Ok, SOMEONE needs to tell these guys to get real. Some of them made good honest replies, but some were crazy. While i know its a jeep forum and i own an explorer, i still think these guys were out of line. I cant post there because i dont have a "non-free" email address. this is what needs to be said

My comparasen... Power plant greater than jeep minus the OHV power and auto tranny reliability.
OHC and 5.0 spank jeeps all day long. Comfort. Ok, ive driven both and the explorer is WAY more comfortable hands down. Front and back and the ride high stock is much nicer. Also, the explorer has more luxuries. Yes the explorer stock for stock cant do what some jeeps can off road, but we can power our way up way more hills while ground clearance and wheelbase are at our disadvantage. Our t/case and rear end is MUCH better than the jeeps, all tho i have to admit not having the options on the 5.0 is retarded, but a 4406 swap can easily be done. Explorers can do what any ZJ or XJ can do offroad, with just alittle bit more cash or time. Now once we get into an explorer sport, we stat to take advantage. Wheelbase starts to level out and weight gets closer and the XJ doesnt look so intimidating anymore. Now them bashing the motors was garbage. If i remember correctly EVERY Ho i have EVER seen has had a rear main seal leak. Thats a pretty big deal to me to wake up and find that my car has taken a dump in my driveway. And the FPR's are a problem as well. im sure i missed more, but these are the things that stand out to me. The HO isnt all that impressive (190 HP and 230 is ib torque, not so impressive), all tho one did beat up on my sick explorer (10mpg???) A rematch hasnt been had yet!! :D anyway, the explorers do look nicer too. i am alittle bias here, but to me the XJ's just look like a tiny box with wheels. IMHO i would ONLY buy a jeep to build off road. Now if i could post on that forum i would agree that if he wanted to go with a light off road rig, either setup will do. Also, you can do an SAS like most people here have done and have ended pulling their precious jeeps out of holes....... Either way each tuck has its ups and downs. but i would think the explorer would win hands down. Ive owned 4 explorers so far in my life and ALL have been great. No major problems (iac, alternator, balljoints, water hose, tune ups) like that guy who had 6 XJ's and all had problems. 3 of them have had over 150k on the stock motor and tranny and ran like a train.(dad totaled the first on, people coulnt find the title on the second one (5.0 owned it for like 4 months) sold my SOHC for my new 5.0 for the v8 grunt and aftermarket support) With any ford tranny you need to keep up on service.... But all 4 of the explorer motors (4.0 OHV, SOHC, 5.0 OHV and 4.6 SOHC) WILL out live a AMC or chrystler motor. Just change the oil. Sorry for this rant but i just think these guys are out of line. We are all bias and have big man ego's but the line needs to be drawn somewhere, and saying ANY jeep is WAY better than an Explorer is wrong, wrong, wrong. So, guys, let me hear your opinions. PLEASE no jeep bashing. Keep it mature. i plan on presenting this to the jeepforum.com thanks guys. Fill in any holes i missed.


http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=512960

Before I bought my 91 sport, I drove a Cherokee at work, test drove a wrangler. They were inferior to the Explorer. I bought the X and the rest is history.

Yea. i drove an 89 cherokee around for a while, only because it was a 5 speed. It was the biggest POS, but then again it was a 350 car. but EVERYTHING kept breaking, steering colum, clutch, 2 times, rear main seal. my driveway looks black from it...

It's pointless- they'll defend their Jeeps just as hard as we will defend our Explorers. You can't make someone think the opposite of what they have in their blood.

If you could- you wouldn't see any stick-on ricer accessories or "R Racing" floormats. :D

out of the box id take a jeep (Wrangler, Chero, grand chero) over and explorer for off road Any day! They are ready for more off the bat.. but once built i think both can be good off road...
Although i gotta say especially the Grands they come stock front and back coils and are EASY to find lifts for! wow you don't have to spend 2 grand on a lift!:D And it works good!
Those straight 6 4.0's go forever. I have a 87 Cherokee 5spd 4cyl even and it has close to 230,000 thats with probably the last 50,000 being with a lift and bigger tires and not having the speedo re calibrated so it is probably more miles than that... it still runs like a champ.. it is my off road rig now!

