I'm looking to buy a 2000-2001 Excursion or Chevy Suburban. I would prefer the Ford because I've always been a Ford guy. But I want to be sure I make the right choice. I need something that will be as reliable as possible. The vehicle will be used for general hauling the kids around and towing in the future. I know this is a Ford forum and I will get biased opinions but why in the Excursion better than the Suburban?

I'll be paying cash and dont really worry about gas prices because I dont have a car payment.

Thanks

 

I have an Excursion and love it. I'd go with it but I've never owned anything but a Ford. The big thing to remember it is based on a F250 and it rides like a truck. I would also think you could get into the Excursion cheeper. I've not looked at Suburban's pricing but from what I gathered from a friend How is a Chevy guy he could get a 2004 Excursion for the Price of a 2002 Suburban. Don't know if that's true though.

The good points of the Excursion are: 1. Good view of the road ahead of you. 2. When towing with the 5.4 a 3000 pound trailer it the truck took off the same as if it had nothing behind it. I also had my family and a week of stuff. 3. You don't see that many of them around. 4. Good looks.

The down sides to the Excursion are: 1. The third seat does not come out easy and their isn't anywhere to hide it. 2. The fiberglass rear doors chip easy. 3. Rough ride
4. Parking Garges are not high enough in most places. Not a problem for me since I've only had to park in a garge once.

 

I bought an 05' Excursion with the Power Sroke Diesel. Chevy doesnt make a suburban or Denali with the duramax. I needed the towing power. We have a 28' Toy Hauler rougly 10,000 lbs. You cant tow that with any GM SUV. I had an 03' Silverado Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 with the 8.1 ltr Gas Motor. Went from 10 mpg in the truck to 17 mpg in the Excursion Diesel. Plus these motors are bullet proof with a life expectancy of about 300,000 miles. I love it. LIfted it 6" put on 35'" Mud Terrains, Firestone Air Ride system for help on towing the load. Installed the Edge Juice w/Attitude in cab control. I have around 800 ft lbs of torque at its highest setting. This thing pulls tree stumps for fun.... There is my 2 cents. good luck..

 

You say you're a Ford guy, and you want something reliable. Well, have you ever owned a GM product? If so, was it as reliable as any of your Ford products, or have you had a lot of problems with Fords? Me? While I am not brand loyal, my experience gives the nod to Ford for reliability. My '01 V10 X has 90K miles on her now, and the only problem I've had is the cruise control stopped functioning a few months back (no, I haven't had it fixed yet). My '87 F350 5.8L gas V8 went 192K miles before I sold it, and the only issue I had with it was the battery died just before selling it (the battery was 7 years old at the time). Oh, and the only time the valve covers had to be removed was because the gaskets had started leaking.

Keep in mind that I'm a little **** when it comes to maintenance. I replace fuel pumps, water pumps, belts and hoses BEFORE they leave me stranded somewhere .... usually replace 'em every 80K miles ... along with an alternator rebuild. Stay on top of maintenance, and you'll never have a problem ... which could be true for any brand, except I've had a host of problems with the GM products I've owned. The best GM vehicle I've had (and still have) is an '85 Pontiac Fiero GT (145K trouble-free miles on it). I'll never own another Cadillac or Corvette.

 

My boss has a suburban, and he told me Wednesday they were putting the 3rd transmission in it (original, and 2 replacements). He has had nothing but trouble with it!!

 

I would have to second the opinion for a DIESEL Excursion. You can't get anything as big and powerful from Chevy. I wouldn't trade mine for anything. And, as I am finding out, the possibilities are seemingly endless in regards to upgrading the handling, power, economy of the diesel. And, if you ever have questions or need opinions, you have found the mother lode here. Just a wealth of knowledge and experience on this site.

 

the v10 excursion can do pretty much everything the diesel can and it is alot cheaper up front and with maintenance! EITHER WAY A EXCURSION GAS OR DIESEL IS WAY BETTER THAN A SUBURBAN like has been said it is based on a truck so it is a TRUCK! not a light weight like the burb. we haul a 26foot bike trailer to bike week everyyear and the 1999 and the 2002 burb of my buddy's was getting killed by it. he bought a 2wd x and i have one also both v10's they yank it like nothing is there. BUT I AM BIAS AS I HATE CHEVY EVERYONE I HAVE EVER OWNED WAS JUNK! all my fords and dodges keep going (yes i do have a few dodge products sitting in the driveway plus my fords

 

Why by an Excursion? Put 8 people in the vehicle and look at how much room is behind the back seat. It will truly haul 8 people and their luggage.

You get power. Power Stroke or V10. You've got the power.

It's a Ford. Need I say more?

 

When I specified DIESEL Excursion, I did not mean to slight V10 Excursion owners. I was trying to point out (thought poorly) that Chevy does not offer anything like a Deisel Ex. Forgive me, V10 owners. No diss intended.

 

...Welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts!

I have owned an 01 and 03 Excursion, it is without a doubt the best open road traveler I have ever owned, the only reason I do not own it now, I needed a bigger truck to pull my trailer, see Gallery...BTW I did pull it with the Mighty X ...IMO way better then the burb
We are happy you have chosen the best source for Fords.

Enjoy FTE....and
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…..See you on the boards.

