Expedition or Sequoia? (or GMC) Advice?

[calicamper]

The biggest wagon sold today is a GM product. Anyone seen a new 3row Suburban? I swear they are 30ft long bumper to bumper and the rear side glass might be sourced from the old 80's country squires the glass is huge! HA HA The wagon thing is funny in the US the SUV is a WAGON! Its just sitting on a more load hauling capable platform in some cases. The Subaru out back is just a Legacy Wagon with some taller springs and chunky plastic body bits to make it look SUV ;-) - I would have bought a Legacy Wagon instead had they still been making them.

 

[justcuz]

Yes I meant when domestics offered mid size SUVs they dominated sales. My bad.
Toyota's Highlander outsells the 4Runner, I think by about 3 to 1.
Since crossovers have been in the market, most folks realize that's all they need, so BOF SUV's have suffered.
I believe the change to crossovers and their profitability has driven a stake in the heart of mid size BOF SUVs in the U.S.
Also you have to remember that fuel efficiency in new full size SUVs rival mileage figures of the older BOF mid size vehicles. My new 2015 Suburban gets terrific mileage compared to my 2000. With more HP, higher gears and DOD the mileage is real good. So far in 4500 miles of ownership the average overall fuel economy is 18.6 mpg. I drove home from Prescott Az. last Sunday and used less than a 1/2 tank of gas.
GM and Ford make midsize BOF SUVs for other markets. Check out Trailblazer and Everest and look at how much they resemble their U.S. Unibody FWD cousins.

Back to the original subject, I think the Ford Expedition seat bolsters on the drivers side get worn out by they way people slide in and out of the seat. Drivers side reupholstering should probably be in the budget. You would probably find the same wear in a Tahoe or Suburban of the same mileage or vintage. Keep up the hunt and thanks for the reports. You just have to find one that speaks to you. I'd say with any of them at the 300,000 mile mark you probably better budget for an engine or trans replacement in a few months. I tease my wife that our 2000 suburban will get rebuilt at 300,000 miles wether it needs it or not, just because I want to look inside the engine!

 

[justcuz]

The biggest wagon sold today is a GM product. Anyone seen a new 3row Suburban? I swear they are 30ft long bumper to bumper and the rear side glass might be sourced from the old 80's country squires the glass is huge! HA HA The wagon thing is funny in the US the SUV is a WAGON! Its just sitting on a more load hauling capable platform in some cases. The Subaru out back is just a Legacy Wagon with some taller springs and chunky plastic body bits to make it look SUV ;-) - I would have bought a Legacy Wagon instead had they still been making them.

It's a visual thing created by raising the belt line and making the side glass height shorter. They are actually within mere inches of each other. I have 3 parked next to each other in my driveway 93, 00 and 15, with no perceptible difference in length.

I must add that I had a 1986 Mercury Colony Park wagon when the kids were growing up. It had the trailering package, factory dual exhaust, 3:55 gears with LSD and other stuff I can't remember now. I bought it used and cut one coil out of the front springs and installed urethane sway bar bushings up front. This kept the headlights out of the trees when towing and some extra added stability on the road. A very smooth ride that handled well. My new 2015 Suburban is the closest thing I have owned to that Mercury wagon. It handles well (almost car like), is comfortable and gets good fuel economy.

 

[unplannedbbq]

Back to the original subject, I think the Ford Expedition seat bolsters on the drivers side get worn out by they way people slide in and out of the seat. Drivers side reupholstering should probably be in the budget. You would probably find the same wear in a Tahoe or Suburban of the same mileage or vintage. Keep up the hunt and thanks for the reports. You just have to find one that speaks to you. I'd say with any of them at the 300,000 mile mark you probably better budget for an engine or trans replacement in a few months. I tease my wife that our 2000 suburban will get rebuilt at 300,000 miles wether it needs it or not, just because I want to look inside the engine!

I think I'll need to upgrade my engine hoist and tranny jack for that job...

 

[justcuz]

:victory: A great excuse to buy more tools!

 

[justcuz]

A cheap first generation Sequoia would be a cool build.
Late model 5.7 V8 conversion with a 6 speed trans and old style t-case
Upgraded rear axle to the later 9.5 or 10". Electric lockers in both ends. Does the 100 series Cruiser rear axle fit? Is it a floater or was the 80 series the last of the full float rear axles?
All Toyota, upgraded and pretty unique!

