Hi everyone, newb here. It was a sad, dark day in May when I sold my 06 F250 crewcab 4x4 6.0 diesel. I'm still mourning the loss. I am now stuck in a pos GM product but we'll leave that there. My wife owns an 04 Explorer Sportrac with 80k on the odometer.

My F250 and her Sportrac have been exceptional vehicles. The only problem I had with my 6.0 superduty was hydraulic leak down and that was covered under warranty. The only problem with the Sportrac is the armrest vinyl has worn away. That's it, no other issues and they have been great.

Now, I'm looking for an SUV. I've looked at 91 and older Suburbans and I would love to own an Excursion but both of those are not practical for me right now. So that leaves me with the Excursion, Land Cruiser, Sequioa, or Armada. Explorers and Four Runners are too small for me and I refuse to own another GM product.

I talked to a guy tonight who had an expedition with 140k miles on it and zero problems. Is this the norm? Expeditions here in Az. can be had for a pretty good price. What are the common problems. If I buy one, it will have the 5.4liter and will be 4x4. Thanks for any input.

 

Welcome to FTE! Sorry for the bad break on your Superduty. It must be tough driving ANYthing else after having one of those.

I would urge you to get more info on the Expy that your considering such as model year for instance. On this forum Expeditions are separated by models. Such as : 1997-2002, 2003-2006, 2007 and up.

My 2004 for instance has been the most reliable vehicle that I've ever owned.

Tim

 

I own 2 expeditions

2000 5.4 2wd the only problem ever had was a chipped air intake at 168,000 miles fixed for $125 now it has 172,000 miles

2005 5.4 4x4 with 110,000 no problems at all

 

I would have to say "yes" for reliability. I have a 2000 5.4 with 208,000 on it and it still runs very well. The problems popping up are little things like window regulators going out, starting to burn oil on startup due to leaking valve seals. Some of the biggest things you should know about the 2000 Windsor 5.4 is that they tend to go through COP's but these are very easy to chnage but cost 50-60 bucks/unit. The other thing for this engine is that when changing plugs you need to be sure to torque them propperly because they have a tendency to blow plugs out. I have never had this prob, yet. All in all I can't complain. It has been a great vehicle taking us to OBX, NC up the beach in the sand many times and never getting stuck. I even pulled quite a few out of the sand after getting stuck. Good luck but I think the Expy is worth it.

 

Thanks for the input. As far as year, I'm thinking of a 2000 or newer. I am aware of the plug problem that plagues the ford engine's but what are COP's?
For those of you that tow, have you had any transmission problems? Right now I just tow a small pop up trailer or a dirtbike. When I get something bigger, that's when I'll jump to the burban or excursion.

 

COP's = Coil Over Plug
I tow my 6X12 trailer with a bike or 4 and can't even tell it is behind me.

Only problems I had, and you will find it in a forum here somewhere, is the front window seal leaks, drips on the computer or some unit under the dash and your electrical will act strange, e.g. turn on the wipers and your radio goes off, etc. 2 of my door lock actuators need to be replaced as well. I think that is why PO sold the vehicle. I had insurance replace the window and seal and no more weird supernatural electrical problems since 2005.

You can find many Expo's for 5 to 10K, and you will be happy with one. Do the research and spend some time looking before you buy. I highly recommend you get CARFAX for $40 before you buy a used vehicle.

 

Don't forget the front end. These trucks, just like the F150's, are very hard on things like ball joints and tie rod ends. All 4 of my ball joints are wiped out at 90K. This isn't a problem really, just know that this is one area to keep in mind. I tow my 17' boat with mine and it does great....you hardly know it's back there. My truck has a 4.6 in it which is lacking for highway duty but OK around town.

I love my Expy and see it staying around for a long time.

 

the Expy is a great vehicle.

it is lucky that it shares 90% of the F-150 drivetrain. Especially the 03-06 Expy. It is damn near a F-150 with a bed cap on it.

Each year Ford improved on things, and generally made them more reliable.


If you are looking for a late model, I would look for a 2005-2006 with the 5.4 3v.

Prior to that, the 5.4 2v was used...and apparently some 2005 models have the 5.4 2v as well. The 3v gains about 40 HP over the 2v motor, and it has a very good reliabilty streak as well.

 

Is it worth it? I like mine. Just picked up a 99 XLT, 4x4, 5.4, one owner, 115k miles, $5200. Similar milage '01 F150 supercrews were going for double that easy, and it is the same dang thing. I think the Expy is a baragin. My '99 F150 work truck, also 4x4 and 5.4 has over 250k miles on it, running strong still. They seem like great trucks, and I have owned all the brands.

 

Thanks everyone. I'm going to take a hard look at them. I might be able to get one from a dealer auction which will put me in the later models which is just fine with me.

 

Best vehicle i have ever owned 1998 4.6l.. I suggest you avoid anything with an air suspension as many on this site seem to have problems with them.

 

Best vehicles I've had, I've got #2 and #3 right now. #1 left when the the "new for '03" body style came out and before I had a kid to spend money on. We were DINKS and I traded cars every few years. My '03 is a personal best for me in both time and miles, and I still love it. 6 years and 118k, previous best was 4 / 100k.

 

Just a word of caution about auto auctions. Cars usually hit the auction when someone can't sell them. There are lots of highly undesirable vehicles at auctions, neglected and thrown away. I think you are better off looking for a private party sale. Then you can meet the former caretaker. With lots of people in finacial trouble you can find some deals out there.

 

funny,i just relisted mine on ebay. has as much, if not more hp/tq than your diesel did. pm me for auction number.