Hi folks,

I've wanted an Excursion for years and now I'm going to get into one. I've been driving an Expedition which has been great to me but its time to retire it and move up. I do a fair amount of boat towing but mostly I just like the Excursion and the room inside.

Any thoughts about which years to look at (or better yet what to stay away from)? How about power, is the diesel noisy inside the truck? Is the truck underpowered with a V8?

I know mine are open ended questions but I'd love your thoughts........

Thanks!

 

First--welcome! You're gonna love an EX. Best SUV ever built, IMHO...and none of us on here are bias...except the diesel homers.

Good questions, and I answer with all sincerity and no negativity: Spend a couple of hours reading through old posts on this forum. You'll get lots of input on diesel versus gas (every month or so some diesel lover pops up and starts a thread on how great they are, then warps his head and disappears for a few months...). Anyway, in amongst all that BS there's a lot of good info...more than you'll ever collect from replies to a single post.

I've got no idea what the V8 performs like...I don't know anyone who has one. But I can't imagine that it would be that impressive. But then again, I'm a V10 homer, and I recognize that most non-V10 owners lack the intellectual capacity to recognize their own (or their truck's) impotence.

In all seriousness: This is a great place to learn a lot. Just take the time to do some reading of the archives. Good group on here, and we've been known to have a little fun with each other too.

 

Some people need a little more reaffirmation than others, but seriously, if you are honest with yourself about how you are going to use the rig, your decision will vary based on primary use. If you need to tow a load over a mountain @70+ and don't mind greater maintenance expenses, the diesels are the way to go. My problem with the diesels is that they seem to wear out the front end suspensions. My brother has had both diesel engines and he prefers the 7.3 over the 6.0.

I have the v10 2WD only because it was the best deal I could find. I think the 5.4 is OK for traditional family use, but falls down under heavy towing requirements. I guess it all depends on the weight of your boat.

 

I bought my 2000 Excursion over three years ago from Texas Auto Direct on an eBay auction. I'm real happy with dealing with Texas Auto Direct and wouldn't hesitate to buy another vehicle from them. I love the Excursion. Mine has the 7.3 diesel and tows like a dream and I've been extremely happy with it. If you're not going to do any heavy towing, the 5.4 is a great engine and the V10 is great for either a daily driver or for towing. I'd really thoroughly check out one with a 6L diesel. While most folks have had good luck with them, Ford has now paid out over 1 billion dollars out in warranty claims on that engine.

Good luck with your search and keep us posted on your progress!

 

I'll offer my advice. I had a 99 f350 ext cab dually with the 5.4. That thing was a nuttless wonder. The 5.4 may be fine in a 150, but in the superduty line of trucks, It doesn't belong. I drove a few v-10 excursions before finding my ex, I actually had a dealer let me use it for a week. Power was good, but the MPG was horrible, I was getting low teens during that week of my normal driving. I found my 01 ex a couple years ago, it has the 7.3. I stole it back then, and even now what I paid would still have been a good deal. All I have is an exhaust and an intake, and I easily average 17. Highway I can do a whole lot better. Just shy of a 1500 mile trip, I averaged 24.8. And what I like most about a diesel (Go ahead, shoot me now) As you do some power mods, you mpg's will actually go up as long as you can keep your foot out of it. LOL

As far as deciding between the 7.3 or the 6.0. Either way you'll be spending 3-4k for some peace of mind. If you find a 6.0, make sure you get an oasis report on it, and that there isn't a whole lot of activity on it.

 

I had an 01 v8 and now an 05 with the 6.0. The v8 was great for moving the ex. I towed a small jet boat and had no issues. I did burn up the transmission towing a car from Pa to FL. Lucky it was still under warranty. I left it in OD and I think that did it.

The 6.0 is different. Lots of power but off the line it's got a little lag if you floor it. I have never towed with this one so I can't speak about it. As for the v10, I never drove one.

 

I purchased mine in CA, just over a year and a half ago. Found it on a Honda lot and got a great deal on it. I recommend that you drive each of them, and see what you think. I initially looked at diesel, but purchased the V10. I towed a 7500 pound trailer, with 2 kids, 2 adults and a black lab in the Ex from CA to SC (3000 miles), and had ZERO problems. No issues with power, or lack thereof, as I was able to maintain speed everywhere. I did drive a 7.3, and did not like the odor or noise, but that could have been the vehicle. I would suggest not going with the V8, as I had one in my Expy before upgrading. nice engine and adequate for the Expy, but once I started towing (and I suggest you plan for that), it didn't have the power. Add that to the extra weight of the Ex, and you may regret it. Just my opinion. Best of luck, and have fun. I love driving mine!

 

Having to choose between gas or diesel is a tough choice. I have both engines, V10 in the Ex and a 7.3 in a F350. It really depends on what you plan to haul. The V10 is all the power most will ever need. Maintenance if considerably less for the V10. My thought is if you are doing long hauls with a good sized trailer the diesel is a more desirable power choice... maybe. If your truck will be a driver that you sometimes haul a big trailer I would always choose the V10.

 

There is also a cost factor for fuel. Since the evil empire figured out diesels were popular - they found excuses to make it significantly more expensive to operate. Right now in central AZ diesel is .20 more per gallon... even though it is MUCH cheaper to refine. Go figure!


Bill is that an acurate stat? Where did it come from??? I always thought the 6.0 was a big step forward in technology and a sizable hop backwards in reliability

 

We LOVE our Excursion! I have (2) 7.3's and have grown very fond of them. The F350 has over 300k miles now and the X is over 200k miles. These have been the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. They do have a few quirks (CPS, HPO orings, etc), but nothing that is not manageable. We see 17-18 mpg around town in the X and over 20 mpg on the highway (with AIS intake and DP-Tuner. yes, hand-calculated - the overhead LIES ). With just shy of 4 gals of oil at $11/gal and a $20 oil filter, oil changes do cost abit more - but getting a few UOA's performed can help you safely determine a maximum oil change interval to help offset that expense. Our trucks have also been converted to run on used vegetable oil. (currently 120k VO miles on F350 and 40k on VO in X - ZERO problems) WVO costs us about $0.10/gal to dewater and filter so road trips are almost FREE. We still start up and shut down on diesel, so its not completely free - but I've gone 10k miles on a single tank of diesel before! Plan to spend about $4k for a turn-key system like ours.

Yes, it is true diesel has been running $0.10 - 0.15/gal higher than regular gas lately, but it was actually cheaper than gas for awhile at the beginning of summer! Either way, at nearly 2x the MPG of a gasser, that cost is easily offset...

I have several friends with 6.0's. They have ALL had issues, some spending as much time at FORD as in their driveway, but most just had the 'regular' problems like failed injectors, EGR cooler failures, oil leaks, etc. There are a couple who have only had a few problems, but overall I think its a risky option.

The only complaint I hear from V10 owners is MPG. Otherwise they all seem to like'em and they seem to hold up well.

There are some specific things to look at when looking at diesels. The most important thing that comes to my mind is the air intake. The stock filter housing can let dirty air past the filter if its not assembled correctly or if someone made the mistake of using a K&N drop-in filter. Open filter housing and look for dirt/dust in the tube that goes to turbo. Alot of dirt in there would be a deal-breaker for me. There are a few other things, just let us know if yer going that route and I'm sure we can come up with a list for ya! Have fun! Be sure to let us know what ya end up with! I'm sure you'll enjoy your Excursion.

 

Welcome to the Excursion world! You prob just started a war between V10 and Diesel, but having owned both, they are both just as crazy. Someone mentioned it earlier, it comes down to preference and how your going to use your X. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Again welcome and let us know what you decide.