Breaking down on the road isn't an irrational fear, but it's usually not the end of the world if it happens. It's impossible to 100% guarantee against no matter what you are driving. If you buy a new to you truck, you are guaranteed to be spending some serious coin. And it might leave you on the side of the road too. (We didn't make it past Toledo in 3 tries one years with a brand new van.) Or alternatively run what you have, worst case scenario you have to drop 4K on a transmission in Nebraska. Still money ahead.

5 kids myself and they've been to 45+ states. We had conversion vans when mine were growing up. Having some personal space is extremely important to family peace on the road. Had mine trained to not need a stop every hour or 2. If they were rubbing shoulders in a pickup, I might be in prison now for strangling one or 2 of em.

I'll second the trailer idea for moving rural things. I have a pickup for country duty (also my daily driver, such that I daily drive these days), but I use the trailer for most of the hauling of firewood or rocks or lumber or whatever.

Only thing about yours that would scare me is the rust. Brake lines, fuel lines, transmission lines being the big concern for reliability. Living in the rust belt as you do, I know how that can just destroy a vehicle.

Not sure where mid-ohio is exactly, but I do know a guy who would be glad to let you use his lift in northern Ohio.

 

Glad to hear that your son is on track for his recovery!
With that time frame in mind, you have plenty of time to thoroughly go through the EX and test it out on many shorter trips with camper. With smaller kids bikes a front mount bike rack should be fine both with cooling and your road view. Any of the larger bikes can still go in the camper or on a frame mounted rear hitch bike rack behind it, I'm currently building a frame mounted rear hitch for our TT to carry a 4 bike rack for our full sized mountain bikes.
It's your money, but I would never advise anyone to ever take a 401K withdrawal to buy a vehicle, it not a savings account, it's a retirement account and leaving the money in it over the long haul is the most powerful aspect of having a well funded retirement. The idea of taking money out now and "making up for it later" is nearly impossible to do.
And I agree with Mike and Eric about using a utility trailer vs a pickup bed for the rural chores, can be larger and much, much easier to load and unload with its low floor plus not having to worry about beating up that nice new truck bed. I used to always have a truck, but after buying this EX and a utility trailer I will never own another pickup, I'm actually looking to get another larger trailer, so much cheaper and easier to work with.
Our EX only has 115k miles on it but it serves as our dedicated tow rig for our 11K TT, we typically tow 3 to 6 thousand miles a year with it and plan to continue that pattern (some longer Western trips will increase the annual mileage) for the next 6 to 7 years. I feel very confident that it will continue to remain as super reliable as it has been for the past seven years of this service with me keeping up on preventative maintenance. I too carry my tools on all trips, nothing special just a good assortment of both metric and SAE wrenches and sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, multimeter and electrical repair kit.

 

I have the same miles at 143k and I would not hesitate to hop in and drive to FL and back.

Go through the truck with a fine tooth comb and fix anything that "could" be an issue. I don't have to deal with the rust you guys down there do, so be sure to check all brake lines and fuel lines very well. Change the transmission fluid and filter at that point you should be able to tell if the transmission has any material in the old fluid which would point in the direction of a rebuild IMO.

There are hitches you can add to your trailer or like mentioned the front of the Ex to hold the bikes and neither would cause an issue.

Glad to hear your son is doing better!!!

 

I also use a trailer as a truck bed. I have a mesh floor dovetailed 5x10 that I bought new in 2004. I am buying a 16 foot double axle utility from a friend also. However, one of my favorite ways to haul greasy smelly things is on a hitch rack I got from Northern Tool. I have hauled transmissions, leaf springs, engine blocks etc. I quit driving pickup trucks when. I got this Excursion and I don't miss them!

 

All great information, Thanks everyone! I like the idea of keeping the Ex, I think I'll find someone who can look it over really well and let me know what needs done. I have a friend who does mechanic work, though not specialized with Fords. I'll have him take a look at it.

 

Carefully evaluate the rust issues and do what you can to stop its growth now, advanced rust issues could be a deal breaker for a long term rig.
You mentioned that you daily drive a Camry, good idea, I am a big proponent of using a "beater" car to save the "keeper" cars in good shape for a longer life cycle if feasible. My EX doesn't get daily driven at all these days, it is our dedicated tow rig for the big TT, I daily drive a little 4X4 Suzuki SUV for my Winter needs and a Geo Metro (that is a near pristine 47k 23 year old example of the species ) during the Summer months. We plan to keep the EX running strong until we retire so letting it rest when not needed is the plan.

 

That's the main trouble, the rust I think is pretty bad. I've been told it's not that bad, maybe I'm too picky?

 

I don't think you are too picky, that looks like well advanced cancer to me. Need front springs and brake lines just at a glance.

I'm back to find another EX from the south or west. I am admittedly OCD about rusty vehicles.

 

Let me know when on your way.

 

That Ex is toast! Sell it quick while there's metal left.

 

I'm with Eric, find a new Southern EX and dump the rusty one to another Ohio driver who is used to that level of rust.

 

That is some ugly rust. I don't think it's beyond repair. It may be beyond economical repair though. The springs and shocks, their mounting points and those brake lines would concern me. Not to mention that there are stories of those diff covers rusting a hole and leaking out the fluid toasting the diff. The rockers are not cheap to replace either. Cheaper to get a different vehicle, but use something like fluid film and a washdown after winter use so it doesn't get this way. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

I wouldn't recommend an F150 for towing with 4 growing boys plus bikes in the bed. You'll run out of payload.

So happy your son beat his Leukemia. I can't imagine having to watch my child go through that. Trust the guys here on mechanical/rust issues. If you do buy a new vehicle don't buy new. Find the sweet spot of at least a couple of years old. Don't be the fool that throws away 20% of value driving off the lot.

 

Buying new is situational. I buy new ones for my wife to drive, but we keep them for longer than most people. The 20% you quote, also situational, is worth it to me for our main family hauler. That new car smell isn't for everyone, but I wouldn't call myself a fool. At least not for that reason.

 

It does make a difference of course if you plan to keep it for several years. We bought our 2002 minivan new and it's still my daily driver. I think someone on a tight budget though should consider only used which is my point. You're going to pay for new so my opinion is it is not the best way to go financially. If you have the cash then go for it! Looking at the interest you pay over 7 years though with a loan.....no thanks.