I am the original owner of a 2003 (build date 08/2002) 4x4 XLT Expedition. It now has 30,000 miles on it and one month left under the 3/36 orginal warranty. I had a bunch of work done to it when it was brand new (rack/pinion, front differential rebuilt, vibrations, brakes, etc.) and have not really had any problems for the past two years now.

The big question is, do I purchase an Extended Warranty? The truck has low miles (30,000) after three years, but is now being used more (about 15,000 per year). My wife and I also own a 2005 Mercury Mariner. We are buying a new home right now and do not want to get stuck with paying a large repair bill down the road, as the new home loan is expensive (southern california). The 7 year / 100,000 mile Premium Care warranty (insurance) is about $2,500 from Ford. Now this is also a large expenditure, but I know a transmission or engine would cost more. We will be keeping the Expedition and Mariner for many more years, as we do not want any car payments.

So, has anyone had any major problems with the 2003 Expedition's or similiar years or models, to help me make this decision? It is hard to predict the future, so any help in helping me predict the future repair cost's would be great.

Thanks in advance for any help / information you can provide.