Selling the Z

[rdlangston13]

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/50EFAA7E-E78B-483B-92F8-B1A4AF62FC72_zpssnjms2qc.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/50EFAA7E-E78B-483B-92F8-B1A4AF62FC72_zpssnjms2qc.jpg.html)

So now we have to sell our 370Z and get something that we can cram a car seat into. Looking into a Ford Explorer but open to other good domestic mid to full sized SUVs around the same price. Any suggestions??


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[wolfeman131]

CONGRATS!

soon you will have 2 and a mini van

how much for the Z?

[rdlangston13]

Yeah, the minivan is NOT gonna happen. Explorer is as close as we are getting to that!


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[wolfeman131]

just wait . . . .

Heidi will have one in her arms, one in the stroller and pushing the grocery cart when she looks over and sees how easy the other Mom has it with doors automatically sliding wide open and the rear hatch going up to get everyone & everything loaded.

[rdlangston13]

What's funny here is that you think the no mini van rule was MY idea lol


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[newty]

We can do gull wings on an explorer! Lol. Congrats man! That's awesome. Have you considered a tahoe? We love ours and it's been a very dependable ride with limited maintenance for over 11 years. Tows awesome too.

[Woody929]

Sounds a lot like Jill.

[rdlangston13]

Looked at them but to get one in the mileage and year models we want we would have to go way over our budget and they don't do as well on fuel. But if we could find one that fit our requirements we would definitely consider it


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[trayson]

What year range of Exploder are you looking for? I used to have a 2004 XLT and while I typically hate domestic SUV's, I had to say that MY explorer was one of a kind and one of the best looking ones I'd ever seen... (dropped, billet grills, tint, 20" wheels, factory monochrome paint). It was a decent rig.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2wT33AITmVg/SNmqp1PaJCI/AAAAAAAAQ28/IyI6t4bSFY0/s800/IMG_0678.JPG


What's driving you to get a "domestic SUV"? There's so many options out there, the choices are staggering if you add in Honda, Acura, BMW, etc.

What are your goals for this vehicle? Are you planning on towing with it? Because if you're not, then what the heck do you need an SUV for? It's not like you are ever going to use the 4wd in Texas, are you?. For road trips?

I guess the idea of "you can fit a carseat" is open to SO many vehicles, I'm curious what your other wants are that lead you to an Exploder as your first choice??? Personally, I don't have any desire to have an SUV. I drive a 340hp V8 AWD Euro wagon (Audi S6 Avant). So I get all the cargo space of an SUV, I get heated leather front and rear, heated steering wheel, the speed/performance/handing of a sportscar... The only thing I can't do is tow. But we have the wife's truck for that. So I'm trying to understand what draws you to the SUV, and even more so, why domestic?

[zabooda]

I like the oddity of the Jeep Wrangler including the four door even though it can't tow crap.

[trayson]

I like the oddity of the Jeep Wrangler including the four door even though it can't tow crap.

I love the idea of a Jeep JK Unlimited. And while they have a 3,500 tow rating in the USA, they have a 5k tow rating in Europe... Just sayin'. He still has his truck, so odds are that's still the tow rig. I'm still curious why the "SUV" and why domestic.

[brain_rinse]

Pics of the Z?

[trayson]

Pics of the Z?

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?25258-Went-Car-Shopping

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/2570065C-3AF7-42AE-8591-1D36F049E01B_zpsu9ndxxco.jpg

[brain_rinse]

Yeah I want action shots and pics of the mods.


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[jmvotto]

Congrats. Great news
Tahoe or suburban

[rdlangston13]

Year models we are looking at are 13-15 with under 30k miles. Aside from the Z we tend to keep cars a long time, my personal motto is 10 years or 200,000 miles, whatever comes first so we do t want to start with something high mileage.

We want a 4wd/Awd because although we live in Texas, we have found ourselves wishing we had it on road trips to visit family.

Domestic because that's just my preference. It was really hard for me to get that Nissan but my wife has been in love with the Zs since she was in high school so I made a rare exception.

