Urgent matter from potential buyer

[Wheelman]

A bit clickbaity, yes, but I do value honest opinion.
I have four children, ranging eight years to a few months old. As you may imagine, this narrows vehicle choices down substantially, to three large SUVs and the remaining few minivans currently in production. Minivans aren’t out of the question, but I’m far more interested in a large SUV. Out of the three I’ve driven and played with, the new Expedition Max is the most impressive. Very roomy, drives great and at least to my eyes, quite handsome.
I have a tendency to keep cars for quite a while, 8-12 years in fact. Judging by the current age group of kids listed above, it looks very likely that my next family vehicle purchase will have to serve about that long as well.
I’ve not owned a Ford product before, so my question becomes, especially to you current and previous generation Expedition owners, how long will this SUV serve me? This is a new vehicle, generally speaking, so it’s difficult to tell how long it will last. I don’t put a lot of stock into JDPower ratings, as they don’t look at cars 5-8 years down the line. Is the build quality on par or better, when compared to the previous generation?
There’s little I despise more than car or appliance problems, so my paranoia sometimes flares up. Is this something I should feel comfortable owning and taking on multi state trips seven years from now?
And on a somewhat related topic....activeX, is it less or more durable than regular leather included on limited and platinum? I’m assuming its a synthetic material designed to look like leather?
Many thanks in advance!

 

[hellohithere]

I was in the same boat as you comparing large SUVs to minivans a few months ago. I can't speak much to the longevity of the Expedition, but coming from other car brands, I was surprised at how low the Ford extended warranties are priced. Some information to help cut down your paranoia - I purchased the 8 year 100k top-tier PremiumCare warranty for my 2018 Expedition Platinum for only $1,500 at Flood Ford's website. It seemingly covers everything. As for build quality, I initially had several issues with my new Expedition right off the lot (rear AC didn't work, loud transmission clunking, rear view mirror motor issues), but the dealership sorted them out for good hopefully. Since you have four children, one thing to consider (that I did not) is that if you have the 2nd row captain chairs option and have rear facing infant seats installed in both, the 2nd row tilt and slide feature does not move forward enough and still requires removing an infant seat to access the 3rd row. Sometimes I wish I had purchased an Expedition with the 2nd row bench instead for this reason. Other than that, the Expedition has been great.

 

[JExpedition07]

Jury is out on reliability, it’s a different engine and different transmission. The previous gen 5.4L Triton/ 6R80 usually makes it in the top ten longest lasting vehicles lists of that helps any...but I don’t think it does.

Fords overall reliability is slipping with most since the late 2000s. Vehicles are becoming more disposable and “appliance like” as you described. Still pretty good compared to what else is out there.

 

[duneslider]

You should have no trouble keeping the expedition for 8-12 years. I just got mine and chose it over all the other options out there. This is the first non-chrysler product I have purchased. I absolutely love it.

I went with the cloth seats and honestly really like them and don't feel bad I didn't get the leather. I personally have had bad luck with leather. I have 5 kids 11-1 and am fine with the cloth seats. I use seat protectors under the car seats and sprayed protectant on the cloth.

My family has owned a lot of Ford's and they have all lasted really well. My Dad's Edge and F150 both have a lot of miles and are in great shape. A guy I work with just rolled 300k on his f150, no major mechanicals.

 

[aggiegrad05]

I'll let others wade into the "are Fords any good" question (this is my third and I'm a fan, but that and $5 will buy you a cup of coffee). But keep in mind you can purchase the PremiumCare warranty which will cover you bumper-to-bumper for as long as 8 years. If you buy the warranty online or get your dealer to match the online price, it's reasonably priced.

 

[shane_th_ee]

Since you already have the kids, rent a minivan for a week then rent a full size SUV (Expedition if you can arrange/find one). That should tell you everything you need to know. Personally, we have both a Honda Odyssey and an Expedition. The Odyssey is a far better for day-to-day moving children around town. Even a 4 year old can open and close the doors and climb in and out by themselves. The Expedition on the other hand is far better at moving 4 kids around whilst also towing a 6000lb travel trailer. And it's better at bad forest service roads, etc.

 

[nate6966]

I, too, am new to Ford. I've only owned a 95 F250 for a few years as a hunting/ work truck.
My last SUV was a 2009 Escalade that was great for nearly a decade. However, our Platinum Expedition actually won out even over the brand new Escalade (understanding the GM SUVs are long in the tooth).
We don't have any regrets with going to Ford.
However, my two cents would be to stick with the less expensive mini van if you're okay with that option. You'll save tons of cash. I went with the Expedition simply because I don't want to be a three vehicle family. This serves all the tasks I'd want a truck for (using our cheap utility trailer) and I have a fairly economical sedan already for commuting and such. Had we gone the mini van route, I'd be chomping at the bit for a truck as well.

 

[Artie]

Buy the warranty for 10/100k and maintain the vehicle as it should be and you shouldn’t have any issues unless you ride it hard and don’t take care of it. There are so many Fords used as fleet vehicles that I believe their track record in regards to longevity and reliability is proven. I, too, purchased mine (Navigator) as a family vehicle for cross country trips and camping with medium duty off roading and I haven’t had a single issue with mine in 18 months and 20k miles. I am obsessive with maintenance and appearance so mine looks like the day I picked it up except for 2 scratches, one was my doing, the other was forest service road related.

That’s my 2¢

 

[Wheelman]

I genuinely appreciate the responses so far. Glad to know about the extended 100k warranty. Also, good tip regarding the captains chairs vs bench.

Regarding the minivan suggestions. I’m sure that would be a far more financially sensible purchase. I’ll have to actually look at them I guess, see how comfortable that third row is, as it will be used on a daily basis.

I’m coming from a 4Runner, which we will sell towards this new vehicle. It just broke 100k miles, without a single issue...not even a rattle. It’s been shockingly reliable.

The 3.5 turbo and ten speed transmission; has that combination been used in the F150s prior to the recent Expedition? It looks like ford is throwing those engines and transmissions into many of their vehicles. I’m assuming they are pretty sure of them. Do ford interiors hold up over time? For example, I’ve looked at used Sequois just for comparison sake. Three year old examples still don’t look very used, which, says something to me (yes, I’m aware it’s an automotive dinosaur).

 

[CatchMe]

It will be reliable as long as anything else on the road. In other words, you can buy ANY of your top choices including the minivan and none will have any more risk than the others as far as long term reliability. Sure you get lemons and issues here and there, but by and large, vehicles today are better than they have ever been and in a much more demanding market. Many argue that turbos only last X number of miles, but as far as I know, nobody has produced any objective data that proves this beyond anecdotal wash.
I will tell you this... Brazen honesty. My 2018 Expedition XLT is currently in the shop at 21000 miles to replace both turbos. There is a noise, they believe, coming from the wastegates that has plagued it since about 10,000 miles. They replaced the left turbo last week. That proved to eliminate about 50% of the noise, now they are replacing the right side turbo... All covered under warranty...