Traded the 99 Expy in for another Ford, not. Not quite 10 years old and 98K later I've moved on. No more head gasket oil leaks with expensive repairs, no more broken sway bar links, no more cutting off rotors when changing brakes, no more battery light with high revs, no more exhaust manifold leaks from corroded off EGR plumbing and multiple pinholes in the passenger side manifold, no more bubbling paint from rust, no more rotting door bottoms from poorly sealed or over sealed crimps, no more crappy gas mileage and no power from the 4.6L, no more humping that god awfully heavy 3d row seat in and out, no more physically motivating the rear wiper to work. The straw that broke the camels back was realizing the front body mounts had rusted so badly the the right front was cracked all the way around and no longer attached to the frame and the left wasn't far behind. The trade-in value of <$3K in it's current condition sucked also. In Fords defense this boat was driven on a NJ ocean beach at least twice a week from March through December since it was new. Great 4WD vehicle, never got stuck and pulled a few Jeeps out in my time. So wish me luck with my 381 HP 2008 Toyota Sequoia 4WD and I wish all of you better luck than I had.

 

Should have bought a 98. Mine looks and runs like its brand new.

 

Uuummm, I wonder why you had a problem with rust. Its doesn't matter what you drive, if you drive it on the beach allot, your gonna have rust problems.

I have to say, mine was a good one and I do miss the space & ride of it. I got rid of my '99 Expy about 10 months ago(for another Ford=Explorer), for something better on gas mileage. It had 170,000+ on it when I got rid of it and the ONLY thing outside of maintenance work I had to do to it was replace the air bypass valve when I first got it(at 50K). i did all the work myself and never had to beat rotors off.

Sounds to me like some of your problems were self-inflicted.

 

Yeah my 97 looks and drives like a champ!! Sorry to see you go but dont expect not to have any problems with your Toyota. Every car, truck has problems, but some are easier and less expensive to repair than others.

 

Wow, my 99 Expy is from the same region with similar mileage and I've had almost none of the problems you had. I have the original head gaskets, sway bar links, exhaust manifolds, paint (no bubbles and no rust), body mounts, rear wiper, etc. I must admit, though, with my 5.4 I probably get even worse gas mileage. The only major problem I've had is my rear is starting to make noise which I believe is my clutch packs and/or posi unit and I'm pretty sure its not gonna be cheap.

 

I know my brother inlaw is a Toyota freak and he has the Tundra that had an exhaust manifold crack just out of warranty and cost him $1500 bucks-what a rip off. Point is they all break. FYI I don't think the 4.6 belongs in an expy, not much of a truck motor and my 01 is perfect, my 97 has been a good workhorse with no body rust.

 

My old 98 saw more off road than on, and it was totaled twice. once it was dumped underwater 4x4ing in lake. sat 4 6 monthe before i replace 500 computer and spark plugs. ran good as new. then i rolled it on to roof. truck still ran, but unconfortable with caved in roof

 

I guess it's Ford's fault that the coastal waters and sand contain salt and eats my truck. Wonder what the Toyota will look like in 10yrs.

 

No need to wonder I can help you visualize it

 

Yeah, you think Ford parts are expensive......just wait until you have to buy parts for the yota. If you keep the yota long enough and treat it the same way as you did the Expy, you WILL have problems.

I used to work for Ford/Lincoln for nearly 20 years and every once in awhile we would get the beach patrol(lifeguard) trucks in. It was murder working on these things because (even though they were undercoated) every bolt you wanted to take loose had to be heated to even have a chance of getting it off.

Salt is not only hard on metal.....but also wiring.

 

No way....that's what my wife and I are looking at right now, too. How you like it??

Each of the 3 times over the last 5-6 weeks we've been back at the dealer for repairs on our Expy, the Toyota salesman just keeps smiling at us. Wife wants a Platinum (of course) but I think a Limited with Rear DVD setup and a sunroof is closer to what we might be able to afford.

Would be interested in hearing what model/options you got--and prices paid, if you don't mind. From your "NJ ocean beach" comments, I'm assuming we're in the same general area (I'm right on the Easton, PA border in NJ)

TIA,
Tim

 

Umm...I'd like to add a caveat to that statement....if you drive it in salt water, or drive it on the beach and don't wash off the undercarriage....yes--you will have rust problems. But, if you take the above precautions, I don't see why this would put you at any more risk for developing rust than say driving on sanded/salted roads a few times each winter as many people here do.

Tim

 

Off the top of my head, I don't recall what the dealer priced-out the clutch pack replacement...my last one was covered under warranty, but the sound started up again about 15-20k miles later. In fact, asking the dealer last week to check the fluid/add more slip additive while it was there led to finding out the rear diff cover had a rust hole in it (new cover is about $140).

If we end up keeping this truck, I've been seriously contemplating finding a mild, highway-acceptable replacement limited-slip diff unit. Just grown tired of having to deal with the stock unit always making noise, etc.

Tim

 

Tim, noticed your in Phillipsburg (Easton Pa border) I grew up in Harmany TSP 3mi north of Pburg and now live in Bethlehem Pa just 10 miles away. Had to move out of NJ due to high taxes and auto insurance when I got married 23years ago

 

Wow, it really IS a small world!

I know exactly where Harmony TSP is...was the Red Wolf Inn in existance (Rt 519) when you lived here? Great steak place...complete with a family of "pet" (read as: "caged and not to be petted") wolves who get all the table scraps. Now there's the life!

My in-laws (who we bought our house from back in 2003) lived here in Bloomsbury for over 20 years before moving over to Bethlehem (right off Green Pond Rd), but I'm guessing the savings you saw by moving to Bethlehem was a little bigger back when you made the jump. These days, I question whether there's still any real savings....with all the growth out there, I know Bethlehem isn't exactly cheap anymore.

Tim