Explorer is our number one because it's a good size, gets reasonable mileage, and is reasonably priced. I would love to get a Sport model but they tend to be about 10k more than limiteds. It would not be a primary tow vehicle but may be used to go short distances in a pinch. I think the tow capacity is 5k on the explorer if you get it with the class III hitch.

Tahoes are nice but for the year model, trim level, and mileage we want they are out of our price range. We are trying to stay under 35k


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[rdlangston13]

And I have no pictures "action" pictures of the Z or mod pictures. Aside from window tint, it is bone stock.
http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/IMG_2518_zpsf1d17f70.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/IMG_2518_zpsf1d17f70.jpg.html)


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[mark540]

I think you can get into a sport for $35k, not sure how set you are on miles. My company car is a 14 explorer xlt, it is really a good vehicle, although if it was my car choice it would be the sport for sure, i have driven them several times, one time for a week when i was getting some bumper repairs done, and the 3.5tt is a beast. I do like the durangos as well, rt with the Hemi can tow like 7500, explorer is limited to 5000, if it came from the factory with a hitch, if it didn't it only rated for 2000. All sports are awd.

[rdlangston13]

Yeah the Durango is another one we need to have a closer look at. I could take one with. HEMI


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[KG's Supra24]

We picked up the Durango's brother, Grand Cherokee, loaded with a hemi, right in the range you are looking.

We love it but the gas mileage is terrible. Explorer offers good value from what I've seen.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/14/810e8741efe8294d50ab0a7b4eac12dc.jpg

My best bud dusty has a matching Edge. It's their 2nd one and seem to like it. May be smaller than you want if you are looking at the explorer though.

[mark540]

The SRT wheels look great really fill the wheel wells out.

Durango if you can get a 14 with the new interior/exterior and the 8 speed, is a great package.

i am a Dodge guy, 3 durangos, 2 rams with the hemi, 2 rams with the cummins, 3 chargers, 2 of them SRT8's, out of all of them, i only had one problem, on my 2009 Ram they replaced the short block because of piston slap at 40,000 miles.

We have also had all the GM full size suv siblings, they get ok mileage except the Escalade with the 6.2l, had good power but averaged about 14 mpg. They have quite a bit of room in them, but they don't drive like an Explorer or a Durango which are more car like.

[moombacraze]

I have a 13 Explorer Sport! It has been a fantastic car. So much fun to drive. My vote would be a Sport if you can fit it in your budget. We got it with the bucket seats in the middle row so we can have my son in his carseat and the other two can get in the back seat without having to fold a seat down. Congrats by the way!


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[wolfeman131]

piston slap.

The secret behind why Dusty is KG's "bud."

[uniwarking]

We have an Edge, a pretty sporty blacked out trim... super comfortable ride and decent mileage. We had an explorer before and loved it too but the edge is plenty since we already have something to two with and that can handle a crowd and lots of gear (F150).

[dusty2221]

This is our second Edge, 2013 Sport

http://i.imgur.com/Ut7HLDd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5CikH5U.jpg

[brain_rinse]

Grand Cherokee gets my vote.21827


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[rdlangston13]

Heidi doesn't like the look of the edge and being able to tow is a huge plus since my truck has a tiny backseat that won't hold a car seat unless the front seat is all the way forward and since the lake house is 2 hours each way I heidi wants to be crammed in there like that. My he explorer has a 5k tow rating while the Durango has a 6,200 lb rating with the V6 and 7,400 with the Hemi. Now I am really leaning towards the dodge.


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[trayson]

Heidi doesn't like the look of the edge and being able to tow is a huge plus since my truck has a tiny backseat that won't hold a car seat unless the front seat is all the way forward and since the lake house is 2 hours each way I heidi wants to be crammed in there like that. My he explorer has a 5k tow rating while the Durango has a 6,200 lb rating with the V6 and 7,400 with the Hemi. Now I am really leaning towards the dodge.


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Sounds like you need to get a Durango or a Grand Cherokee, make that your primary tow rig, and then sell your truck and get a sportscar for yourself! haha! (or maybe that has to wait until mid life crisis?)

