# Wanted New Tv For Our Outback



## navycranes (May 29, 2008)

We have sold our TV and are in the market for a Diesel SUV.

If anyone sees a nice looking Diesel Excursion for under 20K feel free to PM me.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Maybe this will help?

Eric

Click the clicky!

http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/overview;_ylt=AhbTI8pFjZ9B_9HAw_FUePVBWI54;_ylv=3?distance=200&location=Brentwood%2C%20NH%2003833&sortcol=price&sortdir=down&make=ford&model=excursion&askpricelb=any&askpriceub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&listingtype=used


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

'04 XLT Limited! w/ tow mirrors! $16K

http://www.findcars....a.php3?q=431900

It has high miles...and would be a long drive to pick up ;-)


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

egregg57 said:


> Maybe this will help?
> 
> Eric
> 
> ...


Ohhhh, there's a 7.3L on there if you can live with RWD...


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

Don't be afraid of the 6.0s. The 03s to 05s had a bad reputation but that is easily mitigated with hardened headstuds and EGR Cooler delete. I would buy one with the idea that I was going to drop a couple of thou on those two items and you will have a monster tow hog you can keep for a long time.

Reverie

PS: Let the naysaying begin!


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

Just bought me an '05 6.0 excursion. Love, love, love it! I am planning to do just as Reverie stated but my mechanic is charging just over $1,200. The 6.0 doesn't have the get up and go as the d-max my parents own, but did a fine job on our 310BHS. The only thing I don't like about it is where the latch bars on on the seats, oh and the massive gap on one side of the rear seat (my son's seat kept falling into it). Easily mitigated items.

It drives fantastic and never once did I feel underpowered. That trailer was NOT wagging that beast.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

TexanThompsons said:


> The 6.0 doesn't have the get up and go as the d-max my parents own, but did a fine job on our 310BHS.


FWIW....when I bought my used '06 last summer....the previous owner had a SCT Tuner with it. The engine itself is stock, with no upgraded head studs. I've played with the tuner a few times, but nothing prolonged, and never push the RPMs up much over 3K. Having said that.... when I ran the standard fare 'street' tune from the SCT..... the truck can get up and go with most vehicles.	There was also a 'looney' tune that the previous owner had......kicks your head right back in the seat the way that thing takes off if you give it some pedal.

I set it back to stock for towing and will let it sit on the street tune for day to day driving. I don't stomp on it, but I don't baby it either....and it's been great. I may upgrading the head studs at some point....but probably not until the extended warranty runs out.


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Couple I found on AutoTrader.....

2004 Excursion

2003 Excursion

2002 Excursion

Couple of more too, but some really high miles..

Steve


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

There are currently 45 diesel excursions on ebay right now.

Jim


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

One of the best upgrades I have done is a Magnaflow 4" exhaust. Wow, did that make a difference. It is not "droan-y" but if you put your foot into it, it will bark nicely. What I especially enjoy is the feeling I can merge with any traffic and pick smaller holes in traffic to cross. I'm not an expert but I feel more secure with the hardened headstuds. Go to Powerstroke Specialties and look at what Bill Hewitt has to say.

Reverie


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

Yes definitely head stud it before you start throwing real power at it. After being studded, my 05 would hold nearly 40 psi of boost and the hottest tune I had for the SCT. Prob very similar to the Looney or crazy larry.

I had no prob after studding, but egr delete would not hurt and if you can get it done for $1200. It would be the best money you could spend. Exhaust and cold air intake are a great addition also and a must if you tune.

Jim


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

OK, now decisions, decisions...mod the OB or the TV.









NavyCranes, as for your question, here is what I found. My DW wanted a loaded excursion so we waited for a limited or EB that had all the bells and whistles so we spent more than most are looking to spend. Here is a general rule on what I found...

The excursions are generally going up in price. Granted their highest right now because the used car industry inflates the prices right around Feb - May to coincide with people getting their income tax checks back. If you can wait until this summer, the prices will drop again. However, having said that, I keep seeing the prices creep higher. For example...

I was looking for an 04 or 05 excursion diesel 4x4 with DVD and less than 100K miles. The least expensive I could find was around $22K and that was one of the tan or black limited ones that you can find tons of online (great bargaining point if you like those and they are nice). However, if you want an EB that is not white or green, you may be waiting a while. I was able to find the same vehicles for around the $20K mark last year.

Here is a perfect example of what I mean for today..
clicky thingy

I created a whole spreadsheet based on what I needed vs what I wanted and was fortunate to be able to find a great mixture of both.

I will say you're barking up the right tree. give us a little more info about your situation and I'll be glad to provide more specific assistance.


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## navycranes (May 29, 2008)

Reverie said:


> Don't be afraid of the 6.0s. The 03s to 05s had a bad reputation but that is easily mitigated with hardened headstuds and EGR Cooler delete. I would buy one with the idea that I was going to drop a couple of thou on those two items and you will have a monster tow hog you can keep for a long time.
> 
> Reverie
> 
> PS: Let the naysaying begin!


It is true that the 6.0's had a bad rap.

Most 6.0's that had problems developed them during their factory warranty.

So that said&#8230;. Shouldn't I feel pretty safe buying one that has 80K or more on it? I would think in the simplest terms, that you must have a pretty good one if it hasn't developed problems by that time.


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

The headstud issue was corrected by mid-year 2004. The EGR problem can bite you at any time or never. Wish I could give you a more definitive answer.

