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ford excursion

the510

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I am thinking about getting a super clean well cared for ford excursion to transport the wife 3 kids and 2 dogs to the river house. its a 2002 7.3L powerstroke with 97k. reliable or not? should i do it?
 

dread Pirate

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Love ours! I don't think you will regret it. They are holding their value. Consider you will have to build a trans for it as that's the weak link.
 

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RiverDave

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Tim over at Beach Auto has a bad ass one right now. It isn't cheap but it's real deal
 

cofooter

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97K is nothing for those motors, mine has been very reliable to 237K and still going strong. If it got to 97K the transmission is probably a good one, only certain date codes failed, but they failed early. Mine is original. That set-up is difficult to find. Good luck.
 

Devious_Chris

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I am thinking about getting a super clean well cared for ford excursion to transport the wife 3 kids and 2 dogs to the river house. its a 2002 7.3L powerstroke with 97k. reliable or not? should i do it?

Don't do it, that's a junk setup...... Now give me the sellers info![emoji48][emoji48][emoji48]
 

2FORCEFULL

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Stop spamming the lounge Steve

it was marinated and BB/q'd with free delivery...:D

some one needs to get this here... utv ...ultimate towing vehicle.... ultimate touring vehicle..
 

2FORCEFULL

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97K is nothing for those motors, mine has been very reliable to 237K and still going strong. If it got to 97K the transmission is probably a good one, only certain date codes failed, but they failed early. Mine is original. That set-up is difficult to find. Good luck.

we had one in the shop mon...958,000....still running strong... never been apart... the guy had the whole interior restored... looked new:thumbup:
 

HocusPocus

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I have a 2001 4x4 Excursion that just rolled over 200k last trip to Havasu.. it's got the little 5.4 in it. I wish one of the automakers would make something new to replace the it.
 

ToMorrow44

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I am thinking about getting a super clean well cared for ford excursion to transport the wife 3 kids and 2 dogs to the river house. its a 2002 7.3L powerstroke with 97k. reliable or not? should i do it?

Do it! I've got a 2002 F250 7.3 that just rolled over 98k miles. Been across the country multiple times, towed the boat all over and has never failed once. Gotta be one of the most reliable trucks ever. As said, the Excursions hold their value extremely well.
 

squirtnmyload

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Without a doubt, buy it. If it's not already done, put a tuner on it. That will really wake up that 7.3. Gauges, Intake, Exhaust, ebpv delete, wicked wheel 2 or similar, boost fooler and do a 31 row 6.0 trans cooler upgrade if you plan to tow.

Get acquainted with riff raff diesel.

That beast will give you many years of reliable enjoyment! Keep us posted!
 

dschifan

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Great truck. If you dont end up making a deal send it my way :D
 

sfury

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Great truck but just remember it's old and other things go bad. Power lock actuators,ac control's,etc. I had 2 and would buy another if they still made them. Plus remember leaf sprung truck and weak transmission. But if you don't mind fixing things jump on it. Image1483509574.394368.jpg
 

rrrr

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.


Can't beat the Ex for towing and hauling the gang in comfort. Mine is a 2001 4 X 4 with 70K on the clock.

.

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Trash

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I've got a 2000 7.3 Ex 4x4. Not sure where the weak trannys come into play but my entire truck is stock stock stock with 187xxx miles. Original transmission works great as does everything else. One water pump (138,000 miles), two door locks, one GPCM and one glow plug are the only parts replaced that weren't consumable.
 

Hammer

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Looking for an EX but worried I will miss having a truck bed.

Are the 6.0 diesels ok?
 

Hullbilly

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Best road trip vehicles ever! That's been my Excursions only mission for 68k miles. Space galore for the kids and dog. Everyone has their own tv and headset in the back, which keeps things stess free for me and the wife.

IMG_1960.jpg
 

Hullbilly

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Looking for an EX but worried I will miss having a truck bed.

Are the 6.0 diesels ok?

I feel your pain that's why I have the Ex and the F2fiddy.

As far as the 6leaker, stud it, delete it, CAT coolant and synthetic oil and you will be good to go. There's lots of 6oh haters but, if you address the problem areas and have it done right with quality parts they are a damn fine motor and run frickin hard. My F250 with all the go fast goodies runs low 12's on 35's and I never hesitate to throw a trailer on it and take off on a trip.
 