[rdlangston13]

Sounds like you need to get a Durango or a Grand Cherokee, make that your primary tow rig, and then sell your truck and get a sportscar for yourself! haha! (or maybe that has to wait until mid life crisis?)

That's not gonna happen lol. I am cringing every time we make a payment on the Z. My truck is paid for and there is no way I am going to take on two car payments.

Any thought on the GMC Acadia? Heidi mentioned one of those but I know 0 about them.


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[kaneboats]

Congratulations you two!!!! I'm very happy for you. May as well get the Suburban now. There's nothing like it. We had 2 kids for a couple years, then 3 kids for exactly 1 minute, then 4, then 5. Got a nice new 7 passenger SUV and within a year I was out looking for an 8 passenger Suburban. Best vehicle I've ever owned. Hauls everybody, gear, toys, and tows as well. They'll go 300k if you treat 'em right. Good luck!

[mark540]

Acadia and the Traverse are max tow rated at just over 5000 lbs. Durango is a different animal than the explorer or GM twins as it is a RWD platform vs a FWD car based platform. The RT's are killer looking, my son thinks we should trade my wifes QX80 in on one because he thinks it looks cool, so teenager approved!

[trayson]

Acadia and the Traverse are max tow rated at just over 5000 lbs. Durango is a different animal than the explorer or GM twins as it is a RWD platform vs a FWD car based platform. The RT's are killer looking, my son thinks we should trade my wifes QX80 in on one because he thinks it looks cool, so teenager approved!

I think this is very important to take into consideration. Durango and Grand Cherokee sound like they could be winners...

[rdlangston13]

Does the jeep have a 3rd row seat option?

And the suburban is a no go Kane for 2 reasons. 1st I don't want to spend that much, and 2nd it won't fit in our garage and I don't want to clutter the drive way with two vehicles. Plus after two kids in going under the knife to put an end to that so I don't wind up with 5 tricycle motors


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[sivs1]

Does the jeep have a 3rd row seat option?



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No, the Durango does.

[trayson]

Does the jeep have a 3rd row seat option?

And the suburban is a no go Kane for 2 reasons. 1st I don't want to spend that much, and 2nd it won't fit in our garage and I don't want to clutter the drive way with two vehicles. Plus after two kids in going under the knife to put an end to that so I don't wind up with 5 tricycle motors


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Looks like the Durango would be the winner:
http://www.autotrader.com/research/article/car-reviews/228798/2014-jeep-grand-cherokee-vs-2014-dodge-durango-which-is-better.jsp


If you're searching for a new family vehicle, you've undoubtedly considered the Jeep Grand Cherokee -- a competent, well-built SUV that excels in a variety of categories from engine power to ride comfort. But there's one problem: no third-row seating. Enter the Dodge Durango, which boasts nearly everything available on the Grand Cherokee, plus the addition of a third row.

Also:

For drivers who tow, the Durango's available trailer-sway control -- not available on the Jeep -- may be a big benefit.

[mmandley]

Late to this thread, but first congratz Dave

Also you might seriously think about the Durango, you need to think about going to the lake. Its going to be a lot easier to buy a vehicle with a solid tow rating to pull your boat, and the family to the lake. You can bet after you have a kid and your ready to goto the lake the last thing you want to do is move all your gear from her car to yours, plus think about the age and mileage of your truck. You don't want to risk a break down in the Texas heat with a new baby.

[brain_rinse]

If you want the 3rd row I agree with the Durango recommendation. Trailer sway control is standard on all Grand Cherokee's though: http://www.jeep.com/en/grand-cherokee/capability/

[newty]

Hummer, I'd go with the hummer.

[mmandley]

If you want the 3rd row I agree with the Durango recommendation. Trailer sway control is standard on all Grand Cherokee's though: http://www.jeep.com/en/grand-cherokee/capability/

Does trailer sway control even work with boats? I had trailer sway controlon my F150 and it never came on. I thought this was tied into the electronic brake control circuit? As in unless the vehicle sees a trailer with electric brakes it won't activate.

