pretty please, answer me this riddle!! (=

[NewbieVet]

Hey yall,

So I'm selling my beloved convertible in order to buy a used Expedition. I coach little league football, and half the kids on my team need rides to away games, so I'm being a "good guy" and making the transition!

I've been shopping around for a 2003 or above expedition (I want the newer body style which came out in 03) but have been burned soo many times in the last couple weeks I can barely count. I use a mobile mechanic to come out and inspect a vehicle once I've seen it and decided i like it, and each time there's something really wrong with it.

I have this thing in my head which is telling me I shouldn't buy an expedition with over 90k miles. Problem is, I only have 10k to spend, so this coupled with my desire for an 03 or above is making things really tough on me.

I guess my question is, should I be fixated in the millage? If it's in good shape, should I go for something with 100k, or 120k, or even something with 150k?? I've never owned a high millage vehicle before so I'm terrified I'm going to buy it and then have to dump thousands into it on the coming years to keep it reliable, and being that i'm in school full time this really isnt an option.

Help out an old (well young) well meaning vet and give me your thoughts!! Thanks yall!!

Jordan

 

[ELVATO]

Take a look through this thread: http://expeditionforum.com/showthread.php?t=6515

Where in FL are you?

What have you been finding wrong with the Expys you look at?

 

[Racenut]

You can also check out this thread :

http://expeditionforum.com/showthread.php?t=5152&highlight=miles

It is a long one but covers all of the years of Expy that people on here own.

Hope this will help awnser some questions about reliability.

 

[cdherman]

There are several threads, but sometimes searches are wierd...

What to avoid:

2003 model year. Period. I have found several sites that document problems and the 2003 is the worst of the 2003-2006 by far...

LLS. (airbags) Expensive to maintain and when it dies, you must have it fixed. Potentially, if you are towing and the LSS dies, you will not be able to tow whatever you are towing home.

What to look for:

2005 got more powerful and slightly more efficient 3v engine, but the plugs like to break off when they are changed. Supposed to change at 100k. If you can find a vehicle with over 100k that has them changed, especially say over 10k miles ago, so if someone screwed it up the problem has already emerged, that would be a good choice...

04 got the earlier engine. Plugs don't break, but they can blow out after being changed, if its done wrong. Do NOT buy an 04 that someone changed the plugs on recently themselves. Now, if no plugs popped after say 20k miles, then its a better bet. Of course, if a dealer did the plug change, that's a little more safe as well.

Transmissions are generally pretty robust, unless they are towed hard. Look at the fluid and see if its brown. At 150k, fluid is supposed to be changed in the tranny and transfer case. That can be a couple hundred $$ at dealer...

4.6 and 5.4 engines are both decent, and unless they are burning oil, I don't know of any reason to be scared of a higher mileage vehicle.

At some point, the suspension (ball joints, sway bar linkage, tie rod ends etc) starts to fail. If you can drive the vehicle, drive it through some pot holes or over speed bumps -- see how it shakes and rattles. Not a lot of shake and steering seems tight, is a cheap way to evaluate. The most likely item to crap out are the lower tie rod ends I think. But the good news is that these do not fail "catastrophicaly" till long after you have known that you have a problem. So you can get quotes and have the fixed later on at your liesure as opposed to being "hostage" to whatever dealer or shop you are stuck at in some remote place......

Put it in AWD and do some tight turns in a parking lot, and some circles in ever wider patterns. Listen for grinding, pops, squeeks. In AWD the hubs are locked, so that the CV joints will turn.

Finally, if you can, slip on a pair of coveralls and crawl under the vehicle and see if there are leaks at the ends of the axels and around the pinions (where the drive shaft enters the front and rear diffs). Leaks are not a deal breaker, IF they are slow. But if there is a lot of fresh oil, then avoid it, as they can be expensive to fix, messy, and worst case, you will have to add oil so often that evenatually you will mess up and shell the differential out.

I would personally avoid as many of the whistles and bells as possible, like power folding rear seats, sun roof etc.... Of course, all that is exactly what I have, so I guess I did not take my own advice....

I'd think you can get something for under 10k that will do you OK with gas prices going up.

Of course, not to diss an expy, but if you really just want to transport kids and gear to games, nothing beats a minivan and you can get a good one under 10k easy. I have both, and I can tell you hands down, you'll get more stuff in the minivan, along with 7 kids. I can theoretically get 8 passengers in the expy, but I don't think you could get the gear for all 8 in there.... In a minivan, you can get 7 in, and get the gear in behind as well......

