Well after 4 months of looking, I have found the Excursion we are buying A buddy bought a new truck and offered it to me before he listed it else where.
I am flying out Friday afternoon to California and buying it and driving it back.

It is a 2000 4x4 Limited with the 7.3, it has 173k miles on it, it has a few problems but nothing I can't deal with for the price.
It has been maintained pretty well, he just put 1k in the front end and new tires all the way around less then 1000 miles ago. It had been serviced every 3-5k miles. It has a clean title but carfax shows that it was in an accident within its first year. It was rear-ended but repaired and that was almost 150k miles ago.
I can't say I am not freaking out just a little bit about spending 190 bucks on a plane ticket and flying out there without looking at it first. I do know the guy personally, so it has put me at ease just a tad. He called me today to let me know that he was at the dealer right then getting it serviced.

I am going to check it over for all the obvious things like blow by and see how the trans fluid is. I am wondering about this airbox/ air filter set up. Anyone know what brand it is. I was thinking S&B but usually it has that engraved on the lid of the ones i have seen.

He said the drivers seat leather is cracked in the middle of the seat back, which for a 12 year old seat is not unheard of.

I think I am doing ok on the price too... he only wants 7500 for it. I figure for that price if I end up putting a trans or having to do some minor stuff to it I still have plenty of room, considering my brother in law just bought one last year for just over 14k and it was a salvage title also. After owning a black vehicle in Arizona, I was not looking for another one, but heck for this price, I think we can deal with it.

My wife is way past excited about this, I think the kicker for her was when we tried towing 2 quads on a small trailer of to her parents last summer and her GMC Envoy only got 10 miles down the highway, and was only getting 10 mpg and running really hot... I know that sealed the deal for me. I started looking then, but lost interest since I had just made the last payment on it less then 2 months prior, and was not looking forward to a new payment.

we should be able to buy the Excursion and sell the Envoy for almost enough that we can pay CASH for it and then put the money back into savings.... minus the cost of putting exhaust, gauges and a chip on it

Looks like I am going to have to update the signature soon

 

Landing one of those with a known history is a real catch!

Sink some appropriate initial fix-up bucks into it and have a next-to-new EX.

You can't get a finer family tow vehicle!

Pop

 

Where bouts in CA are you getting it from?

 

You know I had to look at where you were at, I was thinking of having you run by and look at it. Then I realized you were like 2 hours away from there.

It was purchased by the current owner in Az, then he moved to Calif last year. I am flying in to John Wayne and picking it up in Dana Point.
He is so **** about his vehicles. I asked him if it leaked oil and he said, " on my driveway? not a chance i would put up with that!"

So any ideas on who makes the air box/ intake?

I have heard of others getting new seat covers.. where is a good place to look? I have a shop that could redo the drivers seat.

 

We have some So Cal members down there. Pop into the So Cal section and see if you can grab one if you want.

The filter looks like an S&B to me.

 

Good buy I was in Temecula last week picking mine up

 

Sounds like a great deal. Glad it worked out for you.

 

Nice looking Ex. And thats a good deal.

 

So after driving it 400 miles home I have compiled,
THE LIST: (in no particular order)
1, drivers seat back leather cracked, passenger back seat has split
2, passenger side spring pack, there is a clamp on the back side that has come undone and it lets the spring move a bit when you first start out. (Axle wrap) looks like i get to do ladder bars... or lower it a little. I have a buddy that works at a lift/ spring shop. I will get his opinion.
3, It has an exhaust leak, sounds like the drivers side up pipe, but you only hear it when you are on it pretty hard, like to pass.
4, it has a lock actuator on drivers rear door that doesn't work
5, it has a clunk in the front end , sounds like swaybar endlinks to me. I will know more tomorrow.
6, according to the dealer papers from when he got it serviced yesterday it needs new brake pads soon. The front are at 3mm and the rear at 4mm
7, I have to tighten and adjust the column shifter. It is missing the end cap for the shifter too.
8, the rear barn door plastic drivers side is coming loose, it looks like it just needs new plastic barb fittings. (I might take it apart to see how hard I would be to add a subwoofer to the door, eventually)
9, oh and one light bulb burned out on a running board.


THE GOOD!
The trans works great, has bright red fluid.
It starts easy, doesn't smoke, it is really quiet.
( I want to put exhaust on it, but man it is nice to have it be quiet too.)
I reset the lie-o-meter as it read 11.5 mpg when I got in it.
for the trip out I got 13.6 mpg running 80-85 mph (at least when I could) rush hour traffic in California SUCKS. I can see how it was at 11 if that was all he drove it in.

I think for it being lifted with 35's and being stock with leaking up pipes 13.6mpg is respectable. It easily pulled all the hills coming home at more then the legal limit.... even when you got shut down by a trucker trying to pass.

I still can't believe I flew out there , was 2 blocks from the ocean and didn't stop to dip my toes in it...

 

I cant believe you didnt stop at the beach haha. Yea I look at it this way you see traffic it makes you wanna get on the road. But you know the whole saying stop and smell the roses. Next time you gotta put your feet in the sand. Im glad you had a safe drive home and it sounds like we have alot of the same issues with our rigs that we both bought used mine has alot more miles. Good luck Ill be reading your post on how you fixed them in the future

 

Sorry i didnt catchthis thread sooner. I'm 30min from Dana Point..(over the ortega Hwy in Elsinore). Ya, Dana Point is outstanding, to say the least. Anyway, sounds like you made it home in 1 piece..

 

That price is A STEAL for the truck you got. Even if you had to put in a $5,000 tranny (which it sounds like you don't), $12,500 for an Ex in excellent condition and under 200k miles is a great price. But at $7,500...ha ha...well...you stole it. Plain and simple.

Now make sure you have a great ant-theft system like a Ravelco or LoJack...you don't want that baby heading south of the border on you.

 

It just keeps getting better, It HAS had the transmission replaced. I was under it on the creeper fixing a transmission clip that had come loose on the shifter, while under there I looked over and saw a Magnefine filter, I looked on the side of the trans and there was a Remanufactured Ford tag on the side.
It didn't show up on the Carfax report, but the tag don't lie.

Since I have bought it I have repaired both locks that didn't work, took out the old Xm receiver and moved the brake controller. I replaced the orifice tube, evacuated, and weighed the charge back into it. Works great now.
I ordered a 4inch turbo back Diamond Eye exhaust. It should be here next week.

 

Hey Tailgate ! I knew you could not resist chimin in on this thread!!! LOL! and yes he got one hell of a deal!

Smokie