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I bought it because I fricken love em! I have 3 kids and buddies that like to go with me on trips and it's nice to be comfortable on the trips. We had a couple different expeditions, but they only get 15mpg when my 03 7.3 X gets 20 mpg on the highway and that's with 280,000 miles. Right now I have a pile of goodies coming for it and if the motor ever pukes, i'll put a new one in it!
I bought my Excursion because it is the only SUV that comes with a Diesel power plant that meets my towing needs!! Always had Suburbans before the Ex with gas motors....... Subs ride better but they don't tow worth a crap!
I bought mine because I needed something to tow a 24' TT and haul 6 people comfortably on a 5000 mile vacation out west. My 96 Crewcab F250 just would not haul 6 people that far comfortably. Plus I always wanted one!!! I also bought it at the right time, when the gas prices were highest. I got a 2003 Limited 4x4 V10 with 66,000 miles for $14,000.00. My father-in-law was so impressed with the way the X handled the TT that he wanted one. My wife loved it so much she gave up her 97 Deville for the X as a daily driver. My complaints go unheard.
I bought my Ex because there are a ton of OTHER suvs on the road, but none bigger stronger or more capable!
I have to say this too:
If you walked into any store of any product anywhere...and you we coming in to buy the blah blah blah...and the owner of the store said,"I will give you the triple upgraded version of that product for the SAME PRICE, would you take it? The Excursion owner says "HECK YEAH!" and we walk away proud!
We looked for at least 6 months for a nice, under 100,000 miles Suburban or Tahoe Z71 for around 15,000-18,000$. We have 3 kids, two yorkies, and take quite a few road trips around Texas and Oklahoma, Arkansas, eventually New Mexico and Louisianna as well. My wifes Kia Spectre and my Ford Taurus just weren't cutting it. We couldn't take any of their friends, had a hard time packing stuff in, just wasn't working out with the two cars. I had always wanted an Excursion, thought they looked beastly. One day while searching for Chevys, I decided to search for an X in our area. Lo and behold, found a 2003 X XLT 4x4 with just over 90,000 miles on it for $9,000. Looking at the vehicle, took it for a test drive, fell in love with it. It belonged to the Canadian border patrol in Quebec, so I made sure I looked it over real well before signing the papers. We're a very happy X family, and will be for a very long time from now.
I ended up with mine becuase my dad bought it to haul a family of six (which included myself). We were all in our early teens at the time and over time, out grew it. I occasionally drove it since new and not long after, fell hopelessly in love... After two years, my dad grew to hate it and I grew to love it; so I ended up with it instead of him selling it.
I never did sell it becuase to me the thought of a diesel powered SUV really appealed to me since I only had gas vehicles before. It was a really unique vehicle that not only caught my eye, but had more room and towing capacity than anything I looked at. When the time came for the truck to work, it never broke a sweat and had plenty of power to spare. August 27th will be 9 years and 273,000 miles of bliss
My business had me traveling quite a bit and getting bigger trailers for cargo (motorcycles). I bought a used E350 dually shuttle bus in 2002 that did the job great. Was well used but the difference in overhead cost with the diesel in the E350 paid for itself many times over.
By 2008, it was showing some age in the body and in some of the injector wiring harness. My business had changed, and I decided to look at the Excursion as a replacement for my bus and another car.
The X towed my big trailers very well, had almost luxurious accommodations, was easier to work on than the van body, and was able to carry our whole family plus the my wife's parents and sister if we all needed to travel to one location. Did I mention that I am really impressed with the snow performance?
Because I can sleep in it on photoshoots, get to my scenic photo locations with the 4WD, have room for my scenic photography equipment, and room for my booth and framed photos for trade shows. A Burb doesn't quite cut it.
We needed another family vehicle that holds 6+ with cargo. We have a 02 Burb, but needed the extra the Ex has for seat for car pooling. I also wanted the V10 for towing/camping. I also got a better price on this than a somewhat comparable Burb.
At the time, we had two teenage kids, plus many of their friends... Dog, gear, you know the list. Now that the kids are gone, we still love the room for all the junk my wife and I can put in it. Plus the 4 wheeling is fun and we still tow a boat or trailer from time to time. Never have to worry about taking guests along or a 1000 mile trip with 8 on board... And we aren't small folks...
Bought mine to replace my 98 Expedition I used to have for towing our TT. Expy did the job admirably, but the X, WOW. Me, wife, two boys, dog and sometimes Mother in law with all camping gear and camper, never needed more room! Should have bought mine SOONER
Because my wife said my 96 F-250 Powerstroke was a single guys vehicle. It couldn't haul kids or the dog or bags on vacation. She said I needed a 4 door suv so I sold it and bought the 2001 X powerstroke. Man I love diesel trucks. The wife and kids call it big baby.