Good Luck....

 

[NewbieVet]

Thanks for the responses guys, especially Cdherman. Problem is, I just dont know enough about vehicles to trust myself in terms of the evaluations you suggested! Ask me to break down an M4 carbine and diagnose a problem I'm all over it, but put me under the hood of a truck and I'm in an alien world!

I'll check out some of the other threads you guys suggested to try and gain some insight. I guess the question still remains though, should I be terrified of high millage vehicles?? lol

Jordan

 

[cdherman]

OK, another try. Scared of high mileage? No, you should not be.

But. Vehicles that are high mileage have either been maintained, or not. You have to spot the signs. See above....

Keep in mind, a "low mileage" vehicle can be poorly maintained and beat to crap as well.

With your price range, in large SUV class, you are going to have to either roll the dice, or learn to evaluate the vehicle (or both). Lets face it, vehicles that sold for 30k and are now under 10k MUST have some potential issues. otherwise they would not sell for that price.

With a little luck and some basic skills, you can get one at a decent price....

 

[NewbieVet]

Point well taken! Well I sold my sebring convertible today (yay) after less than 24 hours on autotrader! Got $8,200 for it, and have the extra $1,800 so I now officially have the 10k to spend on my expedition!

I've found a few decent prospects on Autotrader, including a 2004 Expedition XLT w/ 76,000 miles for $9,995.00. Was pretty set on the Eddie Bauer trim, but this truck has leather interior and 3rd row seating which was important to me. Guess the only difference between this and the Eddie Bauers is that the XLT doesn't have power 3rd row, is a 4.7 rather than 5.4, is 2WD and maybe doesn't have some of the pretty trim stuff in the interior. Other than that though I think it looks good! This forum rocks though thanks for the feedback!!

 

[markanthony]

For me.. I ask myself.. 1. what am I going to use the truck for? Now and in future. 2. how long do I want to keep it? 3. What do I expect for a "normal" used vehicle to look like, drive like, smell like. 4. What kind of life has the inside had. Kids, Long drives, Etc. 5. Is the owner **** about it being clean. 6. If from a dealer. What kind of cleaning did they have to do. Smoke bombs for bugs, or from smokers, etc.

Answers.

1. For me. Its towing trailers, daily driver, kid hauler. So a 3rd row seat is a good idea. Tow package (installed from the factory or an aftermarket) Video/audio is not a real big thing for me. I have take out dvd players and things to use.
2. I am going to keep it for as long as I can. So, I look for a color I like, with what kind of features I want.
3. For a "normal" use. Some very minor scratches. No dents, or paint blemishes. When I test drive. I drive for about 20 mins. Hit some pot holes, Make lots of turns (one fast, one slow) I get on the freeway (If I can) I slam the gas and see if their are any noticeable problems. I try to find a road that dont have much traffic. I hit the gas for a short bit, then slam the brakes. Does it lock up, or does the ABS come on. I then play with the 4wd if their. I shift it to 4high. any sounds. did I feel it shift. I then hit the gas. Can I notice if the front wheels pull. I then shift into low range (4lo) Does it shift hard, if at all. When I put tranny in drive does it make any noises (bangs clicks) I open the hood, and look at air filter. I pull the oil dip stick. is the oil clean or dirty. Smell it. Same with with tranny stick. Tranny should be a red color. Does it smell like burnt. if so. The tranny has been "cooked" or worked hard.
4. If the family had kids. Look for stains on the floor, seats. Rips tears. Is the roof liner got holes, etc. Look in the ash trays, cup holders, etc. these are good spots to see what kind of owner it is. These places are least lickly to be cleaned.
5. **** folks will have it spotless. With this in mind. They may have over waxed it. Over washed it.
6. Talk to the dealer. Have them find out what they had to do to clean it. If previouse owner smoked in it, or they have to use alot of cleaners on the inside. Was the car used to transport batteries around.

 

[NewbieVet]

Great stuff MarkAnthony. I'll use these tidbits when shopping this week. I plan on being in my Expy by Friday. Ran a carfax on the XLT i mentioned in my last post and discovered a front end colission in 2006 so that pretty much eliminates it from my book. Back to the drawing board but I have a couple brokers looking around for me at the auctions so hopefully I'll score. I figure for 10k I should be able to land something decent...(=