Before I take this question over to the Ford forum, I wanted to join this group and give old Suburban hands a crack at it.

I have been learning about Excursions and Suburbans for many months now, doing the typical forum lurking, consumer review reading, Craigslist watching.
I have tracked hundreds of days of CL listings, looking for one owner trucks, where they are specific about what they have done for repairs and maintenance. ( I am looking for something 2000-2004 ).

Here's what's odd. The Suburban is running almost 7:1 against the Excursion in listings from owners that have done the work and detail it in the CL ad. In other words, if I want to buy the truck from a detail weeny who had the money to keep up on repairs over the course of 10+ years, it is waaaay more likely to be a Suburban. I find this very curious.

I'm not interested in Ford bashing. But I would be interested in ideas of how to account for this fact I've found. (I'm in Milwaukee).

Ideas:

Urb owners gets more emotionally attached? Unlikely, since people with money to keep up on repairs over 10 years are usually pretty rational.

Excursion owners never sell their trucks unless the beast is dead?

Only the Powerstroke Excursion guys get emotional?

Suburbans somehow cause a certain type of person to buy them, people who have realistic expectations of what the truck is, and tend to be happy for a long time?? I'm leaning this way, although I have no ideas as to why someone might think an Excursion can do more than it can, hence, become disillusioned with it.

Anyway, if my question is clear, I hope the forum will spread light on it.

Thanks.

Be Calm

 

the excursion is more of a truck as it is on a 2500 frame. The suburbans are usually on 1500 frames. I think less things go wrong on the fords (as long as it is not the V10) but the ford has less options and fancy features than the suburbans. How ever I love excursions...

 

I sold my Excursion to buy the Sub. My Ex was a 2001 with a V10 and 4x4. Where the Ex has the Sub beat is in interior room and towing. Better mileage if you have the diesel. The Sub gets it everywhere else. Period.

 

The excursion has more interior room because it's physically larger on the outside than a Suburban. Ford developed it because they didn't have anything to compete with the suburban.

 

Thanks for all of you ideas. Still not sure why detail weenies with their repair records have more Suburbans, but here is a new guess:

The only Excursions guys really care about are the 7.3 diesels. For good reason. The rest of the Excursions are falling farther and farther down the food chain--ever higher miles, ever more rust, ever less attentive ( and poorer) owners.

FWIW, I bought a 2000 Suburban 2500 today. Looked for ages for it ( or an Ex), so that I could get it from someone who had just done the work I wanted done. This one has 226,000 miles, which is alot, but new rotors/pads, exhaust, Bilstein shocks, U/L ball joints, I/O tie rods, new steering box, new fuel filter, belts, tires, plug wires, exhaust, battery--etcetcetc---

Point is, this Urb owner really liked his truck and was planning on keeping it. He said something interesting when I bought it- that Chevy knows how popular a Suburban would be if they had a diesel option, but they are afraid of hurting their truck market. FWIW.

Anyway, thanks for your ideas on this. Now I'll be moving my attention from theoretical to the same as most of the forum--how do I keep this truck working.........

 

I have owned 2 Excursions and now a 3/4 ton Suburban. I can tell you the Excursion is no match for the suburban period! wether its fit and finish, comfort or keeping its value, the suburban is tops. I'm not a ford basher, i have a 1972 Ford Bronco sitting in my garage next to the burb. The first excursion was a 2001 with the 7.3 powerstroke diesel. That vehicle self ignited one nite and destroyed my garage, the excursion as well as another Bronco under restoration. I will attach a pic at the end. I replaced it with a 2005 Excursion with the 6.0 powerstroke which is probably the worst diesel engine ever made. It spent most of its life in the ford shop. I got rid of ot and bought the 07 Suburban 2500. By the way, the 2500 suburban sits on a 2500 frame, not a suburban 1500 frame. None of the front end components are interchangeable. they are 2 different animals. The 2500 Suburban rides like a tank so dont expect a cushy suburban ride. My advice is to stay away from the Excursion, ilearned the hard way!

 

I feel so crappy after seeing those pics and realizing this thread made you have to recall your garage fire, I think I need to see the 2007 Suburban 2500 sitting on a crushed terra cotta drive, in front of the the rose bush hedge.

 

Well, i cant do the terra cotta drive, but here she sits in my rebuilt garage. By the way, your from milwaukee? The suburban came from Ernie Von Shledron
in Saukville. I'm in appleton

 

Very nice. I was at EVS yesterday, looking at the two low price, high mile Suburbans they had-heaven help the guy that jumps into those. I did not have the budget to look in the part of the showroom where yours came from.

 

I hear you, i'm done buying new. i no longer can afford it either. thats why i opted for the 2500 model thinking it should last me. Have you looked at Lenz Truck centers website? they are up in Fond du lac off of 41. Their prices arent too bad