I just picked up ours a few weeks ago.
I was in the market looking for the most economical vehicle I could find to tow my drag cars around with. We started racing a few years ago and this year we finally got to the point where we are making enough power and driving the cars hard enough that they won't always make it home on their own power. Thus a Tow vehicle was a necessity.

So while looking around for a F250 or bigger, we happened across the X for a steal. Sure it was a diamond in the rough, few things to fix maintenance wise and what not, but for $4k we took the risk. When it comes to wrenching, I'm not afraid. Now body work and electrical....That I shy away from! LOL

So for us the price was right. The X is a big bad mother and a blast to drive. Also, many of the racing events I have attended this year where weekend events and rather then driving back and forth every day like I had been doing, now I can trailer up the car with the X and stay the weekend without issue. So it opens up the opportunity to travel to some tracks out of state as well.

Loving it so far!

 

I bought mine because I needed a diesel so I could burn vegetable oil. I am a 'buy American, buy Ford' guy and it just so happened that the Ex was the only thing that fit my needs and my 4 kids too :-)

Now I cruise around not paying for fuel and looking great too. My kids have their own zip code when we go for long rides which makes me and wifey happy.

 

We tow an enclosed car trailer to antique car tours around the country. I originally towed with Suburbans which could be rather thirsty with gas. I ordered a new 2000 E350 work van with all the towing and suspension options and a 7.3 PSD and it out-powered and out handled the Suburbans hands down! We loved towing with it and used it for 8 years.

However, the work van has only two seats and we had several occasions where we needed additional seating, so I started looking for a good low mileage Excursion and found a 2000 7.3 psd Limited in Houston, TX two years ago. Since it's intercooled and the van isn't, it has even more towing power than the van. We absolutely love the Excursion and find that we're not nearly as fatiqued after a long trip in the Excursion as compared to our earlier Suburbans.

Plus, I've always loved the styling of the 99-07 Super Duty trucks and think that they're one of nicest looking trucks on the road. To have a station wagon version of one of those beasts is just about as good as it gets!

 

My '95 K2500 454 Suburban was starting to have a few more problems than I wanted to deal with at 214,000 total vehicle miles. I still wanted an SUV that would be sufficient for towing, and at the time I had a habit of towing some bigger trailers, including a 20' enclosed. I also wanted a large SUV because I have a habit of carrying lots of stuff with me.

I looked at the Suburbans, Excursions, and also Expeditions and Tahoes. The Excursion was, by far, the most cost effective option. The price I paid for my truck was significantly lower than I would have expected to pay for a comparable year/mileage of any of the other options. Plus I got a 4x4 Limited with 4.30s in the exact color combination I wanted. How lucky is that?

 

I dont have a personality - so buying an EX has nothing to do with making it feel better. I dont care what other people think, so making the rich snobs feel good when I pull into some high-class place, and/or upsetting hippies, dosn't have any value to me.

For my normal driving needs, the EX. causes no problems for me - I have no trouble finding a parking space, or making tight turns. And I couldnt care less about the gas consumption. I am fairly well-off, so the 26 mpg our Toyota RAV 4 gets for our normal driving, is fine with me.

Oh - about our EXCURSION. I bought it because we have a need for a heavy tow vehicle. Not often - oh, maybe once a month, if that. When not in use, the EXCURSION sits in a climate controlled garage, where it causes me no trouble. It did cause me trouble when I first bought it. But I knew it would. Thanks to this FORUM, I knew in advance the EXCURSION, (at least those without rear sway bars) with its way-too-soft springs, would be pretty useless for towing anything bigger then a kid's coaster-wagon (actually, driving back from the dealer in Calif. scared the hell out of me, the sloppy handling, brake rumble (again, I knew what that was thanks to this forum, but it still scared me) and obviously high center of gravity and lousy roll control.

But with a few hundred bucks worth of parts ( air bags to set the riding height when loaded, and a Hellwig sway bar, AND a decent set of rotors) it does what it was purchased for. Just got back to northern Arizona from a fancy super-snob car show in Southern California. With the 3.73's, I lock out the overdrive (except over flat stretchs with no or a tail wind), our V-10 handles the grades just fine. No, not anywhere NEAR as fast on an up-grade as a diesel, but at the time I bought mine, a mint mint mint ( did I say "mint") diesel would have commanded an eight grand premium. (you can buy a lot of cheap beer for the difference, and I have my priorities).

Incidentally, each of my two trailers ( one has our boat on it, the other is a box trailer for my collector car) weighs around 11,000 lbs. Towing that kind of load I get an OVERALL average of about 8.5 mpg.

 

Well,


I suspect that my rationale parallels many others, but specifically I elected to buy my Excursion:

(a) I had previously bought a 99 Chevy Tahoe (ordered specifically for the job), but which candidly, turned out to be the absolute worst vehicle I've ever owned (new or used, but absolutely new). It replaced a 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which I loved, but had rear axle bearing durability issues with all the towing I do, and was too small for the planned family.

(b) Beyond the terrible reliability (Tahoe), it proved to be far too small for my growing family (2 kids, 1 dog, and my spouse) and all of the gear needed when towing the travel trailer.

(c) I'd had very good experiences with my new (ordered) Mustang LX 5.0 convertible (still have it with 37K original).

