Satisfied Ford Customer

[FormerGermanFan]

Hi all! I wanted to do something almost nobody really does on car forums, make a post letting everyone know how wonderful my ownership experience has been! A little bit of background on me, I am a "millennial"...whatever those are and am only 24 years old. No I don't have a family, but I wanted a vehicle I could grow into over time.

Growing up my parents always owned German vehicles, so naturally when I turned 16 I bought my first German car, a 2008 VW Passat, which loved destroying what little money I made from landscaping at $10/hr towards repairs. Somehow I overlooked this and thought it was normal to spend thousands of dollars maintaining a vehicle, because it's German after all right? Well a new Mercedes a new BMW and many many repairs later I threw my hands in the air and bought American.

Long time lurker on this forum before I pulled the trigger, let me just say...I love my Expedition Platinum! It's cheaper to insure, cheaper to maintain (an oil change is $30 not $281, replacement brakes are $400 not $2000), looks incredible, has nearly the same luxury Germans offer, and feels like it is built to last. On top of that I much prefer to be supporting an American company.

10K miles later without a single issue, I couldn't be happier! I look forward to contributing to this forum as me (and my vehicle) ages, helping existing owners as well as prospective ones while they look at taking the plunge.

 

[Grey ghost]

Congratulations you made a stellar investment.my father was one of the top mechanical engineers of. His time and hired some engineers from Ford a few years back and they all said thier German counterparts were amazed how good a car Americans build for the money.
My neighbor has 3 BMW's and at 100 k all needed a new engine. My cousin the same and his son owns a big bmw repair shop. I had a 79 633 csi and that car was always in the shop.
You're a sharp young guy your making informed choices.you restore my faith in. Your generation

 

[duneslider]

I was a pretty diehard Jeep/Mopar guy and only bought the Expedition because there wasn't anything like this in the Jeep/Mopar family and I have a dislike for the newer suburbans. The only real option left was the expedition. I like mine so much I am thinking a Ranger, or the Bronco coming out, would be a great replacement for my aging Jeep Wrangler. No vehicle is going to be 100% problem free forever but so far I sure am happy with my Expedition. For whatever reason, I tend to not be a huge fan of any of the "foreign" vehicles. Between the jeeps and the early muscle cars I just tend to really like american vehicles.

 

[aggiegrad05]

I was a pretty diehard Jeep/Mopar guy and only bought the Expedition because there wasn't anything like this in the Jeep/Mopar family and I have a dislike for the newer suburbans. The only real option left was the expedition. I like mine so much I am thinking a Ranger, or the Bronco coming out, would be a great replacement for my aging Jeep Wrangler. No vehicle is going to be 100% problem free forever but so far I sure am happy with my Expedition. For whatever reason, I tend to not be a huge fan of any of the "foreign" vehicles. Between the jeeps and the early muscle cars I just tend to really like american vehicles.

If Ford doesn't "pull a Blazer" with the Bronco and instead actually delivers a true Wrangler competitor, they could catch lightning in a bottle and make some sizeable gains on Jeep. Plus, people my age (Xennials (look it up, it's a thing)) fondly remember the Bronco from our childhood...and now we have jobs.

Jeep is in a quandary right now with the Gladiator. It's pulling sales from Wrangler Unlimited, but no one wants to pay as much as they're charging for the Gladiator. So they're losing sales of the Wrangler Unlimited to the Gladiator which they can't sell for full price.

I am in no way suggesting the Wrangler will not continue to be an icon for years to come, or that it will ever stop printing money for FCA, but it's not going the way the Jeep and FCA corporate overlords had hoped and I think Ford has a window.

 

[2018ExpyPlatinum]

I agree 1000%...is that possible? Anyway, I came from years of GM. Had enough. Wanted a full size SUV. Honestly looked at Ford last. Never considered Nissan, Lexus or Infiniti. Looked at the Highlander. Wasn't overly smitten with Tahoe/Yukon, though my sister in law LOVES her Tahoe. So, went and looked at the Expy. Had doubts with the twin turbo (old school thinking) and being a Ford. One test drive and that was it. Was SO impressed with fit, finish, quality, materials, quiet and fast! The rest is history. Now just shy of 15K and about a year and a half, no issues. LOVE it.

Thanks for posting your positive review....it can be refreshing.

 

[Flexpedition]

Former Mercedes leaser and current BMW owner here - just curious where you've spent $281 on an oil change and what else was included in that price?

