Hey Guys, This is my first time using a forum so please spare me if I'm not doing this correctly.I wanted an honest and unbiased opinion. I love the ford excursions they are bad ****'s, and the turbo diesel is just pure music to my ears. I especially love them lifted with 35' etc. my questions is, is it worth it purchasing a 2004 or 2005 excursion with no more than 175,000k miles? I understand that I should look into buying one that is already gone through the bulletproofing and or expect to spend upwards of 5k on bulletproofing the 6.0 myself. I have a very close friend that owns a 05 excursion 3inch lift 6.0 v8 etc. and she has close to 400,000 miles. she has owned it from the get-go, brand new and said she will never get rid of her rig granted over the years she has had to do the EGR delete and FICM and head gaskets etc but she explained to me when you own a vehicle that long you should expect to have those type of maint., she is awesome and very wise and basically my only trust worthy source at the moment. I've also heard and been told 175k miles on a diesel is nothing and its barely broken in at that point. I have spotted a few online and at a few dealers selling them at $25k and the lowest was $16k. this is still pricey for me, however i can afford the maint and fuel and etc. I just don't know if spending that much money on a truck that is 12 years old worth it. I mean no offense at all. I know the engines are basically indestructable. I'm just looking for some more opinions and experience from yall to hep me make this decision. at the moment I'm gung-ho about it, but I'm nervous that ill end up with a large large large very large front yard ornament. if it makes any difference I am 22 and hoping this will be my 3rd and last vehicle. I do plan on hauling a camper in the near future which is one of my deciding factors. since my silly 15 corolla will barely haul groceries. (jk). if you can please let me know what's it been like for you, and if you have purchased a used excursion and how that experience has been and how long has your excursion has lasted you, since I'm sure we have tons of OG's around ! only wished they still made them, I would go buy it in a heartbeat.

 

The 6.0 is without a doubt the more problematic of the 2 diesel engines offered in the excursion, yes you can likely expect to pay a large bill(s) in the future regardless. That's the nature of the 6.0 engine.

Even though it is 12 years old, it's still both a diesel, and an excursion. The excursion in general holds value because there simply is nothing like it available on the market.

If you're worried about it, look for a good condition 7.3, there isn't much difference in interior features other than 2 tone seats. You won't have as much power, but it's less likely to need large scale repair in the future.

 

@ Millinex

That's what I've been told, hold out for a 7.3. if I'm not mistaken I believe the 7.3 ended in 2003. I may be wrong but does the 2003 and older ex have a diff front grill ? because I seem to only be attracted to the 04 and 05.. if I find a 6.0 already bulletproofed which I have found one with a 10-inch lift bulletproofed (not sure on the specs yet or service records) w/ 143k miles for $24k. is that a fair deal ?... I would def drop it to at least a 4 or 6-inch lift to help on mpg. I'm starting to get the impression that these rigs are indestructible. Thank you for Responding

 

Correct, they have slightly different front ends, you can either buy an 05-07 bumper/grille/lights/header panel and swap it, or just buy the grille itself cut to fit for a little of nothing on ebay.

7.3 ended in middle of 2003.

I'd shoot for around 20k, IF they have service paperwork proving they actually did the work on it, no papers no deal in my eyes.

 

Look for one that has been bulletproofed - especially the most expensive bit - the head studding. Look for one that has been maintained well and focus less on mileage. Any truck less than 200k miles with an evident good maintenance history is a good object that should last you another 200k.

Other than the engine choice and finding finding a healthy one, lots of dollars tend to be spent on refreshing suspension and steering components. Here, it is the same deal for all models, look for one that has been maintained. At 150k miles or above, ball joints, tierods, steering box are all close to worn out. Look for one that has been maintained.

If you buy a "rat" expect to spend $5-10 grand getting motor and suspension up to standards. Factor this in when comparing prices on the candidates you look at.

 

I was just looking at a few front end conversion kits, they look very nice. Thank you, this is exactly the advice i needed.

 

i have found a few , but no telling exactly what has been done until i go check them out and see service records if any. seems like miles are less of an issue for these rigs. i appreciate the advice, Feels good to be apart of a great community !

