to mention in the previous sentence.

 

[ddivinia]

A 2002 4wd 7.3l showed up for sale around the corner. limited with every options 189K miles $9900. It sounds like it has been maintained, etc. I am going to go check it out.

I just don't want to spend more then $10K on a tow ranch, hunting vehicle. I don't want to buy a piece of junk and end up with $20K with repairs either...

D.

 

[Dargo]

OMG!!! I just looked on eBay to see what prices people are asking for Excursions. I'd have to say that they have at least doubled in value in the last 2 years! I realize that not many sell for the "stupid" prices like $35k, but a surprising amount are shown sold on completed auctions for prices I'd never consider. I'm really, really hesitant to buy one with so many miles on them. I personally found that the older 7.3 PSD Excursions seemed prone to a lot of injector issues and transmission issues. That's besides the fact that most everything from the engine to the road in the powertrain will be extremely sloppy and worn if it hasn't been replaced. Believe me, I drove dozens of Excursions with really low prices on them that had over 150k miles on them and they all felt, well, loose. I'm relatively sure it's nothing $5000 and a lot of parts changing won't correct, but there will be a long list of things that are at the end of their useful life.

On a side note, even though I still would never consider a 2wd version due to the winter snow we get, I will tell you that my X will go further in 2wd than any other vehicle I've ever driven. Honestly, the Suburbans would go quite well in the snow and mud in 2wd, but nothing like the Excursions. Playing around in about 8" of snow this last winter I could go places and climb hills that several stock 4X4 pickups couldn't go. I never got stuck in 2wd and only used 4wd to climb some really steep hills. The other thing is that you can easily drive an Excursion in 2wd in the snow like a flat track dirt racer. The amount of control you have while sliding in 2wd in the snow is simply amazing. If you don't get much snow, you will be able to go through mud until you're pushing it with the axles for quite a while before you get stuck. I guess this unique ability is due to the weight, weight distribution, ground clearance as well as wheel base.

If I could find a deal like I could find everywhere 2 years ago, I'd jump on a 2005 model with low miles in a heartbeat. It seems clear that I could sell my X for a handsome profit now, but I'm not about to sell it without being able to replace it with a newer and lower mileage version. Clearly with only 80 something thousand miles on mine, with it only spending a half a dozen nights outside since new, it should still have plenty of life in it. Again, good luck in your search. I'd just be hesitant to go for one with almost 200k miles on it. There's just too many wear items between the engine and the road that will need replacing and it will not at all have the feel of one with under 100k miles. It may take some looking, but I'd bet you can still find what you want with under 100k miles in your price range.

 

[aida2010]

My boyfriend has a really nice excursion that I have finally talked him into getting rid of. We are in NJ and its just such a big unecessary truck for our lifestyle. Its an eddie bauer one i think and its really nice and has leather 4wd and runs good. If you haven't found one and are still interested in getting one I can give you his email or phone number. I can also send you a picture if you like.

I have always wanted a Ford Excursion. I could never talk my wife into driving one instead of a Suburban, etc. The prices have come down a bunch. Also, we have 2 kids now. I have a Dodge 3500 for serious towing. I was thinking an Excursion would be handy for the kids, dogs, and tow.

It must be a 4wd & leather.

I am debating gas vs. diesel. Gas ones seem to be much cheaper. I don't plan on driving it that much - so, I don't think the fuel economy difference would pay for itself. Repairs on the diesels are expensive.

If I did go diesel it would have to be a 7.3 or one of the last 6.0s made. The 2003 models had all kinds of problems.

Comments, suggestions, etc. ?

Thanks,
D.

