A Dying Breed

[Trainmaster]

Some of us drive a large SUV because we like the comfort and safety and don't care what the gas costs. I spent my life investigating transportation accidents, so I want a heavy car with a full frame for my family's safety. Since the Excursion's no longer made, I drive an Expedition. I don't care what the gas costs. To me it's worth the price to be safe and comfortable. My money is mine, and this is how I choose to spend it.

 

[Mmart]

Some of us drive a large SUV because we like the comfort and safety and don't care what the gas costs. I spent my life investigating transportation accidents, so I want a heavy car with a full frame for my family's safety. Since the Excursion's no longer made, I drive an Expedition. I don't care what the gas costs. To me it's worth the price to be safe and comfortable. My money is mine, and this is how I choose to spend it.

I agree, besides the Expedition being the right vehicle for what I like to do ( family trips, 4x4 for surf fishing, and being able to to tow my motorcycle) I like the safety of a big solid vehicle. My first car was an 82
T-Bird and on thanksgiving morning in 1996 I got hit by a Honda Accord. We couldn’t be doing more than 20-25mph but his car was mangled. My only injury was from my electronics textbook in the back window flying forward and hitting me. My car only had a smashed front corner. Cop asked me if there was another car involved because there was such a mismatch in damage. That sold me on big cars for good. Since then I’ve had two
F-150s (89 & 98) and two Expeditions (01 and 10). To keep with the large car theme, I also have a 2013 Taurus that my wife drives. I mentioned earlier in the thread that EVs weren’t practical for me. I live in a town house. No garage, no driveway and I’m not guaranteed a parking spot out front to charge up. I still think there’s a few major pieces of that puzzle to be solved before the world really switches I’m not going to be an early adopter.

 

[Boostedbus]

Some of us drive a large SUV because we like the comfort and safety and don't care what the gas costs. I spent my life investigating transportation accidents, so I want a heavy car with a full frame for my family's safety. Since the Excursion's no longer made, I drive an Expedition. I don't care what the gas costs. To me it's worth the price to be safe and comfortable. My money is mine, and this is how I choose to spend it.

AMEN Brother! I think I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again....a Smart car is anything but smart in my book. Or any of those other little tiny cars running on the highways with tractor trailers and such.

 

[Boostedbus]

My first car was an 82
T-Bird and on thanksgiving morning in 1996 I got hit by a Honda Accord. We couldn’t be doing more than 20-25mph but his car was mangled.

Wow an 82 T-Bird was just a stretched Fox body. Still those imports at the time didn’t want to mess with Detroit Steel. I had a 79 Cougar XR7 way back which was the Thunder Chicken’s Cousin and they were the last years of the behemoth Birds and Cats.

 

[Boostedbus]

Some of us drive a large SUV because we like the comfort and safety and don't care what the gas costs. I spent my life investigating transportation accidents, so I want a heavy car with a full frame for my family's safety. Since the Excursion's no longer made, I drive an Expedition. I don't care what the gas costs. To me it's worth the price to be safe and comfortable. My money is mine, and this is how I choose to spend it.

I just got home today from a highway trip with my wife, step daughter, two grandsons, my two dogs, and our cat onboard while pulling a trailer full of my tools. Talk about precious cargo. Well maybe not the cat so much. Oh yeah and I also had a bunch of beer that never got all drunk from vacation in a cooler on the trailer also...Hey that’s gotta rank up there somewhere.

 

[07navi]

AMEN Brother! I think I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again....a Smart car is anything but smart in my book. Or any of those other little tiny cars running on the highways with tractor trailers and such.

The smart car has an integral cage that will withstand almost any crash...……….but wait; The G forces will kill you anyway.

 

[Boostedbus]

The smart car has an integral cage that will withstand almost any crash...……….but wait; The G forces will kill you anyway.

The the G stand for gay? Nothing against the gay community, but that car doesn’t seem very masculine too me at all. Actually owning one could possibly get your man card revoked.

 

[07navi]

The the G stand for gay? Nothing against the gay community, but that car doesn’t seem very masculine too me at all. Actually owning one could possibly get your man card revoked.

I do only see women driving them...…..

 

[Gregg Eshelman]

Just got an 09 Prius, for the MPGs. Not dropping the 16 MPG (on a very good freeway day) 07 Expy EL. Its load capacity is too frequently useful to not have it.

No, I'm not going to be doing silly hypermiling BS with the hybrid to try and get 60 MPG while ******* off everyone else on the road. It's good enough that it'll easily get 25 and way up MPG without doing any special driving techniques.

 

[Aspen03]

Many of these are great reasons to own an expedition. I'm not here trying to talk anyone out of one or saying big truck bad, batteries good. I'm saying for my personal preference if I didnt require one it for sure wouldnt be top of my list. I don't own a boat, trailer, motorcycle, jet ski, camper, etc. I'm likely the minority in this group as far as those things go. I just enjoy nimble, faster vehicles more than these.

It's not that I don't like the expedition or the navigator, it's actually quite the opposite, both are extremely comfortable to drive, well appointed for 2003 models, quiet, have almost enough space, we can never have enough with the kids it seems.