I know on my F150 and my new Ram, both have trailer sway control, track miles towed, and neither registrar my boat trailer when hooked up. Looking into this is because those settings are triggered with the 7 way on ejected break takers. Not the7 way on hydraulic trailers.

Sway control is sweet but for me not a deciding factor.

[brain_rinse]

On the Jeep it applies vehicle brakes on opposing sides to counteract the sway. I think it will reduce engine power and even apply all the brakes if the sway gets too severe.

[mark540]

Durango has sway control from at least 2014 on, not sure if it had it from 11 to 13. I would think you have to have a pretty crazy event to engage it though, especially with a boat trailer.

[kaneboats]

And the suburban is a no go Kane for 2 reasons. 1st I don't want to spend that much, and 2nd it won't fit in our garage and I don't want to clutter the drive way with two vehicles. Plus after two kids in going under the knife to put an end to that so I don't wind up with 5 tricycle motors

Hmm. Just give it some time. You and Heidi might find out that blessings are just that. Only one way to be a super popular grandpa some day!

[bergermaister]

Funny stuff. Congrats David! You guys are truly blessed!

As for SUVs, I like the Hummer idea! Or you might want to look at the Mercedes G63 6x... :cool:

Mirroring Kane some, you'll always need more room than you think you do. With stroller and carseat and baby bags and every other thing you can think of, the extra space may be worth the MPG tradeoff.

We owned an Eddie Bauer Expedition for close to 8 years and absolutely loved it. Missed it so much that we went back and got it's big fancy brother the Navigator.

Remember - sometimes it's not just you and Heidi and baby going somewhere. You may have extras, family/friends, and it's nice to only take one car. If you have the room.

[rdlangston13]

Funny stuff. Congrats David! You guys are truly blessed!

As for SUVs, I like the Hummer idea! Or you might want to look at the Mercedes G63 6x... :cool:

Mirroring Kane some, you'll always need more room than you think you do. With stroller and carseat and baby bags and every other thing you can think of, the extra space may be worth the MPG tradeoff.

We owned an Eddie Bauer Expedition for close to 8 years and absolutely loved it. Missed it so much that we went back and got it's big fancy brother the Navigator.

Remember - sometimes it's not just you and Heidi and baby going somewhere. You may have extras, family/friends, and it's nice to only take one car. If you have the room.

Yeah size helps but it's not solely about fuel mileage. Buying price is a huge factor and we want pretty new and don't want to exceed 35k.


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[mmandley]

Yeah size helps but it's not solely about fuel mileage. Buying price is a huge factor and we want pretty new and don't want to exceed 35k.


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Fuel mileage needs to be a consideration.

Exp
You pay 400 a month for your new SUV
It has a 25 gallon tank
Fuel is $3 a gallon
On average you drive 1200 miles a month.

If it only gets 12mpg that's 300 a month in fuel.
Making your cost of ownership 700 +insurance

Now same truck but it gets 15 mpg that's 240 a month in fuel
Making cost of ownership 640 +insurance.

This mean you could actually spend more for the SUV and spend the same amount Monthly in ownership.


RL example Claudia 09 Equinox was 380 a month, and she filled it 2xs per week 600 miles a week at 120 per week
Cost of owner ship 860 per month + insurance
Bought her a brand new VW TDI we pay 500 a month on it she now fills it 2xs a month same distance 600 miles per week. Filling it costs 60 a week.
Cost of owner ship is 740 + insurance.

Buyer her a brand new car actually saved me 120 a month.

Take my Ecoboost for example. I paid 600 a month on it, + 400 a month in fuel = 1000 a month on average
New Ram I pay 650 a month on it and use same Mileage as F150 but its mileage is better costing me 350 in fuel costing me 1000 a month.

Swapping from the F150 to the Ram actually cost me no monthly change in ownership cost.

In the long run I should save on my towing in fuel, but with the added cost of oil changes and fuel filters maintenance will be slightly higher

So MPG should be a HUGE factor in the cost of your SUV because fuel can + or - you 100s in the term of a year and that can mean the difference between settling for X SUV or Buying the one you really want.

