New guy looking for best year Excursion Diesel

[NoPlugs]

Hi everyone!
I would like to know which year Excursion diesel is the best one and why. I tow a bit.. 26' Sunline TT, 19' SeaPro CC boat and other small trailers. I believe the Excursion diesel only comes with a 7.3l PS?? Is this true?? If not, what other diesel engine options exist in which year excursions? What kind of hiway/unloaded mileage can I expect from this vehicle?? What prices should I expect to pay for a used excursion in good to very good condition in years 1999 to 2004 with modest mileage from 75K to 125K?
As you can tell I'm a newbie to Ford Diesels and I'm just throwing out questions so please feel free to answer any or all you have info on..
I appreciate all the knowledge you folks have and any info you can pass on to this guy who is interested enough to seriously consider buying a PS excursion is sincerely appreciated!!
Thanks!
Todd in Maryland

PS Diesel is $2.11 in S. Md. now [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
Good news is it's down from $2.25 3 weeks ago!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[mmsafd]

Welcome! You may want to post some of these questions in the Powerstroke Excursions section. I will answer what I can. The 7.3L is the only diesel available in an Excursion (X) from '00-'03. There are no '99 X's. In '03 the 6.0L diesel came out and was an option in the X for '04. I think the years are correct. Prices vary, I paid $25.5 for my '00 1.5 years ago with 44k on it. I think I got a great deal, I have still been looking and they seem to be more expensive. Look on ebay and in the for sale seciton on the top of the page. Check local auto traders also. You may even luck out at a dealer. I found one that I liked except for the color, a week before I bought mine, at a Ford dealer for a decent price but someone else got it. So I got the white/tan that I wanted in the first place. I get around 16mpg in town, hand calculated, not to sure on the highway but better. That 44 gallon tank lasts a while. I think the 6.0L are getting a little better mpg. If I stay below 2000 rpm I am o.k. Good luck and consider getting one checked at a dealer. A hundred bucks or so to find out whether or not you are looking at a lemon is worth it.

[NoPlugs]

Thanks MMSAFD,
Does sound like you got a great deal on your X!
All the above sounds like great advice.
Now I have an idea where to go with my search.
I just noticed the X forum 5 min. ago but didn't see it before I
posted here. Hopefully no one minds if I post the same question there
also.
Thanks for the help!
T in Md. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[fordmastertech]

2000 and early 2001 were the best years for the 7.3L diesel due the the forged connecting rods in the engine. If you are not going to do any mods any of the diesel Excursions will be ok. The 6.0 came out in mid year 2003 in the Excursion and Super duty and they had some problems. I would recommend to stay away from the 2003 6.0L. The 2004 6.0L were better and they made some design changes to the engine. Have a dealer look at any of the trucks you are interested in and have them pull the PCM and inspect for for chips or the contacts being cleaned off. Ford is having us pull PCM s if anything major blows up under warranty and is voiding the warranties if evidence of tampering is present. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img] I get around 16.5 to 17.5 around town and just shy of 20 on the highway as long as I keep my foot out of it. Towing a 8000 lbs travel trailer is any where from 10.5 to 12.5. This is summer time mileage in the winter the mileage drops due to the crappy fuel and cold weather. I paid $21500 6 months ago for the X in my signature with 60K on it. Has 1.5 years left on a Ford ESP extended warranty. I bought it from one of my customers who bought it new from us in 2000 so I knew the X and did all the servicing and repairs. As far as towing I just love it and the extra power from some of the mods I have done makes it fun and comfortable to drive. Good luck in your search but be careful.
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif[/img]

[Jeff27]

I bought my 2000 X with 7.3 about 8 months ago with 78,000 on it for $21,900. I looked for quite a while and jumped on this one when I saw it! I have been very happy with it and am constantly doing performance mods building up to getting a performance tuner or chip by early spring. I have had a few minor issues (front hub assembly & warped rotors), but I have had no real problems with the engine. I have already got it up to 103,000 miles in the past 8 months. I plan on driving it for the next few years...if I have to replace the tranny I will...so far so good!!

[jejb]

[ QUOTE ]
I would recommend to stay away from the 2003 6.0L. The 2004 6.0L were better and they made some design changes to the engine.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this but wanted to add to it a little. Some of the first '04s came with the 03 motor. Some 200 changes were made to the 04 6.0PSD and it first came out in like end of October/03 timeframe. So make sure you get an 11/03 motor or later if you with with an 04.

[FamilyRide]

And make sure it has a rear sway bar, or plan to add one later. A must have especially towing a TT.

[Dick Cutting]

Thread closed. This one was moved here from the SD forum and joined a similar thread already posted here by the same new member.

The other thread has more replies and is here.

Dick