Looking to purchase 2003 Eddie Bauer Expedition - Question
I am looking to purchase a 2003 4x2 5.4L Eddie Bauer Expedition. Should I be scared of getting one that has over 110k miles on it as long as it is in excellent shape and all of the required maintenance has been done? This car is for my wife and it has got to be reliable as she takes several trips a year from Atlanta to Memphis and to Florida. Plus it is the daily driver for hauling the kids around. What is the life expectancy of the Triton 5.4L engine before a major rebuild needs to be done?
I am new to the forum so thank you in advance for your time and expertise on this subject. Tigers81
IF all the scheduled maintenance has been kept up-to-date, you should get several more years out of it (including the Triton). You may have some typical expected issues like shocks, ball joints, or wheel bearings needing to be replaced.
I got my 03 EB expy 4x4 with the 5.4 in 05. It had just come off lease and i bought it with 33,000 miles on it. In 2 years of owning it i have put on about 14000 miles on it and so far the only problems i have seen are the mirror that tilts on the drivers side is possessed. While move and click around when i hit the keyless entry. Also the COP's, which apparently it doesnt matter what year you have, goes bad. So far i have had 3 replaced under warranty. Once it went bad a week after being replaced.
Other than that i expect to get about another 150-200000 more miles out of it. If you maintain it properly and keep the interior in good shape these trucks will last. The triton for the most part seems to almost be bullet proof so to speak, kinda like the 4.0 liter jeep made for years. They keep going and going and going.......... You get the drift.
i bought my 03 in sept 06 with 69k miles. it has 86xxx now. needed a rear end rebuild(they all do), and i have done all the maintainance. runs like new, and i dont see it dying anythime soon. make sure they repaced the spark plugs already...they tend to blow out after 80k miles...and the repair is very expensive.
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SUPERCHARGED 2003 Expedition Eddie Bauer: 03 harley supercharger, 6lb lower pulley, k&n panel filter, magnaflow catback exhaust. 339 RWHP, 440 RWTQ. lund window visors and bugshield, black headlights, eclipse 5510 head unit, autometer c2 cobalt boost gauge, white face gauges, f150 20" oem rims
I am looking to purchase a 2003 4x2 5.4L Eddie Bauer Expedition. Should I be scared of getting one that has over 110k miles on it as long as it is in excellent shape and all of the required maintenance has been done? This car is for my wife and it has got to be reliable as she takes several trips a year from Atlanta to Memphis and to Florida. Plus it is the daily driver for hauling the kids around. What is the life expectancy of the Triton 5.4L engine before a major rebuild needs to be done?
I am new to the forum so thank you in advance for your time and expertise on this subject. Tigers81
Mine has been reliable but definately not economical as a family hauler. If she takes several trips as mentioned the MPG is 16 at best. If you need cargo room and seating maybe a Freestar would be a better vehicle (it's also 5 star safe).
on it for $18K. Service records revealed the original owner had the rear end changed 2 times under warranty so there is definitely something up with that on an Expy. Everything else was in pristine condition on it.
Now I have 50k miles with some rear AC issues. And there are plenty of other things to go wrong with an Expy over time. In fact I will sell mine well before it hits 60k, and upgrade to an 04 with low miles. There are plenty to choose from in todays market.
However, buying any vehicle with 110k miles requires a lot of real, real close evaluation. Personally, I would be very, very skepticle about allowing your wife and family to rely on it with out it.
To be brief, pay a good mechanic to examine it completely.
Honestly I would look further and find something with half that mileage on it.
IMO too many miles. Unless you are getting it for $2-3K under blue book. I am not saying it won't last, but in my experience the tranny alone could run you that if it decides to go. That would be the weakest link. The engines when maintained last a long time.
Before i got the XLT i have now...i looked at 2 EB's both with 90k+ miles.
both were priced too high for what i wanted to spend.
I decided id rather justu get a plain XLT and do what i want to it. Knowing as many people as i do i can easily get the INT redone and the cool little perks with less of a hassle
I bought an 03 EB a little over 15 months ago. It had just over 48K (77K KM) on it and it's now up to 70K (112K KM). Other than the possessed passenger side mirror (which I consider a minor nuisance) its been problem free. A little thirsty, but I knew that going in.
I own a 2003 E.B that I ordered brand new, and it has been a GREAT SUV. I have over 72K miles on it and have had very little trouble. Since I put the Bassani exhaust on and the air filter I have been getting around 24 mpg on the highway @ 1900 rpm (69 mph) on cruise. Good luck on your purchase.
"Good luck" is right - not sound advice at all in my opinion. If you know the previous owner and their driving/service habits thats one thing. If not, then it's 110,000 unknown miles of who knows what type of ownership it has been through.
Look, there are a jillion Expeditions out there for sale - take your time, be picky and find a lower mileage one. Make it like a business decision. Especially if you are going to send your wife and kids out in it for long trips as you described without you.
You can discount all of what I tell you here if you are one of the guys that is totally self sufficient under the hood and can fix anything and likes doing so - but if you were you would probably not have been asking these questions.
I just did a quick search on autotrader.com and it identified 17 2003 EB Expys with less than 60K miles within 100 miles of where I am sitting in Houston. Not sure where you are but look further.
Last edited by jwood : 06-29-2007 at 03:54 PM.
Reason: More Info
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