Full Size (LARGE) Family Adventure Rig - Selection Question

[Harmgrissom]

I've always liked the Montero's. Didn't realize they had 3rd row capabilities.

Honestly this purchase "MAY" be closer than expected as my wife's van is starting to gasp. :yikes:

While a Montero wouldn't be a bad choice a friend in town has really been showing off :Wow1: with his 08 Sequoia. :drool: Mild lift - 33"s. yummy indeed.

But we'll see. I'd prefer my original time frame of another year or so.

 

[Power Wagon Okie]

I would look at more comfortable vehicles for your passengers (wife and kids) like a diesel Excursion or older 3/4 ton Suburban. I have 6 in my family, 4 are kids, one with special needs and I just traded my suburban for a 1 ton Dodge Cummins Quad cab pick up. I prefer the pickup for hauling and it fits my current needs for interior space and passenger comfort. The Jeep is just too small for that in my opinion.

I am in the same boat as you are..... almost exactly! I've got 4 kids, one with special needs, and am currently driving a Suburban. I'm looking to get something else to turn into an Expedition Rig (Burb is an 07, yay crappy IFS). I've been checking out the older 89-91 model Suburbans, as well as the excursion, some newer double cab pickups, LR Discoverys, and a few Land Cruisers.

I just can't make up my mind. I want this rig to go anywhere, PERIOD, meaning I want it to be able to get into some crap (if I decide), and have enough to get out. I realize the benefits of the smaller SUVs, but can't seem to break myself of the Larger sized ones.

I love having all the extra room, BUT, don't want it to be the downfall of the rig while out somewhere in the wilderness.

I want diesel, but it's not a necessity. I do want a V8.




Any advice to solve this dilemma?????

 

[Pskhaat]

First, may we please change your username?

 

[Power Wagon Okie]

First, may we please change your username?

You're the moderator, you can do whatever you need

How about


SlowChevy07

 

[mountainpete]

You're the moderator, you can do whatever you need

How about


SlowChevy07

Name changed.

 

[weberjeff]

I am biased towards the Excursion/ Suburban. I run a Diesel Excursion with a three kids ( all in kids seats) and still have room for more in the middle seats. You can also pull out the third row and fold down the middle seats and have almost a 8' bed to put stuff in when you don't have the family to haul. I just got back from running around in Steamboat Springs, CO and had plenty of room for all of the gear and the family. I do run a cargo carrier on top for the camping and fishing gear. I still am working on the lift options to bring it up a little so I can fit some 285s on it. Also at 17 mpg, tons of power and a 44 gal tank, you can reach out and do about 800 miles on a tank. I admit I am a Land Cruiser fan but the Ex fell in my lap and I couldn't refuse the offer for my F-350.

 

[Power Wagon Okie]

I am biased towards the Excursion/ Suburban. I run a Diesel Excursion with a three kids ( all in kids seats) and still have room for more in the middle seats. You can also pull out the third row and fold down the middle seats and have almost a 8' bed to put stuff in when you don't have the family to haul. I just got back from running around in Steamboat Springs, CO and had plenty of room for all of the gear and the family. I do run a cargo carrier on top for the camping and fishing gear. I still am working on the lift options to bring it up a little so I can fit some 285s on it. Also at 17 mpg, tons of power and a 44 gal tank, you can reach out and do about 800 miles on a tank. I admit I am a Land Cruiser fan but the Ex fell in my lap and I couldn't refuse the offer for my F-350.

I'm leaning towards an Excursion now after doing some digging. They've got all the room I want, solid axles, diesel, and great fuel capacity.

 

[weberjeff]

I'm leaning towards an Excursion now after doing some digging. They've got all the room I want, solid axles, diesel, and great fuel capacity.

