Ford Excursion- any good for dogs? - Page 2

..........................

What ever happened to those F-100's with the 300 six and a camper shell?

we have an expedition (not quite as long as the excursion) we can fit a large and an x large crate side by side, so a total of  4 crates with seats folded down.  plenty of room for gear as well.  excusion should handle even more.  thing i like the best about it is the rear a/c.  we can cool everybody down real fast.  usually, after about 20 min of riding, all the dogs have flipped over on their backs with feet up in the air and it ain't long till we hear SNORING. hehehe.  the only thing i don't like about it is that we have 17" tires on the thing and it puts it pretty high up in the air for loading dogs, crates and gear.  we have talked about getting another set of rims and tires for summer use and just keep the 17" for winter use.  that may be the plan.

pjp

You must be able to handle what you want in an Excursion as I can fit 3 500's in my 1994 Bronco!  Two side by side and one turned sideways behind my seat (dog jumps in as a rear passenger would and crates easily).

Tina

Your right Molly it is heavy (3/4 ton) but it'l tow any trailer I slap behind it, dog or horse, go in the snow, up or down mountains. I don't have a dog trailer so I need room in the vehicle until that day. With the heat here, the A/C is important as is the limo tint on the windows. I like the high clearance for going offroad, camping, into the snow and just anywhere. Long trips are awesome, plenty of room for luggage or equip without taking up passenger room. I can take 3 other couples for a weekend in Tahoe and when they all split for gas, it's nothing to drive up. I love my car and wouldn't trade it for another make/model even with the souring gas prices. Like I said, I don't commute, I feel safe driving my daycare kids around town in it and it's big so I drive allot slower than when I had my Monte Carlo. Haven't had a ticket in either beast (had an 04 before I traded it for the 05). I'm just so not minivan material, trucks can't carry the passengers I need room for and most the smaller SUV's don't even have hatches big enough for a XL crate to fit through. The only other thing on the road that would work for me is the econoline van Ford makes and that costs just as much and has the same engines to choose from. If I ever have to drive more than 15 miles to work again, I'll get a Honda Civic or something like it and the Exc will be retired for special trips and dog training.

Yes it is good for the dogs lots of room but the gas is another issue. I use a mini van have both a 1998 and a 2008  Dodge Caravan and have never found anything better with dual air conditiong to keep the dogs cool it is hot in alabama...plus I get four 500 crates with the stoe and go seats that fold down and around 26 to 27 miles to a gallon the real beauty of the mini van 

Marlene

Have you  ever considered a chevy tahoe ? I have one outfitted as a K-9 Response unit. It is awesome. It has both front and rear ac units.

Mike

 Thanks for the suggestions.  I would love the fuel mileage that a mini-van gets.  The big problem is I need seating for 4 people and room for 3 500 crates.  I've had terrible luck with chev's lately, but I haven't ruled it out.  Can you fit 3 500 crates in the long wheel base tahoe?  Thanks for everyone's input.

You guys are making me jealous.  I've been looking at all the big SUV's for sale in the paper.  People are dumping them because of the gas mileage.

So, I'm stuck with a Honda minivan.  Beggars can't be choosers.  My mechanic talked us into the Honda.  He has Chrysler/Dodge minivans in all the time for tranny trouble.

Micky

I've always driven Chevys and had excellent luck with them lasting a VERY long time (300,000 miles +) with very few problems.  They are simply lighter and more fuel efficient, also  much more comfortable to ride in, than the Fords.  Dodge isn't even on my list of considerations, unless you  like repair bills :).  A 3/4 ton Excursion is about 1,000 lbs heavier than the 3/4 ton Suburban, same amount of room inside I believe.  Plus the Ford is higher, with bigger tires and stiffer suspension - all cutting down on fuel economy.

molly