I need a little wisdom here. I am looking at a 2004 Excursion 4x4 with the 6.0l Diesel. It has a lift with 35inch tires on it that I will look to pull off to go back to stock. The rig has 98,000 miles on it, and I can pick it up for $11,000. Being a government vehicle it has cloth front seats and vinyl or pleather rear seats along with the rubber like floor mat. The guy has put in a CD player and two head rest DVD players.

Does anyone have experience with the former government vehicles? Is the price okay? Other thoughts?

Thanks guys.

 

Got my '04 fleet vehicle with the V10 4X4 and 154K for $7K last year. If you have all the govt. service records, I'd consider it.

FYI, I love the rubber floor mats, no worries of the kids messing things up. If it is a gray interior, those parts are much harder to find since most are the tan Eddie Bauer models.

Maybe the diesely guys can chime in on the 6.0 and govt. maintainance.

 

I once bought a US Gov't '87 F350 crew-cab SRW having only 42K miles (USN surplus with no service records). Paid $5K, and sold it a few years and 150K miles later for $3,500.

 

Here's the thing soldiers drive those cars like they stole them. They are hard on them, but they do get serviced properly. As an Army Veteran, I can tell you that the vehicles in our motor pools are serviced daily. all systems are checked and maintained by qualified mechanics and service men and woman. However, they get the tar drove out of them....even if its low miles you can bet that's some hard miles.

 

X2, plus some...we TRIED to break our HMMWV's...wasn't able to, but "hard" miles for SURE!

 

heheheh i van vouch for the hard miles .... 3 things i did to my gov
1-- yes i got the Humvee airborne that pig flew..
2nd yes i took a 2007 Colorado (s10) and well it needed new tires after 5000 miles i love a-mark ( the bone yard in tucson az)
3 yes i jumped , raced a f 15-e, and needed new tires on my ram 350 diesel in the first 6000 miles .. and i even towed 6 tons on the both the ram and the Colorado heheheh almost ripped the bumper of that little 1/4 ton .. but it had to be done the mission must move forward that was my moto

yet serviced every month

 

Doesn't sound bad but I never did any research on the 6.0, I got mine two months ago, "police packaged" is what Ford paperwork showed, but cloth seats front, middle vinyl, no rear, an vinyl floors, is a 7.3 had 75,000 miles and I got it for $11,000 also, but yes they are rough on them, I had to buy tires, a hub, and the cosmetic stuff, busted cup holders in dash, broken head light, a console for between the seats, nothing major.

So price is probably ok, good luck.

 

Long Post... sorry.

Non-military, civilian government agencies typically maintain and service their vehicles to whatever the manufacturer recommends. The records for services and repairs are maintained and tracked on a government form. I doubt, however, these records are sent along with the vehicle once it is sold at auction. Civilian government agencies generally do not abuse the vehicles assigned to them. Most offices fortunate enough to have vehicles provided at government expense know that new cars coming into their inventory is not a common occurrence, so taking care of the ones out in the parking lot is rather important. Most supervisors are consciously watchful over the vehicles in their fleet. Fuel purchases along with maintenance and repair costs are reviewed and approved monthly by the boss.

An Excursion built in an XL type trim line, (vinyl seats and rubber floors), probably did not come out of the Secret Service. The government agency which owned the vehicle, if it was purchased new, might be discerned by the vehicle’s color. Is it forest service green? I noticed the national park service at Mount Rainier, WA driving a white one this summer. It may have been seized by the government, (doubtful), and pressed into service. Without speaking to the government office where the vehicle was stationed, there is no sure way to know how a vehicle was utilized; however, I suspect an Excursion would be used to move employees and moderate amounts of equipment around a park, city, or region. It may have split that duty with a supervisor driving it home to work. I doubt it ever did much trailer pulling while in government service. There may be a slight chance of tracking the vehicle to the government office which sold it through the VIN number. I googled the VIN of a dark blue F-350 crew cab which was for sale by a Massachusetts auto dealer, and found a link to the Government Services Administration’s (GSA) auction which indicated the US Air Force had auctioned the vehicle in Anchorage, AL. Crew cabs are heavily used by the military police. Even though this F-350 was a ten year old 7.3l diesel, it only had 27,500 miles on the odometer. I would, however, be willing to bet, it served many, many, many hours of idling with the heater going on some flight line in Alaska, keeping its occupants warm.

As far as the vehicle you are looking at, who installed the lift? I doubt the government did that. I’d be more concerned if the installation was done properly. Look it over in a detailed manner just as any used car purchase. Have a trusted certified mechanic look it over, too. Government auctions can be a source of great deals. Several years ago, I worked with a man who bought a used, plain jane, police special Harley Davidson motorcycle auctioned by the Houston, TX police department. It was a bit lacking in the chrome and luster department, however, once it was in my friend’s garage, he added a few shiny chrome parts and leather saddle bags; it looked and drove great.

 

I'd be more concerned with the 6.0 period! LOL

As was mentioned the gray interior will be a bit harder to find parts for. I wouldnt sweat the purchase. If a diesel is what you want, then go for it, if the price is right. If its mechanically sound and the second owner hasnt beat on it too hard with the lift kit and big tires.

Sorry for the wise crack. My opinion of diesels comes from having owned 7 Diesel pickups and SUVs through the years. I've paid my dues.