1997 Ford Expedition | Retro Review 

This brings back some good memories of my very first trip from Europe to the United States in November 1997. A friend of mine and myself were to visit the Comdex Fair in las Vegas (who remembers that :)) and made a stopover in Salt Lake City for two days where we rented a blue metallic Expedition. I could not believe it - coming from Europe with a VW Golf as my reference this was all I had hoped for seeing all the American movies: a huge 5.4 V8, all the luxuries I could imagine, and it was soo roomy! We had a blast driving around, just soaking in all the new experiences. Loved the car and the trip!

This was my mom's dream car and she actually got one, a '97 black XLT model. For as long as I can remember we've had that vehicle. After several years of wear and tear, going back and forth to NY, FL, and the mountains from NC it was passed down to me for my first car. Drove it for several years and then passed it down to my little brothers for their first car. Long story short, we've owned our expedition since new and still have it today because it won't give up and it's not worth selling. Honestly, it's the best vehicle we've ever owned.

Finally! Someone's reviewing the first gen expedition. Just have to wait for the second gen review.

These and 90s beige Tahoe's are apparently indestructible, I still see them all the time

I owned a '97 Expedition XLT 4 x 4 with the 5.4 L engine. Always got me through the Minnesota winters and the serious snow. Pretty good ride and a great interstate cruiser for road trips.

My grandparents had three or four of these. They lasted a LONG time.

No wonder I still see these on the roads sometimes - $27k in 1996 is about $47k today! Better built than some of the SUVs of today, too.

Wow, what a blast from the blast! I remember how smart the original Expedition was in approach. It was bigger than the Tahoe and yet smaller than the Suburban. Brilliant!

I can’t believe how popular these 1st gens still are, being that it was 20 years ago. I have seen a few 4.6 2 valves with 300,000 miles and counting. I’ve also ridden in one recently and the doors are heavy like bank vaults.

I can't see this Expedition without thinking Final Destination. On the other hand new car prices have sure creeped up way higher than the average household income!

I love the integrated running board lights on the first generation Expedition. Looks cool!

my mom had a 2wd 4.6. they actually got decent mileage and the interior was very comfortable

Great looking design never gets old.

Today October 2, 2021, the Expedition celebrates 25 years in showrooms, being launched on October 2, 1996. Having worked on the most recent update to the Expedition (U553) for MY 2022, it's worth noting and thank Motor Week for posting this right before its 25th anniversary.

My folks bought this car new in 97. Today it's my dog howler and weekend fishing rig with 270k miles and still rolling. Love this truck.

OOMMGGG WHAT A NOSTALGIA

Wowwww takes me back to my childhood. I grew up riding in Ford Explorers, which I loved. So when the Expedition and Navigator came out, omg I was beside myself. And a few years later the Excursion came out...again I was blown away. These trucks are the reason I only drive big V8 Fords as an adult.

I remember driving home from college at Penn State in the 90's a year before the Expedition was released and seeing one being tested with manufacturer plates on I-80 in PA. It was so cool back then

I still have one of these, a 2000 XLT with 127k on it. 5.4, 4WD and the stout 4R100 trans from the Super Duty trucks. It tows moderate loads really well and has tons of room for camping trips, with a nice interstate ride to boot. Bought it for $2,700 and maybe spent another grand in maintenance parts to make it bulletproof again. Crazy that you can have so much vehicle for so cheap these days... I got lucky to find one in 2018 with only 100k miles.

119" wheelbase seemed so big back then. But today's Durango has a 121" wheelbase and the Suburban has a 130"! Super-sized, 'Murica!

I just love retro prices 😂😂

If you remember riding in one of these as a kid. You know you had a good childhood. My mom drove an Eddie Bauer with dual flow masters and an alpine folding head unit with a alpine amp sub and vcr. Awesome ride.

I remember when these came out. I was 11 and obsessed with them. I first sat in one at Sam Galloway Ford in Ft. Myers Florida. Still love the first generation design even to this day.