Safety wise I don't doubt it but have had very impressive levels of protection from vehicles considerably smaller in size and mass. I've been in 13 accidents, I used to travel extensively for work and almost half happened during that time. Only 1 at fault and was minor. I've avoided serious injury save for some back issues. The worst destruction wise was being t boned by the largest uhaul truck offered that ran a red light and hit me in the driver side. I was in a 2000 buick regal, roughly 25-30mph impact I was told. Caved in my doors and b pillar by about 10", bent my seat over, buckled the roof, all the fun stuff. Side impact bags weren't in the vehicle so I took the brunt. No broken bones fortunately. It was by far the hardest hit but I was more or less pushed through and didnt make contact with anything else. My car was lowered and the bumper of the truck hit the door beams perfectly square which distributed the impact and kept it from coming inside and destroying my hip/legs.

Smart cars make 0 sense to me. They dont really do any better mileage wise than a corolla or civic which are considerably more roomy and better equipped and in a lot of cases cheaper. If someone wants mileage snatch up a Cruze diesel. Middle 50s mpg is not a problem. I have a friend who drove all over the state and routinely got 700+ miles to a tank in his. I'd hate to drive a Cruze for 700mi because I find them rather uncomfortable and noisy but if you're after economy and no hybrid its hard to beat.

Mmart, my first car was an 84 t bird. That digital dash, automatic headlights, it was loaded. Not bad for $700 in the 90s!

 

[Jamo]

My 2014 EL Limited is my small and most efficient ride. My other is a 1953 GM PD-4104 former Greyhound bus (conversion). I can get 1400 miles out of a tank full of Diesel. But, the tank holds 140 gallons, and the full tank alone probably outweighs your Prius or Cruse...

 

[Mmart]

Many of these are great reasons to own an expedition. I'm not here trying to talk anyone out of one or saying big truck bad, batteries good. I'm saying for my personal preference if I didnt require one it for sure wouldnt be top of my list. I don't own a boat, trailer, motorcycle, jet ski, camper, etc. I'm likely the minority in this group as far as those things go. I just enjoy nimble, faster vehicles more than these.

It's not that I don't like the expedition or the navigator, it's actually quite the opposite, both are extremely comfortable to drive, well appointed for 2003 models, quiet, have almost enough space, we can never have enough with the kids it seems.

Safety wise I don't doubt it but have had very impressive levels of protection from vehicles considerably smaller in size and mass. I've been in 13 accidents, I used to travel extensively for work and almost half happened during that time. Only 1 at fault and was minor. I've avoided serious injury save for some back issues. The worst destruction wise was being t boned by the largest uhaul truck offered that ran a red light and hit me in the driver side. I was in a 2000 buick regal, roughly 25-30mph impact I was told. Caved in my doors and b pillar by about 10", bent my seat over, buckled the roof, all the fun stuff. Side impact bags weren't in the vehicle so I took the brunt. No broken bones fortunately. It was by far the hardest hit but I was more or less pushed through and didnt make contact with anything else. My car was lowered and the bumper of the truck hit the door beams perfectly square which distributed the impact and kept it from coming inside and destroying my hip/legs.

Smart cars make 0 sense to me. They dont really do any better mileage wise than a corolla or civic which are considerably more roomy and better equipped and in a lot of cases cheaper. If someone wants mileage snatch up a Cruze diesel. Middle 50s mpg is not a problem. I have a friend who drove all over the state and routinely got 700+ miles to a tank in his. I'd hate to drive a Cruze for 700mi because I find them rather uncomfortable and noisy but if you're after economy and no hybrid its hard to beat.

Mmart, my first car was an 84 t bird. That digital dash, automatic headlights, it was loaded. Not bad for $700 in the 90s!

Ha! $700! You did better than I did. I paid about $1200. I don’t have pics of my car but here’s what it looked like

 

[Boostedbus]

Ha! $700! You did better than I did. I paid about $1200. I don’t have pics of my car but here’s what it looked like View attachment 36361

Years ago I dated a girl who’s father had one of those 82 T-Birds. They were pretty odd/rare Birds. In 1982 Ford no longer offered the 302 cu in Windsor V8 in them, instead you could get a 255 cu in Windsor backed by a 3 sp. C5 automatic with 2.26 rear gears. Not exactly a powerhouse combination but still a reliable one. My 1979 XR7 had a 351M with a 3sp. FMX automatic and 2.47 rear gears.....another lame combo but reliable one. They hadn’t brought out the AOD 4sp. transmissions yet in those years so they didn’t gear the rear axle with any low ratios. I also had a 1988 XR7 after the 1979, and that car was also built on the Fox body platform like your 82. It had a EFI roller cam 302 Windsor with the AOD 4sp. automatic and 3.08 traction lok rear axle. That Cat would run a fairly respectable high 15 second quarter mile stock. Like you I don’t have any pictures other than Polaroids but here are some internet pictures of the exact colors,wheels,and models they both were. They both served me well.

