Picking the right vehicle

[Chris_12]

Here is a puzzle for you all. For a while, I have been looking to get a vehicle that can tow an enclosed trailer as well as future-proofing since I move around about every 3-4 years (so I can throw in my daily driver and a bunch of other crap plus I get paid to move my own crap). Based on what I have found, the Ford Excursion diesel is the winner, if I can find a good one within my price range. Here are the pieces:

-able to tow ~9000 lbs (enclosed trailer+4k lbs car+some extra crap)
-something that is reasonable as a daily driver (if I decide to move sell my current one)
-not high mileage of course (<230k for a diesel excursion? Is that high for those?)
-under $10k (15k for vehicle and 18ft enclosed trailer)
-able to sleep in the back (preferred, but not required. i prefer not a pickup especially a 4 door truck, but again, open to suggestions)

Any ideas/suggestions?

[Rick Kirchner]

GM 2500 HD pickup, 2WD, 3.73s, and the 8.1 with the Allison. Put a cap on the back. You can get 15 mpg with that setup, and its an overbuilt, simple, towing monster.

[john f]

I'd go with a e250/350 van. Ton of room, tow anything all day long, ok mileage. I would not go with a diesel. High maintenance, crappy mileage, noisy. Just my $0.02.

john f

[Roux]

I tow my 20 footer with an E350 van with the 5.4L gas engine. Two rows of seats and a full 6+ foot long sleeping double bed behind that. so for a race weekend, my best setup so far. And parts like a starter or radiator or alternator, should you need one while on a trip are super easy to find. The bad is it makes a very poor daily driver unless your commute is short. the springs are very stiff and the driver seat is actually quite cramped. AC or Heat takes a while to get the big box cooled or heated. Your tolerance for the daily driving aspect will dictate whether you hate or love the van as a solution. When you do your moves, you will have the exact setup you need to get your stuff from A to B

[Purple Frog]

Just back from round tripping to Colorado and back in our E350 van with fully loaded enclosed race trailer.
Queen size mattress in the back.
Gas!
80 mph.
Van now has 125,000 miles. No sweat. No problems.
Everything in the back doesn't get wet, nor stolen.

[andyllc]

I have a diesel Excursion and love it. I have also inflated a queen size air mattress in the back and slept. It tows wonderfully. However, you won't find a good one for under 10. Truly good ones will be closer to the 18-23K range.

[Chris_12]

I have a diesel Excursion and love it. I have also inflated a queen size air mattress in the back and slept. It tows wonderfully. However, you won't find a good one for under 10. Truly good ones will be closer to the 18-23K range.

That pretty much sums me up. What would you deem high mileage for those? I am opening up my search to the 350s and 2500HDs that have been suggested, but I keep coming back to the excursions (and I am a GM guy).

[andyllc]

That pretty much sums me up. What would you deem high mileage for those? I am opening up my search to the 350s and 2500HDs that have been suggested, but I keep coming back to the excursions (and I am a GM guy).

I will tell you my experience but certainly what is high or important to me can vary person to person. I bought mine two years ago with 107K miles. Mine is an 05 6.0. Ford had two different engine/transmission combos for the diesel Ex's. The first few years had a 7.3 liter engine and a (relatively) weaker transmission. The last few years they had a 6.0 diesel with a better transmission. The 6.0 had some engine issues though primarily with the oil system. You can read a bunch about 'bulletproofing' the motor which fixes those issues (few thousand to do this). This is the route that I went because I wanted to have a good transmission since I use it to tow primarily and by doing the fixes to the engine I have a ton of confidence in the engine.
To answer your question though it depends on the motor. The 7.3's can go for what seems like forever although the transmission can often go around 150K. The 6.0 engine would usually go in the 120-160K range unless bulletproofed and if so then a long long time. Separate from that I think once you hit 200K on any vehicle you start to get a lot of squeaks and noises and such which is just normal wear and tear over time. I plan to have my Excursion for 10 years still and expect to have it to at least 220K miles or more.

[Rick Kirchner]

Every diesel in a light pickup seems to need "bulletproofing". Except for Cummins....

Topkick with a CAT 3126/C7 and a camper on it.....

[Fletcher Wulff]

Recently upgraded from an E350 gasser to a Ram 3500. My E350 did everything I needed it to but was beginning to have too many small issues (it had over 400k miles on it), it did take a transmission at about 200k. I would get 7-8 mpg with my 30ft trailer loaded. My Ram with the diesel is great. I bought it with 150k miles on and it's closing in on 200k. Tows great, avg over 20mpg without towing and about 12 mpg towing. I went with an 06 because it was the right price and seemed to be the right year as far as maintainence goes. I also got one with the 6 speed which I like a lot.

[ewcmr2]

I'd go with a e250/350 van. Ton of room, tow anything all day long, ok mileage. I would not go with a diesel. High maintenance, crappy mileage, noisy.

What diesel is high maintenance and gets crappy mileage? That sound like a gasser description to me. Old diesels are loud.

