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Torquehd
Posted on Sunday, July 14, 2019 - 09:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My wife has (read, I pay the bill for) a 2015 Chevy Equinox. Purchased in 2016, still owe 10K on it. Upside down, unfortunately.

Want to get rid of it and get a full-sized American SUV. My wife wants something brand-spanking-new, but NEW American SUV's are simply unreasonable. Beer-math, I figure a 2019 Expedition or Tahoe will run $900/month. The eco-boost is a cool motor but not worth $900/mo. Chevy's eco-tec, even less so.

Instead of trading in her equinox, I'd rather buy an old 7.3 Expedition. That way she gets everything she wants (more room for photography gear and a 3rd row for kids/dogs/cousins/friends), and I think I'd get what I want - an offroad-capable tow-rig that can pull my travel trailer plus the whole family plus dogs on long trips. An I'd come out money ahead when compared to buying a 2019 or worse yet a 2020 SUV. However, while the 7.3 has proven reliable I fear I will find it under-powered compared to my '08 Duramax.

Anyone tow with a full-sized SUV? Anyone have a full-sized SUV and have any insight? I really wish the Expedition wasn't the only REAL diesel SUV on the market (and they don't even make them anymore!).
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Whisperstealth
Posted on Sunday, July 14, 2019 - 09:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I think you are talking about the Ford Excursion not Expedition. I'd LOVE to have one. They can run over $20K for a nice one.

(Message edited by Whisperstealth on July 14, 2019)
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Natexlh1000
Posted on Sunday, July 14, 2019 - 09:39 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Buying a thing that old isn't an option here in the North East. my 2004 Dodge is just about rusted in half.
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Ratbuell
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 02:07 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Would the new ute be replacing both the Duramax AND the Equinox?

Why full-size - space? Features? Ego?

If you have a Duramax...why tow with the ute?

I have (and LOVE) a '14 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel. F the reviews, this truck has been bulletproof for me for 60k miles. And it's sitting in the garage now with 27.7mpg showing on the EVIC (and, since I hand-calculate every tank...it's accurate, I know). Also full of features - air-ride suspension, touch screen, 17 speakers including a sub, heated/cooled front seats, heated rear seats, 2 row sunroof, park sense, rear camera, adaptive cruise control, steerable HIDs, dual zone climate, it's got everything I could need. And, it'll tow 7600...but I don't care.

If I need to tow? I have my '01 Cummins 6 speed.

Sounds like you're in a similar position - got the tow vehicle, got the SUV. Why the drive to put two into one?

The old 7.3 Excursions are getting R-A-R-E...and therefore, PRICEY. They can be upgraded quite a bit, and they're basically bulletproof like the old F250s with the same engine...but you'll go through the same steps I did with my Cummins - upgraded pumps, add a tuner box, change the exhaust, change the intake...and regular maintenance stuff for an older vehicle...I haven't gone so far as injectors or a turbo...yet...mainly because I have fast cars, and fast bikes, and don't need a fast truck. I need a RELIABLE truck that can pull...and I've got it.

And, I've got my late-model, luxury SUV "grown-up car".
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Aesquire
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 06:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

A buddy's wife bought a '13 Lincoln Navigator. Found on Craigslist at a dealer in PA. They love it. Great brakes, plenty of power, steps that fold down when you touch the door. Tows good.

I like the Tahoe/Escalade/Suburban models with a LS engine you can hop up, if desired & legal where you are. In NY, that means a 1995 or older IIRC.

My first advice is don't buy new. On a $70k truck, over $10k vanishes as you drive off the lot. Let someone else pay that.

Second, buy out of State. Florida is supposed to have the best auctions, I don't know. PA cars are not allowed to have visible rust. That doesn't mean it won't snap in half, but it'll look pretty.

Buying used has risks. Most little road side dealers doll up a car nicely, but might not have the gear for proper repairs. It's smart to pay a mechanic to look at it, hard.
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Torquehd
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 07:19 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Why full-size - space? Features? Ego?

Mostly for the space. The little Equinox is OK but it's just too small. A family of four plus luggage fills that thing to capacity. Leave the dogs at home, there's no room.

