Shopping for a new (to me) 4th gen - need advice

[geosnooker2000]

So, I want, I want, I want.... hehehehe
Coming from the second gen ('99) like I am, I assumed the Eddie Bauer was still the king as far as amenities. Now after hours and hours of autotrader, cargurus, and cars.com, I am seeing that the Limited more times than not has it over the EB. Like, I really like the idea of the power third row. Most of the Limited (or is it all of them?) have the power third row, but not all of the EBs do. I really like the two-tone exterior on the EBs. But it doesn't really matter if I'm gonna install some fender flares anyway.
Anyway, I would love any input you guys would like to share. Here's what I think so far:
Must haves:
Leather (I think tan, because the black/charcoal seems to show wear/scratches too easily on the door consoles)
V8
4x4
nav-infotainment (as I said in the thread over on the modified forum, if I can install without much trouble, then I will)
No RUST
Intrigued by the Pewter color, but most likely dark blue or black

If you guys have any strong opinions about amenities I should look for/avoid because they are a PITA, shout them out.
Thanks

 

[Mbrooks420]

Check the tranny fluid, and I'd be leery of one that had a brake controller or looked like it had done a lot of towing.

 

[D Hook]

Power third row seat is nice until the gearing strips and you can't move the seat. Do a search here. Lots of threads about it.
Light interior is nice looking but steering wheel really shows wear easily. Put a cover on it before it starts wearing.

Love my limited.

 

[boominXplorer]

Tow package is a must if you think you might need it. If not you get the puney 1.25" hitch and its a pain to swap over to a 2" hitch.

 

[geosnooker2000]

Power third row seat is nice until the gearing strips and you can't move the seat. Do a search here. Lots of threads about it.
Light interior is nice looking but steering wheel really shows wear easily. Put a cover on it before it starts wearing.

Love my limited.

I'm assuming this means YOU have experienced this problem? Also, did you intentionally choose the Limited over the EB?

 

[geosnooker2000]

Tow package is a must if you think you might need it. If not you get the puney 1.25" hitch and its a pain to swap over to a 2" hitch.

Good point. I wasn't sure if I was seeing an optical illusion (i.e. some looked bigger than others). Hard to tell over the internet.

 

[Explorer_PL]

EB and Limited are in many cases loaded the same way, just the color scheme is different. Avoid the power 3rd seat. I have 2 EBs, one with power, and one with manual. The power ones WILL GO BAD one day, and the motor itself is about $ 300 per side plus hours to replace it including grinding the rivets off. When mine went bad I just converted it to manual ones using entire bench from a salvage yard. The power ones are ticking bomb. Most of the Limited came with v8, EBs not.

 

[67FordGuy]

EB Limited also came with Power Adjustable pedals with memory option. A nice feature to have if any in your family are real short. The pedals come to the driver.

 

[D Hook]

I'm assuming this means YOU have experienced this problem? Also, did you intentionally choose the Limited over the EB?

Yes and yes.

 

[Christobal65]

I have an 07 V8 4x4 Eddie Bauer with the tow package, power 3rd row seats, sun roof, 6 disc changer, rear sub, and power peddles.

Get the tow package, skip the power 3rd row seats, sunroof is meh, power peddles are pointless to my wife and I (we literally never move them). I wish I had auto climate control, heated seats and manual 3rd row seats. The manual HVAC has a few odd idiosyncrasies with the biggest one being there's no way to set recirculating without having the air blow in your face. Heated seats are always a plus with leather. I've had my truck for a little over a year and the 3rd row power seat already failed.

 

[mgmgmg]

Considering used 4th gen - V6 vs. V8

Go to post #6

 

[hlg99]

This is my third truck of this platform. Don't really care much for the heated seats and have kept the third row folded.
It has the 6 CD changer that's jammed up but I ripped all my CD's onto a usb so it doesn't matter to me.
So for I'm happy it seems that all the gripes I had with the 1 st and 2nd gens have been squared away on this one
I'm still finding little cool things like the drip spouts on the oil filter and drain plugs.

 

[qb100]

keep reading the threads here for common issues... here are my 2 cents worth.. 3rd row power will fail first time you don't put the head rest down or something is on the seat preventing it from going all the way down. power running boards will fail.. especially if you are on any dirt roads... coolant leaks ( various areas.. see threads) , sunroof occasionally leaks through map light.. spark plug changing and exhaust manifold....

otherwise we love our 07 EB.

 

[D Hook]

My power third row failed in the down position, which is good. At least can still carry cargo stuff.

 

[thebrakeman]

Yes, if you can find what you want with MANUAL 3rd row seats, all the better. If you had an Expedition EL, that's a far reach, so understandable. But there is zero reason to look for power 3rd row. Cost to me to replace: $500 for both assemblies, and 2 afternoons I'll never get back.

If you can avoid the power running boards, avoid those as well. Everybody that sees mine goes, "Wow! Fancy!!!". Unless it's cold, and they time-out before they fully retract. I have to "help" them with my foot to retract all the way. I tried the recommended removal process this summer, to attempt cleaning and lubing. I busted 1 of the weld nuts on each side. Fortunately, I called it quits before the point of no return, and will just live with them until they completely quit. Then I will have them removed and replaced with fixed units (salvage or aftermarket).

Get a 2009 or 2010. Sometime in 2008, they changed the head design and spark plugs to avoid plug breakage that was so typical on Triton 3V 4.6L, 5.4L and the V10 (later 2 not in the Explorer/Mounty, haha). There are some other things that got fixed from '06-'08 that I can't remember. So that should limit your search nicely.

And yeah, unless you really need a low-range transfer case, keep the Mountaineer in your search. I found that a similarly equipped Mounty was cheaper than the Explorer. Some will point to the V8-AWD being inferior to the V8-Auto4x4. Don't believe it. Drivetrains are identical, except for the low-range on Explorer. I can lock my center diff, too.

 

[hlg99]

My drivers side running board was stuck open when I bought it, I just ended up just deploying both of the boards and pulled the circuit breaker.

 

[geosnooker2000]

My drivers side running board was stuck open when I bought it, I just ended up just deploying both of the boards and pulled the circuit breaker.

I like the look of standard running boards instead of what they look like when they are retracted anyway, so I would not be looking for that.

Thanks for the input, guys!!!