[xxguitarist]

We have a 98 E350 with the 7.3 PSD and a tune, we routinely tow a ~2k lbs trailer with ~3k lbs car. It handles this easily. In the past, we have towed an enclosed. Also fine, but the open is better MPG. We average high 15.x MPG when towing.

The van is not a perfect daily by any means, but an exceptionally useful tow rig & Home Depot run truck as well. 4x8s fit vertically or across the floor (with shelves removed). Lots of room for spares on the way to events, everything is dry and accessible.

[Jnovak]

I have a 2000 F350 dually Diesel with 142K miles. Magnificent!!

[bedowinn]

Diesels do have some maintenance quirks you won't have with a gas motor. The mileage is superior and they will pull anything.

If you go Excursion, save yourself the headaches and stay with a 7.3 PSD. The 6.0 has enough of a bad rep you will always be guessing when it will fail. The 6.0 came midway in the 2003 year lineup.

I think the 7.3 had forged rods up to 2000 and then went to powdered metal sintered in 2001. Probably not a big issue for towing.
A good chip will wake up the 7.3. My old truck had a tuner from Tony Wildman (DP tuner) and it was great. Better throttle response and better fuel mileage.

Which ever diesel you buy, get a set of gauges to monitor the EGT and trans temp.

I'm now towing with a new RAM2500 6.7 diesel. The exhaust brake is awesome!

Good luck

[Feffman]

Is anyone towing with a newer GMC Yukon Denali XL? Want to know if the 6.2 liter Eco3 engine, drivetrain, etc. are up to the task of a 24-foot box trailer.

Feff

[BorkRacing]

I have a 2015 Silverado 1500. It tows horrible. Rear end squats with only a 200lb tongue weight. Blows all over road when a semi goes by. I used to use a BMW X5 and it towed like a dream, 80mph and no sway. Will dump the Chevy this summer, never again.

[marshall9]

I have a 2015 Silverado 1500. It tows horrible. Rear end squats with only a 200lb tongue weight. Blows all over road when a semi goes by. I used to use a BMW X5 and it towed like a dream, 80mph and no sway. Will dump the Chevy this summer, never again.

Try a Ram. Coil overs on all four corners make a difference in the problems you describe. For the naysayers about coils, look at a railcar, lol. Better ride when unloaded as well. For a small bore formula car, 3.6L V6 is enough (285 HP) as long as you can operate with a 20' or less trailer, depending on weight. Mine gets about 12 mpg towing at 65mph, 10 at 75 mph, and 23 when not towing.

[EACIII]

The 1500s look like the 2500 and 3500 from the outside but under the sheetmetal not the same truck. A 1500 is for your teenage daughter to drive to a school homecoming barn fire. It is not a real truck. Contractor friend of mine calls them Barbie trucks.

Now the only problem towing with my 2500 CC is when merging back to the right lane after passing a car on the highway is remembering the trailer is back there so you don't chop what you just passed.

Ed

[charleswdaniels63]

The best tow vehicle I have ever had is a 2016 Chevy Silverado 3/4 ton Duramax Diesel with a crew cab to transport 6 racers and crew. It may be more truck than you need, but it will do most anything you need. I use it to haul small bumper hitch trailers all the way up to a 36 foot gooseneck carrying 5 (!) Formula Fords and accessories Tows like a dream with all. And hauls trash and Christmas trees between races.

[chrisw52]

The 1500s look like the 2500 and 3500 from the outside but under the sheetmetal not the same truck. A 1500 is for your teenage daughter to drive to a school homecoming barn fire. It is not a real truck. Contractor friend of mine calls them Barbie trucks.

Now the only problem towing with my 2500 CC is when merging back to the right lane after passing a car on the highway is remembering the trailer is back there so you don't chop what you just passed.

Ed

agreed. I briefly had a 2015 ram1500... I put a 1/2 cord of wood in the back and that experience scared the crap outa me.. Back-end of the truck was a over the place. Whom ever designed that rear suspension setup needs to think about a different career.

My old '98 2500 was an awesome tow vehicle, but it had a hard life before I bought it and the driveline was showing it's age. The engine however, was running perfectly

[tige00]

Hands down get a Ford f350

[Feffman]

The best tow vehicle I have ever had is a 2016 Chevy Silverado 3/4 ton Duramax Diesel with a crew cab to transport 6 racers and crew. It may be more truck than you need, but it will do most anything you need. I use it to haul small bumper hitch trailers all the way up to a 36 foot gooseneck carrying 5 (!) Formula Fords and accessories Tows like a dream with all. And hauls trash and Christmas trees between races.

Hands down get a Ford f350

As much as I'd love to buy a diesel 3/4 ton pickup, I'm trying to reduce the parking lot at Castle Feff to one less vehicle, thus the thought of a new Denali as a daily driver & tow vehicle. Currently I rent a 3/4 diesel from Enterprise Commercial and although it's a near perfect scenario from a business stand point, it's a hassle if I need to do a quick tow to a mechanic, single day event, etc.

Feff

[Nick11]

Roux, haven't had a van for years but when I did,I would throw a blanket over the drivers and passenger seat and let it hang down in the back. That would keep a lot of the heat in the front.