 

This is really not as straight forward as everyone here want's you to believe. First, if you are a diesel fan then there isn't a choice to make - Excursion. GM does not offer the Suburban in a diesel any more. If you are looking at the gas engine models, then it gets a bit foggy. You say you want something to haul the kids around and for towing (but not right now). How much weight do you intend to tow?. This makes a big difference. If you are only going to tow light loads >5,000lbs, then I would have to give the nod to the 1500 5.3L V8 Suburban. It will ride WAY nicer than the V10 Excursion, get much better gas mileage, and if you want a 4x4 it has a really nice "auto" option that the Ex doesn't have (neither does the 2500 Sub). I also believe the Sub can be loaded up with lots of nicer options that even the limited Ex doesn't have (Sirus radio, Onstar, autoride, traction control, auto 4x4). They are really nice trucks.

If you are looking to tow > 5,000 lbs, then your choice would be between the 2500 8.1L V8 Sub, and the V10 Ex. Here is where the real debate begins. I have a V10 4x4 Ex, and tow a 9,500lb Travel Trailer during the summer. The Ex tows it really well. Howerver, I am quite sure that the 2500 Suburban would also do a very nice job as well. From what I hear, fuel economy would be about the same. The Sub may ride nicer due to the indendent front suspension. The Ex has more cargo room too. Since you are going to buy used, I would try and find the best price, and the newest vehicle. Someone said that you can get a used 2004 Ex for the same price as a 2002 Sub. If this is the case, then the choice is an easy one. Either way, they are both nice trucks.

 

I had the same problem a year ago. I was paying cash(13000 or less) and it came down to a 2000 X(if i could find one that cheap in ok condition) or a 1999 Suburban. I was pretty much stuck with the Suburban cuz there were many available. i liked the X because of more interior room and i liked that there are not many on the road. You see a Suburban every other block. I was lucky and found a X -Former company vehicle in very good condition, that had never towed a trailer. it had 70,000 miles for $11,900!! V-10 XLT model 4X2, just what i wanted. Blue book was like $16,000. We have always had minivans and the kids just complained nonstop about the lack of space and loading for trips took hours. Filling all the cubbie holes to make everything fit. I do not regret getting the X, although the Sparkplug hole problem scares me. We get nothing but compliments from others and jealous stares from family!!! "Oh, how can you drive that big thing and it must really suck gas!!! I say...yep sure does.. and they can't wait to pile in and go somewhere cuz it seats eight very comfortably. I am soooo glad i bought the X instead of the Suburban. If you do, i think you will also

 

I have had a good selection of vehicles from different american manufacturers. I currently have a 05 V10 Ex,its used for routine daily transportation,(does great!,comfort,visability,dependability).Also used for towing 10,000lbs (tows great! in addition to other comments made).This vehicle replaced my 02 Ex V10, due to they were going to stop building them (too bad). They are not economy vehicles,but I would choose them over ANYTHING else. By the way,I do not own any Ford stock and do not work for any dealers, I just speak highly of all the Fords I have owned over the years.

 

I know you said you are paying cash so it sounds like price won't be too much of an issue. I paid about $2k less for my 2000 Ex Limited recently than I would have for a base model Suburban of the same year.

 

I'm a former Sub owner... '85 3/4 ton Silverado. I drove that vehicle for nearly ten years. I gave it up b/c I got tired of fixing it, and it was going to need some substantial body work. Still, I loved the thing, and while I didn't cry when the new owner pulled away with it, I did feel pretty sad.

Maintenance:
I had to replace the engine & tranny in the Suburban, and eventually nearly everything in the engine bay. I've had no repairs to do to my X until yesterday (see Big Bummer in this forum). Downside to the diesel is it requires 15qts of oil, whilst the Sub's 350 only required 5qts, so I don't use Mobil1 as it's cost prohibitive in the X.

Mileage:
My Suburban pretty much ran 11mpg (11.9 being the best I ever got on the highway), my X does 14 city/17 highway.

Comfort: My Sub was a very tiring vehicle to drive for long distances while the X is a pleasure... don't forget that its still a truck tho, and it won't drive like the Cadillac Fleetwood (best road trip vehicle I've ever had the pleasure of driving) and neither will the new Sub. The 3rd row seat removal kinda stinks, but it's shear pleaseure compared to my old Sub. I don't remember the 2000 series Sub's rear seat removal well, but I do recall discounting it as a pro for the Sub when I was shopping. The interior quality is of much better quality than the Sub IMO. The cup holders in the X suck.

Dissappointments:
Very few.. Ford stopped making the X. Perhaps I can get a 2005 in 2008 or so... but by then, my clan will be just the wife & I so, a crew cab pickup might be the right solution then. The front rotors are undersized, and according to every posting I've read about the X & the 250, its well known.

Towing:
Towing with the X is a breeze. Ironically, I didn't discover that the X had a governer until I was going thru Austin one evening with my camper on the back and trying to get out of the way. Regardless, the camper is less than 5k, but nearly 99% of the time, you don't know its back there.

Opportunties for performance increases are pretty good with bolt ons versus taking the engine apart... on the Diesel that is.

Finally, the Sub doesn't have a diesel option, which was a decision point for me. As you might note, I keep vehicles for a long time... my Sub had 218k miles on it when I swapped out. I wanted the engine on the X to last a loonng time.

I'm not a Ford biggot, I just love this truck. If Chevy had put the Duramax in the Sub 2500, I would have had a much tougher decision.

Hope my ramblings had some semblance of sense.

Good luck with your decision... come back and tell us what you went with (and maybe why).