[bergermaister]

How many miles do you think you'll rack up per month David? You may be able to stretch to a slightly older SUV with low miles and come out ahead. That strategy has worked well for us. Bought our original Expy at 4 years old and almost 60k on it. Put another 100k on it with minimal maintenance or repairs. Food for thought.

[trayson]

Plus after two kids in going under the knife to put an end to that so I don't wind up with 5 tricycle motors


Good for you for putting in the planning to match your desires. I would have done exactly the same thing. (But I found myself subject to divorce by the time my son was 2 years old. And now that I've found the most fantastic, amazing, perfect, soulmate 2nd wife--it wasn't realistic age wise for her and I to have any more kids, so I got the snip/snip). There's nothing wrong with deciding what works for you and getting the items that fit with those priorities.

Much respect for really putting a lot of thought into your future, for being open to the insight of others, but in the end sticking to what's right for you and your family.

[rdlangston13]

Well it sounds


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[rca]

What's funny here is that you think the no mini van rule was MY idea lol


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Tell Heide to stay strong and stay the course. Lisa and I agreed no minivans a long time ago and we made it. Several Expeditions and a Suburban later I'd say it's amazing what you can fit in a garage. We have my Expedition XL and a new pink Escalade in the garage right now, but it is FULL.

Personally I would prefer the Explorer. However around my soccer mom infested area right now the car of choice seems to be the Honda Pilot. It's way to boring for me, but they are everywhere and pretty reasonable cost wise.

Congratulations to you both.

[rdlangston13]

Our monthly driving habits seem to vary widely. If we just drove to work and back it would not be a lot of miles but since Heidi only works 3 days a week she has 4 days where she could not drive at all, or do a ton of driving. And we don't really look at things in terms of "monthly cost of ownership". We are more of "total cost of ownership" people. Regardless of what we go with we won't finance it for more than three years and we plane on keeping it for 10 years so the monthly cost of ownership will go down dramatically after the first 2-3 years. Also as world population rises fuel prices will inevitably go higher meaning what looks reasonable on gas now may not be in 6-8 years from now so you have to look at that as well. After looking at the capabilities I'm sold on a Durango Limited with the V6, however Heidi favors the Explorer. So now I guess we need to get behind the wheel of both of them to help us make a decision. My main draw to the Durango is 100,000 mile power train warranty, 6200 lb towing capacity, and rear wheel drive. The only thing the explorer has going for it is she likes the way it looks.

Ron, I don't t know how you fit your expedition EL in your garage unless you just have a larger garage than we do. My truck won't fit in our garage. I guess we should have had it extended 5 feet or so when we built it.


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[rca]

I have a good inch and a half clearance when I have the hitch on. I do have an extended garage too.

[mmandley]

And we don't really look at things in terms of "monthly cost of ownership". We are more of "total cost of ownership" people.

Regardless of what we go with we won't finance it for more than three years and we plane on keeping it for 10 years so the monthly cost of ownership will go down dramatically after the first 2-3 years.

Also as world population rises fuel prices will inevitably go higher meaning what looks reasonable on gas now may not be in 6-8 years from now so you have to look at that as well.


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Dave this is why you need to be concerned with Monthly cost of ownership. If you plan to buy a vehicle at 35K and pay it off in 3 years then your averaging 1K a month in payments to pay it off in that time frame. So Cost monthly should be in the forefront of your thoughts.

Yes after its paid off cost of ownership does go down, but you have to reach that point before you benefit from it.

You said it yourself, fuel prices will vary widely so MPG needs to be in your considerations as well.

I am sure you guys have it all worked out already, I was just giving you some advise I learned over the years, my budgeting works out for us very well. We look at the long term and this is why we have savings, IRA, Stocks, 401K investments. This is also why I budget as a monthly cost of ownership because as in time everything increases, fuel prices, food, utilities, so should your income.

My longer term budgeting involves retirement, quality of life, paying my house off in 15 years vs 30, getting the boat paid off in 5 vs 12 things like this.

