Teach me about the Excursion 4x4

I have a 2000 Excursion with the 7.3 PSD. I think the guy above was referring to avoiding the 03-ish-04 Excursion with the 6.0 diesel motor. Those can be problematic. The 7.3 is pretty much bullet proof.

The Excursion is a great tow vehicle and the V10 versions can be found fairly inexpensively and in usually much better condition and lower mileage than comparable pickup trucks. Pickups are often actually used for work whereas Excursions are often family vehicles so lower mileage and lighter use.

Problem areas on the V10 is the same as the V8 motor of that era - spark plug threads, coils sometimes go out (coil-on-plug) and exhaust manifold bolts sometime break. Other than that, it is the same hardware as the F250 and everything lasts.

I'd look for anything under 150k miles. The lower the better. Preferably with a receipt for spark plugs being changed. :) The motor has plenty of power. Gets reasonable mpg considering the size and weight of the truck and will tow anything you throw at it with ease. Brakes are pretty awesome as well.

I don't see the Suburban as a "much better vehicle". That would be hard to justify or quantify in any way. The 'Burb is a great option too though. You'd have to compare the big block 2500 'Burb to the Ex in order for it to be anything near an apples to apples comparison.

I personally prefer the 2wd versions to the 4x4 versions. Better ride and steering feel.

On the flip side, no way I'd want to DD the Ex. I use it for Home Depot / Lowes runs and towing to the track.

First let me say that I believe in having excess towing capacity and the Excursion has that. However you have taken the E out of the equation if you intend to DD the tow vehicle. I have owned everything in this tow/SUV category and would drive anything before an Excursion on daily basis unless you have special provisions for parking. I I have owned three 'Burbs, two Expeditions and one Excursion. I purchased the Exc just before I turned the last Exp in on its lease; compared to the Exc, the Exp was a miata in daily driving.
I also dont believe that you can find a low mileage Exp that will take to the daily grind and not be a maintenance hog.

HiTempguy wrote:

z31maniac wrote: Anyone else know about this? His mechanic basically said get rid of it ASAP, so he did.

That is definitely not a thing, at least, not with the new 2014's. Also, in the most recent pickuptrucks.com test, the GM twins got best mpg towing or not loaded, but they do leave a little behind in the all out power category. Hell, with how much you want to tow, you could easily get away with the 4.3L v6 model. I want to test one towing my race car/trailer (6500lbs all in). Like yourself, I can't really justify a new truck to ONLY tow with, but the 4,3L would get good enough mpg to be able to daily drive, plus they are super common as crew cab 4x4s. PLUS, if I can tow my current setup with a 93 tbi gm with 200,000 miles on it through the mountains, I can't see why the new 4.3L wouldn't do at least as good a job considering the specs.

Not new ones, his was a 2008 with around 110k miles on the clock.

Conversion Vans can be had for peanuts compared to SUVS and P/U's. Plenty of room, towing power, etc. Shop for a 3/4 heavy duty, look for 8 lug wheels.

Joe Gearin wrote:

yamaha wrote: Also, the only blown up v10's I have seen were due to owners who didn't do ANY maintenence to them.....

Not necessarily the case. A friend of mine had a V10 Ex which blew a couple of spark plugs out of the head at around 110K miles. He meticulously maintains his vehicles and the "X" was no different. This is a well-known flaw with the V10, that happens frequently. That said, besides the plug problem, it was a decent vehicle which towed pretty much anything.

Blowing plugs out isn't a "blown engine".......what you are referring to is that nagging little issue that plagued the entire 2V modular family, which oddly enough manifested itself in "Regularly maintained" ones due to the fact many spark plugs went in and out.

To clarify, yes, the V10 in my friend's truck didn't blow up, it was the spark plug issue. This is not an uncommon problem.

When I claimed the Suburban was a superior vehicle, I should have said a superior driving machine. It was much more pleasant to drive, more comfortable, better handling, better fuel economy, etc. I spent hundreds of miles towing with both machines, and I preferred the Chevy.

It's not really a fair comparison though, as the Suburban was a 1/2 ton, and the Excursion was not. For heavy duty use, the Ford was the better tool, but it doesn't seem like the OP needs that much truck. In his case, I'd pick the Suburban--- hands down.

but this is just like my opinion man...

i love my 04 Suburban 2wd 1/2 ton. I got a good deal on it due to it being a 2wd in the snow belt. It is so nice to drive that I prefer it to my wife's Sienna,and that is high praise as I love the Sienna.