Tahoe or Expedition?

[snowforfun4]

I don't want to start a brand war, but I am looking at buying an SUV to replace my company provided Explorer that will likely "go away" soon. Previously had an Expedition and loved it, but the mpg was less than impressive. I am now thinking about a Tahoe or Yukon as well as the Ford version. Probably something in the 2005 range with 75 to 80k miles. (Wife's turn for the newer car). Any thoughts regarding reliability, gas milage, motor reputation? Whichever one I go with will be 4x4. Small boat so towing capacity is not a real issue.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I don't want to start a brand war, but I am looking at buying an SUV to replace my company provided Explorer that will likely "go away" soon. Previously had an Expedition and loved it, but the mpg was less than impressive. I am now thinking about a Tahoe or Yukon as well as the Ford version. Probably something in the 2005 range with 75 to 80k miles. (Wife's turn for the newer car). Any thoughts regarding reliability, gas milage, motor reputation? Whichever one I go with will be 4x4. Small boat so towing capacity is not a real issue.

My 2007 Tahoe tended to be sloppy, had a large turning radius and went through front tires fast. It was really nice to drive but it would get the trailer swaying if you drifted to one side of the road and then corrected to get back. Long slow easy corrections were fine. Before that I had a 07 Silverado with the V6 that I thought was going to be great for gas mileage but I hated that gutless piece of junk. I suppose I'd just had enough when I switched up and went to a F350 Super Duty but I have to say, this is one tough truck that tows stuff like a dream and with a 4200 lb payload there's very few times you need to make 2 trips to the landscape yard. The other huge draw back to the Tahoe was the cargo area. I had the 8 passenger version and with the back seats out and the rear seats folded down I still either ran out of room or had to take another vehicle for the passengers.

My friend with his Expediton always seemed to have room for just one more thing. My Tahoe did have plenty of power, i wasn't dissapointed with that but I think if I was to look at buying something like that again I'd be looking hard at the Expedition.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

+ 2 for the Expedition.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I have a 2005 Expedition with 83k miles on it (56k when I bought it). I've had it for just under three years and have been very happy with it. It's got plenty of room and power and tows well, and the ride is not bad for a truck. Like all vehicles it does have its issues, specifically three that Ford has known about for years. One of them is sticky fuel injectors that can cause a hard start. They did the right thing on that one and issued an extended warranty. The other two are: throttle bodies that like to crack and spark plugs that like to break off in the block. I had the pleasure of spending 600 bucks on a new throttle body three months after I bought the truck (major safety issue that I won't get into, but you can find a thread on it here or DC; I forget which). Thanks Ford. Haven't changed the plugs yet, but it's on my to do soon list. Other than that it's been a great truck. I'm very happy with it and plan to keep it a long time.

 

[snowforfun4]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

Any issues with transmissions on the Expeditions or tahoe(/yukon/suburban whatever)...? When I sold my 99 expy, I had just had the ball joints replaced and it drive like new, including shifting, etc.

 

[whynot162]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I have a 03 expy, with 172K on it. Very few issues. I run the 4.6L and have a truck for towing. It has needed a fuel pump, and the elbow on the back of the intake. That is all I have done to it, and oil changes about every 7K miles.

We got it over the others because of the back seat, the lower floor and the way the middle seats fold up make it so my 17 yr old can still get back there and ride on long trips ok. But they do ride more like a truck.

Alas, In all honesty, I am a Ford guy also...

 

[jkust]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

Where the Tahoe and Yukon is concerned, 2007 was the transition year to the new body style that is still in use. The 06 on down are a lot less expensive. I'll bet I see 100 to 1 Tahoe/Yukon (mostly Tahoe) to Expedition on the road. The 5.3 in the GM's is venerable to say the least. Not the most powerful but relatively bullet proof. I've had 3. MPG's are bad all around even with 4 cylinder mode equipped 5.3's aka displacement on demand which at best increase mpg 5% and that is a bit of a stretch in real world driving. Don't forget about the Escalade with its on demand AWD as apposed to selectable 4wd is the same vehicle if you like things a bit upscale.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

Haven't changed the plugs yet, but it's on my to do soon list.

Hope you don't have the dreaded spak plug removal problem the engines in these have. If you are doing them yourself, google the procedure you need to follow. I would be changing them sooner than later.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

Hope you don't have the dreaded spak plug removal problem the engines in these have. If you are doing them yourself, google the procedure you need to follow. I would be changing them sooner than later.

That makes two of us Bruce. I'll be addressing that in a few months and plan to let the pros handle it.

