I have owned both a V10 X and now a 7.3 X Both 4X4's.
I will say without regret that the V10 is an incredible motor. Mine was an 03 with 4.30 gears. It was quiet, powerful, almost maintenance free and loved to tow. The downside? I averaged 9-10 mpg with a best of 12 mpg on a trip last summer. Driving it daily drained my wallet with the amount of driving I do. I would average 350 miles per 3/4 tank. I knew it when I bought it, but it turned into a primary family ride instead of a second vehicle. I looked forever until I found a 7.3 diesel. A 6.0 was my last choice, although I didnt totally rule it out. Stock for stock, the V10 with 4.30's would easily out accelerate a 7.3. But, I prefer diesels. Had a 7.3 F250 in the past. Now, I get 300 miles out of half a tank and 15 mpg in daily driving. I also added a Superchips tuner to eliminate the lag. Depends on what you want. I have no regrets going back to diesel in my situation, but I did really like the V10.

 

In late '08 I bought an ex Dept of Agriculture '01 Excursion. Its a V10, 4wd with 41,000 miles. It is an XLT without the lower body cladding. It replaced my wifes '01 Ex that was 5.4, 2wd, XLT. It has everything on it that her other '01 had except carpet. It has air, front and rear, AM FM CD, all power, heated mirrors ect. It did have steel wheels on it and I had a set of regular XLT wheels that I put on it. The no carpet is , to me, the best thing about it. We have six children so I love the easy clean up.

I say go for it. I dont think you will be dissapointed. Ours was well maintained, I had an independent mechanic inspect it before I bought it. Best of all I got it for $5,800 and was able to sell her old 5.4 with 98,000 miles for $6,800.

By the way the comment about the third row seat may be correct. Ours was installed but the center seatbelt was still wrapped in plastic. It may have been reinstalled before the auction.

Here is a pic the day after we bought it.

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I love my V10 Ex! I now have +135,000 on it and it is going strong. I seams to burn oil after 4,000 miles. So, other than making sure I keep up with the oil changes it is a wonderful engine. Yes my Ex does not get sub-compact MPG but I did not buy a sub-compact car ether.
Have a Mechanic inspect the Ex and if he indicates that it is in good shape take the deal if you like that Ex.
Gas or Diesel the Ex is a excellent truck.

 

Love the V10. I still wouldnt mind having a diesel, but which one? I fear big repair bills so I stick with gas.

I sell cars for a living so I can get the vehicles cheap when the market gets soft espceially when people get scared about fuel prices. Yahoo!!!