[patrick232]

The GM triplets aren't much more than a minivan. We had one for just short of 30 months and 70k miles. Fuel milage is about the same as my suburban. The AWD is always turning. Not sure how the explorer is setup. It we went back to 2 SUV we would go with a Tahoe, Grand Cherokee or 4Runner Haven't looked at the Durango. Might have to look at the RT as the $70k SRT Grand Cherokee it's in the budget.

[ian ashton]

We love our Grand Cherokees. Mine is a turbo diesel limited, Laura has a V8 Laredo (suede seats in the limited were a no-go with a kid, lol)

[rdlangston13]

We love our Grand Cherokees. Mine is a turbo diesel limited, Laura has a V8 Laredo (suede seats in the limited were a no-go with a kid, lol)

The cars seats for without interfering too much with the front seats? That's the problem we are having on my Dodge Ram quad can


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[ian ashton]

Car seats are fine in both - we have it in the middle, so rear facing would fit between the front seats with a tall driver.

[rdlangston13]

Well as of today the Z has a new home. Now time to find it's replacement!

[kaneboats]

Congrats! Glad you were able to get that done on schedule.

[rdlangston13]

Congrats! Glad you were able to get that done on schedule.

Well it wasn't really on schedule. Plan was to have it sold and a new vehicle purchased before I had to come back offshore for three weeks. Didn't get that one sold until 2 days after I had returned to work and now Heidi is stuck driving the truck until I get home.

[rdlangston13]

So while we were in Destin we figured it would be an awesome setting to snap some maternity pictures. Heidi got online and found a local photographer she really liked and we met at the beach at sun set. Here are a couple of the sample shots she posted to her FB page, there are many more that are better but these were easy to DL. Not a huge fan of the white shirt on me, the wind kept inflating it and making me look like a marsh mellow.

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/11722263_968777479841534_9022350828257878613_o_zps 1xheuhrp.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/11722263_968777479841534_9022350828257878613_o_zps 1xheuhrp.jpg.html)

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/11717537_968777466508202_5959533412379469865_o_zps uwpxxcep.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/11717537_968777466508202_5959533412379469865_o_zps uwpxxcep.jpg.html)

And I think we have decided against the explorer and are now opting for the Expedition. We should be joining the ecoboost club when I get home, only question now is middle row bench or middle row bucket seats??? The bench gives you one extra seat and the middle seat actually slides forward 11 inches so we could place the car seat there and slide it forward to keep a close eye on Nolan. However bucket seats offer easier access to the 3rd row during a rare occasion that it is needed. Are there any more advantage/disadvantages that I am forgetting?

[KG's Supra24]

Big congrats to you two!

I'd opt for buckets bc they are more comfortable BUT if we were in that situation, we would end up with bench, due to the youngster. Bringing the carseat to the middle of the car for safety would trump the comfort ... besides its rare we have a passenger other than our daughter these days.

[bergermaister]

We wanted the bench and about every Suburban, Denali, Escalade, Expedition and Navigator we came across had the buckets. I mean literally 9 out of 10... I'm more a fan of the bench. They fold up easy from either side for 3rd row access.

And if you have a car seat in the center you've still got a seat on either side without resorting to the 3rd row.

[rdlangston13]

Make sure to get the Expedition with the optional heavy duty trailer towing package so you can tow 9200 pounds instead of not having the optional heavy duty trailer towing package and only being able to tow 6600 pounds.

Ah yes, good thing is all limited come with the heavy duty trailer tow package. That was one of the first things I checked.

[rdlangston13]

Are you going to get the Expedition in 4 wheel drive or 2 wheel drive.

2 wheel drive, we would never use 4 wheel drive where we live

[rdlangston13]

So Heidi met up with a dealer who had one that had everything we wanted except it was our 2nd color choice. The other dealer that had our primary color choice did not have the options and we figured interior options trump color when it the alternate color was just a close 2nd. Here is a picture of Heidi standing next to it, she put a deposit down and we will be finalizing the paper work Tuesday. Pretty excited to get a NICE car for the first time in my life lol.