 

[blouderback]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. I think they are both great vehicles. The thing that made me decide on the Ford Expedition (well, Lincoln Navigator), was the fact that the 3rd row seats fold away to a flat surface, and the Tahoe does not do that. If you want the extra cargo space on the Tahoe, you have to completely remove the 3rd row seat and store it in the garage.

 

[jkust]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I'm a GM guy because they depreciate the fastest for the ones I buy but I feel that they tend to lag behind everyone else feature-wise like the fold flat seats. That said it seems the small vehicles all get the newest, latest and greatest and the full sized suv's languish with old technology far longer.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. I think they are both great vehicles. The thing that made me decide on the Ford Expedition (well, Lincoln Navigator), was the fact that the 3rd row seats fold away to a flat surface, and the Tahoe does not do that. If you want the extra cargo space on the Tahoe, you have to completely remove the 3rd row seat and store it in the garage.

Folding third row is one of the main reasons I went with the Expy. I wouldn't take anything for that feature. So handy.

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

"03 is when they started the folding 3rd row, it's a great invention and having a 3rd row has to be a great selling point down the road. I've had 4 Expys, including my current 04. Loved them all. the first 2 had the 5.4 and the last two the 4.6. I did plugs on the first 3 with no problems, maybe I just got lucky. As for MPG the 4.6 probably does get the extra 1mpg they claim on the window sticker. They've all been good to me, no problems towing my boat with either engine but it's only about 2000lbs. The drivers seats are definitely different, Expy's seem more upright whereas Tahoes seem to have a lower seat height. Try sitting in a couple and see which you prefer. The only other repeated "big" problem with the Expeditions is paint peeling off the tailgate and sometimes the hood. There are a couple other frequent problems but none overly expensive to fix.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

I did plugs on the first 3 with no problems, maybe I just got lucky.

What year models were your Expeditions and what engines were in them?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

That makes two of us Bruce. I'll be addressing that in a few months and plan to let the pros handle it.

Be prepared for an over $600 bill if the plugs are breaking. You do have the 5.4L right?

Ford has a bulletin that describes the procedure. I would do it myself and have this tool on hand:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00267PZUK/

I used to have a 2004 F-150 and was getting ready to do the plugs but I sold it before getting to them. It had low miles(<50K) so I wanted to get those plugs out before the problem developed.

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

What year models were your Expeditions and what engines were in them?

Guess I actually had 5. I had a 98, 2000 and '02 with the 5.4. They weren't fun but otherwise no real problems doing the plugs. Required buying a special 8 or 9 mm wrench and a big hammer to bend it to the right angle to get the coil pack off the rear 2 cylinders, I think the passenger side was the hardest. It also involved a lot of swearing. The broken plug problem may have come after those years but there was some plug issue in those years also, maybe with stripping out, not sure the cutoff years for each problem. Had no problems with my first '04 with the 4.6, just not fun to do it either. I've read some on the Ford Forums where they say there are problems with the 4.6 plugs and others say there aren't.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

Guess I actually had 5. I had a 98, 2000 and '02 with the 5.4. They weren't fun but otherwise no real problems doing the plugs.

The reason you didn't have problems is that those years didn't have the engine that had the problem with the special plug. Years 2004-2008(fixed during 2008 model year) of the 5.4L 3V engine had the problem. Your engines were the 2V engines so it had completely different heads and spark plugs.

The 4.6L never had the problem.

 

[jimr]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

My wife had an expedition and I hated that thing. it handled like a rock. I wouldn't drive it I let her do the driving if we went anywhere. she traded for a trailblazer that I liked but it was under powered and then we got a v8 moutaineer and I drive it but don't care for it. At work we have 2012 tahoes for the police department and they are awesome power handling braking they have it.

 

[snowforfun4]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

Seating layout on the Ford can't be beat! I had the 4.6 also and it had more than enough power to fit my needs. It sounds like ride quality is the only real advantage that the Tahoe has over the Expedition. Maybe fuel consumption. What kind of actual highway milage are you guys seeing for cruising speed of around 75 mph?

 

[HopinImFloatin]

Re: Tahoe or Expedition?

wow,im outnumbered but my vote is for GM. I have an '04 tahoe and love it, except for the mileage but if you want fullsize, you pay for fullsize(13.5 mpg not much highway). Stupid simple engine to work on and very few problems with the vehicles overall. I may be biased, been a gm tech all my life and thats all i have ever driven. I have 118000 on mine and plan to have it for at least another 5 years, shouldnt be a problem. Its just tough to keep any of them(gm, ford, whatever) from rotting out underneath you, depending on your location obviously.