I've lusted after an Excursion since they were first announced over a decade ago.
The ticket price kept me out of the running for having one all this time.

I did settle for a 2000 Expedition back in 2002 and have run the wheels off of it. I bought it with 36K miles on it and put nearly 10 times that amount on it since.

The wife and I were on our way to getting some new brakes on the Expe (it needs a lot more, tranny work, engine work, ball joints, etc) when we saw an Excursion at the used lot of the local Chevy place.

It was a 2003 Limited with 123,000 miles and what looked like absolutely no wear on the leather.
It was equipped exactly the way we wanted, solid color (Ford says it's Grey, code TK, I say it's Sage Green, the wife says it's Golden Tan, go figure) and it was a 2wd with the 5.4 V8.

The first person we asked said they were asking $8900 which was well below what we had anticipated considering the condition, and then a salesman told us that price was wrong, it was actually $7900.

To me it went from a good deal to almost suspicious.

We took it for a test run and before we'd made the third turn I told the bride we better make an offer right then. It was going to cost us a lot less to buy than what it would take to overhaul the Expedition, so we were definitely "in the market".

That was two weeks ago and so far it's been everything I ever expected a Big E to be; comfortable, plush, powerful, and honestly the mileage hasn't been much worse than the retired Expedition that has a 4.6 (Averaging 15mpg vs 17 for the Expe)

Cap that off with a great discussion board to help with any issue that could come along (I've been lurking and reading for a while), I think the object of my desire for so many years was well worth the wait!

Neil Russell
Statesboro, GA

 

Glad you like it...

In regards to the deal you got.. you didn't say what you paid, but for information's sake.. a 2003 2wd 5.4 XLT with that mileage should sell at the dealers auction for $5200.. There aren't enough sales to give good numbers on the limited 2wd 5.4, but it's a safe bet that it's not much higher.

 

We got it for $7K, considering the condition and the prices I researched online for a Limited (not an XLT, that was the Expedition sorry if I didn't clarify) it was a deal for us.
A friend owns the Chrysler place here and said he's having to pay more than wholesale for SUVs at auction after the government decided to upend the used car market this past summer.

 

Just for the record, I wasn't trying to be critical, just disseminating information.

Even if the dealer did buy it for $5200, if you got it for 7k, that's $1800 to the dealer.. Out of that $1800, they probably paid $300ish in auction fees, $100-300 in detailing/reconditioning, interest on their credit line with the auction, etc.

Additionally, as your friend told you, it's not at all uncommon for vehicles to sell above the auction average.. After all, it is an average, so it's to be expected that clean vehicles will go for higher than average and crappy ones will go for less. However, yours had high mileage compared to the auction average (I posted the average adjusted for your mileage).. Vehicles out of line with the normal mileage averages at the auction tend to stay to the low side of average, just like vehicles with minor damage, etc.. They're harder to re-sell, and not likely to demand a premium.. so my guess is that they probably paid somewhere between $4700-5500.

I'm guessing your dealer probably profited somewhere around $1000 on the vehicle, unless it was a trade in... If it was a trade-in, they probably made more like $2500 on it (because they use auction average as a method of lowballing trades, plus they didn't have auction fees or interest on their warehouse line)...

 

Well they do have to keep the lights on.

Even if they were turning trades and auction cars over quickly, which around here they aren't, margins like you describe aren't a heck of a lot.

Also wasn't saying you were being critical, just thought I hadn't specified it was a Limited so no harm intended!

Are you by chance in the car selling biz? As much as I have always loved cars they're the one thing I've never sold and it seems like I've sold everything else.

 

Buzz killer ! Damn .....let the man be happy about his Ex !
i

 

It would take a lot more than price and profit talk to kill my buzz!! (I'd say "an act of Congress" but those clowns might just be able to do it)

We've got about a thousand miles on the Big E in two weeks and have loved every moment of it.

So far the biggest maintenance chore besides an oil change was to tighten up a radiator hose clamp. The last owner must have kept this thing in a vault.

Hoping to get some pics posted when I get enough posts to qualify.

 

Glad you are happy.......can't wait to see it !

 

Thanks! I feel that way every morning before going out where it's parked. LOL

 

I do the same thing.....it's kinda sick !!! but I love my EX

 

For me it's almost like stepping back into a big car from the 60s. Plenty of room, soft smushy ride, lots of power, and it's a loooonng way back to the back window.

I like this thing lot more than my 93 Town Car, and I didn't think anything could top that.

 

congrats! they are amazing tucks and you should enjoy it for along, long time.

 

Congratulations and welcome to the club!!

 

Thanks! I was reading about you taking the cladding off your EX today and then saw one just like it at the local Lowe's Home Center.
I pointed it out to the wife about how sharp it looked, but if it was the same one I was thinking of it was a long long way from home! LOL

The two things I noticed in particular were the black covers at the bottom of the back fender corners and the door handles had been painted the way someone suggested in a post in that thread.

Funny the things you notice.

 

Thanks, it's an exclusive club I've wanted to join since I first read about the Excursion back in about 1999.

I have a feeling when the F-150 dies there will be an all out search for another one of these beautiful brutes, maybe sooner!