My advice would to look for one that has been taken care of. There are plenty of Excursion owners out there. If you go with the 6.0L Diesel, just make sure you get it checked out and have a thorough review of the engine. Go with a 2005, if possible in with the 6.0. If you can find a 2002 - 2003 with a 7.3L Diesel then you will have a strong reliable engine. I like what I have and look forward to building it into a family adventure vehicle that can tow a small trailer for our outings.

 

[Power Wagon Okie]

My advice would to look for one that has been taken care of. There are plenty of Excursion owners out there. If you go with the 6.0L Diesel, just make sure you get it checked out and have a thorough review of the engine. Go with a 2005, if possible in with the 6.0. If you can find a 2002 - 2003 with a 7.3L Diesel then you will have a strong reliable engine. I like what I have and look forward to building it into a family adventure vehicle that can tow a small trailer for our outings.

Is there anything in particular that I should look out for? I'm not familiar with Diesels at all!

 

[weberjeff]

Is there anything in particular that I should look out for? I'm not familiar with Diesels at all!

If you decide to lock in on the Excursion Diesel then you will want to take a look at some of the other sites and start learning about the maintainence required to keep your diesel reliable. Oil and Fuel filtering is critical to the 6.0L. Differnt forums out there go into great detail on the diesel world. Some sites to review are
Ford Truck Enthusist --http://www.ford-trucks.com/
The Diesel Stop -- http://www.thedieselstop.com/

Ford Truck Enthusist has a specific Excursion set of forums that can be a good reference for the Excursion itself. It can be a good reference and some good ideas on how to improve the suspension and other good things you can do with the truck. Since the diesel engines are shared with the 2000 - 2005 Superduty Pickups (F-250, F-350), The Diesel Stop has both 7.3L and 6.0L forums to learn about the strenghts and weaknesses of both.

 

[tribeof5]

van

Okay so here is my suggestion. My wife and I have 5 boys. Youngest is 5 and oldest is 13. We drove a 4x4 Excursion for eight years. All the while, we wanted a 4x4 diesel van. Finally found one in our budget last April. Best purchase I have ever made. My boys have been camping since they were first born. Took my oldest when he was four months to Colorado on a 30 day trip. We have put just over 33,000 miles on our van in the last 16 months. Traveling in it is great since they have all the space they need. And don't forget the wireless headphones for the tv system. LOL. Also a huge part for those highway miles. Good luck and enjoy your adventures.

 

[BoilermakerSteve]

Our Excursion Experience

Hi harm,

We have a 2000 Excursion with a 7.3 L PowerStroke Diesel. We have four kids ages 10 to 17. The Excursion has 316,000 miles on it and I don't hesitate for a second to head across the nation with it. Here are my thoughts regarding an Excursion for the usages you have described.

Things I think are positive:
1. It is the largest SUV built. Tons of cargo space and seats 8 comfortably
2. F250/350 Chassis
3. Solid axles
4. The 7.3 is a great engine, a lot of people are also happy with their 6.0 L engines, even though the reputation is not good
5. Easy to modify as many F-series mods fit the Excursion
6. You can put a huge roof top rack on it, if you want
7. 4WD Hi and Lo
8. Wheelbase is short compared to crew cab pick ups (similar to a standard cab, long bed pick up)
9. We get 17 mpg over all types of driving conditions over long time periods
10. Easy 700 mile tank capacity (44 gallons)
11. The Excursion has a one piece driveshaft, no carrier bearing.

Things I think you might want to improve:
1. The Excursion stock springs are softer and shorter than the pick up springs. Many people upgrade to the F-series pick up springs gaining 1.5 to 2.0 inches of lift and a more stable ride. Of course, many go with 3 to 10 inch lifts from the aftermarket.
2. Some come with limited slip differentials, but most have open differentials
3. You need to upgrade the transmission cooler on the 7.3 L engine to the one the used on the 6.0 L engine, it is about four times the size of the stock 7.3L one.
4. May need or want to add swaybar to the rear axle


We take our Excursion into the National Forests and other public lands, but mostly on maintained roads, some just two tracks with occasional washouts. It has all the power we need and the torque is amazing. Using 4WD Lo makes things effortless. We run Michelin MTX mud and snow tires, nothing geared for the trail and do fine. We air down to 30 to 35 psi on the trail (run around 58 psi on the highway).

