Do you trust your first gen?

[Ulver]

So far with used and abused Expeditions or just Triton v8 cars in general are the Catalytic Converter going bad. This is due to Negligence from the previous of the vehicle and not keeping it in top shape, especially when there's a misfire code and it's being ignored. Those prolonged periods of misfires can cause the cats to become damaged over time. So just one of the MAJOR things toi look out for are codes, and namely a System Efficiency Below Threshold code. Both me and my brother ran into this issue with both previous owners of our own truck, and we ended up having to replace our cats. It can be a pretty expensive job if the entire system is shot.

 

[ApacheJohn]

I bought mine (4.6 2wd) during R&R from Iraq in 2005. Bought a 2001 with 30,000 miles on it. Now only have 113,000-ish and it still drives like the day I bought it. And you may be telling yourself “obviously this guy does not drive much”. True-not true. It was parked at BWI airport at my employers parking lot from 2006 to 2016. Never started or driven in between. Long story but was deployed for 10 years. Anyways had it trailered to my home at Fort Rucker. Dropped fuel tank and cleaned. Installed new fuel pump and new battery. Changed ALL fluids. Started right up. Ran rough but went through it and replaced all sensors and normal maintenance. New tires installed. Drive it daily now. Wife loves the brand new ones but she also loves mine since it’s so reliable. Any vehicle has its issues but this truck is a pretty solid design that is not too complicated to fix. With these forums and the internet, just about any problem can be fixed reasonably. Parts are dirt cheap and plentiful. Towed a very heavy trailer from Rucker to Michigan without issues. The guys saying they are getting 300,000 miles I believe. If I can get another 100,000 out of mine, even with the minor things- still saving a ton of money. Good luck my friend

 

[knewblewkorvett]

I have a 2000 (5.4 engine) with 267,000 miles. She is still running great, sort of. The intake manifold cracked and is leaking antifreeze badly. It also needs brakes. Between those two it wouldn't cost much to repair but she is sooooo rusted it's time to let her go to her resting place. Right now she is parked in my driveway waiting to be picked apart to feed my 1997.
My 1997 (5.4 engine) has been very reliable (knock on wood) I wouldn't be afraid to drive her anywhere.

 

[knewblewkorvett]

I bought mine (4.6 2wd) during R&R from Iraq in 2005. Bought a 2001 with 30,000 miles on it. Now only have 113,000-ish and it still drives like the day I bought it. And you may be telling yourself “obviously this guy does not drive much”. True-not true. It was parked at BWI airport at my employers parking lot from 2006 to 2016. Never started or driven in between. Long story but was deployed for 10 years. Anyways had it trailered to my home at Fort Rucker. Dropped fuel tank and cleaned. Installed new fuel pump and new battery. Changed ALL fluids. Started right up. Ran rough but went through it and replaced all sensors and normal maintenance. New tires installed. Drive it daily now. Wife loves the brand new ones but she also loves mine since it’s so reliable. Any vehicle has its issues but this truck is a pretty solid design that is not too complicated to fix. With these forums and the internet, just about any problem can be fixed reasonably. Parts are dirt cheap and plentiful. Towed a very heavy trailer from Rucker to Michigan without issues. The guys saying they are getting 300,000 miles I believe. If I can get another 100,000 out of mine, even with the minor things- still saving a ton of money. Good luck my friend

Thanks for your service!

 

[1955moose]

I have a 2000 Eddie Bauer, that's been very dependable. I bought it with low miles, 64k so that helped. The only items that needed replacement during the five years, are an alternator, a starter, and 2 front end parts. I'm going on 5 years next month, next to a Toyota, it doesn't get much better. Regular oil and transmission fluid changes, and it's possible to go over 350k. As always, have a mechanic or you, do a stem to stern inspection.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[RGTFanatic]

Sadly, my '02 XLT 5.4 AWD (bought used on '05 w/31,000) has rusted to the point that she's no longer safe. The core support is gone, 4 of 6 body mounts are gone, the cargo area floor is rotted thru. The rear quarters are gone too.....
It's unfortunate because, mechanically, she's still in great shape with 287,000 miles.