 

[jcmseven]

Personally, I would go with the gasoline powered Excursion if you have no strong opinion. The diesel powered ones are very nice, but truly for a daily driver that likely will not do much towing the V10 is sufficient. I have seen these modular V10 engines in this application go well over 200,000 miles with little to no maintenence issues, which for most of us would be our ownership life of the vehicle. They have good power, just not a lot of torque for heavy towing. The mileage is not great but not horrible and well in line with other vehicles of similar size and weight. The 7.3L diesel is a good option also and can be modified if one desires more power, for not a great deal of money. The 6.0L jury is still out. Many who bought them, especially later in the run, found them to be good engines with good power, but they really do or did not get that much better mileage unladen than the V10. There are still enough lemons floating around out there among the 6.0L that I would find it hard as a potential purchaser to tell easily so it might be best to avoid that engine unless one knew the seller personally or had solid records of any issues. The only thing I do not like about the Excursions is they tend to be rattletraps with age. The sheer size and voluminous cabin tends toward creaks and grunts from inside. While some might expect this in such a large vehicle I would find that annoying. As a large cargo hauler, they are pretty simple and bulletproof.

John M

 

[Builder]

Personally, I would go with the gasoline powered Excursion if you have no strong opinion. The diesel powered ones are very nice, but truly for a daily driver that likely will not do much towing the V10 is sufficient. I have seen these modular V10 engines in this application go well over 200,000 miles with little to no maintenence issues, which for most of us would be our ownership life of the vehicle. They have good power, just not a lot of torque for heavy towing. The mileage is not great but not horrible and well in line with other vehicles of similar size and weight. The 7.3L diesel is a good option also and can be modified if one desires more power, for not a great deal of money. The 6.0L jury is still out. Many who bought them, especially later in the run, found them to be good engines with good power, but they really do or did not get that much better mileage unladen than the V10. There are still enough lemons floating around out there among the 6.0L that I would find it hard as a potential purchaser to tell easily so it might be best to avoid that engine unless one knew the seller personally or had solid records of any issues. The only thing I do not like about the Excursions is they tend to be rattletraps with age. The sheer size and voluminous cabin tends toward creaks and grunts from inside. While some might expect this in such a large vehicle I would find that annoying. As a large cargo hauler, they are pretty simple and bulletproof.

John M

Couldn't have put it better. The 6L is more risky than a V-10 or other diesel. When it comes time to risk your hard earned money on anything, the best bet is a sure bet. The V-10 is a sure bet and more than enough motor for 99% of all excursion owners.

Despite the rabid support for them by a handfull of owners on this website, there's a general concensus that too there's too many bad 6L's out there to risk your hard earned money on. If you get stuck with a bad one out of warranty, you'll be looking to unload a defective truck.

How will your wallet and your concious deal with that is what you must ask yourself. If you must have this truck, make sure you get it for a well below blue book value to reflect this risk and today's poor resale value of large gas guzzling vehicles.

 

[Dargo]

How will your wallet and your concious deal with that is what you must ask yourself. If you must have this truck, make sure you get it for a well below blue book value to reflect this risk and today's poor resale value of large gas guzzling vehicles.

The issue is that you've clearly not recently reviewed auction results and average individual party sales results. Your interpretation of Excursions having "poor resale value of large gas guzzling vehicles" simply is incorrect. Taking your advice to "make sure you get it for well below blue book value" assures the prosepective buyer either buys one with a salvage title or doesn't get one. The facts that are easily found with a little research show that these vehicles are bringing more than book value in almost all circumstances with several sellers trying for just plain stupid money; like twice book value. I can't ever see them selling for twice the listed 'book value', but they clearly are the class of the field in the large SUVs and are no longer being made.

As I've stated, my preference is for the V-10. However, in regards to the diesel version, stating that only "rabid support for them by a handfull of owners on this website" is rather humorous. As I've posted before with references, the 6.0 PSD has proven to have the fewest warranty claims of any Ford engine produced that year demonstrates that the best selling light duty pickup diesel engine in this country isn't exactly a sure bet for issues. I've posted the video and time sheet for a 1/4 mile run in my 6.0 PSD. Clearly I'm not concerned about it's durability and it definitely outran all GM diesels with similar weight that have only had software upgrades. I invite you to go to the track and post the video and results of your truck we've all heard about so much. I just think a guy would have to have a specific reason to justify the huge price difference between the diesel and V-10 powered Excursions. My theory is that the price for the V-10 Excursions will come back down to the reasonable range if gas prices go up again. Right now the Excursions are going for so much over book price that I wouldn't be a buyer.

 

[ddivinia]

Yeah - the 6.0 seems to have issues.

