I need a CPO / lightly used SUV to tow with, recommendations?

[Ronnie]

Long story short, the low oil pressure warning light on my new to me Navigator came on last night on the way home from boating. 30ish seconds later on the off ramp I heard the sound of metal breaking before the engine shut off and we coasted to the shoulder of the freeway off ramp, well almost, with the boat in tow. The Navigator was smoking and dripping oil. I had it towed to my local mechanics shop. He is closed today but even if it can be repaired I’m done with this SUV.

So I need a new(er) one and would like some recommendations from people that use these things to tow their boats like I do.

My criteria:
Reputation for high Reliability.
Seats at least 6 seats, preferably 7.
8k lbs or more towing capacity.

Additional preferences:
4wd
Diesel

So what do you think?

 

[robert843]

Could give a ton of recommendations but whats the budget? I have had nothing but success so far with my Navigators and Expeditions but that ones older then any of the ones I have had sorry to hear it happened though.

 

[Ronnie]

What years have you had. My 03 expedition was trouble free this ‘06 Navigator is anything but.

Budget wise I’d like to keep it between $15k and $30k, depending on options and miles. This will be my primary commuter vechicle as well, 40 miles round trip so I’m all included comfort and convenience features will be used and welcome.

Shit happens.

 

[buckbuck]

Nothing but success with Expeditions for me. I recently bought a 2010 Limited 4wd with 120,000 miles for $14,200. Seems unusual for your 5.4 liter motor to fail like that.

 

[BigAbe75]

@Ronnie
Love our Tahoe. But, been thinking hard about a Yukon XL Denali. This will give extra room for storage while seating 7. (Same seating as Tahoe or Yukon just more storage room).

The Denali package has more of the trim level of the Navigator and comes standard with 6.2L v8. I havent yet seen a suburban with this engine. I’ve been looking here: https://www.laurabuickgmc.com/

They really seem to roll through the inventory. They’re always getting units off lease and these Yukon Denali’s seem to move fast.

I don’t really think that 6.2 engine would be required to tow your boat. Ours pulls fine with the smaller v8, but it’s kind of what I got my heart set on.

No idea how prices will compare to your local area, or if it would be enough cheaper to justify a flight out and drive home.

I’m sure if you found something that required you to travel for it, somebody here would volunteer to pick you up at an airport. I would, if you need to visit St Louis.

 

[Midnight2V]

Sorry to hear about your issues, but don't give up on Lincolns, they are great vehicles and their expedition brethren are just as good. That engine in your '06 is one of the first 3 valve 5.4's in your '06 if I'm not mistaken. They had several problems with them but got them ironed out after 07 or 08 I believe. 1st gen rods bearings and head gaskets were primary issues. Since it made it 12 years, there could be any number of age related issues to cause the problem. The nice thing is that the 3 valve 5.4 in your Lincoln is not different from the ford F-150 engine, meaning there are a ton of them, the engines are relatively inexpensive, and you won't have any problems should you decide to drop a remanufactured, junkyard, or new engine into it.

Total Ford/Lincoln fanboy here. I've been driving, repairing, and modding modular Ford and Lincolns for over twenty years. I currently have a '13 navigator L, which I love, my last boat rig was the '05 Aviator which was a rocket of an SUV. Very few problems, in fact the only real issue I have had is a wheel hub speed sensor stranded me in a parking lot until I could get a tow. Salt corrosion on the sensor since it was originally an up north vehicle.

I hope everything works out. Keep us in the loop.

 

[robert843]

What years have you had. My 03 expedition was trouble free this ‘06 Navigator is anything but.

Budget wise I’d like to keep it between $15k and $30k, depending on options and miles. This will be my primary commuter vechicle as well, 40 miles round trip so I’m all included comfort and convenience features will be used and welcome.

Shit happens.

We had an 08 and 10 Expedition (I really loved those) and we had a 12 Navigator and currently have 15 Navigator but considering moving to a 19 Navigator next year. I think the 2010-2014 Expeditions are a great value right now you can find them with a fair amount of options for good pricing I have seen some for around $12-$15k that were pretty nice. I have seen some of the 15's which is a newer body style in the low 20's like the link below.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Expedition-EL-XLT-EcoBoost-RWD/302755715239?hash=item467da598a7:g:9OUAAOSw92RbEGa3&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Lincoln-Navigator/132648511042?hash=item1ee277a642:g:eNAAAOSw6CJbFAE9&vxp=mtr

 

[JBehrens]

That sucks... not the way to end the day. For me, the two vehicles that would fit your requirements are the Chevy Suburban and Toyota Sequoia. The Chevy's are really good trucks but do have a few things to take into consideration past 150k miles but nothing catastrophic, just have to take care of them and well the Toyota's are know to be rock solid. Good luck on the search!

 

[bronze_10]

I hear a lot of love for the 5.4 expectations .. I'm gonna be one of the decenting votes. . Where I work I was assigned an 07 expedition... Bran new.. Was the absolute worst vehicle I have ever been associated with.. The interesting thing is 7 were bought that year and they all were crap... We all jaf to keep trading off vehicles so everyone could have something to drive. We could only keep 3 on the road at a time. We would drive to the ford place to pick up which ever one they said was fixed that day and by the end of two shifts they were back at the ford place. Admin took them all off the line because they were so unreliable Growing up my family was ford all the way... After that experience for 2 years I went dodge! Go mopar! That 5.7 is a beast and hard to beat!

