Diesel opinion

I'm looking at getting a diesel Excursion. What is the best year/engine to get? I'm looking at a 04 with 80k on the clock. It has the 6.0L in it. What's your opinions on it? Would an earlier one with the 7.3 be a better choice? I'm looking to haul a family of 5 around, and get my junk to and from the track.

trouble with a 7.3 is the truck will be wore out, enven the 6.0 units are getting some age on um. If you can pick up a nice low mile 6.0 and have a little extra to bo the needed mods then you can have a nice ride.

I was hoping you'd would chime in on this. The truck is super clean low miles @ only 80k with all the maint. done at the Ford dealership in FL where it came from. What kind of mods need to be done to it?

EGR, Head bolts, Turbo and Injectors........

It's hit or miss with some 6.0's. My brother in law's has been worked on more than most work on race cars. Then my good friend j.d. Has an 06 king ranch with close to 200k on the clock that has never been touched. Sounds like you've found a nice ride, maybe it'll be one of those that doesn't need anything done to it? Good luck with it man!

Seems the later 6.0's where a lot better than the early ones for what its worth.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll take it for a test ride........... and do a burnout

I love my 6.0 so far.... 100 k miles and tickin but you gotta spend some cash up front to keep them that way. Real hard to do a cab off head stud on an excursion though. Egr delete coolant flush ect..... go to power stroke.org and do some reading.

80k on a 7.3 is just starting to get broken in. I always look for the lowest miles when I am shopping. A year old but half the miles is a better deal IMO.

Low miles with a diesel isn't always a good thing.

my 01 7.3 has now 135k on it ........ things happen here and there that get worn out , i have replaced a few things here and there

my biggest concern on mine is the oil pan .......being 2wd my crossmember can be just cut out like the 4wd trucks , mine holds the front i beams in place .

Other then that i love it simple and reliable so far for me .....and thanks to Fabio it Shifts even better now

mine also has no chip in it...yet , only a muffler delete and Big rig air filter with outerwear

richter69 wrote:trouble with a 7.3 is the truck will be wore out

Just got rid of my 2001 7.3 for just this reason... Engine ran fine, but the truck was falling apart at 365,000 miles...

Thanks for all the input. I'm getting gun shy on this truck. It has a manufacture date of Feb 04. I've read all about the head bolt issues that started in 03, and I'm assuming this has an early engine in it still. They're also asking about $3k over blue book on it. Did Ford ever correct the head bolt problem on the 6.0?

don't get wrapped up in what year is better over the other.............coming from someone who works on them for a living they all have flaws.

If the truck is nice budget some money to pull the motor and upgrade all the stuff and have a solid rig.

At least you wont have to worry if the motor is gonna crater like these new ones...........its getting old and my damn back hurts.

When I was shopping for a good used pickup the 7.3 Powerstroke was one of my preferences. I looked at several newer pickups with the 6.0 versions and could not understand why they were priced much less than the older pickups with 7.3! I began to ask people "in the know" and learned there were problems with the 6.0's. I was told there were a few exceptions, some 6.0's gave great service although most did not. I was fortunate and found a one owner 2001 F250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke and automatic transmission. It was very clean, 80K+ miles. I have had a few repairs, fuel injector control module ($600) along with normal service and front wheel bearings. I very much enjoy the truck, rides good, comfortable and although the price of a gallon of diesel fuel isn't cost effective in regard to gasoline, it's not too expensive to drive. I have never produced/documented 19 MPG, high 18's are regular MPG's for the vehicle. My recent driving habits have improved and a 19 MPG or 20 MPG may be there!

In short, there maybe a version of the 6.0 that offers excellent service. My vote is for the 7.3 Powersrtoke.

Just another opinion,
Dave.

7.3 would be the best choice but like I stated the trucks are getting old and most are wore smooth out............a good engine will allow you to do that lol.

There maybe a few out there but good luck finding one.

Autoland up in Roscoe il always has low mileage stuff of all makes. They are pricey but their truck are top notch.

