If they fought - Excursion vs. Yukon XL

Tin Roof

Tin Roof

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I have 2 vehicles on my radar for a family tow rig. Primary use will be to pull a 7x23 enclosed trailer with either snowmobiles or our sxs in it, and 4-6 adults on trips anywhere from 6-17 hours one way. Some shorter trips in the 3 hour range. We’ll do these trips 6 or so times a year. Otherwise it’ll get used for short trips when we have our grandson or short shopping runs.

#1 is an ‘04 Excursion V10 with the Eddie Bauer trim package. It’s at a dealership and looks mint in the pictures. 190k miles. Listed at $9k.

#2 is an ‘02 Yukon XL with the 6.0. It also has 190k miles. It’s not nearly as nice as the Excursion, but also looks pretty clean in the pictures and is listed at $5k. AC doesn’t work and has the typical GM dash lights on, ABS and check engine. *edit - the Yukon is a 2500

The cheap ass in me says buy the Yukon, save the $4k, and fix what needs fixed. The “getting lazy in my old age” part of me says pay a little more money for the Excursion with the cushy interior and cross your fingers that nothing needs fixed, at least in the first year or so.

Based on experience towing with either of these, which way would you guys swing. Let’s pretend the cost isn’t an issue.
 
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V10 for towing. Or use the $4k savings to rebuild and tune the 6.0 to 500hp
 
They put the v10 in a lot of RV’s for a reason. It will make the big box go down the road.
 
Why would you buy a vehicle with 190k to go on 6-17 hour trips?
v10
 
BUCKLAND said:
Why would you buy a vehicle with 190k to go on 6-17 hour trips?
v10
Click to expand...

To me 190k isn't a lot of miles. I also have a company vehicle that I can use as a personal vehicle, so this thing is going to sit 40+ weeks out of the year. This vehicle will only probably see 5-6k miles/year.
 
Excursion, but I'd hold out for one with a 7.3 or a rebuilt 6.0.


330K on mine. It's coming due for a tranny rebuild, and some new fo fast(er) parts. Injectors, turbo, fuel pump, etc. Nothing crazy, just enough to get out of it's own way.
 
I had a 2002 F250 4x4 V10. I have never disliked a power train more than that V10. I would take my 1/2 ton 5.7 ram any day over that V10.
I also have a Denali with the 6.0. Solid Meh, not great not horrible.
 
I would assume the Yukon you are looking at is a 2500.

I cant help by that but I have hauled my crawler and 4 wheeler with my 04 Denali XL it has the 6.0 but it is only 1/2ton. It does ok but I dont trust the 10bolt or the trans why GM put a 4L65 behind a 6.0 is beyond me. The 3/4ton will have the 4/L85 at least which I would trust over a Ford trans but thats just me. Besides that I wish mine was a 3/4 ton with 4.10s.

My 6.5 Turbo Diesel Blazer pulls better than my Denali. They will both pull at 80mph all day but the Blazer downshifts way less and does not try blowing itself up by downshifting to second gear with the cruise set at 70 when it slows just to 68mph.

I like to set the cruise and go to sleep in the back. :flipoff2:

My vote would be wait for a 8.1 3/4ton Yukon/Suburban or get the V10 Excursion.
 
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I would take the excursion, although it is overpriced. A real Y pipe and a tune from 5 star will wake it up.
 
Poke said:
They put the v10 in a lot of RV’s for a reason. It will make the big box go down the road.
Click to expand...

They put the V10 because they didn't have a decent V8 till the 6.2

I've driven Uhaul box trucks with both the ford V10 and the 454. I'd go for a 6.0 or a 8.1 that V10 is a dog even with the pedal pinned to the floor.
 
No experience with the v10 excursion, only one I've ever driven was lifted/37's and stock 4:30's. It did ok. Was expecting it to be a turd and it really wasn't.

On the flip side I would not be scared of a 6.0/4L80 with 190k miles on it. Ive got one now with 210k that i plan on keeping another 5 years.
 
Despite the power, the longer and heavier vehicle will have the best road manners and be the easiest to drive that far. To me that is more important than having to maintain 75 mph pulling a trailer in the passing lane going up hill.
 
BUCKLAND said:
Why would you buy a vehicle with 190k to go on 6-17 hour trips?
v10
Click to expand...

My 26 year old xtra cab Toyota has made several trips from Las Vegas to Ohio and back without a hiccup. I’d rather drive it than a new GM vehicle. The first time I drive it I didn’t even check the transmission fluid or bother to see if it had a spare. I figured if it broke down bad enough I could just set it on fire. :flipoff2:
 
Aisin said:
My 26 year old xtra cab Toyota has made several trips from Las Vegas to Ohio and back without a hiccup. I’d rather drive it than a new GM vehicle. The first time I drive it I didn’t even check the transmission fluid or bother to see if it had a spare. I figured if it broke down bad enough I could just set it on fire. :flipoff2:
Click to expand...

No shit. My f350 has 437,000km right now and if someone needed me up north I'd grab the ferry over and drive for 2 days. I'd probably check the oil before I left.
 
Squamch said:
No shit. My f350 has 437,000km right now and if someone needed me up north I'd grab the ferry over and drive for 2 days. I'd probably check the oil before I left.
Click to expand...