My opinion here is.... Who cares!!! To each his own and its all personal preference... let's quit fighting over who has the better one and just enjoy the differences of what we have. You picked the explorer because it fit you... they picked the jeep because it fit them... someday when they need a tug out of a hole or something.. maybe you to tow there rig.. you can feel superior!

I wouldn't be too worried about your race.. its really not that big of a deal. Those Cherokee's are super light and the explorers are super heavy plus you don't know what gearing he had ... all that plays into account. Your rig isn't set up for racing.. if you want to do that then go ahead but don't expect a stock 5.0 to move like a race car.
The 4.0 sohc gets up and goes pretty good .. i have never been in a 5.0 so i have no experience in comparison there...

There is no point in fighting with them because they will just fight back... just understand there are differences in each vehicle that each of us chooses to fit our specific needs at the time!
I enjoy driving my explorers but i would also enjoy a jeep...

Can't we all just get along?:D

My opinion here is.... Who cares!!! To each his own and its all personal preference... let's quit fighting over who has the better one and just enjoy the differences of what we have. You picked the explorer because it fit you... they picked the jeep because it fit them... someday when they need a tug out of a hole or something.. maybe you to tow there rig.. you can feel superior!

:thumbsup: Well said. :thumbsup:

I agree with what you said COMPLETLY. I just wanted to get a better comparison instead of their bias opinion. Like i said in mine, they both have their ups and downs, but you CANNOT saythat the jeep is WAY better than an explorer., because its not true. I just hear alot of jeeps having major problems just like the explorer head gaskets and timming chain tensioner. Im not say the 4.0 I-six is garbage, but its certainly not better than the SOHC or the 5.0. The 5.0 has over 50 years of history, and last time i checked the 4.0 isnt used in race cars. I know racing is pointless, but you have to know this kid to get a better understanding of why i need to beat him!! :) Like the a guy there said, the explorer doesnt compaer well to the XJ because its a bigger, heaver suv, its more compatable with the ZJ. The Zj's are faster, but then again, 5.2 magnum, 5.9, 4.7, all bigger motors than anythong that got put in an ex. And i dontknow the weight difference. The 5. moves decent for a 6k pound suv. But its not as quick as the SOHC, but still should be quicker, bearly to the Cherokee. being that is has more power. Explorers can hold their own off road with jeeps too. Alot of guys here can beat alot of their jeeps, and n there are jeeps tht beat explorers, I agree its stupid to fight which is better, like ford vs gm or dodge. Each has their ups and downs. Now im a ford guy all the way, but i respect the cummins and i respect the 350 and all gm trannys. I also love the ecotech, thank you sabb/ But i will still drive my explorer. Now stock for stock, the jeep will win off road. but the ex isnt that bad as well. i could do almost anything my frind in his XJ did exctp for the tops of some hills being my wheel bast is liek 2 feet longer. but on road its rally hard to compare the two. The explorer wins hands down. The IFS heslp alot with that, and it has alittle more gitty up and go for street riving and just looks alittle better IMHO. now the jeeps can be nice if done right, but thats alot of work. Now before i bought the ex i looked hard at the cherokee and grand cherokee, and i think the ex has a much nicer interior, and i think its alittle safer and more durable. Yes its heavy as a pig and MPG's witht he 5.0 are less than perfect, butget a SOHC sport, (which im looking into.Also im not a big fan of the sound of the inline 6. thats just my personal thing. Im so tired of people saying cars are shit compared to others. Now if were compaing a festia to a gt 40, well i wonder, but when your comparing a couple 10 + year old suvs that are close in comparison, you cant Alot of jeep ownes i have met are kinda asses. they do all think their stuff is better than everything. my friend owned an f150 5.0 before he had his jeep and now fords are shit and they ant build anything good since he owned a jeep??? hum.. once i bough my explorer, his dad said "what, you couldnt find yourself a nice cherokee?" and he was serious, and i about die when he said it. that the thing tht really pises me off. sorry, but jeep, you really arent that much better than everytone else. I have abuddy with a 72is bronco tha twill make jeeps whimper in fear on the trails. so yez, that my opinion...

no one else

My brother drove a cherokee, and the only real deal breaker to me was the size. They are about a foot and a half wide! i was constantly bumping elbows with him, and in bucket seats no less! other than that, i like the cherokee's torque, but the rear end tended to get really squirmy on the pavement.