My neighbor down the street from me has a maroon first-gen Eddie Bauer Expedition. It's a little worn out, but otherwise, I'm glad to see it still kicking. It's "Built Ford Tough" for sure!

0:48 understatement of the century

One of my uncles has had one of these since the late 90s. He still drives it. Never had any issue with it.

Didn't know Gus Fring moonlighted at Motorweek back in the 90's. Might have explained John's expanding waistline, he got hooked on that fried chicken lol

Still running a 98 Expedition with 214k mi. It's still an excellent SUV that serves the need. If you maintain these they will not die. I'd take this generation over a new one any day.

Man, the memories. From 97-99, Ford owned this segment and stole GMs thunder. The 1997 Expedition was a much more superior product than the Tahoe in terms of interior design, space efficiency, an creature comforts. I would still give the GM 5.7L V8 and 4L60E trans the edge in performance and power. And obviously GM was embarrassed by Ford when the Navigator came out in 1998, and was an immediate hit. GM responded with warmed-over Yukons to create the Denali and Escalade. But the 2000 Tahoe/2002 Escalade clawed back at Ford and haven't looked back. Even with the 2003 revamp of the Expedition/Navigator and their fully independent suspension and even greater interior efficiency wasn't enough to offset the GM triplets. And that has remained true to this day.

I bought one in 2000…what a vehicle! Bulletproof reliability and king of the road feel!

My neighbor still has his 2000 Expedition XLT. It has around 173,000 miles and still going strong. He does all the maintenance himself.

I had a 99 for a few years I loved it! I put that truck through hell and it never let me down

These were everywhere

My is on her 4th expedition started out with a 1997 xlt, a 99 E.B which my cousin now owns, an 03 xlt totalled in a accident and now a 2015 EL she loves her expeditions.

Who’s hoping that the Ford Excursion might be bought back from the dead? Last time Ford had the Excursion was in 2006 model and hopefully it will happen someday. Yes I know it’s a video of the Ford Expedition. Ford for life. 😊

I remember when these came out loved them had 3 toy Expeditions when was little. My grandfather had one he bought used gave it to his mother until she wasn't able to drive. My neighbors relative has one a blue its loud can hear it when they pull up louder than pick up truck.

These trucks was amazing. Even today, if u're lucky to find one with no rust and the reliable 4.6 loaded.. man.. I don't care what my wife will say.

Ironically that's like the size of an explorer now lol Still a nice looking vehicle now.

This should tell you something about the used car market when I graduated high school in 03 your could pick up a 97 with 100k miles for around$6500

Talk about memories... my mother had this same unit when I was growing up. Loved getting dropped off to school in it 😆❤

Some dude up north here in Canada is rolling around in one of these, and it's CLEAN. Love it.

The old Eddie Bauer edition lol

I was definitely definitely Team Tahoe then, and wouldn't revise that if given the choice today. The 4.6L Expedition just didn't have the power it needed. I hated that engine in everything that used it.

My parents had a black 98 the issue was the transmission was acting up they try to stop it until the transmission made the engine oil spill and cost $2,000 i gave a like for the memory. We owned a 2018 Honda hrv

Ford caught on and saw GM had a 200,000+ unit "niche" completely to itself with the Suburban and Tahoe. Why didn't Dodge get in on this gravy train boggles my mind. They had a smash hit with the 1995 Ram pickup, imagine a big SUV with the same styling. Even better if they offered the Cummins diesel. Like I said, bunch of morons running Chrysler back in the 90's, wouldn't have cost all that much to develop since it would've been a pickup frame/suspension/engines/etc.

My dad owns a red 2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer. It’s a little different than this one but basically the same thing. My dad paid extra for wood looking materials in the interior, a huge front bar grill with lights and premium wheels. It’s so cool. My dad’s Expedition has a 10-disc changer and different seats though. Wonder what that’s about. And in my dad’s Expedition the running boards are a beige color, not black. I can’t believe how cheap a fully loaded Expedition was back then! Now it’s way over $70,000!