 

[Mmart]

Ha I remember those cars. Life was so much simpler back then lol. I got that car when I finished tech school. A long time friend of my father had it at his gas station so we knew it was pretty sound. The seats felt like velvet sofas. I didn’t own it for long because even though the accident wasn’t terrible, the insurance wouldn’t pay because of the age of the car so they totaled it. I seem to remember that motor being a Windsor 302 though because I saw the little plate on the engine when looking under the hood. I couldn’t tell you much more because I was never really into the mechanics back then. That car ran great and if I had any real issues I had really great help back then with mechanics in the family. I’ve been doing electronics and telecom for the past 25 yrs and have gotten more interested in how cars and bikes really work in the past couple years and it’s been real fun. But that car hooked me on Ford and that’s all I’ve owned.

 

[CyberVinnie]

I see your t-birds and raise you...



Same color combo, but I t’s not an actual picture of mine, which had tinted windows and removable headlight covers (remember those?).

Although I really wanted the Mark VIII of the era.

 

[07navi]

I had a 1964 T Bird, remember the turquoise ones ? ……...lol

 

[Boostedbus]

I had a 1964 T Bird, remember the turquoise ones ? ……...lol

How could we forget? The T-Birds had a history of very bold styling throughout the years.

 

[MasterX]

I doubt if you can you can give the trans all the credit, there is a lot more that can cause the MPG diff between your 2 trucks, also all the sellers of the ecoboost say the power is at low rpms mainly. I am aware of hype but I don't get it.

Lookup the dynosheets for the mustang 2.3 eco, i have out of curiosity, that peak 300+ HP they promise you doesn't come in until 5800 RPM, and your hard pressed to even get 200ish until 3800-4000...
Your torque finds you at 2800 RPM and then drops off significantly after 4000 RPM because the engine's flow is maxed out.

Not saying its a bad design, but ill take my big displacement any day. You can only force feed a small motor so much air and beans before it either cannot flow any faster, or it gags and spews rods, flames, and beans in your face.

 

[MasterX]

Some of us drive a large SUV because we like the comfort and safety and don't care what the gas costs. I spent my life investigating transportation accidents, so I want a heavy car with a full frame for my family's safety. Since the Excursion's no longer made, I drive an Expedition. I don't care what the gas costs. To me it's worth the price to be safe and comfortable. My money is mine, and this is how I choose to spend it.

Hallelujah, speak it brother! Same reason my family rolls in one, and so do I in my own. And both of them now have Police version push bumper/brush guards with 6 point mounts directly to the frame, effectively a cattle catcher. Never know when you need to take an impact to the front, or push something out of your way in a bad situation, or take a deer impact without warning, both of my expeditions are as prepared as is possible.

AMEN Brother! I think I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again....a Smart car is anything but smart in my book. Or any of those other little tiny cars running on the highways with tractor trailers and such.

Praise the lord N pass the ammunition!

In other news, my battery started going last few days, its been extremely hot here, and i noticed all the sudden, my voltage which usually rides around 14.0-14.5 i noticed down at 13.7-13.8 pretty constantly 2 days ago, then today it was 13.0-13.2, i thought it might be the alternator, but turns out the battery when its all tested. Finally broke down and put in an Optima Red, i had been holding out to save the cash, riding out the 5-6 year old duralast it came with.

I have volt meters in the front center console, middle row center console, third row next to the cup holder, and at the rear door power port also, so when im running inverters, accessories, camping out, i can keep an easy eye on power so i don't let it drain to far before firing it up to charge. All the meters also have USB 3 amp charge ports on them for double duty and maximum utility.

I have 4 USB ports in the front, 2 in the middle row, 2 in the third row, and 2 next to the back door, i can charge everyone at the same time, lol

 

[Boostedbus]

Hallelujah, speak it brother! Same reason my family rolls in one, and so do I in my own. And both of them now have Police version push bumper/brush guards with 6 point mounts directly to the frame, effectively a cattle catcher. Never know when you need to take an impact to the front, or push something out of your way in a bad situation, or take a deer impact without warning, both of my expeditions are as prepared as is possible.
View attachment 36577



Praise the lord N pass the ammunition!

In other news, my battery started going last few days, its been extremely hot here, and i noticed all the sudden, my voltage which usually rides around 14.0-14.5 i noticed down at 13.7-13.8 pretty constantly 2 days ago, then today it was 13.0-13.2, i thought it might be the alternator, but turns out the battery when its all tested. Finally broke down and put in an Optima Red, i had been holding out to save the cash, riding out the 5-6 year old duralast it came with.

I have volt meters in the front center console, middle row center console, third row next to the cup holder, and at the rear door power port also, so when im running inverters, accessories, camping out, i can keep an easy eye on power so i don't let it drain to far before firing it up to charge. All the meters also have USB 3 amp charge ports on them for double duty and maximum utility.

I have 4 USB ports in the front, 2 in the middle row, 2 in the third row, and 2 next to the back door, i can charge everyone at the same time, lol

Glad to hear you choose to save your family first over saving the planet. We have a lot more control over saving our families, especially when we can’t control what the rest of the world is doing.