I am in the process of choosing which used SUV would work best for my family. We are deciding between a used Expedition or Excursion. My wife and I have 4 children, age 14 to 3, so space is the number one issue. We also plan to tow a travel trailer (yet to be bought but will probably be about 6,000 lbs.). Most of the traveling will be local but we want to have the ability to pull the trailer around the country.
I would be interested in the pros and cons between the following: (or anything else anyone wants to add).
Expedition vs. Excursion
Excursion 2wd vs. Excursion 4wd
Excursion diesal vs. gasoline.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts.

 

Both would do the job you want. The excursion will have more room inside but is bigger to park. Really between these two it would come down to personal preference. Go and check each one out at a dealer. Take them for a ride and such.

As for diesel vs gas I think they come down to costing about the same in the long run. The diesel will pull the TT better and get better mileage. If you don't mind the diesel smell (some don't like it) I would go with the diesel if you get a X.

 

Pfff @ diesel pulling a TT better than a V10.

 

There are other factors to take into consideration.

1. Will this SUV be a daily driver as well or is it strictly for towing the TT? If it is a daily driver as well, would you be concerned about the low MPG of the gas Excursion?
2. Are you looking to keep this SUV for a long time? Will you be looking to upgrade into a bigger trailer in the future?
3. That 6K lb trailer you mentioned, is it the dry weight advertised by the dealer or is this the fully loaded with gear? Use the trailer's GVWR instead.
4. Will you get going off road? Will you need 4WD where you are?

Excursion will definitely give you much more room than the Expedition. Both will accommodate the seating, but Excursion has more cargo room after the 3rd row.

4WD definitely has more parts, weight, and maintenance cost than the 2WD. Would you need it? Only you will be able to answer that question. 2WD gives you just slightly more towing capacity, but at the trailer you mentioned, that would not be an issue.

In addition to what Snowseeker mentioned about gas vs diesel, diesels are a bit louder. Maintenance cost is more (16 qts. vs 6 qts. of oil for oil change). A well maintained diesel motor will last a really long time.

Towing a 6K lb trailer with the Excursion is a piece of cake. I'm sure an Expedition will handle it too, but you're pushing its limits. A good rule of thumb is not to exceed 80% of the tow vehicle's limit. If you plan on getting a bigger trailer in the future, you'll have enough truck with the Excursion and won't need to upgrade...unless you plan on a 5th wheel, then both vehicles are out of the picture.

It does come down to preference. I bought mine strictly for towing so I got the V10. Couldn't find a diesel in my price range, though I would have loved to have one.

Good luck in your search.

 

i own both a 98 expedition and 00 excursion. for your needs i would say excursion and the reasons are.

much more room, the 3rd row in a expediton is rather tight and has no real cargo room after the 3rd row.

MPG between my 5.4 v8 expedition and 6.8 V10 excursion are so close together in city that it makes no real differance IMO

the excursion really isnt that hard to park..anywhere..i've been able to stuff it anywhere i've wanted. allthough you need to watch heights on parking garages.

the expedition does drive much smoother, more carlike which is a plus. but lets face it the excursion is a heavy duty truck and it drives like one..i love that fact myself.

now 4x4 would depend on where you live and if you'll need it. considering i need it 50% of the year(all winter-constantly) i would not consider anything else. but you may live where you dont need it...so you gotta decide that.

goodluck with your search!

 

First of all won't even talk much about an Expedition because I have towed with several gassers, big block and small blocks, and it sucks compared to a Diesel. I have 5 kids and tow with my Excursion and love the truck! As far as V10 vs. Diesel, the Diesel Excursion will tow any weight with more ease at lower RPM's and with more economy. You will pull 6% grades without having to hammer it and downshift which is nice too! The positives about the V10 are that they are cheaper to purchase and maintain, that's about it, oh yeah they are more quiet too.

If it were me I would look for an 03 7.3 Diesel Excursion, but good luck with that since everybody and their brother is looking for that same truck! Just know if you buy a 6.0 they do have a few specific issues that you can research here on FTE. They can be a little pricey to get set up right, but once setup they are better than even a 7.3! I spent a small fortune on my 6.0 and installed tunes on it and it screams now!

 

There sure are a lot of opinions so far here based on very little facts (although I agree with most of them.) As mentioned, it would help everyone here make a proper recomendation if we knew a little more about the situation - how much do you plan on driving the vehicle as a daily driver, how often and far do you really plan on towing regularily, what are you looking to spend? Without knowing any of this, I can only recommend that you purchase an excursion over an exp based on the size of your family. It seems that now matter how much room you have, you find things to fill it up with when you go on vacation. At least that is what I have found with our excursion, and my wife and I only have 1 kid and a dog. We bought a v10 because I plan on buying a boat in the near future but it wont be larger than 23'. We also wont tow much more than 3-4hrs on relatively flat land 90% of the time. I also bought a V10 because it was at least 8 grand cheaper than a similar diesel. It would take a whole lot of miles to cover that difference (even more if you finance and are paying interest.) Plus we live in WI and my wife has no interest in dealing with the diesel smell and plugging the truck in when it gets too cold out.

But if I had unlimited funds, I would buy this green 2003 eb 7.3 4x4

Find a Truck, Wisconsin Used Trucks, Lenz Auto Find Trucks, Used Truck Search, Fond Du Lac Used Trucks, Green Bay Used Trucks | Lenz Truck Center: America's Truck Heaven