Anyone on here own a Ford Expedition?? - Page 2

Jenni, You said do NOT get the 3rd row seat... why is that? Just because of the car seat issue? I do not have kids, so I wont be using a car seat anytime soon...lol.

Wow. One of our trucks needs to go. We don't need two. I know my sister-in-law flipped her Explorer on a snow covered road. The guy that had the Excursion didn't like the way it handled. I loved my 98 Tahoe and sold it to a friend with 85,000 miles, no issues but for me if i needed it in bad weather to get to the vet in an emergency, that was too many miles.

The Silverado crew cab fits one 500 crate. My Toy van fits 2 500 crates and another 500 in front of them, but that thing is awful on a dusting of snow. 

Expedition might be one to look into next.

I drive a Tahoe...apparently the vehicle of choice for many of our local LEO K-9 units as I've seen several parked in and around the Super Bowl village here in Indy.  I love it except for my having racked my passenger side mirror backing into the garage last night.  I'll try during the next week to chat up some of the K-9 officers up so I can get some pictures of the dog boxes.  Keep in mind that their purpose and ours is quite different so their trucks are likely to be outfitted for a single dog and have electronics to control and monitor the vehicle temperature and send warnings to the handler/partner if there are issues that endanger the dog as well as remote door activation.  I'm sure Jim (Slamdunc) can elaborate on these devices.

Jyl, the reason I say that is because while they are easy to take out, you still have holes/brackets in the floor that are annoying; they can trap paws, dirt, get caught on crates, and there are seatbelts that either hang and bang against the window or if they're attached to the floor, then they take up space that you need for crates. My second Expedition had a 3rd row seat. I took it out and put a big piece of plywood on the floor to cover the holes/brackets that the seat hooks into. The 2nd row is a 60/40 folding if I remember right...or a 70/30, so the car seat was no big deal either way. 

Caleb needs a 700 crate. I don't crate my dogs in the car under normal circumstances, but if I have him in the car w/Simon and my son, I need to separate them. I can't risk a fight in the car w/my son right there, or over my son, even worse. So, I need a 700 and a 500; either dog will let the other one out to fight if only one is crated, so I have no choice but 2 crates. If we're driving cross country,and I have some loose passengers as well, they need somewhere to stretch out. I have had 3 crates in it, and you could do 4 if you're folding both seats down.

If you got a great deal on one w/a 3rd row, it's doable...but if you have a choice, skip it. The ones I had were older. I had a 98 that a customer was trading in that had only been on cross country trips and was IMMACULATE and I had an 02 that my best friend owned and his kids and wife trashed. It was perfect for hauling dogs, but then my picky self decided it was too dirty to haul dogs in and I sold it. LOL. 

Fords seem to have more space in the back than their other SUV counterparts- something about the more square shape. I have a newer Grand Cherokee now, which I love (Hemi is fast...;-) ) but the angle of the rear window makes most crates not fit. An Explorer has a bunch more room. Sometimes dimensions are more important than size. I learned that the hard way when I picked Capri up from O'Hare and discovered her crate wouldn't fit unless I took it apart. Good thing she was calm and neutral! 

I would definitely buy another Expedition if I needed more crate space though. One of mine was well cared for, the other was beat...both were extremely reliable and never had any issues. I put an alternator on the 98...in 2009, so not complaining;-)

Something I should add as a safety disclaimer......

If you hit your own mirrors while backing in or out of your garage, you may want to stick with better handling vehicles. Or let a woman do the tricky maneuvers for you.   

Jenni,
Here is what I drive now, so it is NOT small... it is diesel though.. so that helps some. I am still in the thinking stages right now. I do like the Expeditions and am going to test drive one on Monday to see what I think of them..
Here is my current truck.. it a 2003 F-250 4X4 crew cab with an 8 foot bed..

"If you hit your own mirrors while backing in or out of your garage, you may want to stick with better handling vehicles. Or let a woman do the tricky maneuvers for you."

Depends on what you mean by, "tricky maneuvers."   

Oh, Keith, I think I like your style. 

Jyl, then you won't care much about the mileage. I would love to have a truck, but I am too paranoid about crates flipping out in an accident. I can't make myself put a dog in an open bed. 

Jenni, that is one of the reasons why I want to get the Expedition.. I am nervous that something might happen to my dog. Although I do have one of the diamond plated dog crates on its way to my house... that will be MUCH better than the normal plastic dog crate like I have now. But I want a vehicle that I know my dogs will be safe in. I like my Fords, so I am hoping to stay with one.  As for gas milage I am use to not so good milage anyways...lol... so I do not think it will be much different than I am getting now. The one thing I am NOT happy about is that they do not make the Expedition in diesel.. I have been driving a diesel since 2001. I love my diesels, so going to a gas powered vehicle will take some getting use too..

The worst part of it, Jenn, is that my Tahoe is an LTZ so I have power folding mirrors...all I had to do was hit the button.  I'm finding that the replacement...chrome-cap, power folding, heated, integrated turn signals, auto dimming, puddle lights...all of those options get expensive but what does one do?  Pain is my teacher.