Looking at a used Excursion.. (vehicles, alarm, sedans, fuel)

[CMPX2]

I'm going to look at a used Excursion tonight. It's a 2000 Limited 4x4 6.8L V10. Anything to look for? Red flags? high dollar fixes? I'm buying from a small dealership that has mostly higher end used sedans, so they seem pretty reputable/honest.

Thanks.

[Creek Hollow]

ford-trucks dot com forum has an Excursion section.

fordtrucks dot com has an Excursion section.

automotive dot com has info on Excursion recalls.

I've always wanted one of those rolling yachts!

[NJGOAT]

Excursion's a pretty solid truck overall and there really aren't any major issues. The far more desirable setup is to have the 7.3 diesel. There isn't anything wrong with the gas V10 other than it's very thirsty. The 6.0 diesel was a complete nightmare and should be avoided.

[CMPX2]

Thanks for the replies so far. This one looks to be in excellent condition w/125k mi. I have a '02 Burb (115k) now and need a back-up kid hauler as my wife will be school car-pooling soon.

[Lux Hauler]

GUZZZZZZLER. You will be spending all of your free time at the gas pumps!

Had the V10 and that thing while it was a monster was also an absolute pig. Took it on a 1500 mile trip (all highway) and averaged like 13 or 14mpg. Driving it around town was significantly worse. 15mpg is achievable but only when the moon and stars are aligned and the atmospheric conditions are perfect! You can figure to overall average about 10mpg. At that rate you will be filling up 44 gallons every 440 miles. That can not only be expensive but very annoying! We have a couple of them left but they are stretched 40 ft and are perfect for the job.

The 7.3 on the other hand is just as powerful and you will get overall economy at 16 or 17 mpg and in the low 20s on the highway.

However if you don't mind pi$$ing money down the filler neck at an alarming rate then I have nothing negative to say about the truck itself. They are monsters, built like tanks, reliable, surprisingly comfortable, acres of interior room, all the utility you could ever want and will tear through just about any terrain. For those who dont regularly drive large vehicles this will be the ultimate test of their navigation and parking skills!

IMO this seems extremely excessive for kid hauling unless you have toys to tow around!

[jazzlover]

At my previous employer, we had 4WD Excursions with V10's in our fleet. No one liked them. As noted, they were absolutely horrendous on fuel economy. With a full load of people and equipment, we were lucky to get 10 mpg with them, unless speed was kept under 65 mph. One time, some other guys I knew were driving one with a full load of people and equipment back from Nebraska on I-80 at 75 mph with a somewhat stiff headwind. They got 4 mpg. In the backcountry in 4WD, fuel economy would drop to about 6-8 mpg. Compared to a Suburban, they rode horribly--you felt every tiny bump in the road. On backcountry trails the Excursion was more competent than the Suburban, but there the ride was even more punishing.

Given today's fuel environment, anyone who buys one of these things is pretty much a fool, in my opinion--unless someone else is buying the fuel.

[CMPX2]

Thanks! It's good to hear a former owner review. We need 8 seats and the selection is not great in that size. We even considered a 12-15 passenger van. I expected 10-11 mpg. My wife might drive all month on one tank. On long trips, we get 16-17 mpg in our loaded 2wd Burb.

[NJGOAT]

Out of curiosity, why an Excursion over another Suburban? If you were getting a diesel Excursion, I would understand, but for the same price, you can probably get a newer Suburban and they offer the same seating capacity, get better MPG and are cheaper to maintain.

[johnnytang24]

That's worse mileage than my brick-of-a-GMC Savana with a 6ft high box in the back!

How about the V6 Chevy Express / Ford Econoline? 15-20mpg, 12 passenger seating, super cheap to fix.

[Bydand]

I am looking for the same thing and have decided that unless I can find one with the 7.3 in it, I will more than likely go with a 12 or 15 passenger Ford van. Even more room and better gas mileage.