Hi Guys,

I've decided my wife and I are going to get rid of all the vehicles we have now and consolidate to just two vehicles. A sedan and either an excursion or f350, has to be diesel. Help me decide which. Here are my pros and cons for both.

Excursion

1. Excellent amount of interior space for our growing family.
2. Will be able to pull my 25' Farallon (10,000lbs.) boat.
3. Will only be able to pull a travel trailer and not a 5th wheel.
4. Shorter wheelbase, easier for wife to drive. 137"
5. Wife favors, i'm "so so" on it

F350 Crew Cab

1. Decent but limited amount of interior space. We only have one child now, but may be a problem when we get to the 3 kid mark especially if mom needs to ride in the back with a newborn + strollers, etc (tonneau maybe?)
2. Will be able to pull my 10,000lb. boat
3. Will be able to pull anything including 5th wheel, travel trailer, cab-over, etc.
4. Longer wheelbase, may be slightly more difficult for wife to drive. 156" (cc shortbed)
5. I favor, wife is "so so" on it

The two biggest purposes of this vehicle will be to carry the family around anywhere/anytime and to haul my 10k lb boat. 5th wheel or travel trailer is added bonus when we get additional funds. Both have to be diesel. She's going to test drive the truck this weekend to see if it's even manageable for her.

Which one carries more weight to you guys?

Thanks in advance.

Erik

 

Excursion
6. Can only get a used one, Ford discontinued it as of Sept 30, 2005
7. More based off the F-250 SD (not being a negative)

F-350 crew cab longbed (only 1.25' longer than a shortbed)
1. Hauls family and bigger camper
2. Better for 5th wheel hauling
3. Does suck for small parking lots & small fast food drive thrus
4. Wifes dont like such a huge truck, but they could get use to it
5. On family trips (I know this for sure) you cant have too big of a truck bed - after filling the living space with people and a few toys, strollers (and bringing back Christmas presents and so on) even fills a long bed.

 

I never owned a Excursion type vehicle but have a minivan and a wife and two kids and at one time had an uncle living with us. I never owned a 5th wheeler either. I have a 94 F250 longbed supercab. And now I live in the city. My comments are based upon that.

You will get the most use out of the Excursion in my opinion and with a 10000# trailer capability you can get a very nice travel trailer. About 2/3rds of the time when I drive my truck it is without a trailer and several passengers. Once in awhile I do need to haul a load in the back. If it is plywood, having the long bed really helps. Otherwise, I rarely need the bed for it's main purpose. If you can remove the seats in the excursion this may work for you.

5 passengers in our supercab is a tight fit. Most of the time on long trips, my kids prefered to lay in the back of the truck. Some states this is not legal...
The van is much more comfortable for 4 or more passengers but can be limited on luggage space.

If you really need the ability to haul dirt, trash etc, a small utility is a good solution and cheap.

When we haul passengers, the minivan almost always gets the job. Only when we hauled passengers and the trailer, then the truck is required. An Excursion gives you the best of both worlds. Only potential downside is whether you can haul sheets of ply wood or dirty stuff in the back.

Just my opinion,

Jim Henderson

 

Guys we need to face realisty. Game set point, match over. You will be buying an excursion based on # 5 Wife favors, i'm "so so" on it.

 

NO! Its not too late, don't give in!

 

I would think that resale value will be higher with the truck. Particularly since you could get a newer truck, and the Ex is discon't.

I vote for the crew cab truck with a capper shell. You can easily mount a rear facing seat including belts if your family should grow past 6. No towing a 5th wheel with that setup, so you have to decide how important that is. In general you should consider your expected needs within about 5 years. Do you think you will need a TT and a 5th in that time period? No one can really predict their needs beyond about 5 yr.

Best solution might be an Ex and an F350. Skip the sedan. (dream big)

Bill

 

With your plans to extend the current family, there's no doubt the Excursion is the better choice. However, you have to look also at how far down the road this planned expansion will actually take place. If #2 is not even on the way yet, and #3 not for a few more years down the road, will you still be driving this (or these) vehicles? With a family of 3 (wife and 2 chitlins), the F-350 is great. Even with 3 chitlins, the F-350 would still be a good choice while they're still small. There is a lot of room in the back seat. It is a full sized 4-door. I think it will inevitably come down to what your wife is comfortable with. If she ain't happy, you ain't gonna be happy.

 

fyi

the Ex fits a 4x8 sheet of whatever just fine, fold the seats down and go...I've carried 10 sheets before but it could easily carry 20+. I've also carried 15 80lb bags of concrete with no problem. see my post in the Ex forum if you'd like

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...excursion.html

 

stangclassic66- I've owned a 2003 Ex and now own a F350. The F350 is my truck, wife doesn't dirve it!! It's to big for her, I like it that way!! Alot depends on what you what the do with it. My F350 still rides like a truck, according to the wife!! I looked at the new Expedition EL; close to the Ex and a nice ride!! Reminded me of my Ex!! Still it's another option. Besides the Expedition EL will be better on gas. That 45 gallon tank seemed endless!! Good Luck

 

It sounds like the only disadvantage to the Excursion is not being able to tow a 5th wheel or a gooseneck trailer. If you're not hauling anything that you don't mind putting "inside" and can stick to bumper pull trailers, I'd get the Excursion. I haul hay so I opted for the truck. I guess it boils down to the question: "How important is it to you to be able to tow a 5th wheel or gooseneck?"

 

All this discussion and the wife's wants still trump it !!!!

Get what she wants - cheaper than a divorce

especially if you can live with it and it's a dezzle and you can add 150 HP for about $400 LOL

 

You're decision has been made already. An Excursion with a PSD and the correct gearing will handle the boat. Wife wants it, and you don't get a 5th wheel.

My response to this would be I cannot live without a pickup, but this arguement did not work in my last marriage. I dumped that wife, got a pickup and a wife who likes trucks.

Also, who cares if the wife cannot park it? She drives the sedan.....right?

 

Go for the 350 and a good divorice attorney. Just Kidding.

350) 1. Back seat has lots of room/can opt for bench seat in front for 1 extra
2. 350 is gonna give you more payload and more options, tt, 5th wheel, quads, dirt stone etc.
3. You'll be able to use 350 to pickup the soil, sand, stone, trees,etc. You'll save money by not having to hire someone to bring to you. Possibilities are endless.
4. You are unlimited in future expansion.

Excursion) 1.The wife would throw a fit if you threw a couple yards of sand in the back of the Excursion.
2. If you go to lowes with family to buy plywood, the kids will ride on luggage rack because you need to fold seats down.
3. If you buy a 5th wheel you'll need to sell Excursion and by 350
4. Excursions are no longer made.
5. Hauling large loads such as plywood can scuff interior. Mama wouldn't like that.

I hope this helps your fight. Hopefully you get enough info to help the cause good luck!

 

Just be a man and go get a damn F-350 PSD DRW Crew Cab! You have a pair, use them!

Also, get a real nice interior, because you'll be sleeping in it.

 

I've had my '02 for almost 5.5 years. My wife likes it just fine as long as she doesn't have to be in it or see it. It's an auto because she can not drive a stick, and no she has never driven the truck nor will she.

Welcome to the I have ***** club, but she won't let me use them.