Early-2000s Excess Lives on in Oklahoma, Where You Can Still Get Your Hands on a 'New' Ford Excursion

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

The 2000s is not a decade remembered for its achievements in gorgeous vehicle design (Saturn Ion, anyone?), but it was a time that, until the final two years, saw Americans taking advantage of a good economy and low gas prices.

A good many of these citizens used their healthy salaries to purchase a symbol of excess, and the Ford Excursion represented the pinnacle of that early SUV wave. Built atop a Super Duty chassis, and boasting a 6.8-liter V10 in its engine roster, the Excursion offered cavernous cargo room and seating for up to nine. The passenger count figure was similar to its city fuel economy. Indeed, compared to the nearly four-ton Excursion, the Hummer H2 and Jeep Commander looked almost… efficient.

The passage of 14 years since the model’s U.S. demise hasn’t tamed owner enthusiasm and loyalty one bit. Owners still want to replace their old Excursion with a new one, and a shop in Oklahoma allows it to happen.

Check out this Detroit News piece on Custom Autos By Tim, a shop in Guthrie, Oklahoma that cranks out 40 “new” Excursions a year. There, shop owner Tim Huskey marries the front end and chassis of newer F-250s with the passenger cabin of salvaged and reconditioned Excursions, linking the two near the A-pillar.

Builds take two months, but customers are willing to pay $100,000 for the privilege of taking home a new Excursion. Others are willing to fork over a hefty sum just to keep their beloved Excursion in the family.

“What I hear all the time is people wish Ford would build the Excursion again,” Huskey said. “I’m 99 percent sure I’ll be selling them for the next five years. Excursion drivers love them. They will keep buying them.”

A Massachusetts Excursion owner reportedly paid Huskey a price in the high $40k range to restore life to his ’05 model. The engine, transmission, and dash from the existing model went into the build. One Florida Excursion aficionado bought four.

One problem encountered by Huskey is the fact that fourth-generation, aluminum-bodied Super Dutys, introduced for the 2017 model year, aren’t suitable mates for Excursion marriage. Sourcing third-gen Super Dutys with rear-end damage is growing more difficult.

“People beg me every month to figure out a way to use the ’19,” Huskey said.

While Ford still offers buyers three rows of comfort — as well as greater efficiency — in a full-size, body-on-frame SUV (Expedition and Expedition Max), there’s something about the Excursion that breeds devotion. Owners don’t want to make the switch.

Despite disappearing from the Ford lineup after 2005, the Excursion remains king of the road in the hearts and minds of many Americans.

[Image: Ford]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Cdotson Cdotson on May 02, 2019

    You should also check out MegaX2 in Utah. Started with double-Mega cab Rams but has also done 6-door Excursions on newer SuperDuty chassis.

  • Reino Reino on May 02, 2019

    The best part of the Excursion was that the early ones could be had with the 7.3 Powerstroke. Without that, it’s really not that special. The ones with 7.3 will be collectors.

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    • HotPotato HotPotato on May 04, 2019

      @DenverMike One day I was at the Ford service advisor's desk when he had to tell a contractor what it was going to cost to repair his 6-liter diesel. I'm trying to think of the right word to describe the reaction: horrified? crestfallen? dumbstruck?

  • Rochester "better than Vinfast" is a pretty low bar.
  • TheMrFreeze That new Ferrari looks nice but other than that, nothing.And VW having to put an air-cooled Beetle in its display to try and make the ID.Buzz look cool makes this classic VW owner sad 😢
  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
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