Ford Expedition advice

[al_burpe]

My family is expanding from one kid to two kids in the spring. We frequently have visitors and especially my wife's parents come visit us. Our current vehicles are a Jeep Compass and Nissan Frontier. I would like to sell the Frontier and get a full size SUV with the third row. Then when we have visitors or other instances where we want to take two or more people with our family, we won't have to drive two vehicles everywhere. The Compass is my wife's daily driver and the Frontier is what I drive. The reason I don't want to sell the Compass and get a three row vehicle is that it only has 65K miles on it and is paid for. It was my parent's vehicle, and they gave it to us. Prior to giving it to us, it was in an accident, so the resale value on it isn't very good. It has been problem free for the two years we have had it however. I don't want to sell it only to buy a car with much higher miles on it where I don't know the vehicle history. Also, we live in Idaho where we value the all wheel drive aspect of it, and don't want to replace it with a front wheel drive mini van. That brings me back to my Frontier which is a 2007 with 125K miles on it. In doing vehicle research, I should be able purchase an Expedition that is slightly newer with lower miles on it for the price I expect to get for the Frontier. I am open to considering Suburbans, Sequioas, Armadas, and Expeditions (am I forgetting any other full size three row SUVs?), but for whatever reason the resale value on an Expedition is much lower than any of those four. My intended use is as my daily driver (my commute is 8 miles round trip), family camping trips, and for extended road trips with the family. I am certain it will serve my needs in mostly stock form with decent A/T tires on it. I really like the fact that the rear seats fold flat.

My question is what known problems should I look for when considering an Expedition with 100K plus miles on it. I am really only looking at the 2005 plus model years. I didn't do enough research when buying my Frontier. While it is a very capable truck, I wish I had known about the transmission/radiator problem before purchasing. It also seems like every other typical Nissan problem has happened to it at one time or another as well. I would rather not go down that road again. Any wisdom would be very much appreciated.

 

[ExplorerTom]

A 2005+ is going to have a 3 valve motor. These have issues with the spark plugs breaking off in the head when you go to replace them. There is a good extraction tool though that seems to make it an easy fix.

I believe this year range also has cam phasers in the motor. I think the cam phasers help with gas mileage- but I'm just guessing since my Expedition is older with a different style motor. These can be problematic but I'm not entirely sure on what a bad cam phaser does or sounds like.

These things seem to run forever. Plenty of examples with over 200k and even over 300k miles.

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

Great vehicle. Had good friend that abused the hell out of one when we were teenagers. Only real problem I recall was that he had to replace intake manifold...... something about antifreeze leaking onto it, but that would of been avoidable had he just done basic maintenance and caught it in time. I think a van is the best people hauler, but too big to be a daily driver IMO.

 

[NevadaLover]

The fleet I work for had 12 different 2000-2007 expeditions for patrol use and they were good machines for the most part, passenger side exhaust manifolds and spark plugs were the most common issue and as long as you have patience they aren't hard to fix,
the only other complaint I remember was the '05-'07 IRS didn't like too much throttle in the turns, not a big problem for most people but some cops complained alot, keep the oil and filters changed and it should be a good rig for years!

 

[al_burpe]

Great vehicle. Had good friend that abused the hell out of one when we were teenagers. Only real problem I recall was that he had to replace intake manifold...... something about antifreeze leaking onto it, but that would of been avoidable had he just done basic maintenance and caught it in time. I think a van is the best people hauler, but too big to be a daily driver IMO.

I thought about a full size van. It is probably something we will consider when the kids are older. The biggest drawback for me is the lack of passenger doors on both sides. Trying to get an infant and toddler strapped in seems like a huge chore that I don't want to face anytime we want drive somewhere. I also don't like how much it cost for a 4wd van. They don't seem to be that great of value. I agree though that there is probably nothing better when you need haul a bunch of people around.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Great vehicle. Had good friend that abused the hell out of one when we were teenagers. Only real problem I recall was that he had to replace intake manifold...... something about antifreeze leaking onto it, but that would of been avoidable had he just done basic maintenance and caught it in time. I think a van is the best people hauler, but too big to be a daily driver IMO.

The antifreeze thing is a 2valve motor issue on the 1st gen and first or second year of the 2nd gen.

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

I thought about a full size van. It is probably something we will consider when the kids are older. The biggest drawback for me is the lack of passenger doors on both sides. Trying to get an infant and toddler strapped in seems like a huge chore that I don't want to face anytime we want drive somewhere. I also don't like how much it cost for a 4wd van. They don't seem to be that great of value. I agree though that there is probably nothing better when you need haul a bunch of people around.

New they are cheaper than a 4x4 suburban and can haul twice as much....much easier to modify too. May consider an AWD chevy van. Many GM conversion vans had 4 doors, but was a non issue for me. I had babies in mine for all 5 years of ownership. It's easy to get them in the carseat. I would get into back of van, put them in car seat, and step into driver seat pretty easily. Even with a van I managed to run out of room car camping (regular body)... I was having to put stuff on the floor around the seats, which was not ideal in the event of an accident. I eventually got tired of having 3rd car expenses and now use a crew cab truck for designated camping/road trip vehicle.

 

[Raul B]

we had a 2005 with 230k on the clock and never had an issue. But from what I read the sticking spark plugs is about the biggest problem....