Reverie


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

If you mod it you will pop th ehead gasket. They just don't like the extra boost. Mine actually went before modding. The culprit wa sdetermined to be th eturbo, which was bad and overboosted. The later 6.0's have doen well stock, but when do not like mods. Specifically tuners. You may not have a problem with exhaust and intake, but that tuner will up the boost and that is where the problems start.

Good luck. Excursions are awesome.

Oh an dthe price thing is true, they are going up. I had afriend just sell one about a year ago. 2000 Limited w/170k miles. Never towed, it was his wifes daily driver and always maintained and had new front end. $8300. Now you can't find one for under $10k, no matter the miles.

Jim


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## navycranes (May 29, 2008)

Well it looks like we might be close to closing a deal.

I found a truck out in Texas: 2004 EX with 113K on it

It has the 6.0 PSD and is loaded. And they only want $18,000 for it. The fact that it is in Texas kind of hurt at first. But then I saw the advantage of getting one that has spent its whole life out in the dry west vice the east where they salt the roads in the winter.

Right now it is completely stock and has about 113K on it.

Opinions Welcome


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

Some suggestions and info.

Get the VIN and then see if someone here or one of the Ford sites can run it to check on the vehicle history. That will tell you if there have been any repeated problems that could be an issue. You may also get an idea of how well maintained it was. If they refuse to give you the VIN so you can check this out they might be hiding something so you're going to have to decide if it's worth it if that happens.

Some useful sites:

http://dan.prxy.org/Truck/6L_bible_html/html/TOC.html
http://www.intellidog.com/dieselmann/60bulletin.htm
http://www.powerstroke.org/
http://powerstrokehelp.com/

The first one will take you to some sites where you can download some extensive info on the Ford trucks and the diesel engines in particular.

I almost got a Ford F250 before my local dealer ticked me off and I switched to Dodge. I was going to get the 6.0 so I did a bunch of research on the motor. Ford and Navistar made a variety of improvements to the motors over the 5 years they were in production and they fixed many things but some things never got updated until they went to the 6.4. Contrary to some online info the head bolts were never upgraded to a stronger/larger size. They changed some stuff in the heads in 2006 for "commonization" but if you look at the head bolt part numbers they didn't change. See the attached files for details. Since you're looking at a 2004 model this is only academic anyways. Many people upgrade to ARP head studs and this is considered a very good idea or even a necessity if you're going to use any kind of aftermarket programmer. Since the truck you're looking at is stock you should be in good shape especially if there's been no history of problems.

View attachment Powerstroke Commonization.pdf

View attachment Powerstroke Commonization Kit.pdf


Good luck, I wanted the Excursion but DW thought it would be too big for her to drive and refused to even let me look at them. Now she has her small SUV and I've got the truck for towing.


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Navycranes,

My Dtr happened to notice your map while I was on this site and wants to know how you got to CA without any states in between. She is asking did you make one big long drive without stopping overnight?

Cristy


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## navycranes (May 29, 2008)

daslobo777 said:


> Navycranes,
> 
> My Dtr happened to notice your map while I was on this site and wants to know how you got to CA without any states in between. She is asking did you make one big long drive without stopping overnight?
> 
> Cristy


My map reflects the states that I have actually RV'd in. I'm not sure what rules other people use for claiming a state on their map. For me, if i was in that state's borders and had the trailer hooked to the truck I count it.









The reason for the gap was that I owned at travel trailer and we used it when I lived in CA. Then we sold it and moved around a bunch before settling in Maryland, where we bought the Outback. We haven't made the trip out west to fill in the gaps yet.


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

04 was definitely not one of th estronger years of the 6.0. I would have the VIN ran and plan on head studs. The head bolt design is the problem, no the bolts themselves. That is why the stud kit is better. The way it was explained to me was that the bolts "seat" in the bottom when tight. Well they were not all perfect and some would bottom out before tight and then thye also had the ability to stretch a little under heavier boost and create the head gasket leaks. The head "studs" are installed adnthen nuts can be tightened to the same uniformed spec torque and they are of a harder material that will not stretch. Eliminating the problem.

Even if it has a clean history, I would at least "plan" to have that done as preventative maintenance. Fortuantley it is not a problem that will leave you siting. At least that was not my experience. I drove to MO right after I bought my 05 and noticed it out there and drove back. It was pushing coolant back up thru the overflow. Left a white film. They cleaned out the egr cooler adn said if it persisted then they would do the heads. Well it continued, so they did the studs and I gave them the ARP's to use. Heavily modded after and no problems.

Good luck, I think Excursions are awesome, just can't tow my 5er with it.

Also TX is a good place to buy these diesels, because they can rack up the miles quickly. You get one with just over 100k on it adn it is onloy a few years old. Everything in TX far away. Along with the lack of salt, it was about $1000 to ship out here in da east. I was looking there hard before I tripped over this Dodge on ebay 30 miles from my house.

Jim


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

Agree with Joonbee. Nothing is close in TX. Vehicles here rack up miles quick. My last vehicle averaged 25K miles per year.

Just something to keep in mind down here, there are alot of reconditioned titles down here due to flooding that seems to happen more than we like to admit!









Just hang in there as you keep looking. I can say its worth it! Today I had to take mine out in 40mph winds and although it was not the most fun I could have imagined, I was able to stay between the lines (most of the time).


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