Since I'm wanting to go full-sized, it would make sense to be able to tow. Right now if my Duramax goes down I can't pull the trailer. Two is one, one is none. (actually that's a big reason for me).

upgraded pumps, add a tuner box, change the exhaust, change the intake...and regular maintenance stuff Now you're talking my language : )
I've always heard good things about the 7.3 but I do worry that it'll lack in pulling power compared to the Dmax.

Buying used has risks
Part of the reason I'd rather get a motor that's a few years older like the 7.3. Back when you could still work on things. It's bad enough working on my '08, and it seems they get exponentially harder to work on every model year.
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Ratbuell
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 09:39 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Do some digging...a few years ago we set up a customers 3500 Savana van for pulling their trailer. Full size van...with a factory Duramax. THAT was a cool van.
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Pwnzor
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 10:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I used to have a 7.3 diesel Excursion... Eddie Bauer interior, all the whips dips and chips on it.

Great truck, never had a problem with it in 200,000 miles or so.

Actually... I take that back, I did have a water pump go south on me, around the 80k mile mark. Other than that... nada.

Good luck finding one, people love them.
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Pwnzor
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 10:43 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

As for towing power... I doubt you're going to feel as if you're lacking with the older 7.3 - make sure it's pre-2007 so it doesn't have all that Kalifornia shit on the motor.
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Oopezoo
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 02:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

We are in a similar situation......wife has an '08 Grand Cherokee that we thought was plenty big enough when we bought it 8 years ago. 3 kids and a dog later, it barely works as a grocery getter. We need something 4wd/AWD and big enough to haul the entire family up the east coast in the dead of winter with all of our ski/snowboard gear for a week. We do it now, but it involves adding a hitch trunk and car topper. I always figured our next family hauler would be a Suburban, but she want no part of daily driving something that big. In her defense, she does have to park it in a parking garage 5 days a week. The best alternative I've found so far is the 2018+ Chevy Traverse. Only slightly bigger looking outside than the Grand Cherokee, but almost the same inside storage area as a Suburban. I flopped the seats down and measured it myself, you can actually fit a standard piece of 4x8 plywood flat on the floor of the new body style Traverse. Most of those 3 row seater SUV's can't handle more than a gallon of milk behind the last row (Tahoe, Sequoia, Highlander). The new Traverse actually has room back there with all the seats up. That sold me and she is OK with the outside size. They are easily found slightly used for reasonable prices. I'm hoping to hold out another year before pulling the trigger, but I haven't come across a better solution yet.

The only downside for your requirements is if it would work for your towing needs. Its only a V6, so probably not ok, but it checks the rest of the boxes nicely.
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Torquehd
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 03:08 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I like the Traverse's. My buddy has the hot-rod model, can't remember the designation but it's a really nice vehicle. You're right, it blurs the lines between full-size and mid-size, but it's not quite full size. Still significantly more spacious that my Equinox.

The storage space behind the 3rd row is another reason to go full-size. I don't like the "3rd-row is the cargo area" design.

I've also considered the car topper and the hitch trunk. It would give us more room but you really can't haul more than our family of 4 (or maybe a 5th person if it's a small child). Whereas my Crew cab Duramax can fit 6 relatively comfortably. I've had 3 adults up front and 3 car-seats in the back seat. IMHO, you just can't beat full-size.
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Thumper74
Posted on Monday, July 15, 2019 - 05:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Nancy has a 2012 Yukon XL. Holy crap it's huge! The gas mileage sucks. It's a nightmare in parking garages, but she loves it.
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Mnscrounger
Posted on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 - 03:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I've had 4 suburbans over years,most of them ten years old or more when I bought them. I keep each one a decade,(more or less). I buy them a little worn around the edges, when the soccer moms don't like to drive them any more cause they're not shiny. While the transmission is not the greatest for regular heavy towing, a chevy V8 is just broke in around 100 000 miles . parts are cheap, used engines and transmissions are plentiful for those of you that tend to burn through those things, mechanics know them well, and there's enough of em around that you can afford to toss it if it rusts out or something major breaks. I traded the last one after the roof edge rusted above the windshield. The November rains soaked the seat and I got hypothermia on the short ride home from work one night. Otherwise, I drive them till the fenders flap, or the cost of the repair exceeds the value of the vehicle. There's enough steel in them that even then they actually have scrap value.
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Oopezoo
Posted on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - 12:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

LOL.....and thats about 5 of the 50 reasons why Suburbans rock. No one believes how great they are unless they have owned one......even a ragged out old one.