I hear these types of German/American comparisons often, but usually from non-owners.

Classic BMW in Plano has my email address and every few months I get a Mobile 1 + OEM filter oil change offer of $99.

 

[armoredsaint]

If it wasn’t for my growing family, I would’ve kept my M5 - but family is more important. Congrats on the max.

 

[JExpedition07]

What I want to know is your secret/line of work to have this truck at 24! Congrats!!!! In 3 years I’ll be your age but I foresee myself still stuck with this old 2007 EL while I save up to muster a down payment on a home lol #jealous. Sucks being a broke university millennial. As much as me and some 4th gen owners disagree/don’t get along (ahem *cough* Aggiegrad) I must admit you have a pretty 4th gen truck there. It’s no white on white Limited 3rd gen of course .

 

[aggiegrad05]

What I want to know is your secret/line of work to have this truck at 24! Congrats!!!! In 3 years I’ll be your age but I foresee myself still stuck with this old 2007 EL while I save up to muster a down payment on a home lol #jealous. Sucks being a broke university millennial. As much as me and most 4th gen owners disagree/don’t get along (ahem *cough* Aggiegrad) I must admit you have a pretty 4th gen truck there. It’s no white on white Limited 3rd gen of course .

You just need to agree with me more often.

 

[duneslider]

If Ford doesn't "pull a Blazer" with the Bronco and instead actually delivers a true Wrangler competitor, they could catch lightning in a bottle and make some sizeable gains on Jeep. Plus, people my age (Xennials (look it up, it's a thing)) fondly remember the Bronco from our childhood...and now we have jobs.

Jeep is in a quandary right now with the Gladiator. It's pulling sales from Wrangler Unlimited, but no one wants to pay as much as they're charging for the Gladiator. So they're losing sales of the Wrangler Unlimited to the Gladiator which they can't sell for full price.

I am in no way suggesting the Wrangler will not continue to be an icon for years to come, or that it will ever stop printing money for FCA, but it's not going the way the Jeep and FCA corporate overlords had hoped and I think Ford has a window.

I don't have numbers on the Gladiator but it seems to be selling like hot cakes and I can't imagine it not selling for top dollar based on how many I see on the road. Just in my neighborhood alone I know 5 guys with Rubicon Gladiators. Most of them are also parking a Wrangler or Grand Cherokee next to it in the garage. I figured the Gladiator would take sales from the Wrangler but I am seeing no shortage of new Unlimited's on the road either. What I however do not see is many 2dr wranglers, not many are buying those but that has been the case for a lot of years. I know Utah is a slightly different market compared to other states when it comes to Jeeps. I swear we have to be the jeep capital of the world. I honestly would be surprised if they are having a tough time selling the Gladiator or the Unlimited.

 

[aggiegrad05]

I don't have numbers on the Gladiator but it seems to be selling like hot cakes and I can't imagine it not selling for top dollar based on how many I see on the road. Just in my neighborhood alone I know 5 guys with Rubicon Gladiators. Most of them are also parking a Wrangler or Grand Cherokee next to it in the garage. I figured the Gladiator would take sales from the Wrangler but I am seeing no shortage of new Unlimited's on the road either. What I however do not see is many 2dr wranglers, not many are buying those but that has been the case for a lot of years. I know Utah is a slightly different market compared to other states when it comes to Jeeps. I swear we have to be the jeep capital of the world. I honestly would be surprised if they are having a tough time selling the Gladiator or the Unlimited.

Being Utah, I imagine your area is just thick with the things. Here in North Texas, however, I have seen maybe 10 since the launch...and it's not because Jeeps aren't popular...you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Wrangler.

Much of the perceived Gladiator weakness in my area could be that we Texans love our trucks and the Gladiator is...sorta a truck...but not like a REAL truck?

In any case, don't take my word for it:

https://jalopnik.com/the-jeep-gladiator-is-struggling-1841569645

 

[Artie]

Congratulations you made a stellar investment.

A stellar investment is buying a boatload AMZN in the summer of 2010 and holding on to it. The best you can hope for in buying a car is a ‘wow! You got it for how much?!?’ or ‘good choice on a great vehicle’ or something there abouts. It’s a depreciating asset unless it’s old and has a prancing horse on it.

This is a solid ‘good choice on a great vehicle’ in my book.

