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New Tow Rig is in the driveway!

biglar155

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Well, the deed is done:



We picked her up yesterday. 2014 Expedition EL XLT with 10,000 miles on her. Exterior color is "Tuxedo Black" which is a metallic flake color. Interior is "Camel." She has option Group 202A (I think) which includes the towing package.

I've never been in and out of a dealership so fast in my life. We had done all the pre-work via phone and e-mail. I think it took me longer to buy 4 bags of water softener salt at Fleet Farm on the way home than it did to purchase the vehicle.

After I got her home I spent the afternoon finding places to put everything, setting things up, and learning how to use various features. The only thing I'm not super-fond of is the menu system on the radio. It's just not intuitive to me. I'm trying to figure out the "quick" way to get it to switch to Sync Bluetooth input for the media to play tunes from my phone. It takes me a few tries to stumble on the right combination of buttons to make it do that - and it always seems like it should be easier.

Ah well, I'll keep playing with it. I'll figure it out eventually.

I'll miss the ol' Suburan. It may be a bunch of steel, glass, and rubber, but after 8 years and 140K miles there's a lot of memories there. She will hold the "Best Vehicle" title for a long time.

While the Suburban was a higher-end model in the lineup than this Excursion is, I have to admit that the Ford has a few "features" that the 'Suburban didn't have (anymore): Rear Defrost ('Burban's hadn't worked in 4 years), functioning air-bag system ('Burban's warning light came on for the 2nd time last fall), power seat switch that does what it's told (buran's driver-side seat moved OPPOSITE of what you told it to for the last 6 months - no idea why), rust-free body ('Burban was looking a little rough in some spots)... you know, FANCY stuff.

One thing that DID confuse me a little on the way home last night: I didn't know it had rain-sensing wipers. I couldn't figure out why the delay settings were acting goofy as we drove home in a light mist. I sat and RTFM'd (Read The *&^# Manual) and it looks like she's fancier than I gave her credit for.

Most importantly, I've got a vehicle that I've got confidence in. I feel it's much less likely that I'll end up stranded somewhere far from home in this rig.

I'm anxious to get her hooked up to the boat!
 

Andy S

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I have an 2005 F-150 Lariat Crew Cab with the 5.4l and right now I have 140,000 miles and she is still going strong. So far knock on wood the worst item I have had to replace was the seal on the rear end where the yoke/drive shaft goes in, otherwise just routine maintenance.

Hope you have many years of good experiences with your new ride.
 

buckbuck

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Looking good BigLar. I suggest you put some Rejex on it to keep the paint shiney. My 2000 Expedition has 175,000 miles and still runs great. I am sure yours will fight for your "Best Vehicle" title and try to dethrone the Suburban.
 

McMark

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That's a sweet ride.

We have an '09 lariat super crew with 80k on it now. Needs exhaust manifold work but otherwise flawless.
 

waterboy

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Sweet ride!!! I am looking hard to find a 2015 EL right now with what I want on it and all the junk I don't want not on it, which is harder than you think the way the dealers order them loaded up for the lot. Need more room!!! Maybe I'll have something to show her in a few weeks too.
 

Glassman

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Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' bout Willis!

Beautiful. I could definitely get jiggy wit dat (I have absolutely no idea what that means)

Best of luck to you with your new ride. :cool:
 

biglar155

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Sweet ride!!! I am looking hard to find a 2015 EL right now with what I want on it and all the junk I don't want not on it, which is harder than you think the way the dealers order them loaded up for the lot. Need more room!!! Maybe I'll have something to show her in a few weeks too.
I hear ya. I bought the lowest end model I could: XLT. Not a ton of bells or whistles, but still a few gadgets and gizmos.

If you want a 2014 with low miles (11K and 13K) there are two left at the dealership I bought mine from. One is identical to mine, the other is red/tan but otherwise identical. They were picked up at auto-auction: 3 identical rigs out of Montana. I'm guessing it was a very small shuttle/rental outfit that went belly-up. A Title Search doesn't even list it as a Rental/Fleet vehicle but the used-car sticker does so it HAD to have been a small place.