My best friend bought a fully loaded '04 LT back in 2008 when gas prices went through the roof. It only had maybe 30k miles on it and he stole it for $14k due to no one wanting them. He has since added another 100k miles to it. We probably put about $300 worth of parts on it every year fixing or preventively replacing things. Generally speaking, its has been rock solid over that time and he expects it to last another 100k miles. Did I mention it is the best road trip vehicle ever?
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Pwnzor
Posted on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - 03:50 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My wife has been driving a 2013 Ford Flex SEL since new, and loves it. It's really great for 7 full size humans. Acres of leather, AC and heat in all three rows, power outlets and drink holders everywhere.

305HP v6 gets consistent 18MPG city and 23-24MPG highway... and when you put your foot down, she moves on out - even with all 7 seats filled.

If you want to carry any real amount of luggage, then it's 5 humans rather than 7. We don't have the towing package on it, but my understanding is that if we did, then it would haul about 7000 pounds behind it.

I don't think I'd like to tow anything that large with a Flex. Maybe a little pop-up trailer, but nothing full size, due to the unwieldy nature of the vehicle combination. It's a great passenger vehicle, and I would buy another one.

For towing, FULL size is the only way to go, and either a diesel engine or the largest gas engine you can afford. Tranny cooler required. Brake controller required.

Most likely, my next tow vehicle will be a Super Duty F550, 40 foot 5th-wheel trailer, and a class 3 hitch all the way out back towing a boat on the second trailer.

10-15 years from now... maybe sooner if my county goes stupid and puts a bus stop near my house.
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Mnscrounger
Posted on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - 04:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Oopezoo: $14K makes it about 2-3 times as nice as anything I've ever brought home. Miles and rust don't scare me but I'll pass on a truck that rattles or has broken interior parts where the people sit. If the interior is beat up that's a clue how they cared for the truck. I know the interior will be trash when I'm done, but I don't expect much on resale or trade. No dealer in their right mind would put a used truck from me on their lot. At best it goes straight to auction when I'm done with it.
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Ulywife
Posted on Friday, July 19, 2019 - 12:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I'm on my third Suburban and I'll only get rid of it when I get the 4th one! The first had 178K, the 2nd 236K and the current one rolling around 228K and still running strong. I like the fact that I don't have to choose between cargo and people. I have plenty of room for the entire family to vacation, or load up all the motorcycle gear we need and pull the bikes through the mountains. Ours seem to get the same mileage loaded or unloaded. The next one will have the 6 speed transmission which should give me the 19+ mpg.

I like the fact that you can take it to most any mechanic for repair work.

I'd also check carcomplaints.com and see what issues the SUVs you're looking at may have had.

Good luck on your search.
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86129squids
Posted on Friday, July 19, 2019 - 04:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Kristi!!! Hey hon, how the heck are you and Carlos?? Miss you guys. To this day I'm still trying to replicate or beat Carlos' pork tenderloin we had at C3 Central.
Got close on the rotisserie recently, but my honey told me to keep cooking it. She wants everything about well done... I don't.

See if you guys can make Suches later this year... methinks Glitch will be back in the saddle!
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Thumper74
Posted on Friday, July 19, 2019 - 04:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Ulywife, my wife has a 2012 with the 5.3/6spd combo. It averages 12.9 mph and we just put a transmission in it.
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Torquehd
Posted on Friday, July 19, 2019 - 06:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

It averages 12.9 mph

Dang that's slow!
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Ulywife
Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2019 - 10:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Hey Squids! Carlos and I are doing well. Getting settled into our new home and still figuring out life in Indy!

Wish we could get to Suches this year, but it's just not in the cards. Luke is in Marching Band and that takes every weekend from now to the end of the year, then I'm sure it will be Winter Guard. Life with kids ; )

Any time you want to visit Indy, just say the word. We'll cook some tenderloin on the grill

12.9....ouch. I was looking forward to better gas mileage. Maybe I'll just keep my 04.
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