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/11801940_10103336413168157_24505196_n_zpsaaxjxcxo. jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/11801940_10103336413168157_24505196_n_zpsaaxjxcxo. jpg.html)

[rdlangston13]

So when do you plan to hook the boat up to it for the first time?

Probably not until we get about 1,000 miles on it or so


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[BamaMojo]

Ah yes, good thing is all limited come with the heavy duty trailer tow package. That was one of the first things I checked.

Nice Expedition! Been considering the EL myself! Let us know how you like it as a tow vehicle after you break it in!


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[rdlangston13]

So after a couple months of ownership and a couple thousand miles I have a short review of things I like and things I do not like on the Expedition. Vehicle is a 2015 Ford Expedition Limited.

Driving around town the Expedition is very smooth and quiet minus the electric cooling fans, but you can really only hear those from outside. The 3.5L ecoboost V6 seems to have plenty of power, I don't think I have ever even given it more than 1/2 throttle and it gets up to speed on the interstate with ease and you can hit 80 without even realizing it. It drives very smooth and they really nailed the brake pedal feel. I drove my buddies 13 F150 and it seems way too sensitive and the older GMs I have driven seem like there is a foot a travel in the pedal before it grabs. The expedition is just right. I really like the remote start but I wish the range was longer but I bet everyone wishes that. The cluster is very well laid out but I do wish I could get an actual number for the oil pressure instead of a message that reads "Good". Also the trip meter does not give you a "gallons used" fuel reading like the F150s do. I with it had this. The power 3rd row seats are awesome and the 2nd row buckets fold flat for storage and flip up for 3rd row access extremely easily. I like the audio and AC controlls in the 2nd row as well as the 110V outlet. Seems like it would be useful on road trips to power a lap top or other small home devices. The dual USB ports in the center console are also useful, I keep my Ipod plugged into one and can access it through the my ford touch and the other is free to charge mine or Heidis phone. There is also two 12V outlets in the front and one more in the 2nd row and I think one in the 3rd row if you need more power. The knobs for the radio volume and climate control feel a little cheap, I think they should have made those a little more robust.

The new head lights look nice but the color does not match the LED fog lights so when both are on it looks goofy from the outside. Also the brights are still hallogen bulbs. The turn signal has partial setting for changing lanes where it blinks 3 times and then turns off, they need to make this customizeable where you can increase the number of blinks in the settings menu. Three blinks is barely enough to get out of your current lane. The Blind spot warning system is useful but the indicator could be larger. The back up camera with zoom seems to work great, i used it one to hook up a trailer and nail it the first time. Also there is a parking lot warning system that alerts you if there is someone coming from the right or left behind you as you are backing out of your parking spot, that also seems to work great. The front parking sensor are excellent for getting it into our garage as well.

Ours came equipped with the over head sunglasses holder and I wish we would have gotten the conversation mirror. On explorers the lift gate opening height is programmable so if you are in a garage you can program it to only open so far to prevent it from hitting a garage door, not sure why they did not do this on the expedition. We cannot open the rear hatch in our garage since it is so tall it will hit the garage door. Also the TPMS does not give you live tire pressures like the GMs do, that is one thing I wish they would change. The memory key feature works great, and my wife and I both love it. It remembers seat placement, mirror placement, steering wheel place, and pedal placement and will go back and forth depending on which key you unlock the doors with. This leaves only the rear view mirror than needs to be adjusted when swapping from her to me driving.

Fuel mileage has been decent with an overall average of 17.4 mpg. We achieved 23.9 on our way back from the lake house a few weeks ago which is about 115 miles and has speed limits ranging from 55 to 75 mph but I would say the majority was spent at 65 mph. I only pulled the boat a short distance at 55 mph but it seemed to do much better than the Hemi Ram we own. Never down shifted to make it over a hill on a road where the Ram would have done it 5 or 6 times are least and it averaged 12.4 mpg.