 

[Fozzy]

I don't have numbers on the Gladiator but it seems to be selling like hot cakes and I can't imagine it not selling for top dollar based on how many I see on the road. Just in my neighborhood alone I know 5 guys with Rubicon Gladiators. Most of them are also parking a Wrangler or Grand Cherokee next to it in the garage. I figured the Gladiator would take sales from the Wrangler but I am seeing no shortage of new Unlimited's on the road either. What I however do not see is many 2dr wranglers, not many are buying those but that has been the case for a lot of years. I know Utah is a slightly different market compared to other states when it comes to Jeeps. I swear we have to be the jeep capital of the world. I honestly would be surprised if they are having a tough time selling the Gladiator or the Unlimited.

I live in Utah and have to agree. The Wrangler has been the choice of every “sporty woman” for years now. Not many guys drive Wranglers anymore. The Gladiator is for the dude and the Raptor is for rich guys that miss the Hummer or the small few that love the sport.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FormerGermanFan]

Congratulations you made a stellar investment.my father was one of the top mechanical engineers of. His time and hired some engineers from Ford a few years back and they all said thier German counterparts were amazed how good a car Americans build for the money.
My neighbor has 3 BMW's and at 100 k all needed a new engine. My cousin the same and his son owns a big bmw repair shop. I had a 79 633 csi and that car was always in the shop.
You're a sharp young guy your making informed choices.you restore my faith in. Your generation

Thanks GreyGhost! I'm excited to have my Expedition, it can do literally everything I can think of and more.

Former Mercedes leaser and current BMW owner here - just curious where you've spent $281 on an oil change and what else was included in that price?

I hear these types of German/American comparisons often, but usually from non-owners.

Classic BMW in Plano has my email address and every few months I get a Mobile 1 + OEM filter oil change offer of $99.

Wow it's a small world. I took my BMW to Classic for a while, they charged $183 for my oil change which I always thought was a bargain to Mercedes Benz of Plano's $281 oil change (and only oil change....must use 5W30-24K gold).

What I want to know is your secret/line of work to have this truck at 24! Congrats!!!! In 3 years I’ll be your age but I foresee myself still stuck with this old 2007 EL while I save up to muster a down payment on a home lol #jealous. Sucks being a broke university millennial. As much as me and some 4th gen owners disagree/don’t get along (ahem *cough* Aggiegrad) I must admit you have a pretty 4th gen truck there. It’s no white on white Limited 3rd gen of course .

Thank you JExpedition07!! I really do feel blessed to have it. I took a job working in sales for a large technology company out of college, turned out pretty good I think. If you're interested, you can PM me for more details! Happy to share the how and where to apply. Also as far as college cars go, I'd say an 07 Expy is still awesome, could be much worse, could be in a smart car like my friend was

 

[2018ExpyPlatinum]

Regarding the Gladiators, I read somewhere when they first came out, they were flying off the lot. Huge dealer markups, etc. Now, the article said, sale's have tappered off, and they are not moving. I believe it mentioned the price being too high for what it is. I was surprised about slow sales, but who am I? I don't really like them, and personally don't "get" the whole Jeep thing, but I'm old. My son is now on his third one. My brother dumped his Jeep because of the hard ride.

And kudos to a 24 YO who can afford a $80K vehicle.

 

[duneslider]

Regarding the Gladiators, I read somewhere when they first came out, they were flying off the lot. Huge dealer markups, etc. Now, the article said, sale's have tappered off, and they are not moving. I believe it mentioned the price being too high for what it is. I was surprised about slow sales, but who am I? I don't really like them, and personally don't "get" the whole Jeep thing, but I'm old. My son is now on his third one. My brother dumped his Jeep because of the hard ride.

And kudos to a 24 YO who can afford a $80K vehicle.

Jeeps are more of a lifestyle, kind of like the Harley lifestyle. You don't buy jeeps for a good ride either. I would agree that the jeeps are overpriced for what they are and I would be fine to see some market correction going on. I bought my 2007 Unlimited in Nov 2006 when they first came out with the 4door and I paid 24k including tax/lic. The equivalent model is now 10k+ more expensive and I personally don't think it is warranted. I also think the price of the high end Expeditions is insane (honestly I thought the price of my XLT was insane).

My jeep was almost an investment...I think at year 7 with 100k miles I could have sold it for more than I paid for it due to all the price increases and the high demand for used ones in my area. Now I have 180k and there are newer models so the value has dived and I would be lucky to get 7-8k, which is still good considering it is nearing 14 years old and has a lot of miles.