Good afternoon, new member here.

So I'm considering one of the first generation Expeditions as a new daily vehicle. I did some looking and they can be had for fairly cheap with between 100 and 120K miles.

As long as its been well maintained, and doesn't have any major rust, would there be any concerns with buying one of these with those miles and trusting it as a daily/family vehicle?

I know of the potential for the engine to spit the plugs (parents have a 01 E350 with the 2v V10) but what else is there to worry about on the 5.4 with those miles? Any transmission/transfer case/axle concerns?

Good thing is my father-in-law is a Ford master mechanic who has been doing it for 20 some odd years, so anything major does occur that's beyond me, I have someone with the know how to guide me!

 

Ok guess I'll just be doing a lot of reading!

 

First gens are very reliable, they have a strong transmission and good engines. I bought my 02 because of this reason. The 00-03 have the dohc and that engine doesn't have the spark plug blow out issue, plus it has a lot more power. The only weak spot I have heard about the engine is the timing chain system wearing out.

The most common problem area is the air suspension giving you trouble. But it can be fixed pretty inexpensively and easily compared to newer models. Or converted to non air. Parts are easy to find and inexpensive it shares more a less the same parts as a f150.

I really like mine and its a pleasure to drive, I personally like the looks of the first gen as well. I could have bought a newer model no problem but I looked for a 02 on purpose. Took me about a year to find one, I probably paid a bit too much but it has under 100k mile still. You don't see too many low mileage ones anymore.

 

I've found a couple that look like they are in good shape, around 100 to 120k miles. Might have to travel 3 or 4 hours, but if its in good shape and good running order for the price its worth it to me

 

As KenzKing said, they are stout, durable vehicles. Mine is coming up on 300k and except for an annoyingly intermittent brake leak and really annoying a/c leak (due to age/prior owner ignorance), I'd take my Expedition anywhere and do anything. Over the weekend, I towed home a RX7 for one of my friends, it will be a special project.

Granted, it has seen 20 Ohio winters so the rockers are basically gone from rust. But that's to be expected, and isn't too difficult of a repair with a bit of mig/flux welding. Of course, I'll be reinforcing them quite a bit so step bars/running boards won't destroy them again as I've seen on every single Expy/Navi at the junkyard.

Mine is a 2V 5.4L, so it has the spark plug ejection behavior. Plug #3 is the most common for it, and mine was repaired before I got it. Beyond that, routine maintenance is all it has needed, plus a few electical mods/repairs because i'm quite **** about wiring and don't leave it to chance. Be sure to do the headlight relay mod though, these trucks run all the current through the headlight and dimmer switches so it burns them out. I dissected one and it was scarily burnt and nasty inside.

The best tool you can have in the truck is a multimeter

 

I had a Dodge who had a similar problem. Could drive for about 30 to 45 minutes before they would shut off, then you could turn them off and let it sit for a bit and they'd come back on.

Finally pulled the dash and the switch had a plastic wire guide that was a separate piece from the actual switch, and because of how dodge wired it, the switch got so hot it had melted the plastic guide and was causing light issues.

And i'm actually finding a surprising amount of expeditions with good bodies (who knows what the underside looks like), just happen to be 3 or 4 hours away.

But for the prices they are listed at, and considering I'm paying cash, I'll gladly drive that far and get a great deal. Just have to make sure they are very up front about any issues before I drive 4 hours and find a turd.

 

Sounds like having a Ford Master Mechanic around is also a good source for info.
Check the rear wheel bearing seals. They can go away after a few hundred thousand and those rear rotors can get pretty oily.
Keep that tranny ATF clean and changed regularly. My 4r100 doesn't have a pan plug so I regularly pull the pan, replace the filter and clean up the pan and magnet.
Alternators go away pretty quickly...85-100k but are an easy job to replace.
320k plus and still going strong.

 

The rear trailing arms can be a source of rust. I've seen pictures of arms rusted clear through. Mine seem to have only minimal surface rust.

The windshields can be leaky and cause the ECM to pool up with water which causes some wonky things- I think the only issue mine has is that the turn signal won't flash. If I go a while without getting it wet, the ECU dries up and everything works fine. If it rains hard on it, the turn signal issue can (but not always) reappear.

The rear wiper motor can be finicky. I've had mine out and cleaned/played with/adjusted and still can't get it to work. Might just be time for a new one.

2v spark plugs: overtighten them slightly and they won't spit out. Search youtube for FordTechMakuloco. He puts out LOTS of great Ford tech related videos. This one details the spark plug overtightening:

The blend door can crack and not properly position itself in the heater box to adjust the temp. Doorman makes a replacement that does not require removing the entire dash- you just need to cut into the side of the heaterbox (and retape it when you're done).

I've got 198k miles. Just got home from a 2200 mile road trip with the family.