Suburban vs Excursion for Family of 8

BayMonty

BayMonty

Member
billiebob said:
Really, 8 people, so 3rd row seating..... I'd be looking at a school bus to convert. Nothing else gives room to safely seat 8 plus carry enough gear for camping.
Click to expand...

what gear are you bringing for camping in a school bus? Seems more like a field trip to me.

But on a serious note, I have looked into the full size vans, conversion vans, sportsmobile 4x4’s, the Nissan NVP, etc. I do like them but out of my budget right now.


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BayMonty

BayMonty

Member
Summitdogracing said:
I am in the Bay Area and purchased a 2000 Excursion 7.3L with less than 60K miles where the prior owner did the heavy lifting of modifying it with bumpers, lift, exhaust, etc, and I paid less then $20K. Granted, I looked for a very long time and I was in no rush b/c I already had an excursion but they are possible to find if you are patient. If you can find an Ex with a John Woods transmission, get it! John Woods makes killer transmissions for the 7.3L diesel and the tranny is the weak link.

I have currently gutted the interior so I can Dynamat the entire vehicle. While I am there, I am installing an ARB air compressor, 2 gallon tank (which fits perfectly above the rear wheel well, and some other mods for overlanding.

Long story short, I love the 7.3 and the Excursion.
Scotty
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There are 7.3’s under $20k but tons of miles already and probably need a good amount of work. One at 60k would go for $45-$50k right now.


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phsycle

phsycle

Adventurer
BayMonty said:
The 2013 I currently have does not have 4lo. That will always be the wife’s. It’s been very reliable since we bought it. I’m looking for one with 4lo as it’ll be more the adventure rig.


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Ah ok, you’re looking to add one more. I thought you were replacing the 13.

Can’t go wrong with a Burb.
 
R

RoyJ

Adventurer
If you can't stand skoolies, what about a 4x4 van, like E350 extended (think Sportsmobile)?

I can't imagine 6 kids in a Burb, unless it's a city trip. I've done overlanding with 2 dogs and 3 adults in an Expy / Burb, and it was crowded, with gear packed to the roof.

Maybe look into a 2500, at least you won't have payload issues when the kids (and their gear) grow.
 
T

toastyjosh

Adventurer
Here is a few cheap options, throw a cargo box on top, and give em a try.

sfbay.craigslist.org

2001 Chevrolet Suburban - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle...

I am selling my 2001 Chevy Suburban. It has 177k miles and very nice tires. It has a tow hitch and...
sfbay.craigslist.org

sfbay.craigslist.org

Ford Excursion - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

2000 Ford Excursion. This truck has 285k miles and has been well maintained, still runs and drives...
sfbay.craigslist.org

sacramento.craigslist.org

2001 FORD EXCURSION 4X4 LIMITED - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle...

2001 FORD EXCURSION 4X4 LIMITED. 6.8L V10 GAS MOTOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MOTOR RUNS STRONG...
sacramento.craigslist.org

sfbay.craigslist.org

Amazing 4wd huge SUV - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive...

Expedition sale OMG this has been the best vehicle ever! It was purchased as a Ford Certified...
sfbay.craigslist.org
 
BayMonty

BayMonty

Member
toastyjosh said:
Here is a few cheap options, throw a cargo box on top, and give em a try.

sfbay.craigslist.org

2001 Chevrolet Suburban - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle...

I am selling my 2001 Chevy Suburban. It has 177k miles and very nice tires. It has a tow hitch and...
sfbay.craigslist.org

sfbay.craigslist.org

Ford Excursion - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

2000 Ford Excursion. This truck has 285k miles and has been well maintained, still runs and drives...
sfbay.craigslist.org

sacramento.craigslist.org

2001 FORD EXCURSION 4X4 LIMITED - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle...

2001 FORD EXCURSION 4X4 LIMITED. 6.8L V10 GAS MOTOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MOTOR RUNS STRONG...
sacramento.craigslist.org
Click to expand...

I actually contacted the Suburban yesterday. The only way to contact is through email...no response yet.

The Excursions just have too many miles for my liking. I’d rather spend a little more for a lower mile Excursion.

I’m leaning towards another Suburban. I’ve contacted now more than a dozen. We’ll see what happens.


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BayMonty

BayMonty

Member
hbabler

hbabler

Member
billiebob said:
THIS is a wheel torque issue, call it maintenance or ??? but this is not a systemic Excursion issue. This is a systemic mechanic issue.
It colours everything else you are critical of.
Click to expand...

Fair point. I had owned the truck for two weeks when it happened. I had driven it home four hours with no indication that I had loose lug nuts. The only thing I could’ve done different was to check the Lugnuts as soon as I bought the truck. In hindsight that would have been a good idea.

I’m pretty fastidious about maintenance normally and I would argue that the rest of the issues were of no fault of my own. I probably do allow my proclivity towards GM products two cloud my judgment a little. The fact of the matter is it is a 20-year-old truck and I am playing catch-up on the deferred or skipped maintenance.

For the weights that I tow and the trips I take a gas engine makes more sense due to the lower maintenance costs and cheaper parts. Also I am more comfortable working on a GM product. YMMV but good luck on the hunt. I absolutely love my excursion some days and other days I want to leave it on the side of the road. That’s the joys of an older truck I guess.
 
badm0t0rfinger

badm0t0rfinger

Raptor Apologist.
BayMonty said:
glock7018, what has your maintenance costs looked like? Out here in CA the 7.3’s are pretty expensive even with high mileage. There’s an 01 with 80k miles for $45k. The dealer specializes in trucks and has an 05 v10 with 130k miles for half the cost, and an 02 Suburban 2500 8.1 with 120k miles for $19k.

With another $20k, I can do a lot of things to the other two.


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Click to expand...

I was cruising Craigslist just last night and saw that one too. Theres one in LA with 275k miles on the 7.3 and about a quarter of the cost.
 
al_burpe

al_burpe

Observer
expeditionportal.com

01 e350 chateau v10 63k Expovans 4x4 N Florida

edit: sale pending 2001 e350 4x4. Zero rust. Rare chateau package. 4 captains chairs. The 2 rear captains are quick release There is also a 3rd row 3 person bench (Not pictured) for a total seating of 7. Factory running boards, 2 tone paint in excellent condition. Garage kept. 63k on van...
expeditionportal.com expeditionportal.com

Maybe this fits the bill and is in your price range.
 
BayMonty

BayMonty

Member
al_burpe said:
expeditionportal.com

01 e350 chateau v10 63k Expovans 4x4 N Florida

edit: sale pending 2001 e350 4x4. Zero rust. Rare chateau package. 4 captains chairs. The 2 rear captains are quick release There is also a 3rd row 3 person bench (Not pictured) for a total seating of 7. Factory running boards, 2 tone paint in excellent condition. Garage kept. 63k on van...
expeditionportal.com expeditionportal.com

Maybe this fits the bill and is in your price range.
Click to expand...

I’ve looked at a decent amount of vans. I do like the practicality and space, especially equipped with 4wd.


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