I think width and height are the things that will limit you on true trails, probably turning radius too. I am not a trail driver, but I think approach and departure angles and clearance can be addressed

My Excursion weighs around 8,300 lbs with two people. I figure we run around 9,500 with all the kids a cargo. So it isn't a minor presence in the boonies. 10,000 lbs is the official limit Excursion

I have driven Suburbans and prefer the Excursion, but I have a bias towards Fords. The ones I have driven or half-tons, you definitely want to go 3/4 ton, if you go with a Suburban.

I hope you find what works for you and your family. I certainly enjoy the size, comfort and cargo space of the Excursion. We have had it for 8 years.

Steve

My family is getting closer to the leaving the nest stage, so I daydream more about repurposing the Excursion into a expedition vehicle for me and my wife, and maybe the younger two kids. A roof top tent and kitchen kit in the cargo area...

 

[Harmgrissom]

I'm seeing a lot of these for sale in Az for seemingly decent prices - under 15k. I'm seeing a huge array of Engine options
5.4
5.8
6.0
etc.

Obviously this is a mix of gas/diesel. Now I've heard that maintenance for the Diesel is more involved. Maybe school me a bit on engine pros & cons?

 

[BoilermakerSteve]

I'm seeing a lot of these for sale in Az for seemingly decent prices - under 15k. I'm seeing a huge array of Engine options
5.4
5.8
6.0
etc.

Obviously this is a mix of gas/diesel. Now I've heard that maintenance for the Diesel is more involved. Maybe school me a bit on engine pros & cons?

Hi Harm,

If you are asking about Excursion engines there are four that I know of available:
5.4 L gas (V8), I think it is only available in the 2WD version
6.8 L gas (V10), the standard gas engine (I don't know anything about it, other than it is quiet)
7.3 L PowerStroke Diesel, 2000 to mid-2003. (I have 316,000 miles on this motor)
- I think they moved away from this motor to keep the EPA happy.
- It is a great motor, very reliable. International has their version in busses, delivery trucks, etc.
- The motor system has a few minor things that are probably already addressed on anything you would buy (cam position sensor, leaky fuel filter bowl drain valve, and the valve cover wiring harness connector)
- I get 17 mpg over a wide range of driving and high speed limits
- Some people don't like the transmission behind this motor, mine has lasted over 300K miles.
- In 2001 there was a mechanical diode in the transmission that caused problems for part of that year's run

6.0 L PSD mid-2003 through 2005 (everything is hearsay)
- blown head gaskets are probably the complaint I have heard most
- more power than the 7.3
- worse mileage
- most say the torque shift transmission is better, but it does have a more complicated design
- I see the 7.3 v 6.0 arguments in the Excursion forums and most people defend their own engine. There are several very happy 6.0 owners. But, most like the 7.3 better.
- I would suggest checking out the service history on a 6.0. To me higher miles would indicate it is a more stable motor.

"5.8" must be a typo for a 6.8 L V10

Hope this helps.

steve

 

[Harmgrissom]

Thanks for the info Steve. I think right now we're gonna set the Diesel option to the side since we won't be towing anything serious, or regularly enough to make the cost of maintenance a value. Probably going to go with something bigger than the 5.4 - looking at the 6.0-.8.

That said if a Diesel comes along with great mileage for a great price we'll probably make the jump.

I was ready to buy one this last weekend honestly. But unfortunately due to an unexpected hospital visit (everyone is fine more or less, nothing major) we're gonna have to put this on hold likely till January. At which point expect to see an update accordingly! :smiley_drive:

Obviously if anyone disagrees with the choice of the Excursion and wants to prevent their alternate full size option - please don't hesitate to make your point as I'm still open minded, but very focused on the big FORD right now.