Newbie Looking to buy an Excursion
 

Hey everyone! I've been around here since November, and love reading all the posts on here! They are very informative and fun to read!

Now, on to business! I own an Explorer and an Expedition...and they are just NOT enough... the man in me needs more.

I have been eyeballing Excursions for some time now, and have decided that I really, really want one. I have been trying to do as much research about them as I could, but find I still can't make a choice as to what I should get. So, here I am turning to you guys for advice/help!

Now, from what I've gathered, the 7.3 diesel is the way to go as far as Fuel Economy and durability goes! I've read lightly that the V10 6.0 and 6.8 tend to have a lot of problems (besides being guzzlers).

What do you guys recommend? Putting Fuel Economy aside for a second, which motor is best to go with and why?

Lastly, I have been browsing Craigslist, autotrader.com, lemonfree.com, etc etc Searching for the sweet deal of the day, and so far, have come up short... I'm trying to stick to the $10000 - $12000 range. Any advice on where else to look, or rather, know of any sweet deals by you that you'd like to share :)

Thanks in advance guys! I hope to be the proud owner of one of these rigs soon! They are truly the sexiest trucks.....

*edit* Yes I know I had a typo in the title :(

Go with 7.3L......for 10k-12k it will have alot of miles ....relatively

For a diesel, what's "too many miles" Ive had people tell me 190k miles is just breaking in..etc etc

Thanks for the reply!

Most......call alot 100k.....not for a 7.3 though......there's a guy on here that has 800k +

The 6.8 V-10 tend to have lots of problems :confused::confused:


That is news to me.

Maybe he's on dieselstop .....or powerstroke ...can't remember goes by "highwayprisoner"

I was reading somewhere.... about heat gasket issues, Piston Slap, etc. Did I misinterpret something?

I mean the V10's I can find some, at decent prices, but they are in the 100K range plus, and from what little automotive knowledge I do have, that is not good for a Gasoline Engine. It's a shame the V10's dont have the expected life span of a Diesel :( O, and the MPG. The Expedition gives me anywhere between 12- 17 MPG, and I've learned to live with that. But 8-12 on a V10 is a big much to swallow. The 44 Gallon tank isn't a big deal to me, but getting the most out of it is! Then again who knows, might have one of those moments where I say screw it all and get a V10! :)

Decisions...Decisions.....

That's entirely up to you on the V10........modern gas engines are NOT worn out at 100k.....everything has come along way......parts and machining processes are much improved. I have 140k on my 4runner and it is as good as the day I bought it...I would take it anywhere.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...=1264384753050


Hey guys! From that list, which one stands out the most to you?

Black one with 118k, I'd get it if they will ship to Cali for a good price :).

We got our Ex off of E-bay out of NJ. It had 108,000 when we bought it for 10,000. It now has over 160,000 after three years. There is a lot of things I'd like to do to it when I have the money. Oh, 2001 V-10 4X4 by the way. It used to be owned by a constrution company.

thanks for the response havdaddy

Have you had any probs with it at all since you've bought it? Where do you live in relation to where you bought the truck? Did you have a mechanic look at it for you? Was it a private seller?

No major problems. I've done both front hubs and the 4X4 didn't work, which is common. I've got it to where I can go to 4X4 manually. I just need to get the time to rebuild the ESOF hubs. I think we were really lucky that there weren't any major problems. We're near Charlotte, NC and we picked it up in Newark, NJ just off the turnpike. We ran up there on Memorial Day weekend to pick it up (always wanted to go to Newark for a vacation HA-HA). I'm guessing around 9 hours each way. I do most of my own work, so I pretty much knew what to look at. I think the guy was a wanna be wholesaler. Just make sure the title is clear and definitely run the VIN through carfax or one of those kind of sites.

That's the only prob for me. If the truck is out of state, how do I get it inspected by an independent mechanic? I'm not a complete noob with cars, but I wouldn't just go by my opinion when buying the truck. I've test drove 2 trucks, one, the engine sounded absolutely terrible, then again it had 254000 miles on a v10. The other, shut off 2ce during the test drive, so those were no brainers for me.

I do have one noob question, if I were to buy a car out of state from a private seller, how would I get the car back? I mean with no plates, I'd probably be an easy target for Cops on the way home. Would I have to buy it, get the title, come back to NJ to register it, then go back to get it?

Good questions. I really don't know. The guy we dealt with got us a temorary plate. Maybe you could check with the DMV? I know that might be easier said than done. I guess if you really like the truck and you don't see any obvious reasons to reject it, stop by a garage on your test drive and ask if they could check it out. It may cost you but it might save you some headaches. If the seller objects or tries to steer you to HIS mechanic, I'd have some doubts about the truck.