Ford Excursion or Suburban 2500?

[ThumperX]

Does anyone have any input here?

We need a beefy tow vehicle we can sleep in. It has to be 4WD to get up our greasy road in winter. We're thinking we'll install a pop top on whatever we buy but don't want to invest more than $20k in the thing.

Really love the looks of the Excursion but the diesel models are off the hook pricewise. The V10 looks like the answer but is 8mpg for real? Does anyone have one of these trucks? Can the 5.4 do the work?

The Suburban 2500s are much more affordable but are they strong enough?

When I win the powerball we can delete thread I'll buy a 4X4 Sprinter :laughing

 

[byke]

We have a 4.6 in the ol' Expy and the 5.4 in a 2wd F150. My opinion is that neither of these engines are good for towing more than a couple thousand pounds anywhere but the valley. They do not feel like work vehicles at all. Now the 5.3 in the 'Burb is amazing in comparison. If you didn't want the V10 and its crummy mpg, maybe go for a 'Burb with the 6l. That would probably get the job done, but I suspect overtime you'd regret not forking out for the Excursion diesel.

 

[auntiebling]

Does anyone have any input here?

We need a beefy tow vehicle we can sleep in. It has to be 4WD to get up our greasy road in winter. We're thinking we'll install a pop top on whatever we buy but don't want to invest more than $20k in the thing.

Really love the looks of the Excursion but the diesel models are off the hook pricewise. The V10 looks like the answer but is 8mpg for real? Does anyone have one of these trucks? Can the 5.4 do the work?

The Suburban 2500s are much more affordable but are they strong enough?

When I win the powerball we can delete thread I'll buy a 4X4 Sprinter :laughing

i would expect that is absolutely for real, as long as it isn't loaded down, towing, or going up a hill. in those scenarios i'd expect it's much worse.

 

[yodaisgod]

Diesel anything for beefy towing needs.

 

[TheRobSJ]

There’s a reasons the diesel Excursions cost so much. Those are the only Excursions worth having. So if you’re not going for the diesel Excursion, best just cross the Excursion right off the list, making the choice obvious.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

We have a 4.6 in the ol' Expy and the 5.4 in a 2wd F150. My opinion is that neither of these engines are good for towing more than a couple thousand pounds anywhere but the valley. They do not feel like work vehicles at all. Now the 5.3 in the 'Burb is amazing in comparison. If you didn't want the V10 and its crummy mpg, maybe go for a 'Burb with the 6l. That would probably get the job done, but I suspect overtime you'd regret not forking out for the Excursion diesel.

The 4.6L in my F150 can barely get out of its own way sometimes, but it has 296k on the clock so it's understandable. :laughing

 

[yodaisgod]

0-60....yup.

 

[byke]

The 4.6L in my F150 can barely get out of its own way sometimes, but it has 296k on the clock so it's understandable. :laughing

Completely agree, that is one of the worst motors for a truck! We've had ours since ~67k and it's been slow from the start.

 

[scootergmc]

The diesel Excursion was a vehicle in a class alone. I would run from a 6.0 liter unless you want to throw big bucks at it fixing the engine. The 7.3 liters as you already know are going to cost more. And yes, the V10 gets less than 10mpg.

Beefy towing usually means diesel. What exactly are you towing, how often, and terrain? Why not a pickup with a camper shell? It's usually more comfortable to sleep in a pickup bed than reconfigure an SUV anyway.

 

[byke]

I dunno, back of the 'Burb is pretty nice. I threw a twin mattress in there and still had room on the side/end for a toolbox, ice chest and gearbag. Probably warmer than a camper shell too.

 

[Mike95060]

The diesel Excursion was a vehicle in a class alone. I would run from a 6.0 liter unless you want to throw big bucks at it fixing the engine. The 7.3 liters as you already know are going to cost more. And yes, the V10 gets less than 10mpg.

Beefy towing usually means diesel. What exactly are you towing, how often, and terrain? Why not a pickup with a camper shell? It's usually more comfortable to sleep in a pickup bed than reconfigure an SUV anyway.

Man you ain't kidding! Looking at the prices and mileage on these is cray cray.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/lp/search-Ford-Excursion-diesel-sc5_d332

 

[cheez]

Maybe something like these? 4x4 diesel pickup, add a camper shell as @scootergmc mentions?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551791428393084/permalink/2777085555863659/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551791428393084/permalink/2771022479803300/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551791428393084/permalink/2771535446418670/

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/109449385747832/?hoisted_items=3926023824109257

(My 5.9l V8 gets 7mpg when towing my 7k pound 16x9 box trailer up the Sierras. But it does it at 75mph without complaint. )

 

[KWeezyXB12]

I wouldn't go 6.0 unless you're ready to drop 12k into the engine immediately. You can find a nice burb with the 454 around 5k. I also wouldn't go with the v10 unless it's really low mileage and well taken care of.

 

[Godsdarling]

I have had both, I loved my Excursion. I got 15mpg though as it wasn't the diesel. It had more cargo room and the keyless entry was very useful for beach days which the Suburban didn't. I hauled a 28ft trailer with it no problem. I raised my kids in that excursion and cried when it died from an accident and they towed it away after 15.5 years :cry

 

[OldFatGuy]

I had a '99 Suburban that was the biggest pile of shit I've ever owned. My current F-250 with a V10, on the other hand, is the best truck I've ever owned. I tow with it more often than not (around 19k pounds combined weight) and I have never had a problem with it. Yes, the gas mileage sucks, but you can buy a lot of gas for the price difference between a v10 and a 7.3 diesel.

 

[KWeezyXB12]

This is rad. You could cummins swap it within your budget
https://www.facebook.com/groups/363...795349/?sale_post_id=667812483795349&sfnsn=mo

 

[ThumperX]

I think first of the year we’ll put up the trusty Sprinter 3500 for sale and find us a good 7.3 Excursion.

 

[scootergmc]

I think first of the year we’ll put up the trusty Sprinter 3500 for sale and find us a good 7.3 Excursion.

That'll be a tough search unless you like high miles. There's a point of diminishing returns considering the rest of the vehicle and drivetrain. But "good" is relative and yours could be different than mine. :laughing Good luck with your search, hope you find a good one.

 

[ThumperX]

That'll be a tough search unless you like high miles. There's a point of diminishing returns considering the rest of the vehicle and drivetrain. But "good" is relative and yours could be different than mine. :laughing Good luck with your search, hope you find a good one.

Keep in mind we'll be cutting out the roof so...there's that.
There are a couple >150k on the clock :dunno

Or we cold by a rolled over F350 and marry the Sprinter body onto it?

 

[scootergmc]

Keep in mind we'll be cutting out the roof so...there's that.
There are a couple >150k on the clock :dunno

Or we cold by a rolled over F350 and marry the Sprinter body onto it?

Sorry, I missed the whole "cut the roof" correlation when you said pop top. I was thinking of a pop up tent or something. I can't imagine buying/cutting a roof on a 7.3 Excursion and installing a permanent custom pop up would be anything close or under $20k. If that's the case, I'm changing my vote to a longbed pickup with a used bed length pop up camper to retain access to the hitch without having a funky extension.


Did I miss what you will be towing and how often as well?