The dealer is Mike Burkart Ford in Plymouth WI. Ask for Jack McKinch. (No, I didn't make any arrangements for commission, I'm just very happy with the way I was treated.) I know it would be a "long-distance" buy for you, but if it gets you what you want, you might want to think about it.
 

biglar155

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Looking good BigLar. I suggest you put some Rejex on it to keep the paint shiney. My 2000 Expedition has 175,000 miles and still runs great. I am sure yours will fight for your "Best Vehicle" title and try to dethrone the Suburban.
That's the one problem with black: It shows dirt darn-near instantly. (I had two black Mustangs in a row so I've fought this battle before.)

Actually, gonna Pro-Sauce this thing as soon as it gets a little warmer out. I'll wheel her in the garage and give her the full detailing job: Mask off the rubber and glass with painters tape, and use my random-orbit buffer. (I've got a lot left in my Pro-Sauce bottle so I'll catch the Traverse at the same time. She's not as pretty, but plain and gray needs love sometimes too. Many times they appreciate the attention more. ;) )

One thing I'm going to start doing that sounds OCD but would have saved the 'Burban for at least another 6 months to a year: Take a rag and clean the underside/inside of the doors. My 78-year old Mom has been doing that to her '05 Expedition for years and the dang thing doesn't have a SPOT of rust on it. She actually uses FURNITURE POLISH! So call me nutty (not like anyone's gonna get "first" on that list anymore) but I'm adding pledge to my list of car-care supplies.
 

biglar155

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First tow this afternoon. Dragged my little utility trailer down to the village compost heap to dump off my spring yard "rakings." Not much of a challenge, but I can see the trailer out the back window (as long as the 3rd row is folded down) which is nice. In the 'Burban I couldn't see it when I was parked on the flat.

Which reminds me: I'd better check to see if my tow mirrors fit on this thing...
 

Freezer41

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Well, the deed is done:We picked her up yesterday. 2014 Expedition EL XLT with 10,000 miles on her.
Nice, I like the Expedition platform.

as threatened, i was able to put together the deal I wanted on the ride I wanted. Just brought her home last night. Now I am itching to hook up the boat and go somewhere
Platinum in Magnetic??
 

waterboy

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Thanks! Not the Platinum, a bit too much cash. Went with Limited in Magnetic.
 

Zeus2013

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@biglar155 do you have the remote start feature? If so, when you start the car remotely and the open the doors, does the engine turn off. If it does, there is a simple fix for this that I can send you.

I had it on my 2013 and drove me nuts.
 

Zarrella

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Congratulations on the 2 new Expy's!!! We love ours too:winkingthumbsup"
 

dan144k

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Awesome truck. Why did you not get another suburban? Just curious

We use to use pledge on our motorcycles and waverunners, worked well.
 

biglar155

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@biglar155 do you have the remote start feature? If so, when you start the car remotely and the open the doors, does the engine turn off. If it does, there is a simple fix for this that I can send you.

I had it on my 2013 and drove me nuts.
No remote start here, but thanks for the offer. There are always little tips and tricks to figure out on these things!
 

biglar155

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Awesome truck. Why did you not get another suburban? Just curious

We use to use pledge on our motorcycles and waverunners, worked well.
Well, I HAD to go used (new was outside my price range - heck USED was barely in my price range... :)) and the vast majority of used 'Burbans out there have a 3:08 rear-gear which translates to a 5,000 lb towing capacity (the same as my little 6-cyl traverse). The Expedition has a 6,000 lb towing capacity and I wanted the extra "cush" so I kind of locked in on the Ford after that. It was only a few days after making that decision that I found the "triplets" sitting at a local dealer (3 identical machines bought at auction with roughly 10K miles). I test drove one and made sure it fit in my garage - which it did. After that I just picked the one with the lowest miles (the "highest" mile unit only has 13K) that matched the boat!

I really loved my Suburban but this thing is pretty much just a "Ford Suburban" anyway...
 
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