Dkahnjob

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I have a 2000 Ford EX with the 7.3 that I keep at the Havasu house. It has 112,000 miles and has never missed a beat. I put Flow Master Exhaust, Cold air kit, and a power chip with a mild tune (raised the HP from 250 to 300) and the milage went up by 2 mpg as was promised by my diesel mechanic. They are great trucks.
 

FROGMAN524

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3 trucks ago I had a 2001 7.3 4x4 limited excursion from 149-192,000 miles. Transmission went out at 154K, all 5 door lock actuators went out at the same time around that same mileage, radiator and water pump went out around 180K, vacuum operated 4x4 stopped working around 185K and the front leafs were so worn they would squeak on every bump or even just getting in or out of the truck. I loved the motor but everything else was crap IMHO. Went Duramax/Allison with my next 3 trucks and have loved each one. If the cost wasn't so high I'd be looking to do a duraburb for my wife and use that for road trips.
 

Hammer

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I feel your pain that's why I have the Ex and the F2fiddy.

As far as the 6leaker, stud it, delete it, CAT coolant and synthetic oil and you will be good to go. There's lots of 6oh haters but, if you address the problem areas and have it done right with quality parts they are a damn fine motor and run frickin hard. My F250 with all the go fast goodies runs low 12's on 35's and I never hesitate to throw a trailer on it and take off on a trip.


All I have heard about is the horror stories with that motor. I love my current 7.3 F-250 but I need a crew cab family hauler at a minimum. The Ex seems perfect for my needs.
 

460

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All I have heard about is the horror stories with that motor. I love my current 7.3 F-250 but I need a crew cab family hauler at a minimum. The Ex seems perfect for my needs.

Look for a low mile 7.3. They are out there, Just depends if you want to pay 15-25
 

Hullbilly

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All I have heard about is the horror stories with that motor. I love my current 7.3 F-250 but I need a crew cab family hauler at a minimum. The Ex seems perfect for my needs.

I hear you on the horror stories, but there are many variables with that motor. Like I said fix the known issues and will be totally reliable if its all done right. At the bare minimum delete the egr, and get rid of the ford gold crap coolant as those two items caused the vast majority of the issues. If you look at the track record for the "International VT365" compared to the "Ford 6.0" you will see that the International had a much better record by simply avoiding a few of Fords "tweaks"!

If you buy a 6.0 and don't stud it, don't run anything more than a custom 140-150hp tune for daily driving and then a tow tune if towing. I had Innovative Diesel do all of my custom tunes via a SCT Livewire TS to work with all my parts, and I could not be more pleased(it took a few tries to get it dialed in). I have 8 tunes from "valet" to "can't keep the tires on the ground" and the truck has great street manners, tows well and then when you mash the skinny pedal most fast cars have a hard time not being embarrassed by a lifted CC/LB.


And you can't go wrong with an Ex IMHO. The only thing that could make the EX better is a cummins swap!

* Figured I would throw this in there, my oldest has an 04 6.0 has a Pmax turbo and 60% injectors on it for quite a while, and it held. He finally popped the headgaskets when he ran a 240hp tune on top the turbo and injectors. Only took him 2 days to pop it, but he did it on purpose so he had an "excuse" to stud it and oring the heads!
 

OldSchoolBoats

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I have a 2000 Ford EX with the 7.3 that I keep at the Havasu house. It has 112,000 miles and has never missed a beat. I put Flow Master Exhaust, Cold air kit, and a power chip with a mild tune (raised the HP from 250 to 300) and the milage went up by 2 mpg as was promised by my diesel mechanic. They are great trucks.
Interested in selling??
 

the510

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How easy are the window switches and little accessories to find? and are they relatively cheap?

So I gave the guy a deposit. Should finalize this weekend. The colors aren't my first choice, but are not bad either. Its just to clean to pass up. This was an elderly couples 3rd vehicle that was primarily used for road trips. They have all the service records, and receipts since it was new! I imagine ill change all the fluids,filters an replace all the hoses and belts. ill even get some new tires before I travel in the heat just to play it safe. I really don't mind maintaining my machines. People say I over maintain my boat but she has not let me down yet so ill continue to over maintain it :cool
 

Outdrive1

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Every actuator is going to go out. But they aren't that hard to change. My rear windows vented with electric actuators also. Those will quit on you too.
 
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Hammer

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Look for a low mile 7.3. They are out there, Just depends if you want to pay 15-25

I've seen them with under 75k miles for around $40 grand.....INSANE!!!!

The used truck market right now is ridiculous.

Really hard to pull the trigger on anything over 20k when it is going to sit in my driveway for weeks at a time.