Barney wrote:Autoland up in Roscoe il always has low mileage stuff of all makes. They are pricey but their truck are top notch.

I saw he has a couple of Excursions. I was going to ask you if you knew anything about them since they're up in your neck of the woods.

Barney wrote:Low miles with a diesel isn't always a good thing.

Why do you say this?

jbozzelle wrote:

richter69 wrote:trouble with a 7.3 is the truck will be wore out

Just got rid of my 2001 7.3 for just this reason...  Engine ran fine, but the truck was falling apart at 365,000 miles...

That is what I think as well. All the stuff like window motors and wiper bushings can nickle and dime you to death. But, there are still lots of 7.3's out there with 100-150k you just have too look for them. Mine has about 145k. My buddy has an 01 with 105k on it. He wants about $15K for it which is the downside. I don't know how low some people think these trucks should go but mine was $56k new. I would park it out back before I would give it away. Excursions were way more money new but they have depreciated greatly. If you can get a low priced 6.0l so if you have to make repairs you will be alright then I could see it a good buy. Some 6.0's were great and some sucked total ass. My brothers 2005 6.0l was a total dog and went through several turbos under warranty. The thing took forever to spool up then it would come on like crazy. Really weird vehicle to drive. That being said, he never had any of the usual 6.0 problems that lots of people have.

jonboyusmc wrote:

Barney wrote:Autoland up in Roscoe il always has low mileage stuff of all makes. They are pricey but their truck are top notch.

I saw he has a couple of Excursions. I was going to ask you if you knew anything about them since they're up in your neck of the woods.

Its BJs place. Super clean trucks. Also super expensive.

The worst thing for a diesel or trailer is sitting. Diesel were made to be run long and hard. Low mileage units seldom are maintained mechanically the way they should be. Cosmetically yes mechanically no. There seems to be two kinds of low mileage trucks. Ones that are used recreationally and sit for long periods then are brought out occassionally for a trip. The other seems to be one that is driven short trips to the grocery store or used as a commuter vehicle because someone thought they needed a diesel.  The second are usually modified with killer tunes exhaust and suspension and are useless. This isn't all of them but a majority of them. I would rather have a truck with 300k that was used and maintained properlycthan a 50k soccer mom excursion that saw only short trips to the mall and rarely got to temp, or was owned by soneone who can't providw complete maintenance records or doesn't seem to know how to really service a diesel. And oil changes don't cut it. Filters,  trans services, flushes, diff fluid, tire rotations, etc. Also with ulsd and biodiesel injecter lube and dieseltreat becomes an issue.it cires a lot of stiction issues before they happen. You can tell a lot about a diesel truck by looking at tire wear, looking at the oil, and the radiator overflow tank. And if I were buying a truck I'd take an oil sample to be tested.

Update, thanks for all the input. After shopping for months I ended up with this truck.
 " />

Very well maintained truck out of AZ with 180K on the clock. The only bad spot on the truck was the ass wore drivers seat which is getting some new leather this weekend. I did have it blow the high pressure PS hose, but luckily I work an 1/8th mile from the Ford dealership, and they got me in and out in no time. I wish stuff would break in the driveway, it's a hell of a lot cheaper.

jonboyusmc wrote:Update, thanks for all the input. After shopping for months I ended up with this truck.
 " />

Very well maintained truck out of AZ with 180K on the clock. The only bad spot on the truck was the ass wore drivers seat which is getting some new leather this weekend. I did have it blow the high pressure PS hose, but luckily I work an 1/8th mile from the Ford dealership, and they got me in and out in no time. I wish stuff would break in the driveway, it's a hell of a lot cheaper.

Nice !  

Very nice lookin ride.   It's hard to find a car/truck w/leather seats that are not worn where the driver slides over them w/denim jeans. I read one time that the dye in the denim is what destroys the leather.Good luck w/ride.  

If you haven't done your seat yet here is a place I found on the FTE.

http://www.theseatshop.com/shop/seats-and-seat-covers.html?cat=1638&seat_cover=3