I've driven in and ridden a lot in my Friend's 97 XJ. He doesn't offroad it, but pound for pound, my X is a much better truck (at least in my opinion). Beefier, more solid, less problems, etc. He tells me all the time how much he loves my truck, and his has been nicknamed "Bopos" (Big Old Piece of Shit) for a few years now. That's just comparing our two particular vehicles, though.

Also, I was shocked that one of the guys in that thread said the XJ looks better. Come on now. If we're talking 2nd gen, which of the below look better? It's no contest, IMO. The XJ's look so much older because they're so boxy and tiny.


http://www.theautochannel.com/media/photos/ford/1997/97_ford_explorer_xlt_sport-1.jpg

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/autoreview/400x266/1997-2001-Jeep-Cherokee-97107041990407.jpg



Now, that being said, I agree with the "to each his own". We're never going to convince them, and they're probably not going to convince any of us. So I say lets build our sh!t, and have some fun when we meet on the trials. :chug:

Now, that being said, I agree with the "to each his own". We're never going to convince them, and they're probably not going to convince any of us. So I say lets build our sh!t, and have some fun when we meet on the trials. :chug:

I agree. Well put too...

To put it this way, I almost trader my explorer for a jeep. I got in and I could see the blacktop through a hole the size of my foot. My dad used to have a jeep, too. It's rear bumper fell off.

They're better off road stock because they're lighter. But from personal experience they rust like no one's business. Just my .02

All cars rust. ours have BAD problems with the rocker pane.ls.

Yea, but my point was, Jeeps like to rust everywhere. Not so much a bash, the explorer is by no means perfect. I have something to do every weekend just to keep mine running.

Don't mean to bring up an old thread, but I happened across it and I had to chime in. I've driven all 3, I've owned both GM and Ford vehicles. And I was a die-hard GM fan. That being said, I probably would have bought an S-10 Blazer had it been up to me at the time. But the deal was too good to pass up on this Explorer Sport, a 99 for $2000. The one thing of all the things that have really pissed me off on this Explorer, the transmission. The 5R55E, a notorious crappy tranny. Not long after I bought it, it needed rebuilt. But I will say that of all the stuff that has gone wrong, most of it I could fix myself.

The engine is great, love the power from the SOHC, I've heard nothing but good things about the Ford 8.8, funny that even Jeep drivers will put those on their vehicles because of the strength of it. Something that I began to notice over time, every vehicle will have problems. It's a given. My GMs always had bad alternators, ran my 305 dry because the dipstick wasn't quite positioned right I suppose.

I liked my mom's S-10 Blazer she had, probably a mid 90s I think. My parents actually owned a few of them. My mom hated hers, I didn't mind driving it. But not something you see a lot off-road. And I've heard bad things about the GM IFS. My Buick was a nightmare, the thing stalled for absolutely no reason, and that also had a rebuilt transmission. Engine was great, the 3.8L was a helluvan engine.

True on the 4.3L too, great engine, much better than the tiny engine they thought could haul around a Blazer, that's too big of a truck to put a tiny powerplant in and expect it to run well.

My stepmom had a Grand Cherokee, very luxurious, but then they sold that because it was having nothing but problems, of course at that age I didn't ever see the problems I just got to drive it a few times and it was freakin' sweet w/ the heated leather seats, black interior and Infinity sound system with the moon roof and Sentinal. Now I would never buy one myself because of all the vehicles I've owned and all the accidents I've seen I want a frame. I will never buy a truck without one.

