I am not sure why I am posting this as I ultimately have to make the decision, but I value opinions of you on this board so here goes. Sorry if I am wasting your time.
My family -myself, wife, and two kids (one 4 and one 11) are taking a vacation this summer to Daytona from WV. I recently sold my 01 Excursion to a coworker and as part of the deal, took his 03 Expedition on trade. It is now my wifes daily driver and I went and bought a new 2012 F150 crew in February. It has the 5.0 and luxury package. It gets amazing fuel economy as we recently took a mini trip and I averaged over 20 mpg for most of the trip. It has 4,000 miles on it now.
The Expy is an 03 XLT 4X4 with the 5.4 and has 167,000 miles. The coworker I got it from bought it when it had 20,000 and he did well with maintenance. It runs great and is comfortable. I recently upgraded the brakes to drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads all around but thats all I have done to it. We have put 4,000 miles on it since we have had it. The bad? the passenger side head gasket is leaking oil bad anough to leave drips all over my driveway and you can smell it when sitting in traffic. I have added 1 1/2 quarts since I got it. It is an annoyance more than anything. I have considered having it fixed but hate to put that kind of $$$ into an annoyance. The other issue is it has 167,000 miles. Original hoses, coils, etc. Like I said, it is only a daily driver and I am trying to only put what money I need to to keep it running and safe. If we took it I would replace the tires before the trip, otherwise they could go through the summer.
The truck has a trifold tonneau for keeping luggage dry. The pro I have in the Expys favor is the rear seats recline and the cloth seems better suited for comfort than the leather in the truck. If I had no kids, I would not even question which one I would take. They do not complain as is but I cant help but see that I have a full size SUV staying home while I load up the family for a couple thousand mile road trip in a truck. We have vacationed in trucks before so I knew this going into the truck purchase. There is a ton of room in the new F150's though. I almost had the wife convinced to go and buy a used Expy with lower miles as she has suprisingly enjoyed driving it. But, she doesnt want to take on a second vehicle payment. I hate to put big money into such a high mileage vehicle-especially one that would require cylinder head removal. With that kind of miles I would almost be ahead to just stick a reman long block in there. But it runs so good I hate to mess with it.
So there you have it. My dilemma. Do any of you have any enlightening advice for me?

 

You wrote up a pretty nice description of your situation, but you didn't really list specifically what you're asking us.

 

Give the kids the room and take the Expy. Kinda strange to have a head gasket just leak oil and not blow like most.
Not a bad idea to change at least the top coolant hose, although they are made today to not burst like in the past.
Keep an eye on your fluid levels and dash gauges and enjoy your trip.

 

Sorry. The dilemma is which vehicle should I take.

 

And it definitely does blow oil when driving. Tranny is soaked as well as crossmember. I get drips all over the place. The muffler and crossover pipe are stained from the oil. It doesnt pour, there is just always a fresh sheen on the undercarriage. Alot drips out from the inspection cover on tranny.
I know I will have to deal with it eventually.

 

Well seeing as how your whole dilemma surrounds the comfort of your children, why not just ask them which vehicle they prefer.

 

I wouldn't take a vehicle with those kinds of problems on a long road trip with the family. Too much potential to end up at the mercy of some local towing service and their mechanic friend out in the middle of nowhere. Few things cast a pall on a holiday like being stranded and a huge repair bill.

 

I'd take the truck, no question about it.

 

Thanks guys. It is likely going to be the truck. If I have to, Ill plan a few extra stops.
I needed some reassurance from you guys. I do appreciate it.

 

wouldn't be a dilemma to me. Take the 2012 SCREW and leave the 167,000 Expedition home. We used to travel in 1989 F250 Supercab 7.3l diesel with 3 kids all over the country with no issues, no reclining seats! We didn't have a tonneau, so the luggage went in Hefty bags if we hit rain.

 

Better yet, take the truck and have the Expy worked on while you're gone. That way it's not out of commission when your wife needs it.

 

If you have the money, I also cast my vote for this too!

 

Thanks guys. On vacation now in the Screw. Kids were just fine. Ended up getting 20mpg average with the 5.0. Need to address the oil leak soon though. The cats are stained and dripping with oil. Put it on a lift a few weeks ago to confirm the source. Def head gasket.

 

Just a quick update. Glad I took the truck! Needed the room Traveled with friends and they were in a Yukon. While in myrtle we found out about the bad storms in WV and that we would have trouble getting home due to gas shortages. Anyway, my buddy ended up buying a generator in Myrtle and I had to haul his third row and other stuff back. We left around 5PM and got home around 1AM. The screw has a 36 gallon tank and averaged 22.9 mpg on the flat and ended up at 20.6 when I pulled in the driveway. We both fueled up in Winston Salem as it was the last known place for finding gasoline. Btw, when we filled up, mine took 11gallons and his took 14. Got home to no power and not expecting it until Thursday. I am fortunate as my house was not damaged and I have a generator. It was an omen. Weather affected the beginning and end of the trip. Was supposed to be in Florida but detoured mid route due to the tropical storm. In WV we had 76mph winds at the end.

 

Wow, sounds like they got hit very bad down south. We are heading to Myrtle Beach later this week from the northeast. Should I worry about getting gas on the way?