Hey guys im looking at getting either an excursion or suburban in the 2000-2004 range with 160-200k miles. both are about the same price so its a matter of preference. I know yall are biased obviously, but what are some pros and cons of both compared to the other?
I would be getting gas for sure, ideally the V10 if i got an ex.

 

Biggest Suburban con is that it's a GM product.

 

i looked at both a few months back. the biggest thing i can tell you is a suburban is a car and the excurion is a truck. alot more room in the Ex, tow power and manliness. Also the Excusions seem to be made better.

 

two totally different trucks..for different applications.

excursion has more room, better laid out interior IMO, more HD parts such as a solid front axle and diesel as options.

suburban much more car like, less space, IFS, drives like a lay-z-boy..everything is mushy!

the suburban is much like any chevy truck...very car like.

 

+1 agree 100%

 

the thing that gets me is they are like driving a couch. the steering is vauge and overly easy to turn. ride and brake pedal are as mushy as jello out in the sun all day. i dont get how people like that. other then soccer moms.

 

I have owned a 1994 454 2500 burb, and my brother owns a 2001 8.1 2500 burb. I own 2 2000 V10 excursions and a 2005 PSD Excursion.
The weakness of the Burb is also why many like the Burb better. Stock Burbs ride much smoother than Stock Excursions. But the independent suspension is a weak point. The 2000 and up burbs also suffer from fuel pump failures at this age. the 8.1 suffers from oil consumption, and can have longevity issues.
The Excursions suffer from weak springs and require a spring swap to correct. The 6.8 V 10 is strong and long lived, but does occasionally suffer from the spark plug issue. As well as cracked exhaust manifolds, and or broken exhaust studs. But the 6.8 has been known to go 200,000 miles and then some with normal maintenance. The Ex wil definitely "feel"bigger, and drive Bigger. But that is why many of us prefer the Ex over burbs.

Hope that this helps you make a decision.

Garry

 

I have a 97 burb 1500 2wd with the 5.7 in it. Like everyone said it rides like a car, very soft and plush for an SUV. It was my wife's daily driver til she got excursion fever. And we just thought the burb had room. All the seating feels cramped now, even the drivers seat. The storage in the back is just a tad smaller but if you lay down the 3rd row seat there's is no comparison. I ask my wife if she misses driving it and I get a firm no. We all feel safer in the ex.

 

I'm with the others. Deff get an excursion.

Ive never owned or really driven a burb, but ive been in friends. The only thing I do like about the older ones is for some reason the seats do look comfy to relax in lol. It does look like more of a lazyboy type of interior.

 

For me it was no coin toss. I've had all the major brand of vehicles. GM vehicles have let me down, and they just aren't as reliable as I have had the good luck with Fords, going back to a 61 Econoline with a 144 six and 3 on the tree. They seem to run for ever.

It's the room on the Excursion that sold me. Did I need it? NO, I have a Jeep Commander, which my wife drives, room for 7, if they are svelt and short of stature for the back seat, right now the two grand daughters fit there well. The Excursion will fit 8 adults... But I did need something to drive in the rain, because I was getting tired of getting soaked on my Harley.

Towing capacity, the Excursion is built on a heavy duty chassis, the 'burb may have a frame, but it's like a current half ton. Even the ones listed as a 3/4 ton aren't as strongly built as the Ford! GM did offer a 502 back then on the 3/4 ton, but it didn't have the horses or torque of the V10, nor was it as smooth an engine. PLUS, that engine weighs 150 to 200 lbs more than the V10.

I may be biased, but my nearly 50 years behind the wheel have left me with some very vivid memories of what has worked for me and what has not. It's your call! Don't say we didn't warn you!

 

Own a 2000 Ex V10 and drove a 2010 Burb to Canada with my brother two months ago, yes it drives smoother than mine, but IMO very uncomfortable, lacking power and generally cheap feeling interior. Biggest issue with the Burb was power, it couldn't get out of it's own way and could almost hear it screaming for mercy trying to get our boats up a fairly steep ramp.

If you want a car and the space of maybe a "big car" and don't care about power and towing get a burb.

If you want a truck and space that can not be beat and the ability to get out of your own way and well anyone else's, then get an Ex.

 

Think back to the old station wagon days.
Suburban is a bigger station wagon, still a car.
Excursion is a truck with enclosed rear bed.
I drove a tahoe for 14 years, the ex is my first truck.

 

I agree, even their trucks are the same, slushy slop boxes floating down the road.

 

Don't go government motors.
There is a reason why GM needed BIG handouts and Ford did not.

 

Likewise there is a reason why the Suburban is still being made to this day and the Excursion is not. Might have something to do with the fact that they only sold something like 16,000 Excursions in the last model year.

The Excursion is much more of a niche vehicle that is only the best choice for people who want an 8-passenger vehicle with the capabilities of an HD truck. There's nothing else like it on the road, and that's because most people who want an 8-passenger SUV don't want to make the fuel economy or ride and handling sacrifices to own one this capable.

I don't own any of my vehicles to impress anyone else, and if I needed the interior space and the towing capability of a half ton truck I would likely own a Suburban. My Excursion rides as bad as my last F350 and doesn't handle any better, and I've never seen over 14 MPGs on the highway. No regrets whatsoever, it's the correct tool for my situation. But I sacrifice much for the capability.