I doubt I would...I can handle all the small stuff breaking but when plugs eject for no reason (plug blew out when wife started the car) and the tranny shudders under normal acceleration when shifting gears, those are the major turnoffs that did it for me...Also forgot the oil leaking onto the passenger exhaust manifold..that one really, really hurt the old checkbook...Make a solid motor and tranny is all I ask...(5.4 Motor)

It does roll like a tank through the snow, with good tires....

I guess I would have to compare the Suburbans problems with the Expy's to see.

 

Not a snowballs chance in hell would I own another pile of junk like the 01 I have..............I got it after I rolled my EXCURSION on some black ice https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...-saturday.html

This thing is a sad vehicle..................not got enough *** to get out of its own way........no storage behind the 3rd row ITS NO EXCURSION

 

Did you really think it was going to be? I love my Expy but I think a Screw F-150 is a better choice. But, I'll get her what she wants.

This is another thing that really pi$$es me off. Ford will sink millions into a Raptor but discontinue the very awesome Excursion. I guess the buckled under the pressure from the tree huggers.

Tim

 

I read your post, then went away, then read it again. What you had was a heavy duty truck dressed as an SUV; the proverbial Wolf in Sheep's clothing -- nobody but Ford did that. You probably didn't drive a Tahoe or a Suburban and think: man this is one tough truck!! because they weren't and aren't; and if you haven't had one, trust me on that....

Your Excursion would be what my wife and I would have if we couldn't have both a HD truck and a HD SUV, and believe me, the Expy is as HD as they get w/o being an Excursion or a worthless-for-almost-anything Hummer.

It's almost too bad you had the Excursion 1st and the Expy 2nd. I think if you'd had them the other way around, maybe you'd have liked both.

For the extra room behind the 3rd, you could have/or could go XL, or of course a Sub'n, but you already know what I think of the latter...

By the way, I'd rather be in my Expy on sh_ty roads with ice and whatnot, than in my F350 -- the 4wd in the Expy is far, far more advanced and since the vehicle is more balanced it's far more capable for the worst road conditions, than even your Excursion was...

 

Sir, very interesting prospective and very well put. I agree on all counts except that he came from an Excursion into a 2001 Expy. I'd have been very dissappointed as well. Huge difference from 01 Expy to say an 08 extended length.

For years you could a suburban in a 2500 package, is that no longer the case?

Tim

 

Yes, as far as I know they still have a 2500 Sub'n; a valid point -- I have a friend that has an '06, but he doesn't live nearby. Next time he's in town I'll try to remember to look under and around his 2500 and at least visually compare it to our Expy, axle weight ratings, etc. -- it should at least have the light 3/4 rear diff, but I'll give it a gander. He does have a 6.0 L in it...

I know after losing two rear seals in our Tahoe, towing a trailer several thousand pounds under it's rated capacity -- and of course each time the associated brake was wetted w/ axle fluid, it could barely even stop itself; we were done with Chevy SUVs...

GM is discontinuing the Suburban and Tahoe (and their Cadillac and GM cousins), btw...

Heck, and we haven't even gotten into our experience (bad) with an '05 Duramax we owned...

 

Love my Expy - 2004 Eddie Bauer 4x4 - big enough to take the family (2 kids & 2 dogs) and still not feel cramped. Tows pretty well too!

 

I've owned my '97 Expy EB 4x4 since new and have never regretted it. The bigger 5.4L V8 is the way to go for power.

The only problem I've had was self-inflicted when I replaced the original Goodyear Wrangers with cheap Yokohama's and the ride went to h*ll. Finally put a new set of Wrangler on but would have saved time, money and aggrivation by going with Michelin LTXs.

Otherwise, cannot beat the cargo capacity, safety on the open road (even the wife can drive it with confidence next to 18-wheelers), and all around utility. Since it's not a daily driver, the low MPG doesn't really bother me.

Search these forums for other opinions and make your own call...a great number love 'em, a few hate 'em. I am firmly in the former category!

 

You've got to be kidding me. The suburban is a national icon, the large SUV that all others were modeled after. I'm no GM fan but the Suburban definately has it's pluses.

