I just picked up a new '03 Expedition last week which is my third. Had a '97 and '99. This one is 2WD 4.6 XLT Popular edition.
After owning two Exp. I decided to check out other makes. After looking over and test driving almost every SUV on the market, I decided the Exp. offers the most value for the $$$'s. So this makes my third.
These are some of my first impressions of 2003 Exp.:
After driving it for a week and about 100 miles I have to agree with the earlier posts regarding brake dust. My rims are already black. Much, much more so than my previous Exp.'s.
The radio is horrible. Lots of low end distortion, etc. I will replace the head unit and speakers and add XM radio.
The independent suspension is an improvement.
Filling the gas tank doesn't seem to take as long. The previous Exp.'s took forever to get the last 6 or so gallons in.
The center console is huge! Forget the baby seats, pad the center console and throw your babies in it.
The Continental tires are very slick in wet conditions and tend to break loose on curves and spin too easily taking off.
The 4.6 is underpowered especially when trying to pass on highway or climbing.
I have the cloth interior (live in the south) and the driver seat now has bulge in center like the material pulled away from the backing on the seat.
I like the rear end design and grab bar to open the lift gate.
Fold down 3rd seat is great.
More to come as time passes.

 

I own a 99 exp 5.4L. And i have been looking at the 03. I have a few suggestions for you. I drive with Bridgestone Dueler H/L. The ride is outstanding and the wear is minimal. They have great traction on wet roads. I live in the south myself and have to deal with alot of rain. I have added a few other mods like a cobra water pump, JDM electric fan kit, and a super chip that JDM programed. I have gained 50hp or more and increased my gas mileage 6mpg. And when i hit the gas it goes. I had brake dust problems also but since i have had the brakes done i don't have the dust problem near as much. Good luck and have fun .

 

Man, they must've reworked the compound for those tires dramatically. We had a 1997 4x2 Nissan Pathfinder LE that came with those as standard equipment. While the car rode EXTREMELY well, those tires wore at warp speed!

By the time we hit 11,000 miles, those tires were darn near shot, and we'd rotated them at about 6,000 miles. At the same time, Nissan or Bridgestone issued a recall on those tires. We took it in, thinking we were gonna get new tires, Nissan dealership told us, "That's normal wear." I said "B- S, this truck doesn't even have 12,000 miles on, it, and the tires are shot." They weren't V rated or Z-rated tires, they were "S" rated (if memory serves), supposedly 30 - 40,000 mile tires.

Well, I lost that one, they did not replace our tires. So, I drove across the street to Sears, bought 4 new BFGoodrich (I forget the model names) 255/65/15's to replace those puny 235's that came on it. 25,000 miles later, those tires still looked new when we traded it in. It sounds like Bridgestone has come up in durability.

 

I bought mine last year and I have 59,000 or so miles on them now. And out of that about 52,00 of those were nothing but highway 400-700 mile oneway trips. I have only rotated 4 or 5 times. And they are starting to show signs of wear and I will definately put the next time change tires in the next month or two. Just wish they were a little cheaper.