What’s considered high mileage on a Gen3 expy?

[JHolden]

I am just wondering what is considered an average lifespan of a Expedition? I have heard 300k is considered good.


Interested to hear what you guys think?

 

[JExpedition07]

Many vehicles achieve 300,000 miles plus but maintenance and upkeep are the biggest deciding factors. I believe they are designed for 300,000 on the powertrain. There is a guy on the forum with 500,000 on his 2005 all original.

 

[JHolden]

That’s interesting, I didn’t realize they had a design life.

 

[Dorzak]

That’s interesting, I didn’t realize they had a design life.

This is a rule of thumb that a mechanical engineer told me once:

Everything has a design life, and then if anything is ever said the stated design life is 65-75% of that. Engineers design it to last 300k, and will label it 200k. Generally your best extended warranty from the dealer will be about 50% of that. So since Ford offers 100k extended warranty, they probably expect it to last around 200k, but designed it to theoretically hit 300k. There are caveats such as good maintenance habits. For example your extended warranty with Ford is void if you don't keep up in regular maintenance.

 

[Habbibie]

I go by the general rule of 12k-15k miles a year anything more than the 15k a year I consider it high milege

 

[JExpedition07]

Low mileage is often worse than high mileage I will add on an older truck. Lack of use is no good for anything on the vehicle.

 

[John Christopher]

It depends if the miles were highway or city. I've heard that 100,000 highway is equal to 10,000 city miles. Although that may be exaggerated. Regular maintenance also plays a big part.

 

[deweysmith]

Low mileage is often worse than high mileage I will add on an older truck. Lack of use is no good for anything on the vehicle.

Yep. I have a 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora with 60k miles on it. Sat in my grandma's garage for about 4 years until she died and I took it 2 years ago.

There's not a fluid it doesn't leak. Except gas.

 

[Trainmaster]

I've found that my Fords are fairly trouble free for the first 12 years and 140K miles. Then I may see some typical part replacements like a starter, alternator, steering pump -- stuff like that. At 15 years and 175K miles, I've replaced rusty transmission lines, broken ball joints, steering boxes. Getting into 215K miles, you may see catalytic converters, exhaust manifolds, head gaskets...

The published "design life" of the modern American car appears to be about 150K, which, as Dorzak said above, probably equates to an engineered life of about 225K miles. After that, you seem to be working on the thing every day, and as the thing the Ford gets older, quality replacement parts become harder to get and stuff you replaced two years ago is breaking again.

The lower quality smaller 4 cylinder cars and *** imports really tend to fall apart after that 150K mark and are just aren't designed for easy service.

 

[Muddy Bean]

I have to disagree with your statement on the lower quality *** imports. Consumer reports disagrees too. Having owned many of them up through 300,000 miles each I can tell you without a doubt they are generally better engineered for longevity than most Ford or GM products I’ve owned. That being said, I love the comfort and luxury of my Expedition and in those two categories it really shines compared to most Japanese imports.


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[JExpedition07]

I also disagree on the parts point. Quality Parts are not very hard to find for these trucks as it's been largely the same from 2003-2017. I'm sure the parts will be available a long time to come. I'd say that assumption depends on the commonality of the vehicle, it is very true for many though.

 

[deweysmith]

I've got 125k on mine and find myself doing odd random things like the power steering pressure line and the belt tensioner but for the most part it's routine maintenance. I don't expect to need to replace anything major until 300k, hopefully by then I'll have another one.

 

[Habbibie]

I run my cars till they die or break beyond a repairable value so milege is never an issue to me as far as resale goes

 

[Trainmaster]

Wow, some disagreement with my silly opinions! I don't like Japanese cars. Never liked their engineering, though I know plenty of folks who do. I'm glad you've found them superior to those made here and that they've done well by you.

When I mentioned difficulty finding quality parts after a car gets older, the point I had in mind was my 2000 Expedition. I can't get OEM exhaust or steering parts for it. The aftermarket "standard" is Walker. My Ford engine pipe lasted fifteen years, the Walker replacement lasted 18 months. Yes, the 3rd Generation stuff will be around for a good long time, but there comes and age when Ford stops providing service parts and when the "quality" manufacturers stop making them too. I suppose folks with 20 year old trucks tend to buy cheaper stuff?

 

[barrydu4]

I always bring my Fords to the dealer for regular preventative maintenance. My wife works there and I get it at her cost. I can't do the work myself at the cost and they have a written record of all the maintenance so they can't say it was not kept up.

 

[SRQ-Ford]

Just a note to agree with the general feeling above - figure you are good to go thru about 150k. From 150k up in to the 200k+ range I think allot will depend on the quality of maintenance performed along the way. I had a gen 2 that I was going to keep until it hit 290-300k. (I'm pretty **** retentive about my vehicles so it was very well taken care of along the way.) I was about 180k, closing in on 200k when the rear main started to leak just a little bit. M&M sized spot on the garage floor after overnight. I had a new born and just did not have the time to deal with that myself, nor the money to have it done so I sold the truck. Still miss that truck....

 

[WiscoGus]

I've got 193k on my 2008. Its always had routine maintenance at the dealer and still runs strong. The only downside is that the body will likely rust out before the truck dies.

 

[Trainmaster]

Every design seem to have its weak points, and when those are big items that rear their heads on an older high-mileage car, most owners say goodbye. The first generation Expeditions have a head gasket problem that I know of. Seems the blocks had a grinding defect and they often leak above the starter at higher mileage.

Then of course there are the exhaust manifolds that rot out and are a dog to change and the catalytic converters that seem to both rot in the same month. Replacements are of very poor quality.

When the mileage is up there in the 2XX,***+ numbers and you are recovering from one of the above jobs and get hit with another, most folks with the means to get something newer just move on...

 

[Muddy Bean]

I’ve bought several cars with 200,000 on them and they seemed to always run really good for me for another 100,000 miles without issues. Sometimes I wonder if buying a car at that mileage point, someone else has already replaced a ton of parts already and I’m getting the car during its second wind?


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[Herby]

Just reading through some of these posts. I have to say that I am keeping my 07 Expy until the wheels fall off. This decision was reinforced after my visit to the dealer. $80k for a Stealth Edition?? No thanks! My ride is rolling strong at 215k.