 

[JBehrens]

I hear a lot of love for the 5.4 expectations .. I'm gonna be one of the decenting votes. . Where I work I was assigned an 07 expedition... Bran new.. Was the absolute worst vehicle I have ever been associated with.. The interesting thing is 7 were bought that year and they all were crap... We all jaf to keep trading off vehicles so everyone could have something to drive. We could only keep 3 on the road at a time. We would drive to the ford place to pick up which ever one they said was fixed that day and by the end of two shifts they were back at the ford place. Admin took them all off the line because they were so unreliable Growing up my family was ford all the way... After that experience for 2 years I went dodge! Go mopar! That 5.7 is a beast and hard to beat!

Ford: Fix Often Repair Daily

 

[swatski]

x2 on Sequoia!
I would look for the first gen, or pre-2008, I think, those look and ride great, are extremely well made. The new ones feel too heavy, are overpriced (at least when looking at top loaded trims), and really large but w/pretty poor usage of space (by toyota standards).

--

 

[veedubtek]

This was likely a case of abuse/lack of maintenance prior to your ownership. Hindsight is 20/20, but I highly recommend a PPI before buying any used vehicle (and by a reputable specialist at that).

 

[Speedling]

Long story short, the low oil pressure warning light on my new to me Navigator came on last night on the way home from boating. 30ish seconds later on the off ramp I heard the sound of metal breaking before the engine shut off and we coasted to the shoulder of the freeway off ramp, well almost, with the boat in tow. The Navigator was smoking and dripping oil. I had it towed to my local mechanics shop. He is closed today but even if it can be repaired I’m done with this SUV.

So I need a new(er) one and would like some recommendations from people that use these things to tow their boats like I do.

My criteria:
Reputation for high Reliability.
Seats at least 6 seats, preferably 7.
8k lbs or more towing capacity.

Additional preferences:
4wd
Diesel

So what do you think?

View attachment 75798

Low pressure oil on the 5.4 means the injectors don't fire correctly and the cam phasers break. Once they do, they either just spin making the tick tock noise doing nothing except not advancing the timing, OR, they basically grenade the whole motor. I'm going to guess that's what happened to yours.
Mine has the broke cam phaser but I need a week for the guy to take care of it. That's what he told me 40,000 miles ago...

 

[2kwik4u]

I'm a GM guy. Was going to go with a Suburban to seat that many folks, tow a boat, and have some cargo room. Good luck finding a CPO 'burb for $30k though.

Next option with 3 rows, good towing, and available as CPO is a '16 or newer Durango. Find an R/T with the bench as the center row (they are out there, but you have to look). The second row bench gets you seating for 7, the R/T gets you the 5.7L to tow with, and the '16 or newer gets you the ZF 8spd trans. Should have plenty of grunt to drag around your 242, and the seating you need to get the whole crew there. Be sure to find one with the factory tow package. The hitch can be added later, but the wiring has to be "turned on" at the dealership. Easier/better to find one that just had it from the factory. The infotainment system is excellent, and the daily driver aspect of an R/T is very acceptable.

I was |...| that close to buying one for myself, and they're still on the short list for the wifes next ride. Only reason I landed on a pickup was for some other cargo hauling needs that made sense for us to have a bed.

 

[Ronnie]

Thanks for all the opinions guys. I need to speak with my mechanic about how bad the actual damage is but just found out my cousin may be selling her Yukon xl cheap now that their kids are grown. This may be just what I need to get through this boating season.

On a semi related note, I was eating out last night feeling bummed and was exhausted about the situation when one of the waitresses fell over and started seizing up next to our table. It got handled quickly by some in our group and the first responders but the whole thing reminded me that my problems are real small compared to that/health problems.

 

[adrianp89]

I would say a newer Durango.

 

[Shuck Water]

I used to tow with a Lincoln Navigator, first a '03 and then with a '08, now I've been using my '14 Durango R/T with the 8 spd trans. Differences are notable. The Lincolns I had ran like champs and loved them. No issues towing the boat, but holy crap were those 5.4's SLOW! The Durango (with the 5.7L) is so much faster than the Lincoln. The trade off is that the Durango is 1,000 lbs less than the Navigator and you definitely feel the boat behind you.

 

[buckbuck]

@veedubtek What is a "PPI" that you mentioned?

 

[veedubtek]

@veedubtek What is a "PPI" that you mentioned?

Just a pre-purchase inspection. It'll cost ~$100 or so, but I promise, if you get it done by a specialist that knows what to look for, you'll have plenty of ammunition to haggle the price down if you decide to go through with it.

 

[Mainah]

I used to tow with a Lincoln Navigator, first a '03 and then with a '08, now I've been using my '14 Durango R/T with the 8 spd trans. Differences are notable. The Lincolns I had ran like champs and loved them. No issues towing the boat, but holy crap were those 5.4's SLOW! The Durango (with the 5.7L) is so much faster than the Lincoln. The trade off is that the Durango is 1,000 lbs less than the Navigator and you definitely feel the boat behind you.

Have posted my love for the Durango R/T a few times here but I think that is one size, trim, and towing class below what @Ronnie is looking for.