Planning on weekend side work.

[Tavic]

So, I'm looking into doing various weekend side jobs and believe an old Excursion may be the "swiss army knife" I'm looking for.

Budget $8k and under

Uses:
- Weekend Home inspection, haul/store ladders, measuring equipment, drone, etc.
- Plowing / light vehicle rescue (light rescue as in a simple stuck in snow, ran out of gas, flat tire)
- Transporting wife, daughter, daughter's boyfriend and the occasional extended family to events
- Transporting Fatbike to trailheads
- Maybe hauling a large boat in the near future.

Questions:
- Other than fully rotted/unsafe frame rails and suspension mounts, what other places should I look for potential vehicle disabling rust?

- Planning on 4x4, Limited Pkg and the Triton V10. Some of them are going for around $6k for the 150,000 mileage range and around $4k for nearing 300,000 range. How many miles can this arrangement run before you start having to consider rebuilding the drivetrain? Or fail emissions?

- I do have experience with working on gasoline vehicles and expect to be repairing some things even after I purchase it. What needs should I typically expect to see around the 150k mark? 250k mark? (Bushings, U joints, steering linkage, brakes, etc?)


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[SuperCab]

Sounds like you've got a decent handle on it already. The V10 is a pretty solid setup. I'd go for as late a model as you can afford because you'll avoid the spark plug issues of the first models and should have a 5 speed trans rather than the 4 speed. Don't quote me on that one though, I forget what years had what for sure

I'd also stay as low mileage as you can swing... it's a solid truck but it's not anything special. Expect normal issues once you get in the 200k to 250k range. Things you mentioned are accurate... steering and suspension components tend to need attention in the 200k range even with good maintenance.

If you get one with 150k on it I'd expect to get another 100k of life with proper care and some repairs along the way.

[dustybumpers]

2003 is the 3v head where they fixed the issue with the plugs
2003 is also the first year for the 5 speed