This weekend I will most likely be the proud new owner of a 2000 Excursion and jump into the SUV world.....with my very first 4 wheel drive! This 2000 year model has 175,000 miles and is a V10. It looks, from the pictures, real clean. What are some things to be concerned about? Is that too many miles? How long do these machines last? Will I get at least 15mpg? They are asking $5,200 for it and I plan to trade them straight across for my car.
I don't plan to do any pulling with it unless I someday get a small 4x8 trailer. Thanks, Scott

 

.........anyone?? A friend told me these V10 engines don't hold up as well as a V8. True?

 

Welcome to the site Scott,,

Sorry about the delay, Xmas season

The Tritons big issue (8's and V10) were spark plug/thread failure, but really are pretty good power plants,, IF,, well cared for and not abused. V10 makes good power and torque but are known to consume fuel, worse when towing and a heavy foot. V10 makes for a sweet engine note, and sometimes peddle dancing helps to drop the fuel gauge with surprise..

Any engine at that mileage could have issues, and the 4R trans as well if not serviced. The trans may be the weak link if not serviced on a regular interval, and/or if a history of towing heavy. Any inidication of towing use? ANY service documentation included with the truck? Sometimes timing chain noise/rattle when started cold, more so for high mileage engines, and may have some but should quite quickly. Lower ball joint/s on well driven trucks make come into play, and/or ESOF 4x4 seal-application issues. Does the 4x4 lock/unlock? Sometimes broken exhaust manifold studs usually on the rears, but maybe just a quick check.. Coolong system clean, flushed? and present condtion. Electrolysis can be a problem with aluminium...

Have any images you can post? Hard to guess a value with so many variables,,, interior, tires, paint quality, prior repairs etc, but pics do help..

 

Thanks for the advice. I passed on this one. It had 177,000 miles and they wanted $5,200 for it. I suppose if I was buying it I might have talked them down. However it needed: headlight switch, temp control ****, radio face plate and all the ceiling air duct grills. Also it needed the lift gate struts and possibly new rotors. The cruise didn't work and neither did the horn. All fixable items, but my car didn't have those issues so it didn't seem fair. It did ride and drive nice, though! I could be a Ford fan if I come across another one of these!

 

Probably a good choice..

I think the mileage you were looking for may have been a bit of a stretch with a 4x4 Ex. 10.. The F Series and Ex's (Ex is on a F250 chassis) are like pushing a brick through the wind, and at higher highway speeds they tend to suffer a bit. Best mileages were 55-60 or so. I know my 6.0's best results are in those ranges, but hard to stay there being they ride like a 8K Lexus Back when the 7.3's were an option the 7.3 would generally get 'about' 50% better mileage then the 10.. Roughly.. The 7.3 (before reformulated low sulphur/cetane reduction) the 7.3 would get about 21-22 MPG for most conditions. The 10 was usually about half of that, or may get 12ish. Good conditions, and a favorable tail wind maybe a bit more... An awesome sounding motor, and good torque, lot of them in RV applications, but fuel mileage was always a rub.