*warning very long boring story*
Just thought it would be fun to hear some stories on why people chose an excursion vs say an F250 or suburban or any other vehicle out there.

little back story
For me i grew up with fords, I lived on a farm for some of my life, my dad worked construction ever since i was born and i worked with him for a period.

that being said im also an apprentice heavy duty mechanic because of those reasons. i love diesels have been around them lots and ive never owned anything other than blue oval!

ive always been around trucks and driven them lots for work purposes, maybe thats why i see trucks as completely un practical for my applications. there are times where i would need a truck for a tall load but its very rare. ive always been a fan of SUVs for looks and application. i have my 2 12" subs in the very back, full bottom tool box, room to fold the seats set up an air mattress and camp when im not prepared with a tent, room to haul dogs inside the vehicle as well as many people!

my last vehicle was a '97 exploder... well over 320,000KM on a beaten up and previously neglected 4.0L V6. it ate one transmission which i thought was just wear but then shortly after replacing it the second one started to slip too and i found out that an insufficient tranny cooler was the cause (first one died after towing logs for firewood second started dying on mountain passes through BC)

I was actually on my way back home to visit family and test drive my current excursion when the tranny overheated and started slipping majorly. i was in the market for a newer larger suv because my explorer wasnt handling -40 (fahrenheit and celsius mean the same thing this cold). it was running horribly, started to develop leaks at front and rear main seals, had a very hard time starting and staying running and didnt have enough room for my toolbox and other gear i always keep in my vehicle.
oh ya and the hood and rear gate kept falling down on my head in the cold but once warm again worked fine!

after test driving the excursion and looking it over i knew it was the vehicle for me, i know this is way more room and size than what i need for just myself and that an expedition would have sufficed but i want room to grow as i plan on keeping this vehicle for a long time, i plan for a family and dogs with a trailer in tow and camping is a necessity for me there is no question.


theres my very long winded story behind the best vehicle ive ever owned heres a beer to anyone brave enough to read all of that!

 

I chose mine because no-one else makes a diesel 4x4 that can carry 9 passengers and tow 12K with a range of 700 miles. I will miss mine, but I can get by with a 6 passenger 1 ton; I think.....

Plus, I love Fords...

One of my favorite vehicles ever. I really miss her some times...

 

I, too, am a ford guy. Third generation, actually. I wanted an Ex soon as they started making them but I could not afford one at first, then later when my wife bought her suv I couldnt convince her to get an Excursion. But I didnt need a new car for several more years (had a Town Car CartierL at the time). So I never got one until 2011. And I have not looked back! Drove 100 miles sight unseen to buy it, and it was cherry. So happy!

Being 6'6" is my other motivation. This Ex fits my body like a glove AND I have a lot of people and stuff to carry. This thing is so big, it continues to amaze me even after 18 months of ownership.

Wanted a diesel originally, but wife wasnt having it. For my situation, the gasser ends up being better for me. Oh well! The v10 is awesome, so thats a great consolation.

well, thats my story.....and Im stickin to it! Btw, great thread!

Karl

 

Archtaan I personally loved your truck before your front end upgrade, just not a fan of the newer style despite your great effort and handiwork. i think the 05 was the best looking front end on any truck ever! it was quite an amazing looking truck you had, i was really jealous! im glad you still hang out with us!

I agree fords make some pretty good trucks, got their flaws as all do but i love them!

ive been bred too much into diesel i couldnt have gone without a diesel, its not for everyone and has its flaws but its exactly what i wanted! noone has made a diesel suv since the old 6.5 suburbans!

I agree even at my height of 5'9 im still so much comfier in the excursion vs my explorer. so much extra leg room you can actually stretch out and not hit your head on the roof!

 

Well ill post my story on how I would up with my current ex. I have a good friend who runs a small used car lot, mainly selling new car trade ins from major dealers in the area. I had a 00 F350 V10 that was very beat. It was previously a railroad truck so it was idled to death and had 2 burned pistons. I went over to my Friends lot to say hello and look at a 97 F250 HD 4x4 ext cab long bed, 7.3 with 100,000 miles on it! After looking at it and driving it I liked it but since his dad owned it since new and it spent most of its time sitting had me a little concerned. My Friend was telling me about an immaculate 1 owner excursion from a very wealthy suburb. He jokingly said its only got 270,000 miles on it so I figured id at least look at it. I got back in my burned up F350 and a few days later I went to check it out. Right away I was amazed at the shape it was in! I popped the hood and it looked like someone spent alot of money on this truck, New turbo, up pipes, radiator, water pump and an oil pan! I drove it home that night and Its been a labor of love and replacing high mileage parts but that comes with the territory. That old F350 got me a 2nd place trophy at the truck demo tho! So there's my pointless story

 

oh man, where to start!

i'll sum it up i guess, raised in a ford family and been crazy about the excursion since it came out. i wanted one so bad when i first laid my eyes on one. i was 10 years old at the time. when the first one came in to the dealer i had my grandpa take it out on a test drive. i fell in love and vowed to own one some day.

i've always been a SUV guy. no reason to have more then one pickup i thought, what a waste of space. so my first truck and my love is my '96 explorer which sadly was totaled last year. anyhow in '09 at the age of 19 i had started a new job and was making ok money..but with no real costs i had no where to spend it. so in a matter of days i decided i would buy a new truck. that ended up being my first excursion a '04 xlt v10 4x4 i absolutely loved that thing and it was a huge accomplishment for me personally. fulfilling a childhood dream whats better then that? that was 2 excursions ago....LOL

i will admit i have a bit of an issue. as of currently i have 4 trucks registered, insured and driven daily. one for every occasion though! explorer, expedition,excursion and the f-250. but i figure do it well i'm young and can afford to do what I want