That's the biggest downfall of Jeep to me, no frame, can't stand it. To me the whole point of an SUV is to really be an SUV, it has to be able to get to places that a normal car couldn't get to, basically it needs to be able to at least do mild to moderate off-roading. It needs to be able to tow and haul a lot of crap, this is the utility part.

That picture of the 2nd gen Cherokee vs the 2nd gen Explorer is a great comparison pic as well, by the mid to late 90s we all knew about aerodynamics, and good looks, and in that model year and even now they should have known that is an ugly look to leave it looking like a box on wheels. The Grand Cherokee got updated, but why not the Cherokee, makes me think we're back in the 80s.

I will say that at least the Wrangler is a pretty cool vehicle if you're looking for off-road ability, that said, the back seat is too small, even my Sport has more room. The Wrangler is easy to build up and basically designed for off-road in almost every way. Until they came out with the 4dr ones, those are butt-ugly. Even they're looking at the market and saying you know that it's just these yuppies that want to look bad-ass that are buying these and they need more room for their fat friends in the back.

No brand is really better than another, except for some reason the Japanese vehicles, they seem to have far less problems than our American vehicles, which is very sad indeed. It took a lot of growing up and seeing things for what they really were to say, u know what they all suck, which one is going to suck the least for me, which one can I find parts and help for, which one at least has a better track record for that model. It all really depends on the year, the make, the model, and much more than just Brand X or Brand Y sucks. A saying my father once told me is if it has tits or wheels, you're gonna have problems with it.

*Forgot this too: My SOHC 99 Explorer Sport has more power than my buddy's 01 ZR-2 S-10 w/ the 4.3L, hp specs confirm that. And my stepmom's newer ride, 03 Dodge Durango SLT has had some major issues, shifting to 4Low out of nowhere, which if anyone has ever tried to do that in their vehicle should know that it will not shift into 4Low unless you're stopped, foot on the brake and vehicle in neutral. Yet the guys at the stealership told my dad that she was messing with the switch or something. Which she never does, I doubt she's ever taken it out of AWD into 4High, except maybe this last winter to get up the driveway to their new house. And the digital odometer flashed a PDone code at her and my dad, and the stealership couldn't tell her what was wrong, these are technically fleet vehicles too, we use them for service calls and so we've even contacted Chrysler Corp and told them the issues and they had no clue either. They also have no 3rd party litigation dept. like every other American Auto Manufacturer. But I will say that my one stepbrother's 95 Dodge Dakota is still running like a champ, even with how slow it is and how much work it needs, it still keeps going, I think he's pushing 200,000 miles. Found it a bit funny though that it came with 215/75/15s and he's got 235/75/15s on it now. Dodge always did leave a ton of room in their wheel wells. And for all my other brother's Malibu has been through it's still quick as all hell and my other stepbrother's Dodge Intrepid is still going, even though it's got some major issues too.

My dad had his F-350 transmission rebuilt halfway to Mississippi when he was moving my oldest stepbrother down there. And my stepdad has owned his share of different vehicles from the Chevy Cheyenne, to the Dodge RamCharger, to the Ford Bronco and then to the F-150. And my dad had an old lifted Bronco, had a 99 Silverado, an F-150, then went all the way to the 350, loved it so much he bought a newer one, but without the dually and long box. Just so he could actually park it in the metered spots downtown.

So like I said they've all got problems, and some are nicer than others that's a given. My stepbrother's dad would never buy a Ford for the life of him. Been driving GMs his whole life. To each their own, but I stopped thinking about which brand is better because they all screw up, just gotta find out which vehicle model and year is best, least problems or problems that are easier or cheaper to fix. Gotta say, other than the transmission, the Explorer has been great to work on. Oh and the monoleafs, who's dumb idea was that? Even the sport weighs almost 5000lbs. My tag says 4880.

Send that to your Jeep buddies, hopefully they all know by now that all vehicles pretty much suck.