I trusted it for anything and everything for over 14 years. It never once left me stranded.

As everyone said......
MAINTENANCE!!!
Don't let little problems become big ones.......

I'm a little worried about the new ones, but I'm now shopping for a '15-17 ecoboost EL.

 

[cjennjr]

I've had my '98 EB for 19 years, 158,000 miles, no major repairs, yearly oil changes, she's held up like a champ!!

 

[1955moose]

My 2000 will be 5 years this month. Most dependable since my Datsun 240Z. I started with a low mileage 64k original. Starter and alternator, and 2 front end parts, was what's been changed It swallows fuel like a teenager swallows groceries, but other than that, always gets me home, knock on wood.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[captain chaos]

In my experience, these trucks are VERY reliable IF they have been properly cared for. My 2000 has been VERY reliable, to the point that we have taken it on every vacation (up to 800mi away-one way) since we bought it, even though we have a nicer, newer, better on gas car we could take (but I don't trust as much). We even pulled a camper to Silver Lake Michigan (sand dunes), beat on the truck in the dunes for a week, and pulled the camper home (roughly 600mi round trip). The only issues were a busted front lower valance from some rather reckless air time and a leaking front seal on the tranny from getting it WAY too hot pounding on it so hard on the sand. Lesson learned, installed a large trans cooler (in addition to the factory one) and a trans temp gauge. I hardly falt the truck for that though and it still got us home safely and without incident.

Unfortunately(or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the resale on these trucks is VERY low, which means a lot of the time the are purchased by low income people who simply can't afford to keep things up properly. Add to that the fact that they are now 20+ years old and I'd expect to have to sort out a few 'bugs' when purchasing one. I'm actually in this boat right now. My 'ol reliable' is getting pretty rusty and I decided to replace it with another Expy (same year but better shape) because I not only love the vehicle but I have a great deal of faith in them. I bought the new one knowing I'd have to sort out some issues but I'm confident once I've taken care of that it'll be a solid, reliable vehicle again.

 

[hammerg26]

As most have stated, one of the biggest issues is rust.
I have had mine for 6 years, got it with 72k on the clock and it had been “babied “ - almost too much.
Thankfully, no rust to be found for the most part - some very minor surface rust.
Hope to keep this thing for a long time.
I drive mine daily and would not hesitate to take the family in a trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[proftomda]

My opinion as a original owner 2001 4.6 with 250,000 miles on it. Assuming the vehicle hasnt been previously wrecked, I think dependability rests on 2 things location and preventive maintenance. Living in the southeast, we tend to put many miles on our vehicles but they are not subjected to the horrors of road salt that destroys structural,electrical and mechanical aspects of a vehicle. My 2001 doesnt have a speck of rust on it and still running the original exhaust for instance. Preventive maintenance wise, ball joints, tie rods, shocks, spark plugs, coil packs, brakes, coolant flush every 20,000, trans flush every 100,000, oil every 5000, PCV valve and hoses and 1 fuel pump. Still running original radiator, water pump and air conditioning. Not bad for 19 years old. I consider the gen 1 Expo simpler and therefore more reliable than a gen 2. 139K is just getting broken in.

 

[TheFlyingFord]

Mine just rolled 310,000 and I trust it fairly well. Only lost a few coils since my mother bought it new in 98. I lost my rear left wheel driving to college a year or so ago, but considering how many times my shipping crate dodge has left me on the side of the road, only one major repair ain't that bad in 20 years of daily driving.

Reading the other responses, it seems the 1st gen is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of reliability, but I agree with the general consensus that if you (and the previous owners) have taken care of it, it'll take care of you.

 

[walaj jaha]

as long as it works

 

[nycnftm]

97 Eddie Bauer I only use it for short trips in place of a truck. I need either a F-150 with a topper or a van and using the expy instead of those. I take it to the Lincoln dealership for repairs. (Closer than Ford and Ford service were d#cks last time) 160,000 miles I just put on tie rod ends and sway bar links. I won't say how much I paid at the dealership for them because you diy guys will laugh. One day later I got ANOTHER P0141 code. I say whatever the cost of the repair is less than a new one.