 

[Fatty ss]

I don't have any feedback on the expedition, but another three row option is the Jeep Commander. It can be had with a v6 or either a 4.7 or 5.7 v8 and doesn't carry the resale price of other Jeeps. Dodge Durango has a third row as well, but realistically is a more street oriented vehicle than the Commander.

Just a thought!

 

[Bayou Boy]

My wife drives a 2010 2wd Expedition Limited. It now has about 85000 miles on it and we've had it since about 40,000. It's starting to have lots of issues with the complicated systems in it. In the past year we have replaced one window regulator and the front AC part that directs air to either the driver or passenger side, and now the rear AC air flap needs replacing and the AC head unit will not turn the fan off when you press the off button. All those together are starting to add up to real money. It will probably need to go away soon for something newer. The 2000s were an era when car manufacturers were rapidly adding complications to vehicle systems to make them fancier. Those parts are all starting to break and they are really expensive to fix. The last AC fix required the entire dash to come out of the car. I remember driving by the mechanics shop and the center console was outside of the car laying on a towel and the entire dash panel was sitting on a pair of sawhorses. Think about that hard before putting money into something uplevel from that era.

 

[ExplorerTom]

^which is kinda why I love my 2000 Expedition. No fancy stuff. Any if the stuff that can break is fairly easy to fix. The heater core will involve removing the dash, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

[al_burpe]

New they are cheaper than a 4x4 suburban and can haul twice as much....much easier to modify too. May consider an AWD chevy van. Many GM conversion vans had 4 doors, but was a non issue for me. I had babies in mine for all 5 years of ownership. It's easy to get them in the carseat. I would get into back of van, put them in car seat, and step into driver seat pretty easily. Even with a van I managed to run out of room car camping (regular body)... I was having to put stuff on the floor around the seats, which was not ideal in the event of an accident. I eventually got tired of having 3rd car expenses and now use a crew cab truck for designated camping/road trip vehicle.

I am sure new they can be found cheaper than a Suburban. Unfortunately, I cannot afford neither a new van or nor new suburban. If you know where I can get used 4wd or Awd full size van that is year 2000 or newer with less than 130K miles and that cost less than $10K, I would totally consider it.

 

[al_burpe]

My wife drives a 2010 2wd Expedition Limited. It now has about 85000 miles on it and we've had it since about 40,000. It's starting to have lots of issues with the complicated systems in it. In the past year we have replaced one window regulator and the front AC part that directs air to either the driver or passenger side, and now the rear AC air flap needs replacing and the AC head unit will not turn the fan off when you press the off button. All those together are starting to add up to real money. It will probably need to go away soon for something newer. The 2000s were an era when car manufacturers were rapidly adding complications to vehicle systems to make them fancier. Those parts are all starting to break and they are really expensive to fix. The last AC fix required the entire dash to come out of the car. I remember driving by the mechanics shop and the center console was outside of the car laying on a towel and the entire dash panel was sitting on a pair of sawhorses. Think about that hard before putting money into something uplevel from that era.

Are you saying that either need to go older or newer? Are you opposed to all cars from that time period or just Ford Expeditions? Anyway, it sucks about your wife's Expedition. I can fully relate. My 2007 Frontier has the fuel sensors go out, the cruise control go out, the tire pressure monitoring system never works right, the airbag light flashes all the time, the paint has started shedding itself, and finally the transmission went out at 110K miles. It could just be that you and I bought lemons as lots of people on this forum and elsewhere seem to really like their Frontiers and Expeditions. I am not at all brand loyal and totally willing to consider other options. I have a hard time justifying the extra cost of Toyota however. I said that before I bought my Frontier as well though and in hindsight wish I spent the extra for a Tacoma.

 

[al_burpe]

I don't have any feedback on the expedition, but another three row option is the Jeep Commander. It can be had with a v6 or either a 4.7 or 5.7 v8 and doesn't carry the resale price of other Jeeps. Dodge Durango has a third row as well, but realistically is a more street oriented vehicle than the Commander.

Just a thought!

Do you have Commander? The reviews I read said the 3rd row is awful for adults and very hard to access. Also, a quick check on prices in my area show that they go for about the same as a similar year and mileage Expedition. I would consider a newer Durango if I could find one in my price range. I think I would pass on the older ones based on the Dakota platform. I had a Dakota for a number of years, and wouldn't want to go back.

 

[Bayou Boy]

Are you saying that either need to go older or newer? Are you opposed to all cars from that time period or just Ford Expeditions? Anyway, it sucks about your wife's Expedition. I can fully relate. My 2007 Frontier has the fuel sensors go out, the cruise control go out, the tire pressure monitoring system never works right, the airbag light flashes all the time, the paint has started shedding itself, and finally the transmission went out at 110K miles. It could just be that you and I bought lemons as lots of people on this forum and elsewhere seem to really like their Frontiers and Expeditions. I am not at all brand loyal and totally willing to consider other options. I have a hard time justifying the extra cost of Toyota however. I said that before I bought my Frontier as well though and in hindsight wish I spent the extra for a Tacoma.

Good questions. What I'm saying is that manufacturers were rapidly learning how to integrate all of these new complex features into vehicles during that time period. So I'd say the answer to your question is kind of both. With older cars, simpler is better. That car you paid $15k for that originally sold for $50-60k will have maintenance like a $60k vehicle and not like a $15k vehicle. So if you want an older Expedition, buy an XLT not a Limited/Eddie Bauer.