The earlier V-10s had a bad habit of spitting out spark plugs.

I wonder what the break down of gas vs. diesel each year.

Even the 7.3 is not perfect. I had a bunch of misc problems with my 2001 F-250 that I had bought new. oil leaks, glow plugs, injector pump, etc. I think I got a bad one. My Brother has a 7.3 - same year, etc - almost no problems.

D.

 

[ddivinia]

The issue is that you've clearly not recently reviewed auction results and average individual party sales results. Your interpretation of Excursions having "poor resale value of large gas guzzling vehicles" simply is incorrect. Taking your advice to "make sure you get it for well below blue book value" assures the prosepective buyer either buys one with a salvage title or doesn't get one. The facts that are easily found with a little research show that these vehicles are bringing more than book value in almost all circumstances with several sellers trying for just plain stupid money; like twice book value. I can't ever see them selling for twice the listed 'book value', but they clearly are the class of the field in the large SUVs and are no longer being made.

As I've stated, my preference is for the V-10. However, in regards to the diesel version, stating that only "rabid support for them by a handfull of owners on this website" is rather humorous. As I've posted before with references, the 6.0 PSD has proven to have the fewest warranty claims of any Ford engine produced that year demonstrates that the best selling light duty pickup diesel engine in this country isn't exactly a sure bet for issues. I've posted the video and time sheet for a 1/4 mile run in my 6.0 PSD. Clearly I'm not concerned about it's durability and it definitely outran all GM diesels with similar weight that have only had software upgrades. I invite you to go to the track and post the video and results of your truck we've all heard about so much. I just think a guy would have to have a specific reason to justify the huge price difference between the diesel and V-10 powered Excursions. My theory is that the price for the V-10 Excursions will come back down to the reasonable range if gas prices go up again. Right now the Excursions are going for so much over book price that I wouldn't be a buyer.

I will for sure avoid early 6.0s. Without a doubt - they had issues.

V-10 is probably the safe beat.

Oil prices are up today - maybe Excursion prices will be coming down. I think I will keep looking and drive them all.

D.

 

[Builder]

I will for sure avoid early 6.0s. Without a doubt - they had issues.

V-10 is probably the safe beat.

Oil prices are up today - maybe Excursion prices will be coming down. I think I will keep looking and drive them all.

D.

And that's all you really need to know. Like you've correctly stated above, early 6L's had issues and with oil prices up, fuel guzzlers are going for far less than at any time in the last 5+ years.

Like you said, keep looking and remembering there's no excuse to overpay in today's economic climate.

 

[Builder]

Yeah - the 6.0 seems to have issues.

The earlier V-10s had a bad habit of spitting out spark plugs.

I wonder what the break down of gas vs. diesel each year.

Even the 7.3 is not perfect. I had a bunch of misc problems with my 2001 F-250 that I had bought new. oil leaks, glow plugs, injector pump, etc. I think I got a bad one. My Brother has a 7.3 - same year, etc - almost no problems.

D.

Same with me. All my 7.3's had the same problems-leaking rear main seals and oil consumption in other areas. I melted a few GP harnesses and replaced injectors early, too. I'd still take a 7.3 over a 6L, but the 6L tranny is superior.

The breakdown of gas v. oil depends on what price you use for each type of fuel. Back in '07-'08 when diesel was pushing $5/G, it was not a good time to buy a diesel. Now it's pretty much even prices between unleaded & diesel, so the diesel engine's longevity, resale value once your truck hits 100K miles and superior fuel economy are factors to consider.

The bottom line is this: If you really need ~600 lbs of torque to tow heavy OR you rack up like 25-30K per year, then a diesel might still be in the picture for you. If you drive under 25K/yr and tow occassionally/moderately, a V-10 is plenty of engine. The later model V-10's had more power & reliability and you are likely to find one with 75-100K for a LOT cheaper than a 6 leaker. I think another thing that you'll be tempted to do is modify the 6L for more power as most Ford owners seem to do. You wonder why anyone would have to do that. Must be they're just not powerful enough, I don't know.

Just don't ever buy the Ford V-8, fine for an F-150, but it's a real pile of crap for a truck that big.