I got this truck brand new and still have it. No issue with it. And with the way they make car and trucks today you can't find a suitable replacement

I had one as a rental car one time as Hertz must have been out of Compacts. I was impressed at how comfortable it was to drive as I'd never driven something so big. I'd never consider owning one because of its size and thirst, but I enjoyed my brief time behind the wheel.

Grew up in a 97 or 98 dark blue Eddie Bauer. I can still remember the smell of the leather and sitting in the very back seats on long trips. Probably had that car 20 years before it was totaled in an accident. Easily the nicest car we had

I tried so bad to put 400,000 miles on 97. I only it got to 389,000 and I was gifted with an Audi allroad. In 08 during the housing crisis I was spending $40 a day on gas for a half of tank. I do miss looking down on people.

I remember this expedition my mom had a 2000 model before she traded it for a navigator. But 27,000 is insanely cheap consider that 2022. Would cost you 56,000 just for a xlt today !

My 1998 Eddie Bauer is still running strong.

Do the Canyonero next!

This is when the Ford Expeditions were real SUVs unlike the new ones.

I bought used Expediiton 10 years ago. It ran great and the suspension felt like it was on clouds

I have a 99 and other than a few minor rust issues. Been very good to me over the years

Wow $27,000 for a base Expedition times have changed now it’s $55,000 for a 2021 base Expedition

In the Philippines, Ford Expedition seats 10 to 12 in 3-3-3+3 seating configurations. 3 at the front including 2 passengers and 1 driver, 3 at the 2nd row and finally, side faced seats for 3 peole on each seat, double the 3rd row side faced seats, that will be 6 people at the 3rd row.

Keep mine For almost 20 years great SUV

This just reminded of a funny story. I live in Michigan and as most know the winter can be harsh. Anyhow me and my dad was riding through a blizzard back in 02-03 and rounding a blind curve we come up on this massive SUV laying on its side. Initially we didn't know what type because we only could see the undercarriage but it was an expedition. We hop out to check on everyone and there's a lady and 2 guys standing out. The lady was the lone occupant of the vehicle and unharmed. She claim the truck just lost it but it was apparent that speed was the factor. Well instead of calling the police she called some family members of hers that arrived and came up with a brilliant plan to rock the SUV back on its wheels 🤣🤣🤣. It was 4 guys ranging from 150-180lbs. Me and my dad watched these guys rock the life out of this SUV and it wasn't budging 🤣🤣🤣. A Michigan trooper pulled up while these guys were still trying to upright a EXPEDITION by hand lol. The trooper jumped out and said WTF are you guys doing. They lady said trying to pick the SUV up. The officer started laughing and said ma'am a tow truck is on the way.

I wish my family could have had this truck 🛻 back then!

My mom had a 1997 Green Eddie Bauer. That thing took us everywhere and she owned it for about two decades. The 5.4 in that thing was very torquey and made the suv feel like it didn't weigh anything at stop light acceleration. I vividly remember it getting 8-11mpg on average

I was waiting on this!!!! Now the first generation navigator 😀😀

I gotta say the first gen exp.(aka the explorer big brother)was more sought out for…then these new ones

LOVE watching John from wayback in the dayback. Nothing but facts when he said there will be people "lined up to buy one".