(d) My wife's 99 Explorer XLT 4WD, which only required routine maintenance, had a very good fit-and-finish, and which rarely had any problems. In short, a very good truck that we were very pleased with, but it too was too small for the growing family. (Eventually replaced with an 2004 E-250 Conversion Van).

(e) To accommodate my mother-in-law (a very nice person) who accompanies us sometimes on camping trips.

(f) Guests that occasionally join us when camping in the travel trailer.

We often had to take 2 vehicles with us to fit everyone in. Of course, there are Tahoes (never again) with a 3rd seat or Expeditions with a 3rd seat (nice but too small), Expedition XLs (again nice, but underpowered and very expensive relative to the Excursion I bought ~17K vs. 52K(List)).

I tow a lot of different trailers:

Race Car open (may eventually get an enclosed trailer), about 8000lbs with all of the gear and support equipment

Boat trailer (26’, ~6-7000lbs)

Travel trailer, 26’, about 7-8,000lbs
I always liked the F-250/Super-Duty front end (don't care too much for the F-150 front-end anymore, although the 09 F-150 looks much better), but a pickup just won't fit the bill for me, not even a crew-cab.

I've always had station wagons (since I was 17, which I love but can't buy anymore, I mean one's that can actually tow), so from many different perspectives, the only vehicle that met my requirements, was the Excursion. The standard rating of 9,400lbs (obviously less passengers and equipment) for towing was very attractive and should I ever need to, I can install 4.30s (currently 3.73s) to tow 12,500lbs. It’s a very versatile and well engineered package.

I looked for many years trying to find a low-mileage diesel that I could afford, but without success. Eventually, I came across the Excursion that I did buy, which only had 28K original on it (2002, V10, 4WD, Limited Ultra). It was also an appealing color combination. When I was looking most aggressively (Last year and this year), the additional cost of the Diesel (about 7-10K premium over the V10), plus the more expensive Diesel fuel (almost $1 more per gallon at the time), and coupled with the actual miles I use the vehicle for annually (about 6-8K maximum) all argued for the V10 over the Powerstroke (which I like, particularly the 7.3L). Of course, the V10 is much quieter than the Diesel, but that wasn’t the major impediment for me. Each combination has its strengths and drawbacks.

I absolutely love this truck, and it hasn’t given me one single problem. Everything actually works, there’re no wind leaks, the fit and finish are excellent, and after I finally install the Y-Pipe (already have it, just haven’t gotten around to installing it), I think it will be more than adequate. It tows beautifully and the family has a ton of room for everyone and the attendant gear for camping. It’s very comfortable and quiet. The gas mileage isn’t too spiffy, but actually not that bad for a 7K vehicle (around 10-11 MPG around town if I drive gently, and around 16.5 @ 58MPH, not towing of course).

The V10 is a bit small (only 415CI), but it serves very well. In short, I’m very, very pleased with it, and they absolutely will have to pry my cold dead fingers off it to get it away from me.

Bob

 

Bought the EXCURSION because it fits our lifestyle better than the alternatives. I use it for towing the travel trailer, boat, and other trailers I have. Plenty of room inside for all my gear and when I go boating everyone going can just ride with me. I have to admit though, it's nice driving something that not everyone else has.

 

Was looking for a replacement for my 97 Expy(192K) and needed to be able to tow my TT with out breaking a sweat, room for all the gear, kids, guests and German Shepard for camping. A Bow tie was not an option, my Blue Ovals have always held up well and never let me down so the Ex was for me. To top it off the biggest beast SUV on the road. Wherever I go someone always comments on the rig.

 

I've now owned two.

I bought the second one (current one) after I moved back to Hawaii. Original one was sold prior to moving. I own an Excursion because...

...we've got 4 kids (4 kids always bring friends)
...we also have 3 dogs
...we used to tow our 2 horses around but they're gone now
...large crunch zones
...lots of cargo room behind the third row
...the V10...yes...I SPECIFICALLY bought a V10. I needed an engine I didn't have to think about.
...it's cooler than a van
...the Friends and Family promotion back in 05

 

Appearance, Size, Options, 4WD & Safety.

Did not purchase to tow, or to haul stuff inside. But the third seat coming out and 2nd row folding down is still nice. You could actually sleep in an Excursion comfortably if the occasion to do so ever presented itself.

And obviously was not concerned about fuel mileage.

 

Frankly, I only get about 10 mpg with my diesel pulling a trailer of similar size and a little less weight. You're right that the price difference between the V10 and the diesel isn't worth it if the cost of fuel and mileage is the only consideration.

 

I guess my attempt at humor fell flat.(yes that what that was) Oh well.

I wanted the Excursion to replace my Expedition. The Expy did not have the power that I wanted.
The Excursion had the power and the room for 2 kids, 2 adults, 2 cats, and 2 really large dogs, and still pull the travel trailer on long trips.

With the rear seat turned around, it is also really fun to go to the drive in.

 

Nope, I laughed!

I guess that makes me a bad person, eh?

Stewart

 

i started looking for a bigger camper 31' with two slide outs vs 29' with one slide out. my 98 suburban with 350 would not tow the BIG ONE .... i found a used 2001 ex ... i kept the old camper .... the suburban was a good vehicle but a bigger(6k vs 9k) camper was too much for it to pull ... while towing in the mountains of east tn the ex will run off and leave the sub .... towing gas milage is slighly different 11 mpg with sub vs 9 mpg with ex...

 

Nah, just one with a personality, unlike another member of the board.