 

I bought my first one back in 2000 replacing the Suburban I had at the time. At the time I was making 3 or 4 trips to Ontario Canada from Indiana a year, to a family place we have on Lake the Woods. 4 boats up there and I needed the space for hauling my 3 boys and tag alongs each trip and needed the towing ability to get boats in and out of some of the most treacherous boat ramps you will ever use. I was married then, not so much anymore and in 2005 found myself with 2 boys getting ready to learn to drive and was not too excited about teaching them with the Ex (The Tank) as they called it. So I made what is now in my top 5 regrets in life, the decision to trade in my Ex and get a smaller SUV. Wish I had just bought a smaller vehicle and kept it, as it was paid for by that time. Longed everyday to have it back, still went to Canada but what I had (Durango) would have been eaten by the boat ramps up there so I had to make sure one of my (5)brothers vehicles was along to do the heavy pulling.

Well this year 2 of the 3 boys are off to college and I just could not stand it any longer and went on a mission to find me an Ex. Finally tracked one down in Chicago for just over 6K with 77k on the clock. Literally called to make sure it was there, grabbed my wallet, went to the bank and within 20 minutes was on my way to buy it. Had to get a ride back that weekend once one of my boys were home to take me to pick up my Durango which I just left at the dealership in Chicago.

She needed some under body suspension work due to her life in the rust belt but the engine/tranny and body/interior were golden. Sunk about 4k into her and now she is proudly sitting in my garage and every day I walk past her I can't help but smile.

All 5 of my brothers laugh that their sister drives a biggest truck in the family. She is still waiting for new shoes that actually fit her, but it's on the to do list. They borrow mine when they need to do a real job! Love my Ex.

 

Love your truck!

 

At the time the X came out, I had a diesel 4x4 3/4 ton Suburban. I am a Paramedic and had been driving 7.3s since they came out. After 7 injector pumps in the Sub in 122k miles, I fell in love with the Fords. A Chevy man all my life with 2 K5 4x4 Blazers, Vette and a pickup , I ordered the X the day I sold the Sub to the FIL. Waited two weeks as the dealer had one coming in just as I had ordered. Needless to say I am Blue Oval crazy now. A lot of my family are now buying Fords. I've nearly every mile of the 183k on her myself. Bought a new 6.4L F350 4x4 dually a couple of years ago to pull the 5er. I'm sold on Fords after years of denials. Sure each manufacturer has its problems, but I now bleed UGA red & black and Ford blue. There is not another SUV like the X on the planet. It does it all as far as I am concerned. Would love many more years with my X. Excursion that is!

 

2 years ago I finally gave into the family and bought a hybrid camper. We towed it home with our jeep liberty. My dad told me about the excursion one of my formal coworkers was selling.( after buying the hybrid) This guy was very good about taking care of his tools and belongings almost too good if there is such a thing. I was told it had around 90,000 miles on it and he wanted $5000 for it. It is a 2wd but that wasn't the end of the world for me. After all, its lets parts to replace when they go bad. It has 4:30 gears and looked pristine. It needed nothing and passed inspections and emissions with no problems. I agreed to the $5000 handed him the cash and drove away After the first trip with the hybrid,which was a very wet weekend, I decided I didn't like the hybrbid. 2 weeks later I bought the Springdale 303 in my sig. They compliment each other nicely. I did have to rebuild the trans after backing up my driveway the first time with the Springdale I Should have been proactive and installed the 6.0 cooler first. I also replaced some other parts in my sig that didn't need to be done but since it did have almost 100k on her I thought she deserved to be pampered a little. (Too bad my wife wanted the same thing) I now have around $10,000 into her with no regrets. She is great for towing and taking the family on long trips. If the engine ever went up, I would probably put a new one in rather than buy a new truck. The only thing that would make me buy a new truck is if we decide to go with a 5th wheel down the road. To me the excursion is the perfect family towing vehicle that can never replaced or compared to.

 

We wanted a travel trailer back in '09. None of our vehicles could tow a trailer with the amenities we wanted. We absolutely wanted an SUV for the room. I have been a Toyota fan, but the largest SUV they make (Sequoia and Land Cruiser) still could not tow the weight we wanted.

The next choices were Excursion and Suburban. Friends have told me Ford makes the best trucks, so it was the Excursion. That's how I end up with one.

 

Always been a ford guy...When my buddy's dad was selling his X for $1000 (blown transmission) i couldn't help myself, right to the bank, then to the shop to pick up my new toy...$2500 later for a rebuild and i have myself a beautiful Ford Excursion 4x4 with a 7.3 in it...a little high mileage but its a diesel...it'll keep pushing as long as i keep up on the maintenance

 

I needed something that could tow our camper, my 5.4 expedition with 280k on the original motor wasn't doing it any more. It did ok when it had 108k on it but once we hit 220ish it just wouldn't do it any more. Went from 8-9mpg towing to 6 with the foot to the floor barely holding 55. Trailer weight only fluctuated a few 100 pounds depending on what we were doing.

A truck would've been fine but I don't need a truck as much as I need seats to drag boy scouts around. So the ex is the winner :>

 

Russ I love how you have the Ford "family" with the explorer expedition excursion brothers and the close cousin F250! Ready for any situation. I agree owning one truck for the random occasions when I need to haul something large in the bed is useful but not full time. I have much more use for the interior and despite what truck owners say of not having tools in an SUV I found a way around that!

 

I know i can't be the only one that;

Doesn't tow
Doesn't have a huge family to carry around
Doesn't need it for winter driving etc.

But just want it because its the best SUV ever ! wanted one since 02 when my dad bought his 2001.