Some of the high end Expeditions might not work as well but there are lots of them around that are pretty much a F150 with a full body. The Excursions in the 02 and 03 came with the 7.3 or V10 options and are absolute tug boats that will run for ever with good maintenance I almost bought a 02 with a 7.3 instead of my 09 F150 but wanted a truck and thought I would see how the newer gas motors do for mileage and towing. My daughters 05 Excursion had the entertainment system for the kids so on long trips she could let them watch a movie. If all I were going to do was tow my boat or a travel trailer I would take a Excursion hands down over a F150.

 

One thing to watch out for if you buy a diesel, some yahoos reprogram it and turn the boost up to ridiculous levels where the engine and/or the transmission can be damaged.

Also, depending on the year, several different transmissions were available. Some are tougher than others.

 

Understood, thank you. I looked at some local prices and they do seem to be quite a bit more costly than the trucks. I think a truck will work fine for my needs.

 

I have a friend who had a 05 Excursion with a V-10. That thing towed a 7000# enclosed cargo trailer like it wasn't even back there and it got 9 mpg. Only problem is it only got 9 mpg when it WASN'T towing.......

If you are towing less than 5000#, any F-150 with 3.55's or better and an automatic will tow it just fine - doesn't really matter what engine it has. My son in law has a 4wd 98 Supercab with a 4.6 and 3.55's and it tows fine.

If you aren't in a hurry when you tow, it's hard to beat a 96 or earlier with the old 300 inline 6. It won't get out of its own way but it has enough torque to pull a house down, and it will run forever.