I am in the market for a new car, and I have it narrowed down to a Ford Expedition or Chevy Tahoe. My dad used to drive a brand new '98 Expedition when I was in college. I loved driving that thing. But I have no first hand knowledge of Tahoes, or how they compare to Expeditions. If anyone has ever owned either of these cars, I'd love some first hand information about either SUV. Thanks!
Honestly, just go test drive both and see which one you enjoy. If you talk to enough people, you'll get opinions from across the spectrum as to how a certain car performs. You've heard the doozie "Found On Road Dead", right? Well, in the last 4 years of owning a Ford, the only problems I've had have been man made. It's all how you like it, especially when it comes to Ford and Chevy.
I've had quite a few Fords in my life, and not a single one of them ever had any significant problems. My last Ford was a 1997 F-150, and it was great (other than the gas mileage). That said, I think the Tahoe is a better looking vehicle on the outside. My father has a Tahoe, though, and while the seats and stuff are nice, the dash/radio/all that seems pretty cheap. I thought my F-150 was much nicer looking on the inside.
Just so you know, the Tahoe and the GMC Yukon are pretty much identical(As if you couldn't tell from outward appearance). The Yukon probably has a few more luxury features, but the Tahoe can be had for less...probably a good 4-5K less. If you're willing to go smaller, I would go for a Honda Pilot. 4Runners are great too, but I prefer the Pilot interior. The Sequoia is more comparable in size to the Expedition/Tahoe, though. I say go for the Sequoia if you need a vehicle that large.
I've heard all about Ford's reputation. However, I've had a Mustang for 4 years now and had very, very few problems. (Probably 2 in that time span, and one was a factory recall). I'm happy with my Ford experience. Honestly, I prefer the Tahoe. I'm thinking about buying a used vehicle (first time to do this)... Probably a 2003 model with less than 10K miles. That's the reason I'm soliciting advice... I'm kind of nervous about buying a used car, so I wanted to get some first hand info. Again, thanks guys!
Well, my Dad has had his a couple of years now and hasn't had any problems. A friend of mine as an '01 Tahoe. He's selling it now just because he's moving to Los Angeles, but he said that if it got better gas mileage, he'd be keeping it instead of his Altima. It's been problem free for him (and his looks brand new still, despite being a few years old at this point. But he takes great care of his cars).
Definitely drive both. For school we occasionally rent SUV's for athletic trips. A few weeks ago we had both a Tahoe and an Expedition. The tahoe rode like crap but the Expedition had the worst driver view I have ever dealt with. There was a handrail for the driver to use when getting out that you couldn't see thru when driving. It also had terrible blindspots. The tahoe wasn't a problem to drive but the ride was crummy. Bumpy and rough. When my wife and I were looking for a car 2 years ago we had almost settles on a Tahoe. we got talked into looking at Honda's (we had both owned them previously) but I hated the Passport, and the CRV was way too small. We got to the dealership and fell in love with the pilot. It is easy to drive and the ride is great. It is a slight bit smaller than the other two but it does have fold down 3rd seats that give it a good bit of storage space and also make it easy to convert. we have had no service problems with it and in the last Consumer Report I saw, it ad one of the top safety ratings, if not the top rating.
Well, I was in the market for a Tahoe last year. Drove it and absolutely loved it. The one I test drove over at Henna Chevrolet didn't have leather, but the seats felt like a sofa. It drives really smooth too. Downside is the 14 mpg in the city. That means every trip to the grocery store or to the mall will cost you the price of a gallon of gas. The Expedition's longer and bulkier than the Tahoe. Not to mention that it has the stigma of being the soccer mom car of choice. Considering you're single, it's probably not very practical. If you don't mind spending the $$$ on gas, then go for the Tahoe. Me personally, I opted instead for a sedan. More practical, quicker, and more luxurious. With all the good choices like the Acura TL, Infiniti G35, Saab 9-3, Volvo S-60, and Audi A4 I recommend you try one out.