Prices are nuts on used stuff right now. Hard to drop 15-25k on a really nice 7.3 powered truck/Ex when they are all pushing 150k+ miles and are 17 years old.
 

Hammer

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No. Don't buy a 6.0 for any price. You'll be spending money keeping it running faster than RD drinks beer.

That's my fear. But I'm hearing about tranny failures on 7.3 stuff
 

PaPaG

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I had a 2000 2 wheel and a 2002 7.3 4x4 with a few suspension and brake mods. Best SUV's I have ever owned and I have owned many. Had only 1 issue with the 2000, the power steering line busted off went to autozone and got a new one and installed it in an hour after cleaning it all up and never had another issue (prior owner did have the trans rebuilt by the factory about 10k before I bought it from him, 2002 4x4 Never had 1 single big issue with it in over 6 years, a few small fixes nothing unexpected, 1 starter, rear ac switch got stuck, took it apart, cleaned it and worked great, no door lock issues, no window issues, no transmission issues just Oil Changes and Tires when needed...Long trips, short trips, local trips...what a great truck. Sold it with roughly 135k miles on it and the new owner loves it just as much as I did. I WISH I NEVER SOLD IT....
 

PaPaG

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That's my fear. But I'm hearing about tranny failures on 7.3 stuff

I know some abused ones had trans issues, and certain codes had them as well but if they are past 100k and nothing has happened they can go up to 180k+ easily without trans issues unless towing heavy loads..once rebuilt with a beefed up trans you never look back.
 

Outdrive1

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That's my fear. But I'm hearing about tranny failures on 7.3 stuff

I went through two. But I towed my boats to Havasu from Phx and I had a 12" lift with 40's. The trans was like 3k from Ford with a warranty. That's not horrible.
 

Outdrive1

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As for value. They aren't depreciating much. If you buy one it's just parking a savings account in your driveway. If you aren't putting miles on it and you take care of it you'll get your money out of it.
 

Hullbilly

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Really hard to pull the trigger on anything over 20k when it is going to sit in my driveway for weeks at a time.

Prices are nuts on used stuff right now. Hard to drop 15-25k on a really nice 7.3 powered truck/Ex when they are all pushing 150k+ miles and are 17 years old.

Lol, mine has not moved since we did a 4200 mile trip in August so I know the feeling.....and that thing eats up valuable shop space but I just can't bring myself to let it go.
 

460

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Really hard to pull the trigger on anything over 20k when it is going to sit in my driveway for weeks at a time.

Prices are nuts on used stuff right now. Hard to drop 15-25k on a really nice 7.3 powered truck/Ex when they are all pushing 150k+ miles and are 17 years old.

Totally understandable.

Every once and a while you can find a deal but they don't last long.
 

Bigbore500r

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Any reason people dont just buy the V10 version and just save 10-15k, if it just sits most of the year? Gas mpg isn't enough of a factor if it only sees limited use. The V10 pulls pretty damn good, especially when geared properly. Plus way less risk of mechanical issues, cheaper oil changes, cheap fuel filters....etc etc etc
 

Activated

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Any reason people dont just buy the V10 version and just save 10-15k, if it just sits most of the year? Gas mpg isn't enough of a factor if it only sees limited use. The V10 pulls pretty damn good, especially when geared properly. Plus way less risk of mechanical issues, cheaper oil changes, cheap fuel filters....etc etc etc

I have been looking on and off at Excursions for months but diesel only. I don't need the towing power, I need the room. What's the mileage difference?

Had not even looked at anything other than diesel, might have to take another look.

Thanks!
 

Dkahnjob

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I have a Diesel 4x4 and get 13.5 mpg towing a Hallett 270T on the road, 16-17 not towing but going 75 mph. Around town in Havasu just going back and forth to the launch ramp 10-11 mpg.
 

thetub

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I have been looking on and off at Excursions for months but diesel only. I don't need the towing power, I need the room. What's the mileage difference?

Had not even looked at anything other than diesel, might have to take another look.

Thanks!

they have the V10 or the 5.4 motor...
 

oldschool

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I have an 03 F250 4x4 w/7.3 that I was on the fence about selling, but have decided to keep. It has 165,000 on it and is all original and stock. I've had door lock actuators, radiators, sensors, etc go out like everyone else, but it's never left me stranded.
 

troostr

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I saw a pretty clean pretty cheap 6.0 on EBay- its in Ruidoso NM

IMG_0037.jpg

Im not smart enough to link it off my iPad.
 
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