My Daughter is looking at buying a 2002 E.B. Expedition for $5400 at a car lot. Vin# 1fmru1742la55040 (I think). We have not been to see it while the place was open yet. She is looking to buy it by this weekend.
My questions are;
Are there any inherent problems with this model?
What would be excessive high mileage for this vehicle?
Are there any specific things that we should look at when we test drive it?
What would be a fair price for this model in possible fair condition?
Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

I do reside over on the '80-'86 F150 side of the forum. Although I do 99% of my own vehicle work, I have not bought a used vehicle in 30 years.
I am asking for my daughter, who has 5 children and needs the space to haul them all around. She is currently in a Plymouth mini van and is looking to sell it before it dies. She is also very, very rough on her vehicles.

 

Just a thought not really along the lines of your questions...the third row in the '02 is a removeable bench. It is either in or out and is one unit. If she moves up to an '03 she gets the 60/40 fold flat rear seats which may offer a bit more utility for her, and definately more cargo space because she can seat two in the 60 portion of the seat and still have the full cargo length in the 40 area.
Not really sure what you would consider excessive mileage. Some people say 12k per year, some say 20. She is looking at a 10 year old vehicle, could be 120k, could be 240k.

 

All good points. Unfortunately, her credit rating is less than desirable, which means she is limited on what she can do. I guess what I mean by excessive mileage would be, at what point would the vehicle start needing rebuilds on the engine, transmission, etc. I mean I know it all depends on how well it is taken care of, but is there a reliability issue at some point with these vehicles? I have not had any dealings with these vehicles before, so I cannot say how reliable they would be, or not. Does that make sense?

I guess I'm also asking here because I want some information from the people who own them as well. How well they like them, reliability, fuel mileage, repair issues, etc.

 

It does all depend on how well it has been taken care of. I have 167k on my '03 without any rebuilds. I had 95k on my '99 before I got rid of it. I take care of my equipment though. People here report 250k without major rebuilds, that's where I'm hoping my '03 goes. On any used vehicle the higher the mileage, the more owners, the less likely that maintenace was done to schedule. Depending on the mileage (what is it?) you should look and see what major services should have been done. 100k is a typical point for COPs and plugs. Tranny should have been every 30. Read diff if limited slip should have been every 30. The '02 is probably in the family of vehicles that had head machining issues on the passenger side, leading to oil leaks. Tricky one to detect because in a lot of instances the leak is onto the manifold and burns off rather than leaving a puddle. You should pay attention to grinding when turning from a stop for a sign the LSD clutches are binding and possibly bad. You should also test the A/C front and rear as well as the heat, as blend doors are common issues. Also test the air flow locations (vents, floor, defrost) and make sure that under acceleration it doesn't default to defrost which would indicate a vacuum leak. Also check the fan speed dial if it is a manual system to make sure it hits all the speeds properly. You will also want to check the suspension, depending on how hard it was used you may need some work in the front end. It is a heavy truck and wears out parts. Good to test that on some grass so the suspension gets to do some work but you eliminate road noise. Check the usual suspects, tire wera, how it tracks, how it stops paying close attention to wheel pulse that would suggest warped rotors. Check fluid levels and colors.

I clearly like Expeditions, and am considering another one to replace the '04. I've never gotten great mileage, between 13 and 15, but I drive hard. Some report much higher mileage, I just don't see it.

 

The VIN you posted is only 16 characters long, you need 17. With the correct VIN you can do a history report and maybe head off a disaster if anything negative shows up on the report.

Aside from that, might I ask why your daughter is looking at an Expedition? There are other vehicles that can be bought for less and also get better gas mileage.

 

We really couldn't get a clear view of the vin at the time, will check again.
I agree with the other vehicles/better mileage, but she is limited on time, money, and what's available in her area.

 

I own a 2002 XLT which I bought new with 3 miles on her. I currently have over 165,000 miles on her and she runs like a dream. Only failure I have had is the alternator at 160,000 and the muffler about 1,000 miles ago. Other than that, routine maintenance has given me a very dependable vehicle that I love to drive. The original rear brakes made it to 102,000 miles. Sure, fuel mileage isn't the greatest, but it's a large SUV with a V-8. I didn't buy it to echo a Honda Civic's capabilities, but instead to haul the family and tow my 23' fishing boat. I agree with getting the complete VIN and running a CarFax or other history report.

 

CarFax is way overpriced. Try picking one of the deals on this page instead:
GetFreeCarfax.info - Instant Genuine Complete Report

 

Ditto the alternator replacement on my '01 this year. Also ball joints and rear wheel seals. All around 97k miles on a well maintained truck.

Chronic conditions with my '01 include frequent front brake replacement (I have heard the front rotors described as undersized for this truck) misfire in damp or rainy conditions (COP replacement was expensive until I started doing them) and failing paint on aluminum hood, rear hatch and luggage rack.

Overall I have been happy with this vehicle. I gotta admit I would be less happy if I was paying a mechanic for repair.

MPG be damned.

 

Can someone tell me more about "COP"? Like what it is, how to check it, how to replace it, etc.

 

COP = Coil on Plug. There are 8 of them, the Motorcraft part is $90 per. There are aftermarket ones available for as low as $9 each. You can search here and find lots of discussions on them. You don't check them per se, they just go bad. The failure starts as a misfire which may or may not trigger a check engine light. You replace them by unbolting them from the plugs, and putting a new one back. It is a tough job, many report it taking 6 - 8 hours as a DIY job. Take a look at where the back cylinders are and you can see why, they are essentially under the cowl as far back as you can get, and down low. After people do it they get the rhythm and get good at it and can bang it out in a few hours. Plugs should be done at the same time since you are already there and elbow deep. Probably a $700-$1000 dealer job.

You still haven't told us how many miles are on this thing.

 

Make sure it doesn't have the air ride suspension. I bought a new Eddie Bauer Expedition in 03. It had all the bells and whistles including air ride suspension. Started having all kinds of problems with the air ride components within just a few years. It's just my opinion, but I'd stay away from air ride on a 10 year old unknown vehicle.

 

I Don't know yet, she still hasn't went over and looked at it while they were open.

 

Very good advice.

 

Lots of things to consider on a 10 year old unknown vehicle. I'd probably buy one this age, but I have experience with the model.

No problems to date with the air ride on my '01, but I've kept an eye on threads regarding refit for when the time comes.