 

I would discourage my own 22 yo son from buying either a 7.3 or a 6.0 diesel Excursion simply because both of them have known large expensive repairs that can and do need to be delt with.

The 6.0 motor even when "bulletproofed" is at best still a flawed design with no real fix. Just bandaids.

The 7.3 transmission can be made to live well into the 200k range and many do even stock but they can also fail at 70k when towing with big tires.

Aside from those $4-7k issues, you have $2000 injectors, turbos, hpop pumps etc.

Engines and transmissions aside, balljoints, unit bearings, brakes are all spendy maintantance items on the Ex, hell even an oil change is a $100. Not an insinficant sum.

Just thinks to consider

 

Costs to repair are high especially if you don't do your own work. I just bought a one owner 2004 with all dealer servicing and all records. It has a blocked egr cooler and 4 tunes on a Edge CTSII monitor. Allways been set on economy. It is in very good condition. I had it in for a Hellwig rear sway bar install and the service guys at the same dealer couldn't believe the condition! Especially when it has 343k miles. I had them do a check over before I leave on my trip tomorrow and all they could report was a damp weep of oil from a valve cover. I gave $9k for it. I watch the gauges as is suggested here. I don't plan on changing anything until something shows itself. I actually like this 2004 better than the previous 2002. Buy one in known excellent condition and you may fair better. Parts are getting hard to find as well so reconditioning one may be harder and more expensive in the long run. To me the high miles and excellent condition was testament to excellent care. Scared others off though.

I have added a rear Hellwig sway bar, Mishimoto 200F thermostat, android head unit and projector headlights just to bring it up to modern standards. Rather update those than spend big money on bullet proofing any farther if needed.

They are out there. Here is my thread if you want to see.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...th-new-ex.html

 

My 6.0 cost $5500 to be studded, deleted, and the ficm replaced along with some other maintenance 2 years ago at 120k. Now at 170k it's going in for 8 injectors next week at $3k and a front differential rebuild at $600.
If you want a higher mileage 6.0 just set aside money for big ticket repairs because they are not cheap. My truck is stock but makes plenty of power for towing and is quiet and gets decent fuel economy for what it is, and after realizing whatever I replace it with would cost upwards of $20k, I'm just keeping it and doing repairs. If I get another 170k out of these injectors it will be worth it. But do not discount the insane cost of diesel repair and diesel maintenance.

 

wow guys , Awesome Advice !!! this is going to be very helpful, you guys are right , it is all down to the maint and it seems like this will be a very expensive rig in the long run. just not sure if it will be worth it down the road. my biggest concern is getting this rig and having to be in the shop week after week spending big bucks when I could just buy a brand new ram 1500 w/ the turbo diesel with less headache and not worry about reliability. just trying to avoid a 45-50k price tag to be frank.. money won't be a major issue, but would rather spend it where it would benefit me. I drive a lot about 40 miles a day roundtrip 5 days a week. mostly highway and a bit of city, so those miles will tack on fast. I don't want to be stranded on the side of the highway. also wanting a vehicle that will be with me for years and years to come. not sure what to do lol

 

Awesome Thread , I was actually reading your post earlier. you def got a great find. def go's to show maint is very important. i have a good friend that owns her excursion from day 1, and today she has close to 400K on the beauty. she is very strict w/ maint and her rig is in wonderful shape. of course she has had to do the EGR delete and FICM and etc... but she swears by them. i guess its totally up to how well you take care of your toys. she also has a great mechanic.

 

I have a 2003 Beetle diesel 5 speed (42 mpg) for my commuting. This is just for trips and people moving and towing my 1935 Ford and trailer around.

 

I was lucky I think as their kids were gone and they had 5 vehicles between the two of them. They needed to downsize. They kept the CC truck and got 2 new small cars and I got this.

 

if i end up getting one of these bad boys, it will become my everyday commuter my current commuter is a 15 corolla. just curious maybe stupid question. but how many miles do you get on a full tank ? like miles to empty range, i know it may vary for driver to driver but just curious.