Looking for tow vehicle purchase guidance

New guy here, I'm looking for some help and guidance with the purchase of a new to me tow vehicle.

A little about what I'm currently towing with and what I am towing; I have a 2000 Excursion, 2WD. 7.3l diesel, the truck has a DP Tuner, exhaust and a few other goodies, it flat out moves! My trailer is a newer 20' 5000lb GVW hybrid. Obviously I'm overkill on the tow vehicle at this time. I literally do not even know the trailer is back there :) I also tow a utility trailer to gather firewood in the summer, and occasionally a car/trailer, max GVW around 7k lbs.

We moved into the mountains above Denver, CO a couple of years ago. My wife and I have decided the Excursion must go, we have tried and tried, and just cannot deal with a 2WD truck where we live in the winter. It now sits parked for 6 months out of the year. We would like to have another full size SUV, 4WD this time, to serve tow and utility duty and as the family vacation mobile.

My budget for a "new" tow vehicle is $10k max, this puts me out of buying another 7.3l Excursion. With how many miles we will put on this truck, about 6-7k per year, and what I am towing I can’t really justify the extra initial expense plus maintenance of another diesel anyway.

I have been looking at V10 Excursions and 2002 – 2006 Suburban’s. I’m partial to the 3/4 ton Suburban’s, but I’m not sure if I really need a 3/4 ton truck. I have driven a couple of 8.1l Suburban’s, I like this engine, but do I need it? We enjoy the size of the Excursion, buy again, just not sure if we need a vehicle of that size. We do have three kids so the third row seat is a must. The room behind the third row seat in a Tahoe or Expedition is not enough for us, so these vehicles are out of the question. 4WD 1/2 ton Suburban’s are for sale everywhere in my area, and they are cheap too. I’m just concerned about the towing ability/durability of the Chevy 5.3l and the 1/2 ton chassis, our towing is mostly in the mountains, above 9000’. I have also looked at GMC Denali’s with the 6.0l in them, this might be an option, not sure about the AWD system and not having a low range gear in the transfer case.

I’m looking for any help and suggestions on this. Thanks!

Tow Vehicles

15 Replies

FishStick
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014
APT wrote:
The 7.3L is worth relatively so much partly because the 6.0L that followed. Demand has gone up for the 7.3L. Anyway, leverage that and sell! Personally, I would not pay $10-15k for any vehicle with 250k miles.

The 7.3l's are in demand. They are great motors, able to make a decent amount of power and get good fuel economy yet not harnessed by all of the emissions garbage plaguing the newer diesels. But, I agree, I will not pay the asking price for one either, at 250k a lot of things need attention on the vehicle regardless of the engine condition. That is one of the reasons I will not buy a 4x4 7.3l Excursion.

I have been offered more for my truck then I paid for it - I have put 70k miles on it and enjoyed it for 5 years. I think this will be the first vehicle I have ever made money on!
2oldman
Explorer II
Jan 16, 2014
Look in want ads under "new to you" trucks.
APT
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014
The 7.3L is worth relatively so much partly because the 6.0L that followed. Demand has gone up for the 7.3L. Anyway, leverage that and sell! Personally, I would not pay $10-15k for any vehicle with 250k miles.
jerem0621
Explorer II
Jan 16, 2014
If that excursion 2wd is in good shape I would search auto trader etc and then consign the ex to a dealership in the southern states.

Those 2wd with the 7.3 can go for 12-16k in Tennessee depending on condition. 4x4 in great shape can approach 20k around here.

Jmho

Thanks
FishStick
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014
Thanks for all of the great feedback!

I will try to answer a few comments and add my thoughts from what you guys gave me, please do not take offense if I leave somebody out, I appreciate all of the feedback and anymore you have.

It sounds like I should shy away from anything 1/2 ton. That is kind of what I was thinking, though if I went to a 1/2 ton, there are a lot more options and choices out there. I’m not really interested in a Flex, it looks like a cool car, and I’m a Ford fan, but I want (and think I need) a truck based SUV. So this leaves me with either a 3/4 ton Suburban or another Excursion. If I go with an Excursion, it will be a V10, based on the 7.3l prices and I do not want a 6.0l truck and I really do not want a 5.4l Excursion.

I have looked into doing a 4wd conversion on my truck. It is a little more involved than one would think. The front suspension mounts different, the electronics are different, etc. It is not cost effective for me either, I have been quoted in the neighborhood of $6 - $8k to have it done. I am mechanically capable of doing it myself but do not have a garage and lack the motivation to do this kind of swap :) And I still end up with a truck with 250k miles on it, I have no issues with the motor in my truck, it will probably run forever. I am starting to see some other age/mileage issues creep in that I would rather not mess with. As much as my wife and I like the Excursion, it’s days with us are numbered.

So I guess it come down to deciding if I want an Excursion or Suburban and tracking down the right one. Prices on the 8.1l Sub’s seem pretty soft, I have found a couple of nice trucks with acceptable mileage on them for under $8k. V10 Excursion prices seem to always be low as everybody wants a diesel.
Lantley
Nomad
Jan 16, 2014
Wishin wrote:
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I would stick a 4x axel and transfer case under the rig you have and be done with it. Boom, under the amount you want to spend on a used rig. If you like what you have just keep it.

This seems like a nice solution if you can get it done right for not too much money.

Certainly worth looking into. Otherwise get a V-10 X with 4.30 gears or 8.1 Burb
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jan 16, 2014
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I would stick a 4x axel and transfer case under the rig you have and be done with it. Boom, under the amount you want to spend on a used rig. If you like what you have just keep it.

Great idea.
Wishin
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I would stick a 4x axel and transfer case under the rig you have and be done with it. Boom, under the amount you want to spend on a used rig. If you like what you have just keep it.

This seems like a nice solution if you can get it done right for not too much money.
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014
I would stick a 4x axel and transfer case under the rig you have and be done with it. Boom, under the amount you want to spend on a used rig. If you like what you have just keep it.
Wishin
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014
Flex might work for the hybrid trailer, but not for the 7k lb GVW car hauler. 7.3 Excursions are still pretty pricey, I looked at them briefly but decided I wanted a Suburban anyway and they were a bit cheaper. I bought my 8.1L 2500 Suburban back in Sept. for $9800 and I'll have nearly $13k in it by the time I'm done fixing it up to functionally new condition. It is in great shape but does have 134k miles on it. Runs great, tows great.