If I did any extended towing with a GM product I would look for a 9.5 semi float rear axle out of a Escalade. They have the same 5 link coil spring mounts and are the same width as a Suburban/Tahoe and they are 6 lug. It can be fitted with any axle ratio you want to match the front and a factory electric locker as well from an H2 Hummer. Also look for a 3.73 or 4.11 gear ratio in a GM vehicle GT4 or GT5 in the glove box list of options. GU6/3.42 will hunt too much on anything but flat roads and performance will suffer.
My son has 3.42s in his Tahoe, 19/20 mpg on the road, but it sucks in the mountains.

 

[ExpeditionWarthog]

I have a 97 expedition, it's been fairly good but they definitely do have their drawbacks.
I love the fact that it has more room than I ever need, plenty of room for everything you need without having to put gear on the roof. It's very comfortable with 2 people and 2 dogs and gear in the back. If you remove the 3rd row the middle row folds down and makes a perfectly flat sleeping area, no need for a tent. The towing and payload is really good especially when comparing to my ranger. You can fit 33 inch tires with a small tbar crank.

Now the negatives... be prepared to get horrible gas milage, I average about 10 combined with my 5.4. They are an absolute nightmare to work on due to the tight space. Spark plugs turned into a 2 day ordeal, had to pull the fuel rail to get to the back. You will have to do coils every few years, they are very prone to having issues. The 3 valve engine has issues with factory plugs breaking in the cylinder. I think almost every 5.4 I have heard had an exhaust tick of some kind, I just switched to headers and had to extract 7 broken exhaust studs. Not a fun job. The biggest thing that bugs me with the expy is the absolute lack of an aftermarket, everything from wheels to lift kits to bumpers, nobody makes stuff for these.

Not trying to talk crap on the expy just letting you know what to expect. Overall it's been fairly bullet proof for me, never left me stranded. But with that said, I do see a 4runner in my near future.

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[drobb]

A cheap first generation Sequoia would be a cool build.
Late model 5.7 V8 conversion with a 6 speed trans and old style t-case
Upgraded rear axle to the later 9.5 or 10". Electric lockers in both ends. Does the 100 series Cruiser rear axle fit? Is it a floater or was the 80 series the last of the full float rear axles?
All Toyota, upgraded and pretty unique!

If I did any extended towing with a GM product I would look for a 9.5 semi float rear axle out of a Escalade. They have the same 5 link coil spring mounts and are the same width as a Suburban/Tahoe and they are 6 lug. It can be fitted with any axle ratio you want to match the front and a factory electric locker as well from an H2 Hummer. Also look for a 3.73 or 4.11 gear ratio in a GM vehicle GT4 or GT5 in the glove box list of options. GU6/3.42 will hunt too much on anything but flat roads and performance will suffer.
My son has 3.42s in his Tahoe, 19/20 mpg on the road, but it sucks in the mountains.

Here's our first gen Sequoia build. They don't get a lot of attention, but damn it works out great

 

[Root Moose]

I'm seeing ~19 mpg at highway cruise at 110 km/h with a 5.4... Maybe check that your truck isn't throwing codes?

 

[ExpeditionWarthog]

It was throwing a lean code due to a bad o2 sensor, gas mileage has improved but not a whole lot. The 33 inch mud tires my be a contributing factor. How are you getting 19??

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[Root Moose]

It was throwing a lean code due to a bad o2 sensor, gas mileage has improved but not a whole lot. The 33 inch mud tires my be a contributing factor. How are you getting 19??

Stock truck... Flat highway with cruise control. That's not an average of course.

 

[ExpeditionWarthog]

That's pretty impressive, makes me think something else is going on with mine...

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[ExpeditionWarthog]

Oh btw, I would very much recommend you check your cruise control out. Ford did a big recall on several different models and years after trucks were burning down. I found that out after a cloud of smoke starting coming from the engine compartment. I think it's caused by oil getting on the plug and causing it to short out and burn the oil or brake fluid maybe? Idk, but it probably would have caught fire if I let it.

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[Root Moose]

Yeah, I ran the vin for recalls before I bought it. In my research this was the only "big deal" item and it is completely fixable so...

 

[ExpeditionWarthog]

Just making sure you were aware. I just unplugged mine. Here's a picture of the expy.

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