I love my 2010 2wd Expy for the functionality. No sweat packing in my family of 5 and way too much luggage for long roadtrips and, has handled light off roading perfectly. I told someone I had 82K miles on it and they said oh, you've only just broken it in. Not to mention repairs are cheap and easy.

I am actually working on a project to lift mine 8 inches and have come up w a solution for the rear independent suspension. Details to follow

 

Wind noise if a non issue. I run studded winters and the usual road noise when on dry pavement is really not there like you hear on other vehicles.

Only really hear any noise off the studs when the windows are open slightly.

With the right tires it will be ok for light duty off road.

You will enjoy the ride quality.

 

IIRC, there were some transmission issues when the new 6 speed first came out so I recommend 2009+ models.

Shortly after I got my 09, I hit a deer. While we waited for it to get fixed, I was in a 2011 Chevy Suburban for 2 weeks. While the Chevy is a good looking SUV, there is no comparison between the two vehicles IMHO.

The third row of the Suburban was a PITA. We had to take it out and I almost got a hernia trying to put it back in. Those are basically jump seats and there is no room for your legs/feet. Kids only.

The Expy third row is fully functional and roomy enough for adults. There is room for your feet back there. And both the second and third rows fold perfectly flat for cargo.

BTW, be sure to get the EL model if you want to be able to haul 4 X 8 foot sheets of materials such as plywood.

We live on a big hill and I can tell you there was HUGE difference in the drivetrain performance as well. The Chevy would lug down and didn't know how to shift going up the hill. In comparison, the Expy is silky smooth, doesn't miss a beat, and even offers engine braking on the way down.

Finally, we had a flat tire and the Suburban was such a PITA to deal with I had to call for help. The Expy is a bit easier in that regard.

Hope that helps!

 

I just bought a 2008 Expedition XLT SSV. It may be just what you want. It has no third seat at all, a rubber floor mat instead of carpet, no body cladding or running boards, not even a console. It still has power windows and locks, cruise, front and rear A/C, CD player and aux jack.


Most people want all the goodies so SSVs don't sell well. That works in your favor: I bought it for 9200. plus tax.

 

Sounds like a police model. If you can find one that hasn't been driven into the ground, it could be a good value.

 

It was originally owned by the state of Wyoming. Looking at the condition of the driver's seat (excellent) and the absence of any holes for light controls/radio/console it really doesn't look like it was in any kind of patrol service and hasn't been beat on. The skid plates underneath are all undented.

 

... and made my wife VERY happy. It was a late birthday gift and I'll see if I can get away with making it stretch through anniversary and Christmas, too!

We bought a Tuxedo Black 2010 KR EL 4x4 with captain's chairs for the middle row of seats and tons of other bells and whistles that had been running around Lubbock, TX since it was new. It had 106K miles on it and now it's got a couple thousand more. The main thing we were amazed about was that the driver's seat's leather was in such good condition. It's tough to find a KR that still has decent leather for under $27 - $28K or better.

This SUV feels solid and the ride is truly great! Coming back on I20 the fuel mileage topped out at 19.8 doing 75 until we got off on the small country roads then it settled down to a little over 17. My dear wife ... however ... gets around 14 or so for her city/highway driving so thank you God for the price of oil coming down! The 20" tires are not what I wanted as I hoped to be off road sometimes at the ranch with this in a have-to situation and I have more faith in 18's with a good sidewall then.

Now for the bad part - it's in the shop! A week or so ago my wife opened the moon roof, didn't hear anything in particular that would indicate a malfunction but now the danged thing won't shut - and we worked the living daylights out of it when we were looking it over in Dallas! As a rancher we pray for rain all the time - and have been blessed big time this year - but now we can't take it out in the rain let alone a car wash. If you've heard others talk or ask about the moon roof problems you know they're MUY espencivo! Figure around $1800 for a factory replacement - even from a good non-dealer mechanic like we have. There is as repair kit that was recommended by a FTE user on another thread put out by www.sunroofdoctor.com for $119 but, no matter what, the entire head liner has to come out to work on this window. I'm going to see if our mechanic will use this rather than the whole sunroof housing that FordParts.com lists for $1025.00. If this turns out to be nothing more than a liveoak acorn stuck in the track I'm going to be ticked off big time.

Next thing we have the mechanic checking is the transmission. Carfax said it was checked and serviced at 93K miles due to a leak and once more perhaps 5,000 miles later. At least they got the fluid changed in it when they did. According to our mechanic he says the fluid is supposed to be a lifetime fluid but it's burned up at around 75k miles. There was a leak that looked like it was coming from around the tranny pan when we got it and, while the dealer and I were looking for a dip stick - surprise! - there ain't one any more on these high end 6 speeds. The mechanic did say there should be a couple of bolts or allen head plugs on the side of the transmission to check the fluid level, though. What he reported to me was that there was some kind of pipe or tube on the back side of the transmission that was needing replacement and was fairly inexpensive but hard to get to. Repair price was going to be $400 or so, mostly labor.

Aside from that he's also looking at the A/C fan. It has a problem staying on due to either a loose power connection tine in the fan unit or the plug itself. Moving the power connection usually keeps it going until you hit another bump just right.

Power on these is not spectacular but it's very adequate. Passing was no problem on the highway but it wasn't loaded down with a lot. Going from a Jeep Commader to this is like dying and going to Heaven but we'll see how the next 100K miles treat us.

 

Congrats on the purchase and good luck figuring out those gremlins out. I used my SCT tuner and had 5 Star Tuning write me a tune for mine. It helped the sluggishness...