My parents had one these 1998 types as well as a 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis and a 2000 Ford Windstar, and my older brother and I were excited about our Expedition, and we had fun in the second row of it together, but that was until our little sister was adopted, she was invading personal space and blocking the only two cupholders in the second row. My brother and I couldn't use those cupholders anymore and we couldn't get our sister to stop pestering us, and all that was bothering me way more than my brother because I have autism. There was a third row behind us, but our parents refused to let one of us move back there, but there was a pop out tray for me and my brother to use, we just had to have our mom pass our pop cans to us and then retrieve them from us, and it was very annoying, inconvenient, and unfair. It was also unfair, annoying, and inconvenient to have to intervene against my sister when our parents refused to tell my sister to stop, once in a while, they told her to stop, but she still wouldn't. She should have been disciplined, but wasn't, so I did the best I could to get my sister to behave herself for me, but it wasn't good enough. In our Grand Marquis, it was worse, there was no third row seat behind us and no secondary cupholders in the first row or even primary ones in the second row. My parents got me and my brother a plastic tray with cupholders because the second row never came with cupholders for us, so we used it until our sister was adopted, and then it got worse than in our Expedition because my dad took our tray away and there was no third row, and my brother had no choice but to hold our cans in our hands and it was worse for me because of autism. It wasn't all that bad in our Windstar because the second row had two bucket seats, one of us had to go to the third row which was what I needed because there were cupholders for each and every seat, and I needed peace and quiet away from my sister way more badly than my older brother. In most families with three kids, the oldest one would normally get the third row such as my older brother, but even if I was his younger brother, I needed it more badly than him because of his autism related reactions against my sister, so I got to use the third row in that van, and I was happy about that. I was never happy about our Grand Marquis in any way because of cupholders and I couldn't take a nap because the seat wouldn't recline. The third row of our Windstar by surprise could even as a bench seat, but I had no one to share with. But after being happy about our Expedition, I wasn't anymore when my sister came onboard taking up space between me and my brother, so after so many times of having a bratty girl filling the middle of the second row, with cupholder blocking, and personal space invading, and harassing, in there and the Grand Marquis, I had just about enough in a very angry way. I called my grandma and told her what a bad girl my sister was, what a bad couple our parents were, what a bad truck our Expedition was, what a bad bench seat our second row of it was, same for the Grand Marquis, and what a bad design they each were. She had a talk with my parents and they were frustrated at me just for exposing them in front of my grandma, but I had to defend myself. I have autism, and I was the real victim and she was the real bully, and she should have been punished, but wasn't and I should have gotten rewards sooner, but unfortunately in today's society for immediate families, it's the other way around, but after having a talk at the dinner table eating dinner, they noticed that I had banned my sister from entering my room with no movie time and I told them why, and so after a while, a big change had finally been made, we stopped using the Grand Marquis as a group of five and used the Windstar even more, and my dad would take his Grand Marquis mostly to go to work, and we still kept using our Expedition, but in a different way, instead of having my sister take up space again like our Grand Marquis, we made the exact same arrangement as we did in our Windstar by having me in the third row behind my older brother and little sister since my brother was ten times better at dealing with my sister than me and wasn't as much of a target to my sister as I was. With my sister moved over to one side, the only two cupholders of the second row were reopened and reaccessed again and I got accessibility in another way, both walls on both ends of the third row each had a cupholder built in, and I was able to use both when I had two cans, and our mom was able to stop passing cans to us and stop retrieving them from us. I was able to get some peace and quiet from my sister there like our Windstar and the second row bench seat was treated like a separate pair of bucket seats like the second row of our Windstar, even if the second row of our Expedition was still a bench seat for three. We were finally able to ride more comfortably, more quietly, more conveniently, and more peacefully like our Windstar. If I had a wife and three kids, I wouldn't let either one out of three take up the middle of the second row bench seat, instead, I would have him/her crawl to the third row and leave an empty space in the middle of the second row for personal space and cupholder accessibility, and if one of them was autistic, even the middle or youngest, I would let him/her claim the third row like I did. That's my advice for all of you who see this long comment from me.

I have a 1999 with a 143,000. This is a great and reliable. Riding on a F-150 frame. I love my Expedition

I had a 2003 Ford F150. Loved it. I always wanted a Expedition. And damn 10.5 seconds 0 to 60? That is fast for that large beast.

Brother had one of these back then..it was like driving in a school bus. He drove it like it was stolen.

