I'm in 1 now because I missed the shake/rattle/roll. Now 2 yrs later, I find myself really really wishing I'd grabbed another V-10. But then I get into the boost and the rocketship takes off...and I'm happy with my diesel again for a little bit.

seriously though, get the gasser. I've been driving the heck out of my Raptor. Not because it's a Raptor, but because it's a gasser. Hop in and go. Versus the diesel checklist and waiting period before driving off.

 

Wow, thank you for all for your replies! It's a lot to write back to all of it, so I'll try for a quick summary here.

About fixing the road... it's not really going to happen. It varies with the seasons. County doesn't have the budget to constantly repair the road. Logging trucks take a big toll on it.

I'll probably take a peek at an Expedition if I get the chance, but at this point I'm leaning towards a V10 Excursion. And having a smaller rig to take to town when possible. Just using the Excursion when it's all of us.

Sounds like Excursions are very well loved on the whole. When I see photos of the interior, I think they look awfully comfortable.

I appreciate everyone's time replying to this thread. Very confidence inspiring in the Excursion platform.

 

I have owned my V10 '02 Excursion for 9 years. I had an '02 Expedition for 22 years. The first question I have is, what is the terrain in your area? If it's hilly or mountainous, go with the Excursion. Six people in an Expedition is a power killer on flat terrain. Not a big deal in the Excursion. Ride quality is worlds apart, as the Expedition is soft and comfortable. My 2WD Excursion is harsh in comparison.
You didn't ask, but I find that our 2010 Expedition EL is the perfect compromise in ride quality, roominess and power. Plus it is rated at 9800 lbs. for towing. Just food for thought.

 

Hilly and mountainous here. Not as high in altitude, nor as steep as say Colorado, but it's definitely not like Kansas.

Good to know about the ride. I'm sure a 4WD Excursion is worse than the 2WD one, too. I do hear of some people improving the ride on the Excursion.

I've also looked into the 2nd generation Expedition some. It seems to be well regarded, especially the first couple years with the 2 valve heads. Of course, probably wouldn't help the power situation.

I'm not really a rushed driver most of the time, and in this area highway speeds are closer to 65. Not 75-85, like in some areas. But keeping it above 50 on grades is nice.

I have been starting to get curious about Suburbans/Tahoes, but am worried about Chevy quality. Some say the 3/4 ton chassis hold up a lot better. I think that was only an option on the Suburbans, though.

 

with my 4wd 7.3 Excursion ,

I avoid speed bumps like the plague
a visit to my Chiropractor is in order if I forget.

 

I know its been a while, did you ever make a purchase? How is it holding up? I find myself in a very similar situation, thank you.

 

Back about 5 years ago, we went to a motorcycle rally up in W. by god Virginia....
lots of good M/C roads there.

unfortunately, a big 20 point buck decided to hop the berm and wiped out my daughter's Pontiac Vibe, used it to pull the M/C trailer. ( the dent in the car made the buck look like he had 20 points. ruined the hood, radiator, AC stuff, bumper, all the plastics up front )

we rented a brand new Expedition to pull the trailer home, because it was the only vehicle that Enterprise could find within 3 states that had a Hitch on it.

Loved the comfort of that truck, it would satisfy me right now if I could afford to buy it.

 

Funny you should ask that!

A 2001 Tahoe more or less fell into our laps. Some friends had one for sale, for a steal. Great interior and exterior. Not terribly high miles.

Now my background is mostly with Toyotas -- I don't have a lot of experience with larger domestics, so I don't have a ton to compare it to. However, it is very, very comfortable. It rides nicely. Does seem to have that typical intermediate steering shaft play -- I haven't looked into it yet.

The 5.3 has great power. The 4l60 shifts really nicely. It gets slightly better gas mileage than the previous daily driver, while being more powerful and larger.

We've had the Tahoe for about a month.

At one point I accidentally shifted from neutral to reverse at about 30-35mph. This stalled the motor. I was shocked it didn't lock me out of doing that. The shifter is really light. This may have damaged something, or not, leading up to to what just happened.

Yesterday, my wife was driving it up our driveway when it suddenly stopped putting any power down to the wheels. Seems like it's transfer case related. I need to clear out the shop so I can investigate.

In my research, it is a little disappointing the number of problem areas these have.

Differential: G80, also known as a gren80 to some.
4L60: Not a good reputation, though some are happy with them. Many are on their their or 4th rebuild, but typically with a lift and big tires (this is basically stock and will stay that way, I think.)
NP246 autotrac transfer case: Also a poor repuation, but it sounds like a NP241 swap isn't too hard and is pretty bulletproof after that.
Control arms and tie rods look absolutely anemic.

It seems like the LS motors have a better reputation than Ford's V8s, in general. Chevy is generally supposed to be easier to work on and cheaper, with better parts availability. Those were all factors. I also like that the GMT800 has a solid rear axle.

It seems like on the Ford side of things, the 1st generation Expedition gets you the older V8 with fewer sparkplug threads. It's always AWD, which I don't care for. And the body may have some failure after a lot of offroad use (I read just one credible report about that.) With the second generation, you have independent rear suspension, the first two years have more sparkplug threads on the 2V V8, and while the seat layout is really impressive, it generally looks more complex and harder to work on.

The Excursion would likely be quite durable. Not sure about the ride quality. Gas mileage would never be as good, partly because it's more in 3/4 ton class than 1/2 ton class (if the Tahoe is even considered 1/2 ton...)

So now I'm really not sure. Haven't been left stranded before, and for it to be on a vehicle that looked as good as it did, it's very disappointing. I am trying to figure out if this is a likely one time thing with a solid long term fix, or if it's going to be one "bulletproofing" after another.

Either Ford might be a more solid bet, but I am not sure.

 

my son has a 2019 Tahoe, he loves it, can get as high as 24 mpg or more,
towing a car hauler last year, it dropped to 9 mpg.

I have ridden in it many times, ultra quiet from wind noise, a feature I really enjoy.
the seats fit my back, has the adjustable back pressure feature, my L1-L5 are a mess, that really helps.