I am looking at buying a 2001 Ford Excursion with the 7.3L powerstroke turbo diesel in it. It has about 96,000 miles on it. Any thoughts or suggestions? I’m a student at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and I plan on taking this truck from duty station to duty station for as long as it will last, hopefully 10-15 years.
Any reason you need a truck this big. Good luck getting 15 more years out of it.
It’s 10 years old with almost a 100k miles on it. While the mileage is not high for an '01 there is just no way of making a prediction on an aged vehicle like this.
It all depends on how it was driven and maintained. Changing the oil once a year and towing a heavy trailer for 60k miles of that total could mean the equivalent of 200k miles.
If you’re single and don’t move a lot of stuff around, etc. I don’t understand the need for a big cubic inch land yacht like this.
I would buy one of these instead:
No need
At 10 years and 100k, expect things to wear out or break occasionally no matter what shape it’s in. I have a 2000 Blazer with 116k miles, it’s no longer a daily driver (at least until my daughter gets her permit), but things still need to be fixed. I’ve got my money out of it, but it’s best years are past.
At this age, vacuum lines start to rot out and leak (always fun to troubleshoot), electrical switches and connectors may have corrosion, and parts just die of old age (i.e. radiator at 99k, starter at 110k, exhaust at 115k, etc).
I’ve been lucky with the 4wd so far, only have had to replace a $70 vacuum switch after several hours of troubleshooting. If you can do your own wrenching and the Excursion is dirt cheap, it might be worthwhile but don’t expect 10-15 years, maybe 5 or so. If you have to pay someone else to do the work, it’s going to be a money pit.
Good luck and thank you for serving our country,
Ed B.
I once owned a 1974 Chevy Suburban, Cheyenne Super 10 with a 454 engine. I too am crazy but I learned a valuable lesson. Never do what you want to do, you deserve better.
I will say that if you feel you want an Excursion, a diesel would be my first choice. At that age too, if you find it’s not worth the headache or commitment, you won’t have that much invested. Just make sure a good independent checks it out so you’re not in for too many surprises.
N2Alaska, you better HOPE they don’t send you to Alaska…And the LAST thing you would need there (or anywhere) is a half worn out diesel tanker…
I’m surprised no one noticed the engine that it has in it, the PowerStroke 7.3L diesel is possibly the best diesel engine ever bolted onto a consumer truck. To try and answer all the questions, I’m getting this to haul toys, I’m also in the market for a snowmachine and atv, so i need something that can haul a trailer. My dad and two uncles all have this same engine in their trucks and they all run like a champ, and you would be scared silly to see what they do to them! My dad’s has over 240,000 miles on it and still going strong, still has a couple years left easy, so 95,000 miles is hardly broken in for this thing. I guess with this conversation I was trying to see if anyone had one or maybe knew of some of the quirks of the Excursion that they could tell me before I spend the money.
i’m from AK, so I’m going to try to get back there my first tour of duty.
No.
You’re determined to buy this truck even if we tell you the truck was designed and built by Yugo.
So, go buy it. 
Yeah, I was going to buy it basically no matter what, I just wanted to see what I could get from people in terms of experience with the vehicle. But thanks for the advice anyways, always appreciated.
Would there not be a bit of ridicule if the OP showed up in AWD Mini-Van?
I prefer to call it a tank
Here’s what a few other owners have to say about it:
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/excursion/2002/consumer-reviews.html?sub=diesel&ps=used
Sounds like the engine may still be running after the body has turned to rust.
all of you who tried to turn me from this truck will be happy to hear that i did not buy it. we had a mechanic look at it and it is what we in AK call a “slope truck.” it had low miles, but the engine had obscenely high hours on it, one of the cylinders wasn’t firing and it needed replacing. when it gets really cold, it is usually better just to leave it running all the time instead of turning it off, hence the high hours.
Thanks for posting back. Sorry the truck wasn’t what you hoped it would be, but kudos to you for getting it checked out and the good sense to walk away. Keep a level head and you will find the right vehicle at the right price.
Good luck,
Ed B.