Overall I really like the vehicle, there are a few small things I would change and I almost think we should have gotten the EL but I am happy. Looking for a rack i mount on top to hold wakeboards since the back is so small you really fit more than 2 board back there unless you fold down the 2nd row.

[That Guy]

Good review and glad it's working out well for you guys. I hear ya on the EL desires, my uncle has one and it's NICE!

We want a new SUV, I like the Expeditions but my wife likes the Suburbans but from what I've seen they are nowhere near ~$35k for a well optioned one, and that's the main reason why I bought an F-150 instead. It was nearly half the price.

Post some more pictures of the expedition when you get a chance, love the color!

[mmandley]

pretty decent review Dave,

I noticed with my Eco that after 5K and then 15K I gained a noticeable bump in mpg. I was always mid teens and up to 17.5 to and from work.

After the 15K mark it went up to 18mpg to work and home.
The difference was even when on the Highway I always only averaged 18-19mpg and that's keeping it under 70 all the time. Some of this might be due to my truck being 4x4 and yours being 4x2.

How ever I never got 12 towing, and while I don't doubt you got that on your test, being on flat roads will help, you can expect a realistic MPG towing your boat to be 10-11 and below 10 through hills and mountains. While the Eco doesn't lack power once you get over 2K RPM you are boosting those turbos and they will drink a lot of fuel.

[rdlangston13]

Yeah Matt Norwood has the same expedition we do and I think he averages around 10.6 mpg towing his LSV. I attribute my 12.4 to being on a 55 mph road.


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[Woody929]

I do, sitting in it now in the rain averaging 0 mpg waiting for a high school football game to resume due to lightning :-)

I do agree with most of your issues, don't care about the oil pressure though. It seems like of all the cars I've had in the last 3-5 years from different manufactures if they made 1 with the best features of each there could be one hell of a vehicle.

[rdlangston13]

A couple more things I forgot to mention that I think ford over looked. They smart key system works great but it only unlocks the driver door by pressing the key pad or it can unlock all the doors depending on how you program it. It would be nice if one press of the key pad opened the driver door and two presses opener all the doors. Also they need a proximity sensor for the key at the rear lift gate so when the car is locked and you need to unloaded groceries all you should have to do is walk up and put the button on the lift gate


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[rdlangston13]

More pics as requested.

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/15CBDE93-3A31-454D-AF23-0D623692268A_zps3ybbjewk.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/15CBDE93-3A31-454D-AF23-0D623692268A_zps3ybbjewk.jpg.html)

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/4D9ADC26-08C9-4A8F-B6BA-A43A5C5A96E3_zps4lp1hwms.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/4D9ADC26-08C9-4A8F-B6BA-A43A5C5A96E3_zps4lp1hwms.jpg.html)

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/9C74A32F-1F7F-4F4B-9606-FB09C84C0867_zpsusvm0mci.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/9C74A32F-1F7F-4F4B-9606-FB09C84C0867_zpsusvm0mci.jpg.html)

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/E2961FA4-FB20-4E1C-9C5E-40931C9C79D4_zpsqph94wrs.jpg (http://s1130.photobucket.com/user/rdlangston13/media/E2961FA4-FB20-4E1C-9C5E-40931C9C79D4_zpsqph94wrs.jpg.html)

[csm]

A couple more things I forgot to mention that I think ford over looked. They smart key system works great but it only unlocks the driver door by pressing the key pad or it can unlock all the doors depending on how you program it. It would be nice if one press of the key pad opened the driver door and two presses opener all the doors. Also they need a proximity sensor for the key at the rear lift gate so when the car is locked and you need to unloaded groceries all you should have to do is walk up and put the button on the lift gate


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Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, but I can open either just the drivers door, or open all doors by hitting one more button on my F150's keypad. So basically I hit 5 numbers to open the drivers door and 6 numbers to open all doors.

[rdlangston13]

We have the smart key when if the key is in your pocket you just have to press any single key and the driver door will unlock. They need to set it up to where you can just press a key twice to open all doors or once to open the drivers door. That's how our z car was. I don't want to type in the whole code lol


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