Crazy to buy a 2003 Exp with 135k miles?

[JennB99]

Hi, I used to have a 99 Expedition to pull my horse trailer and I loved it. That was sold and am now considering buying a 2003 Exp to pull with.
Would I be crazy to buy one with 135k miles on it? It seems in great shape.
I’ll have my mechanic check it out before I buy it. But thought I’d ask you all if it would be a bad idea?
I’ll be hauling one horse mainly locall 2-3 times per month and possibly one longer haul once or twice per year.
I have another car so I’d only be driving the Exp for hauling.

Any thoughts?
what should I be in the look out for?

Thanks a bunch in advance!

Jenn

 

[Plati]

Nobody on a Forum could know about that particular vehicle. It's a crapshoot. My 2003XLT (bought new with 183K miles on it now) is only driven a couple few thousand miles a year and costs me about $800 a year (or so) as things break and are repaired. If thats all you can afford then buy it and assume the risk & hope it doesnt break while towing horsies.

 

[JennB99]

Thanks, I know you can’t know about a particular vehicle. I was asking in general about them and higher mileage.
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Aspen03]

I definitely wouldn't be afraid of miles as long as it checks out and seems to be in good shape. Being low miles for the year it probably wasnt abused as a tow/fleet vehicle.

I purchased mine at 205k a year and a half ago and no regrets. One of the most reliable vehicles I've owned. I did have an extensive service history provided and was able to corroborate that data w a friend that manages a ford dealership.

 

[Plati]

I did a post with a file that shows all the repairs i've done since new in 2003
(forgot a few I did myself like vacuum hose's and rear wiper, oops)
https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/cost-of-ownership.44254/

the work I did myself cost a lot less that shop work!

 

[Gary Waugh]

I have owned 3 expys, a 98, a 2005 and a 2009 they have all exceeded 150K miles with no major issues (had a coolant hose fail on all 3, disk rotors wore out on 2, the 2009 currently has 180K miles and runs great, if the car is in reasonable condition I would not worry about the mileage!! Check the body for corrosion and just check that it has some kind of service history, still a crap shoot, but probably a reasonable shoot!!

 

[Trainmaster]

I agree with the others. That's not high mileage for a well-maintained Expedition. Expect some age-related issues to come up and price the truck accordingly. I think you'll enjoy it for many years and save a bunch over buying a newer one.

 

[craig sargood]

I purchased my 00 xlt with 220k and started towing a 22’ toy hauler with 2quads inside. Would probably still be towing it fine if I had left it alone. But it did have a hard time up long hills, with 33’s and no gear change. I think it’ll be good for a long time.

 

[JennB99]

Thank you!
And thanks everyone for your input!

 

[riphip]

Only if you know that it was maintained properly & no cheap tires on it.

 

[DrkBlue]

I bought an Expy over 200k 18 months ago.
So far, the crapshoot has gone my way.

Do you have a Plan B for hauling horses if an 18year old ride fails? To me, the reliability/cost comparison is sliding scale.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Not sure what a 2 horse rig weighs loaded, but I would want the HDTT option !

 

[Silver007]

Make sure it doesn't have phaser tick unless you want to do a timing job, and make sure it doesn't have a 50 weight oil in it to mask the tick

 

[lbv150]

Make sure it doesn't have phaser tick unless you want to do a timing job, and make sure it doesn't have a 50 weight oil in it to mask the tick

It's an '03....what phasers? Anyway '03 & '04 had the better engines. 05 and up 5.4 watch out they have the famous VCT.

 

[JKH13]

I got a 03 Eddie with 185 on it and it drove very well. It died at 255 with a head gasket leak. It was AWD and I liked it. Replaced it with an 09 Limited EL AWD and love it. Will eventually replace it with a 20 Max King.

Check to see if the 03 has had the intake manifold replaced yet.

 

[Steve Hartman]

Hi, I used to have a 99 Expedition to pull my horse trailer and I loved it. That was sold and am now considering buying a 2003 Exp to pull with.
Would I be crazy to buy one with 135k miles on it? It seems in great shape.
I’ll have my mechanic check it out before I buy it. But thought I’d ask you all if it would be a bad idea?
I’ll be hauling one horse mainly locall 2-3 times per month and possibly one longer haul once or twice per year.
I have another car so I’d only be driving the Exp for hauling.

Any thoughts?
what should I be in the look out for?

Thanks a bunch in advance!

Jenn

I bought my 2001 Expy with the 5.4 in 2005 from the federal government. It had 135,000 on it and I paid $5000. It had a slight tick-tick in it! Today is has 262,000 on it and I have never done a thing to it besides change the oil and filters. It still has a slight tick-tick in it! LOL! I love that car so much! But, in 2015 with a little money in my pocket I bought a 2007 Expy with 159,000 for $4400, also at auction (online this time) but not sure where it came from. Both apparently are SSV's not SUV's. Don't know if that makes a difference or not, but it now has 170,000 and one trouble - an 02 sensor. Other than that I am TOTALLY for Expy's! Have also read several articles that say Expy's have a high mileage rating with over 5% of them going 200,000 or more miles. One of the best you can buy for vehicles that can go a lot of miles. Good Luck!

 

[Frank Swygert]

Just be prepared for the unexpected. I bought my 2005 18 months ago with 99k and some change. Got a good deal on an obviously well taken care of machine. Bought to tow my camper. It had some issues, but mostly just maintenance due (dreaded spark plugs!). The transmission went out on my second outing! Nothing I did, not related to towing, just a known weakness in the trans. Had to be rebuilt, with upgrades. Even after having to spend $3400 six months after buying ( almost half purchase price!) I'm still satisfied with my purchase. I plan on keeping it a while and getting my money back through use. Could have happened to any vehicle, would have been nice if under warranty, but still saved a lot over buying newer... and it could have happened to a 2015 just as easily.