Buying a Ford Excursion, which engine should I choose?

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 life span.  If your goal is to spend the least amount of money, buy one with a V10 in it as they are dirt cheap.  Its common to seem them with around 200k or less miles on them for under $10k.  I actually started out thinking I would go this route and run it until it needed a new motor and then drop a new crate motor in it or do a Cummins conversion which would be awesome!

The 7.3L Powerstroke is known for being one of the very best diesel's Ford has ever put in it's trucks.  Highly reliable and while not as easy to tune for more power compared to the 6.0L you can still get a lot more power out of them with a little extra cash.  The biggest downside of the 7.3L is they are retaining their resale value much better than the others, so prepare to spend more money on one even though it's older than a similar 6.0L.  These are becoming more and more rare and prices appear to have stopped declining and may even be going up in value.  I've seen low mileage 7.3L Excursions on eBay for 30k-40k+.  But many of them with 150k or less can be found around 20k for a clean one.  

The 6.0L Powerstroke has a shady history and a lot of people swear they would never buy one.  I started out saying this, but the more research I did and the more people I talked to who owned a 6.0L the more I realized the bad hype around the 6.0L is blown out of proportion.  Yes, it's not as strong and reliable as the 7.3L, but the problems are well known and documented and any competent diesel mechanic knows how to fix them and make them reliable.  They are also extremely easy to tune for more power which is nice.  Another advantage is the 5-speed transmission which is a pretty big bonus.  I saw many 6.0L Excursions for sale claiming to be "bulletproof" with all the popular upgrades such as ARP head studs and other aftermarket accessories.  So, if you're patient you could save a lot of time and money and find one that has already been taken care of.  If you choose a 6.0L, prepare yourself to spend more money on upgrades and reliability than the other two motors.  I choose to ignore all 2003 6.0L because these were the most problematic and really only considered buying a 2005.

Price Range

The price range on the Excursion is pretty crazy.  From $5000 for a high mileage V10 to mid 20's for low mileage diesels.  And even into the 30's and 40's for extremely low miles and/or massive upgrades and customizations.  

It took me a few months to decide what I wanted to purchase.  At first I was thinking I wanted to go ultra cheap and buy a high mileage fixer upper so I could really start with a clean slate and swap out and customize nearly the entire truck.  But, then I thought about the actual time and budget I have for this and I realized for me that probably wasn't a smart choice.  I can rebuild a motocross bike blind folded, but my car skills are more on the average or above average side, plus all the tools and equipment to really do a ground up restoration is beyond me.  I decided this wasn't a realistic option for me even though it would be awesome to do.

I decided that starting with a clean, low miles, diesel was the right option for me.  That way I could use it on day one and make upgrades to it over time rather than be neck deep in a massive restoration on day 1.  I did prefer to find a 7.3L, but I wasn't opposed to buying a super clean 6.0L if it was a 2005 model.  More important was the over all condition of the truck rather than which engine it had. 

Next Time:  The Search Begins