Even though the Excursion is Ford's answer to the Suburban, I've always felt that an Expedition was more along the lines of a competitor to a Suburban. I believe that the Expedition is larger than a Tahoe, but I'm not quite sure. In my experience, I've enjoyed the Tahoe much more. I've test driven both, plus I have driven my parents' Tahoe (and Suburban). I just prefer the GM SUV's all around to the Fords. I believe that if you test drive them both you will enjoy the Tahoe (plus I think you get a little more bang for your buck when it comes to luxery items). The ONLY thing that I like more on the Expedition (and this may be a big point to think about) is that the third seat in the Expedition folds down with the push of a button. I'm not sure if that option is in all models, but the Tahoe does not have that option at all. In some shopping, I think you will find that you can get Tahoes and Yukons for about the same price for about the same packages...so if you are at a GM dealership and they have both, but the Yukon is the color you want or something, don't hesitate to get it if the price is the same....same car.
Is there any reason you need an SUV? If you're not carrying, hauling, truckin' stuff around what's the point? The gas mileage on those things are pretty horrific. And if you don't need anything that big, why get rid of a car that really hasn't given you any problems? Cars should be able to go for 75-100k without too many problems nowadays. If you have a lot of problems within the first 50k miles, the car sucks in my opinion. There are also hybrid vehicles coming out now if you don't mind waiting. GMC will be bringing out least a hybrid pickup within the next year or two I think. Oh, and I have no opinion on either. If it were up to me I'd buy the Tahoe, but that's just because I'd never be caught in a Ford. Good luck!
As far as reputation, consider this: I have a Ford F-250, 166,000 miles on it, no problems whatsoever and we've had it since it was new. Before that Ford we had a Chevy. Went through three transmissions before selling it to some poor soul at 110,000 miles. It is my honest to goodness unbiased opinion that, quality-wise, Ford makes better trucks/SUV's than Chevy. And this may be my own bad luck, but just about every Chevy I've been associated with through friends over the last several years has had some sort of electrical problem. But like RM95 said, just go drive both and see what you like better.
I'm not really dissing Ford, but every GM vehicle we've owned has gone 150,000+ miles. I wouldn't know after that because we tend to sell them. I think you have an equal chance with both GM and Ford to making it to 150,000+ miles with no issues, or tons of issues...its really luck.
If you're comparing 2003's, I'd say get the Tahoe. We had one from that body style and it was a great vehicle. If you're comparing 2004's, get the Expedition. That four wheel independent suspension makes it ride like a dream--its just a more updated and more nicely appointed vehicle. In the past year, I've had that Chevy Tahoe and two ford trucks. The both make really nice vehicles.
Truthfully? Not really. When I graduated college, my dream car was a convertible mustang like Brandon Walsh's. I've had it for 4 years, and now I'm tired of having such a small car. The fact that the size of its trunk and back seat equate to about the size of a drawer just irks me now. The only good side is that I'm never "the one" to drive whenever I go out with friends, since basically it is a 2-seater. However, b/c I rarely go out with friends and enjoy my hermit lifestyle, I'll never be the "driver" with an SUV. Again, truthfully, its vanity. I want a big car. I want the feel of driving a big car, and I'm tired of a small vehicle. Naturally, I'm not going to jump into this because I know my reasons are stupid, costly, and essentially a waste of $$. My Mustang has only 39K miles on it and could easily take me into my 30s (I'm 26 now). I just feel a need for a change and wanted some opinions about the vehicles while I research. Thanks again dudes!
Dude, if you buy one of those enormous things, you may as well reactivate your cellular plan. Expedition vs. Tahoe? Winner: ? Loser: Earth and drivers of sensibly-sized cars. Sincerely, Hippie-Bob
That's the ultimate car that I want to buy. But they're a tad pricey, and I can't justify forking over that kinda cash... when I could just as easily drop it into savings. (I kind of have a "thing" about putting any and every extra penny into my savings account... b/c you never know how the future will turn out.)
