Questions and advice in purchase of Expedition

Been checking this site out for a bit....trying to get a feel for what I want/need.

I come from the Jeep world and my wife (Miss Sue) has had suv's. We both taunted people who had mini vans....but...3 kids in 39 months forced us into the shame of mini van ownership....I did my best by calling it a man van but sigh....it was a mini van.

Miss Sue wanted a truck....we had just bought property in Northern Minnesota to build a cottage....perfect timing....had a 2008 F150 all lined up....the kids fit into the back just fine and it was a truck....we decided to wait until the fall and see what our money situation was from the building of the Cabin....in the meantime we got a new dog....a Leonberger (Bear) who will grow to upwards of 180 lbs....hmmm the dog and 3 kids won't fit into the back seat of the F150 and we don't want the dog in the box...

The man van had served us well in hauling materials to the Cabin...Miss Sue said too bad it wasn't 4 wheel drive....I told her there are companies that do conversions....she checks it out and comes across Quigley Conversions that do full size conversions...she wanted a big bad a$$ 4x4 lifted van....this surpirised me as it is usually me building up the Jeeps.

This is when I started looking towards the Expeditions....we both like Fords and the styling.

So this is what I am looking for in an Expedition.
*4x4
*navigation with sync
*dvd entertainment (for the kids...the dog doesn't care)
*need to be able to carry 4x4 sheets of plywood/drywall in the back, so I am assumming that I will need an EL ( a sheet will fit correct?)
* second row seats to be captain chairs

So what years and models would meet my requirement....don't want to buy new....was thinking 2008 and up if it has the above features.

Going to be enjoying this site....sorry for being long winded

Hi and welcome!

I have a 2007 EL 4x4 purchased used. I can confirm that it will fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood with all of the rear seats (2nd and 3rd) row folded.

I started with a 2002 Expy and as our crew of 3 became teens, they didn't fit in the third row. I can say that the 3rd row in the 2007-current vintage will fit real people (and teenagers - if they are real people). I've also found that the IRS makes it a pretty good ride and less tiring on long hauls than previous SUV's I've had.

I really like the 20/40/20 middle row. We fold down the middle on long trips and have quasi-"captains chairs" with space for our Beagle in the middle.

I have had no significant issues with the Expy in my 100k. Its never left me stranded except when the battery went ka-put!. Only had minor items, wear and regular replacement parts, and things that don't affect the function (unless you count the sunroof which was an "optional" repair).

There's a recent thread that discusses the same topic. You could breeze through that and ask more specific questions.

so you want to haul 3 kids a dog and 4x8 sheets of plywood yet you say you want 2nd row to be captain chairs. that = room to sit 4 people and you have 5
Opps if you have the 4x8 sheets in, the seats need to be folded now you can only seat 2
Suggest you think about a small utility trailer also.

Wow....thanks for the quick replies...the reason I want the captain chairs in the 2nd row is so the kids could pass thru to the 3rd row and the dog could also.

My thoughts were that 2 kids in the 2nd row...fold down the narrow portion of the 3rd row so the other kid could sit more in the middle and the dog can go in the back but could have access to the rest of the vehicle to visit...afterall he is part of the family.

Carry the sheets of plywood/drywall would not be when the kids were with us.

sounds like a plan

we have a 2010 EL with 2nd row captains chairs.

makes it nice since the kids car seats are in the captains chairs, but adults can still fairly easily get back into the rear seat.

I am SO happy we went with the EL, we can have the 3rd row up and still have a really truly usable rear storage area.

Cutch

I currently have a 2012 4x4, you can see pics in my profile, and my wife has a 2008 EL. The 2008 is just as you want, minus the 4x4. We also have two small boys still in car seats. The 2nd row captains cars are perfect for the car seats and still allow easy access to the third row. I would say by far this is the way you need to go. The boys love the DVD player, helps on the long trips or even running to the grocery store!

With your situation I would suggest purchasing two items once you buy the EL:
1. Weather Tech Digital Fit matts for the front, 2nd, and 3rd rows. These matts cover ALL carpet in these areas nearly 100%. They have saved the carpet more times then I want to count. 2. Get a cargo matt for the rear called Canvasback Cargo Liners. These actually Velcro directly to the carpet and move freely as you put the seats up and down. They are also water proof and cover all of the cargo area, up the back of the third row seat and if you fold just the back of the 2nd row down it will cover that as well. I would however place something on top of the liner when hauling the plywood as it could potentially snag.

Truly believe you will be happy with the EL purchase and you can give it a lift with new tires and rims. Your wife will LOVE it!!

Wes

I just moved from a f150 to an expedition EL limited. My family went from me and my son to me my wife and 4 total kids. The expedition has been great. Get the El you won't regret it I had bought the regular size but never had enough room behind the last seat. The El is perfect. It is the best vehicle I've ever had for everything. I can use it for Huniting on Sat and take the whole family to church. My kids are older and the full size 3 rd row was a huge seller for me. I wanted an escalade or denali but they were just small in 3rd row. Plus no power fold down. I got the captains 2nd row and glad I did makes the kids in 3rd row easier to get in plus they can see the tvs easier. Best advice I can get is spend the $300 for the weather tech floor mats for the whole vechile. With that many kids you will be glad you did.