These were pretty good rigs except the E4OD trans aren't all that great. The later 4R70W trans was way better, and that's what I have in my 2001 f150 5.4 the truck is pretty strong and I've towed 8900lbs with it before over a large grade no problem. I've beat on that truck in all different scenarios and it's held up. 165k miles so far and regular maintenance

4:47 John: Order the optional 3rd seat, and you’ll find legroom suitable only for children! LOL I wouldn’t even fit back there, despite my 5” 3 1/2” stature.

I still see these on the road. When people keep saying you never see old fords on the road only chevys is BS

These and the 99-06 Tahoes are still on the road!!!

I’ve owned one of these for a total of 5 months back in the winter of 2011-2012, when gas locally was $4.79 a gallon. Yeah, you can probably guess why the short duration. Plus it felt too heavy and sluggish. I much prefer the Tahoe or Sequoia.

I've owned 2 of these & I loved them both but you don't realize how big they really are until you drive one.

My grandparents used to own a first gen model, brand new. It was such a comfy SUV.

My aunt and uncle in the 90s had one it was a white 80 Bauer edition with leather. It was a very nice set up I love riding in it.

I know alot of people didnt car for that generations but they were dam reliable.

A year later, Lincoln had made it's own version of the Expedition, called the Navigator.

I remember when my Dad bought my Mom the Expedition then she bought him the Crewcab F150 to match. Good times

The pn96 f150 / 1st gen expedition was a great platform

It was a sales leader I believe until the 2000 tahoe/yukon.

All luxury amenities that are now popular on Euro luxury cars were made in America long ago, lighted running boards, cornering lights( even in the 60-Ives), power everything, auto high lights, etc make America great again!

Had a 98 bought for 800 bucks with no odmeter working till I was driving it around smaked the dash viloa 345000 miles my jaw droped

I can’t believe they kept that same body until 2017, new door handles and facelift were it for the outside

I’m still driving my 2000 expedition that was bought new by my dad. Great trucks. Will never sell it.

Hello dear MotorWeek, please upload 2000 Ford Excursion Review with HD quality. Also, if you have other videos of Ford Excursion, please upload it. Ford Excursion is the best full-size SUV ever made. It's still better than most of modern SUVs in terms of durability, spacious interior and cargo space. Thanks and best wishes.

You still see so many of these on the roads.

A sign of wealth in the 90s was an Eddie Bauer version of this

94 Galant please!

Bought a 2001 4x4 a week ago great timing for the upload!

My very first vehicle. Pretty soon I'll get the newer one in the future. Had the 2001 expedition for almost 2-3 years.

I remember my cousins mom had a blue one of these when I was a kid. As a kids we always fought over who could ride in the 3rd row 🤣🤣

Can’t help but see more Tahoe/Yukon’s On the streets in 2021 than those clunk boxes that made service shops stay in business throughout the 2000’s

We had a 1998 Eddie Bauer Expedition and it was like driving Air Force One. We felt totally safe inside it. But as with all Fords starting around that generation, it was just so totally over-engineered, and around 45,000 miles, things started breaking that you would think should not - example; the Coil on Cylinder assembly. One would go... $700 later... the next... $900 later... the next... etc. We would go a thousand or so miles and the next would go. Usually when we had to BE somewhere. We had enough, along with the abysmal gas mileage that averaged 14mpg highway. Lovely vehicle, mechanically a beast. That and a highly problematic and rusty 2000 Ford Ranger swore us off the brand. We're a Nissan family now - and that's perfectly fine for us.

PLEASE upload the motorweek video for the 2001 ford escape

Wish we could get brand new full size SUV’s for that price today.

Miss our ‘00 5.4L Expy Eddie Bauer. Most comfortable ride.

1st Gens Expos are definitely more rugged than the newer gens. They had a solid rear axle. Although its better to get the 99-02 years of the 1st Gens, they had the Pi heads in the 4.6 & 5.4. Huge difference in power

This whole era of cars lasted over 10 years even bimmers and Mercedes....I loved these trucks they were so huge a step up from a bronco...I forgot explorers when these came out..the dash goes to 100mph....I use to think it was so fast it has slow 0-60 but could get to 100mph no time