Project Toy Hauler

For the time being the Ford Excursion is my daily driver.  This gives me time to work out any issues with it before loading up the family and pulling a 12k lb trailer all around.  Hopefully I can find any problems with it and take care of them before risking stranding my entire family on the side of the road in the middle of the Utah desert.  I'll tell you what I learn in multiple blog posts, while driving it 5 days a week nearly 80 miles round trip from Ogden into Salt Lake City. For anyone who has driven a modern vehicle, stepping back into time 10 years might cause some techno-shock!  Lack of technology is a problem for somebody like me who loves gadgets!  We're talking a 10 year old sound system that was made before bluetooth was invented!  This just isn't going to work for me and I knew this going into the purchase.  I had planned a massive sound and tech upgrade from the beginning. Apple Car Play (or Android Auto) is Priority #1 Ever since the Pioneer NEX4000 lau

I could write a fairly long post about my search, but I don't want to bore you.  Instead I'll summarize my journey into a few short tips. Patience Basically I was very patient, waiting for the right rig to come along and ready to snatch it up when it did.  I was searching from Excursions in my home state of Utah, as well as Colorado, California, and spent a lot of time looking at southern states where no salt is used on the roads.  I spent a lot of time scouring eBay, Craigslist, and Autotrader. Price As I mentioned before I had set my price range around $20k as most of the clean diesel rigs with about 100k miles on them were selling around that price on eBay which gave me a good indicator of what I should be willing to spend.  NADA and Kelly are completely wrong by the way.  They aren't accounting for these vehicles becoming rare and in demand and prices have stopped depreciating on them from what I can tell.  Age doesn't matter much, only condition and the numbe

In my previous blog I decided a Ford Excursion is the only SUV that is capable of meeting my goals for a toy hauler and family adventure rig, so what are my choices to think about before purchasing one? A little history, the Excursion was made from 2000 to 2005.  During that time the biggest difference is in the engine and transmission choices.  For me all the other differences are minor in comparison and I won't bother to cover them here. Engine Choices V10                310hp          425lb-ft    4-speed 2000-2005 7.3L               250hp          505 lb-ft   4-speed 2000-2003 6.0L               325hp          560 lb-ft   5-speed 2003-2005 The V10 is actually a great motor other than poor gas mileage.  Most of your gas motorhomes use this same engine and they have a track record of low maintenance, high reliability, and I saw tons of Excursion V10's for sale with around 250-300k miles on them which means they have a long lif

I went to the Salt Lake City Auto Show this winter and I about hit the floor when the sticker price for a loaded up 2015 Suburban or Expedition was OVER $70,000!  What?!  This is for a 1/2 ton gasoline SUV, is Detroid out of its mind???  Who the hell pays $70,000 for an american Ford/Chevy SUV?  And then I recently found this article from Cars.com called " No Joke: We Drove a $73,000 Chevrolet Suburban ".  That's MORE expensive that this gorgeous Dodge Cummins with the fabulous new 5-link rear end and load leveling airbags that was also there: I thought I was Detroit's  ideal demographic, a dual income middle class family who actually NEEDS and wants a full sized capable SUV and can afford to drive just about any vehicle we wish...minus the exotic stuff I like to dream about.  So who are these people paying $70k for an american made suv by Ford and Chevy? Certainly not me!  As much as I both want and need one, that's way above what I'm willing to spend.

This blog is dedicated to my journey in finding and building the best possible toy hauler SUV to take my family on amazing adventures and spend weekends camping with dirt and mountain bikes. As you'll read below, it's not possible for me to simply go buy a spanking new SUV and call it a day. And I have a feeling more and more families are having the exact same struggle I am. So, subscribe to my adventure and let's see where this journey takes us! My Needs Minimum of 6 seats including a toddler car seat.  8 Seats is ideal for friends. Towing a toy hauler trailer in excess of 12,000 lbs Capable of moderate off-roading.  Moab White Rim for example. Powerful yet fuel efficient (for its size) Doesn't cost as much as a house! The Problem What kind of vehicle does a family of 6 haul motocross bikes out to the desert, spend days or weeks dry camping, drive off-road, and generally spend time trailer camping with friends and family and toys? We spend the majority