In May, we bought a 2008 Expedition EL Eddie Bauer for my wife to drive. We like the vehicle, but it was our 2nd choice. What we wanted was a low mile '03-'05 Excursion V10 or PSD, preferrably in black, 4x4, with DVD.

Well, we found one. It is half the price we paid for our EL, and in excellent shape with only 60K miles. It is a 2003 Limited. Everything we were looking for, and it is just a mile or two down the street for sale from a private owner.

Anyway, we are considering selling the EL to get it. Would you do it? The EL is a super nice vehicle and has way more options than the Excursion.

Your input? I am just trying to get this through my head to see if it is worth it.

 

What other options does the EL have the Excursion doesnt? Power Fold down Rear Seat, rear SRS (airbags) and navigation would be pretty much, wouldnt it? I vote for the Excursion, but if they would have put the V10 or 6.4 into the EL, I think my decision would be swayed more toward the other side, but these Excursion trucks are a beauty, though.

 

Heated seats, A/C seats, satellite radio, rear airbags, power fold seat, rear foldable luggage thing (super handy). I will have to take a better look at the Ex to see what it has and how it compares.

The other thing is gas mileage. We really dont let that affect our decision too much, since it is a necessity for us to drive such a big vehicle (4 kids). However, the Expy gets 20 on the highway and 14 in town. The Ex wont get anywhere near that. However, we can buy alot of gas with the difference in price between these two rigs.

 

Yeah, the ac in the seats we dont have, if your looking for a Limited or an Eddie Bauer, it will have the heated seats.If you plan to tow anything then either some radius rods or a RAS will probably be in your future or even air bags. As for Sat Radio, you can add that as I did. Rear Foldable luggage thing.... I dont know what that is? But with an Excursion, there is no need for extra luggage storage.

As for MPG, its not that bad actually, I know there are guys that are getting about 16 or more mpg on diesel in the city, me personally i only get 13.6 but I am heavy footed and have 18's with bigger tires. But the mileage is comparable to what you get in the Expedition it seems like, unless you go for the V10.

As you can see I am really Bias, only becuase when I first bought my Ex, I was in the market for an Expedition EL, but I test drove the Excursion and fell in love. It really is a big *** truck that makes you feel really safe, I didnt feel that in the 2009 EL i test drove. I just felt kinda cramped. Good luck on what you decide however, I am sure a lot more guys will give their inputs and thoughts.

 

the thing you need to remember is the Ex is built on a 3/4 ton chassis but the Expy is a 1/2 ton chassis... you will be in the ball park mpg wise on a diesel I average 15 to 16 in town and highway combined solid axles front and rear on 4x4. I ll let the gasser folks comment on v10 the extra weight of the diesel really makes a good tow rig too. over time the Ex is gonna hold its resale value better esp if its a diesel

 

I had an 07 Expy (non EL) which I just turned in on the lease end. It was an absolutely fantastic vehicle to own and drive. Never went to the shop, got great mileage, rode great - 6spd auto was fantastic and I loved the AC seats and the fold down rear seats. It was my 3rd Expy and I loved them all - we put a LOT of miles on them and just had fantastic luck with them. My wife misses the electric rear door...

My needs have changed though - I was tired of a car payment and I needed something which could tow more than 10k pounds. I got my Excursion in June and have absolutely loved it ever since. It does ride a bit different - I wont say harsher due to the softer springs/shocks and partly due to the longer wheelbase - but it's not "car-like" which I had gotten used to with the Expy. The steering is not as precise but I knew that going in - had a bit of wander which I've partially cured with new tires and will be getting a new steering stabilizer soon to most likely resolve the rest. It does lack a few creature comforts but I honestly don't miss them - except for the sunroof. I don't miss my Expy and am loving the Excursion more every time I drive it. I don't think you'll regret it.

 

I have the exact X your looking at and love it. Have had it for 3 months now and wouldnt think about getting rid of it. Fits my four kids, plenty of room for luggage and can tow anything we'll ever have to. As for gas mpg I have the V10 and get around 12 in town and a little better highway, but I have a lead foot. Dont think you'll go wrong with the X. Good luck with your decision.

 

I think the deciding factor would be; could you sell you EL in this market? Will you lose your shirt?

The EL has a far superior interior to the Excursion especially when safety is concerned. The Excursion interior is hobbled together with old stuff from the ole Ford parts bin.

The third seat is vastly superior in the EL. Having headrests so your kids heads don't snap off in a rear end collision is a big plus to me. (But I installed third row headrests in my Excursion)

If you will never use the additional capability of the Excursion, ie towing or off-roading where the benefits of solid axles come into play, then your EL will do everything on the road better than the Excursion...although you may be able to stuff a bit more behind the third row.

Do you use your SD to tow your bunkhouse or the EL?

 

I use the Superduty to tow my trailer, since the trailer is a 5th wheel. The only thing I would tow with the El is my jeep on a trailer every once in a blue moon. However, those trips may be long and over lots of hills (military PCS moves). If we get the Ex, then it might be asked to tow a bit more in a couple years when we retire and get horses.

The headrests in the 3rd row is a big deal to me.

We paid about 8k less than book value for the EL. I think I could sell it and make a profit off the purchase price. I have not found a similar rig for sale around here for less than 35K. We paid 27K for ours. That is less than book value and less than the market currently is showing for an EL.

Other than the looks, the price, and the fact that we have just always wanted one, the Ex has nothing on the EL. The EL is a nicer rig all around, except that it does not sit as high and will not tow as much.

 

Oh yeah, the EL has found its way offroad a couple of times. I actually had the rear driver side tire off the ground climbing a rocky incline to get to a nice scenic campsite in a local state forest. It did well, but I did wish for live axles a couple of times that I heard something hit the skid plates.

 

Monsta, how did you add the headrests to the rear seats?

 

Just gonna throw this out there. I have a fire extinguisher with me, so flames stay away!

My friend tows horses, as far as I know anywhere from 1-3 at a time and tows more once in a while I think. She got a V10 and didn't like that power it had with the gears it had, and moved up to a larger truck. The truck she moved to has a cummins in it, so you might want to stick it out, and in a few years when you retire, get a diesel.

 

There are quite a few guys with Excursions that tow their horse trailers and have no problems. I think a majority are diesel 4x4's but either the 2WD or 4WD can tow with no problem. I just dont care for the dodge truck design and they dont utilize a 3/4 ton frame for any SUV type vehicle.

 

OK, the Ex is still there.

2003 Limited, V10, 64K miles, Black, new rear brakes, interior and exterior in really good condition (not quite showroom shape, but close). I have had trouble scheduling a test drive, since the owner and I both have hectic schedules. However, I have noticed that the front hubs are frozen (cant turn them by hand). The owner also mentioned that he did not rotate the tires for 50K miles. I hope that is not an indication of how he maintained the rig. New brakes, too.

Asking price is $15,500. I am considering offering $14,500 if I can get my EL sold this weekend.

Any more input? The EL is such a nice ride, but we just cant get the urge to own an EX out of our heads. The difference in payments and insurance will be almost $230/month, and we will be in debt less time. I think that is a big deal. Our EL only has 10K less miles than the EX, too.

 

Does the current owner have any maintenance records? Not rotating the tires for 50k miles may mean he left other things off the 'to do' list as well. If he is a DIY type then he may have left off the rotation since the wheel/tire combo is pretty heavy and you need to have multiple jacks or jack stands to do it. The hubs being frozen is a fairly common thing and there are instructions on here to clean them and get them working again. Seems like a pretty good deal price wise compared to what I was able to find.