Tim

 

I have to say I would in a heart beat I would own another one, the 03 we had saved my life


I walked away from that accident with 2 broken ribs only (and I even was able to extradite myself from the vehicle)
I didn't buy one when we went to replace it because my wife is a little superstitious and the only one we could find at the time that was in good shape looked exactly like that one and I think it scared her (was only 1 week after the accident, and she was shook up at almost losing me in that accident, lot of history about this with her)
We ended up with a 02 explorer with the V8 and it's a pretty good vehicle, that she likes very well but both of us loved that expy and really do wish we had it back. My wife loved driving it (and finally actually did spend more time going to see the grandchildren herself which is 65miles 1 way) and we took a cross country trip in it and were extremely comfortable.
So without even a quibble I would and will buy another one.

 

I'm serious! They cancelled the work on the next generation of the platform and layed off a ton of workers already -- they were into that development in huge $ figures. I read only one article on this, so I do need to look back at what MY the current platform stops production...

yes, and they did start the whole large SUV craze, but I'd almost consider a Woody or a Nomad the roots...

On edit: I found where they were going to keep production of the current platform as long as 2 to 3 more years -- The CXX program (next generation) was definately cancelled...

 

Thanks for the info on that one. It will certainly be good news for Ford's large SUV sales provided Ford can hang in there.

You can't discount the old large *****'s Jeeps as well.

Tim

 

Dan, here's a little SUV trivia for you. You definately know your vehicles.

Tim


The Early Days
Many believe that the birth of the SUV began as the "depot hack." The depot hack was a vehicle that transported people (similar to today's taxi/hack) and luggage from the train stations (depots). They were widely known as a carryalls or suburbans. Depot hacks were also believed to be responsible for the evolution of the modern station wagon and the longest running SUV model, the Suburban. Another notable "father" to the SUV is the Jeep Wagon. While the Wagoneer was introduced as a model in 1963, it was the late 1940s that brought us *****'s Jeep Wagon. In fact an advertisement for the *****'s Wagon once called it a "utility vehicle" for the family.
Suburban, the Beginning of an Era
There were many makes and models that used the term "suburban." In fact, both "carryall" and "suburban" began being applied to automotive models in the early 1920's. The early SUV was meant to be practical and a means to carry all, whether it be people or cargo. Throughout the 20s, 30s and 40s, there were numerous automotive brands using these two words for model names. But, it was Chevy's Suburban that carried the name into the 21st century.
Rock and Roll Wagons The 50s brought a change to the suburbans and carryalls. Many models went to a car frame instead of the truck frames of their earlier predecessors. Dodge listed various wood-bodied station wagons as "Suburban" or "Suburban Carryall," and "Woody Wagons" were the cool thing to have even for the California surfers. How else would you carry the surfboards and enough gear for the weekend on the beach? Big engines and high performance were everywhere and the vehicles had plenty of room for the baby boomers to haul their large cargo of kids.

 

Thanks for that, Tim -- I was actually just talking off the top of my hat

Here's a good short read for you (and others interested..):

The History of the Suburban

 

We bought a 2006 Expedition Limited - I was looking for trailer towing and 8 passengers primarily. Have had it almost 3 years, and almost no problems.

I say "almost" because... well, I didn't want two things when we were looking at them, but I got "for free" the navigation system and DVD player. And you know what? The two "features" I would highly recommend NOT getting are those two! The nav system (CD-based) is absolute junk - the maps are out of date (even the latest version), the system locks up fairly often (you can tell because the clock stops advancing - only turning off the truck and opening the door resets it), the accuracy is abysmal, it "forgets" all the addresses you've entered occasionally, the list goes on...

The stereo is great for CDs, but for the amount of money we paid, shouldn't it be able to play MP3s? And no iPod connector (well, those weren't common in '06 I guess).

Other things to be aware of: the "4x4" isn't really, because it never locks up all 4 wheels (yes, in 4H and 4L). If you're really plowing through deep snow it just isn't as good as true 4x4. It uses the anti-slip system to apply braking to the spinning wheels which puts more power to the other ones. The way I think of it is that one front wheel and one back wheel are locked together, and the anti-slip handles the other 2 wheels. But it's still a great system for city driving. And the RSC/traction control really works great in winter...

Other quibbles - I would really have liked some tie-down points in the cargo area. My brother rolled his Eddie Bauer, and his toolbox nearly went through his head. I'd like to avoid that if possible.

I find it has plenty of power and the gearing is great for towing. It also shifts down in town such that I typically drive around at 1200 - 1500 rpm, and I get relatively good gas mileage (avg 15 L/100km - which is about 15 mpg-US). 50,000 km and it still feels like a new truck!

Would I buy another one? Absolutely! Despite my pickiness above, this is the best of the SUVs I've seen for my needs. Amazingly comfortable yet very usable for pulling/hauling, solid, and versatile...