2003 V6 160,000 miles... Advice.

[AC75]

There is a 2003 Explorer for sale locally but it has 160,000 miles on the original V6 engine and transmission. It has been very well taken care of and is it nearly perfect condition. I know it's been well maintained, but is this mileage a worry? I know transmission issues are common, so what does everyone think? Would you snap it up or give it a pass?

 

[4X4Bauer]

Expect a transmission rebuild in the next 20-30k miles. Engine should be fine. The other thing is rust. If you're up north where salt is used, open the rear doors and look at the rocker panels. If there is ANY rust there, then there will certainly be rust under the fender flares and that's pretty ugly. For an extremely cheap repair, I got quoted at $1,500 for both sides, just the rear halves of the rocker panels. Also, if you do buy it rip off the running boards because those are huge rust inhibitors. By the way, how much is this being sold for?

 

[AC75]

Isn't there anyone who doesn't end up with a failed transmission?

I think I can get it for about $1700. There's no rust at all. Anywhere. It was garage kept.

 

[4X4Bauer]

Mine went at 162k. There are some who have original transmissions at higher mileage, but it's rare. If there's no rust, I'd absolutely snatch it up for that price. Sounds great. In the interest of preserving the transmission, always let the car warm up for at least 10 seconds when warm and a few minutes when really cold (below 30) and ALWAYS use the parking brake when parking on a hill before you put it into park, because it takes stress off of it.

 

[TechGuru]

I paid $1900 for my 2003 with 175K on it. Good deal considering it's a 4x4 model. It has trans and rear diff issues but it works and I've put 5000 miles on it so far.

 

[Number4]

If you can hold out for a 4.6l, you'd be better off.

 

[AC75]

If you can hold out for a 4.6l, you'd be better off.

For power reasons or because it's more reliable somehow?

 

[TechGuru]

For power reasons or because it's more reliable somehow?

I heard it has the same timing chain problems that the 4.0 has. It's also harder to work on being more crammed in.

Also don't think FLEXFUEL was offered on the V8. I love having a FLEX, E85 is $0.99/gal right now at some stations.

 

[Number4]

The V8 is better suited for the size and weight of the 3rd gen. I have both the 4.6 and 4.0 in my '04 & '05 respectively. I got the V8 second, had I got it first, I'd never have bought the V6. My '04 is just so much more enjoyable to drive.
I get better gas mileage with my V8 as well. It's only 0.6 litters more, we're not talking a monster V8.

Also, the 4.0 has to come out to properly do the timing chains. With the V8, you can do it all with the engine in the car.

There are plenty of high mileage 4.0's out there. Take care of it, fix its timing issues right away and you'll be fine.

 

[AC75]

I own a Lincoln Town Car as well and it has a 4.6V8. Is the engine the same or is it configured somewhat differently for the Explorer?

 

[Joe in NY]

Same engine as in Lincoln. Just 2 valve instead of 4 valve and single runner intake manifold instead of dual runner active intake manifold.

 

[AC75]

Went a took a look at it today and it wasn't what I thought it would be. It worked great, and looked really nice - perfect leather interior etc - but when I opened the back doors, both sides were rusted to ****! Most of it was out of sight with the doors closed so it wasn't obvious and gave the impression of a mostly flawless truck. At first I didn't think it was too bad but looking with doors open you could really see how far gone that area was. When it got down near the rockers there was practically nothing left at all. You could stick your fingers thought the metal just about anywhere. I'm pretty disappointed because other than the rust it was gorgeous and I wanted it bad. The search continues I guess...

Side note: this Explorer had the digital dual zone climate control and it looked great! How common was this compared to the regular turn-button type setup? I definitely want the digital if I can find it. Is it known to be problematic at all?

 

[Number4]

Most people I've talked to that have the digital version, preferred the manual setup .

 

[TechGuru]

Ya, Manual A/C FTW.

 

[Joe in NY]

Really, manual? Why?

You set the digital where you want and leave it. It adjusts the heat and a/c perfectly.