As I've posted elsewhere on the forum, I'm the very proud owner of a 2005 Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 quad cab. The truck is super clean with an amazing history and a very low 140k miles on it. It's been fantastic to tow our travel trailer and we have literally crossed the country in it.
However, we rarely use it. With the high cost of diesel and the shrinking back seat (or are my kids growing?) combined with the 8' bed being both a blessing and a curse (awesome for hauling things, but the truck is literally over 20' long) I have considered buying a replacement.
After passively watching Facebook Marketplace for months now I've purchased the new rig.
It's a 2011 Ford Expedition XLT. This particular one has had only two owners, the first keeping it 7 years and up to 101k miles, the second for the past 5 years up to its current 159k miles.
Candidly I was concerned about the miles but I was attracted to the ad for a number of reasons. The first was a relatively short description and few pictures. Over the years I've found some of my best cars from ads like this. Essentially my feeling is that the folks who add 50 pictures and a "War and Peace" level description are also car people or are actually dealers, both of whom are in it to make a buck. Shorter ads are often folks who don't sell a car frequently, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad rig. I like the color and equipment.
Anyway, I messaged the seller who almost immediately called me (at my request). We spoke at some length and I decided I needed to see it in person.
It's a "short" XLT with the 5.4 liter V8. Those are known to be pretty reliable save for the issue with spark plugs. They can either spit out a plug or if never changed they can weld themselves to the cylinder head. I asked her about it, and in fact she had recently had all of them and the coils changed. The truck starts, runs and drives beautifully.
It is equipped with leather, heated seats, factory navigation, factory tow package with 3.73 gears (which makes its tow rating 9200 lbs), moonroof, power tailgate, etc.
The seller shared the VIN with me and I ran the Carfax. It shows one accident which we discussed. A delivery truck veered out of its lane as they passed the literally knocked the power mirror off the drivers side. Insurance paid for a new Ford replacement. A close examination showed zero paint work and an overall straight body verifying what the seller had told me.
The truck has a very clean body and of note is that the tailgate has been refinished. These are aluminum and are apparently very likely to have corrosion pop up which led to the owner paying out of pocket to have it redone at a really good local body shop.
The interior is clean and smoke free with some cracking of the leather on the drivers side front seat. Typical of the miles and year.
Of note it has a recent battery and TWO keys/fobs that work!
A deal was struck and I pick it up Tuesday. Not only will our family find this more practical while being able to tow our camper, but it's a far less expensive vehicle than the diesel which I will sell this summer. That money will see its way into a couple of college funds...a win win!
I'll add to this thread once I get it home, but in true GRM fashion I wanted to get it posted before it was here haha.