I did check the oil at least. My cousins wife thought I was crazy. I had the truck for years and did nothing but oil changes and one set of brake pads. Her new Acadia or whatever the fuck it’s called had been to the dealership 3 times in 6 months for problems. :homer:
 
Aisin said:
I did check the oil at least. My cousins wife thought I was crazy. I had the truck for years and did nothing but oil changes and one set of brake pads. Her new Acadia or whatever the fuck it’s called had been to the dealership 3 times in 6 months for problems. :homer:
Click to expand...

I have a gallon jug in the tool box, so it would at some point occur to me to check it.
 
ckupq said:
They put the V10 because they didn't have a decent V8 till the 6.2

I've driven Uhaul box trucks with both the ford V10 and the 454. I'd go for a 6.0 or a 8.1 that V10 is a dog even with the pedal pinned to the floor.
Click to expand...

They still build RVs with the V10.


I like the V10, and the ford platform is more comfortable to me.

That said repairs will be cheaper on the GM.

Both may need suspension work before towing much, typical worn out GM IFS, and the excursions come with pretty soft springs from the factory that don’t handle weight all that well.
 
Coming from someone who owned that exact yukon, get the excursion.

The one I had fits your description perfectly, it wasn't a pos, but not perfect. Had 230k so from what I've read I had plenty of years left in the drivetrain. I immediately had trans problems along with multiple engine issues. Then add the way that 6.0 drinks fuel and puts out pretty meh power for that big of a rig, I offed it. Barely able to squeak 12 mpg with the stock pizza cutters and 8" frame height is sad.

I did like somethings about it, so if you really like the yukon, make sure you get one that's nice enough to throw a trans in when it needs it.
 
Excursion, V10 will outpull the 6.0 stock to stock.

You dont mention the trans in the Yukon but if it doesn't have the 4L80E even more reason to go Excursion.
 
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Excursion hands down for your application.

Ridgway has half a million+ miles on his v10 and all of it towing heavy.
 
LOL at everyone who is saying a '04 2v v10 is going to have a lot more power than that LQ4. Probably the same horsepower, and a touch more torque with the v10 but since you've got a transmission the small difference is pretty much irrelevant.

GMT800 6.0 yukon xl hands down for me. Everyone I personally know with a v10 has had what I would consider serious mechanical problems. Headgasket due to factory assembly error, rod out block, dropped valve, worn timing chain, blown spark plug x4. They are both going to use fuel but the excursion will use more. It's neat to have a solid front axle, but for driving anywhere I like the comfort of the IFS as long as some yahoo hasn't put "performance" shocks from autozone on it.
There is also starting to be a bit of an Excursion tax showing up for some reason while the millions of gmt800 yukons/suburbans have the market nice and flooded and prices suppressed.

And seconding the comment about rust. The most important thing on a used vehicle to me is rust, and there are a lot of rusty piles of early 2000's trucks in Iowa. Even if it looks good in pictures, the rust has already started on something that old in iowa, and if the rust has been "fixed" it's even worse. Head down I35 to MO or farther and do your shopping there. Will save you a lot of work, money, and frustration in the future regardless of what you're buying.
 
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Get the 6.0L truck. Like someone already mentioned, the gm will a lot cheaper to own down the road. The comments about interior comfort are pointless, you like blondes..I like brunettes.....he likes redheads, the seat comfort is purely subjective. Parts prices and reliability are not. Get the burb/yukon, toss a texas speed cam in and pull the shit out of that trailer. Gas mileage is moot in this comparo also, you're pulling a fairly large box with a gasser, you clearly dont care about the environ:lmao:ment.
 
I have a 2500 Suburban with the 6.0. It’s as reliable as a hammer. Comfortable, easy to work on. It’ll tow anything ok. Either one will do the job, I’m sure. I’ve had very good luck with my Suburban.
 
I feel like both of those vehicles are significantly overpriced for trucks that likely need a suspension overhaul and will probably need a transmission rebuild any day now.
 
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Used a V10 excursion to pull a plot combine around VA. We also towed a tractor and planter with it. Never had a problem, but it drank gas.

You probably won’t have an issue with the 6.0 either, but I would take the excursion over the Yukon.
 
Tin Roof said:
I have 2 vehicles on my radar for a family tow rig. Primary use will be to pull a 7x23 enclosed trailer with either snowmobiles or our sxs in it, and 4-6 adults on trips anywhere from 6-17 hours one way. Some shorter trips in the 3 hour range. We’ll do these trips 6 or so times a year. Otherwise it’ll get used for short trips when we have our grandson or short shopping runs.

#1 is an ‘04 Excursion V10 with the Eddie Bauer trim package. It’s at a dealership and looks mint in the pictures. 190k miles. Listed at $9k.

#2 is an ‘02 Yukon XL with the 6.0. It also has 190k miles. It’s not nearly as nice as the Excursion, but also looks pretty clean in the pictures and is listed at $5k. AC doesn’t work and has the typical GM dash lights on, ABS and check engine. *edit - the Yukon is a 2500

The cheap ass in me says buy the Yukon, save the $4k, and fix what needs fixed. The “getting lazy in my old age” part of me says pay a little more money for the Excursion with the cushy interior and cross your fingers that nothing needs fixed, at least in the first year or so.

Based on experience towing with either of these, which way would you guys swing. Let’s pretend the cost isn’t an issue.
Click to expand...

It is really important to know if the Yukon is a 1500 or 2500 because they made an xl with a 6.0 in both. If it isn’t a 2500 it is just an overloaded Tahoe with a 4l65e
 
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