Interested in '07 Sport Trac

[valenciajewelers]

Hello everyone. I signed up here for my dad. I've never owned one of these vehicles. He had an '01 in the past.

He wants another Sport Trac and has been looking at some '07 and 08's.

He's found a 2007 with 68K miles. Limited. 4.6L V8. Price is right at $20,000

He also found other V6's but XLT. Some more expensive because of lower miles, and some less.

My question is, should he be more concerned about the V8 vs. V6 or the price differences. My thoughts are that the V8 is going to last longer, especially with hauling/towing. And, from what I've read they even get better/same mileage as the 4.0. He can't justify the price differences because of Limited models or V8's. Or "toys" inside. But if I were to buy one, I couldn't justify the lack of power the V6 has for the fuel economy it gets. What's his better choice here? He also keeps cars for a very long time. He also has 2 trailers. An opened trailer and a closed. He just sold his 2003 Trailblazer with a 4.2L. That had decent power, but when pulling the closed trailer it even "felt" it. lol.

 

[LONO100]

if he is going to be pulling anything, i would say to go with the V8 for sure. also, look into what kind of gearing each trac you are looking at. getting oen with 4.10 gearing, and a transmission cooler will help a ton in preserving the life of the tranny, which seems to be a common issue with people using their explorers to tow trailers.you can look up the axle code by checking the sticker on the door jam. get the axle code and you can look up the tpye of gearing it has by doing a search on this forum. then look behind the front grill to see if it has a little "extra" radiator. this is a tranny cooler. these will help keep the tranny fluid cooler and help preserve the tranny. this is what i would look for other than the vehicle history and general condition of the truck. good luck!

 

[valenciajewelers]

Thanks LONO. I looked through the grille when it was here for a test drive. It does have a cooler. The truck is back at the dealer now, so I can't look up the code.

 

[LONO100]

you can always give them a call and ask them to look up the axle code for you, then you can look it up on this forum. 4.10 would be the ideal, 3.73 would be ok too. good luck, and dont forget to do your homework on the trucks service history, records and all that good stuff.

 

[JohnnyO]

On Gen 2 Tracs, the V6 has 3.73 gears and the V8 has 3.55 gears.
The V8 is undoubtedly better for towing but you didn't say how heavy the trailers are. And I see you live in FL where it's pretty flat. If his trailers, loaded, are 3000 lb or less I'd say a V6 would be fine.
The V8 has the dreaded two-piece spark plug. Although the manual says they are good for 100k, I would change them by 50k just so they don't seize in the head and cause expensive problems.

 

[valenciajewelers]

He did get the V8 one mentioned above. He really likes it. As for towing, he has an open and closed trailer. Not sure how much weight, but it varies. And he's towed to and from N. Carolina. So, going by the fact that we live in Florida, doesn't really say much. Also, we live in one of the highest place in Florida. Not anything crazy, but it's a decent hill(200+ft.) I remember he was pulling a load of lumber with the old SC, and the thing started surging really bad just going up that hill. Even if the V8 is overkill for him, he'll probably get a longer and better life out of it for what he uses it for.

 

[hunt1moore]

So, "all" the 4.6L V-8's got the 3.55 gear?
I checked mine and it has 3.55. It would be great if it had the 3.73 when I get thru lifting it and installing the 32's.
Any grear swaps on here with the +'07 ST's?

 

[GreenMando]

I remember he was pulling a load of lumber with the old SC, and the thing started surging really bad just going up that hill. Even if the V8 is overkill for him, he'll probably get a longer and better life out of it for what he uses it for.

You will want to remind him to turn off the overdrive when towing, the transmission will live longer that way.

 

[valenciajewelers]

Speaking of that, it started doing this thing where it seems to make a weird bump when he stops. I think I read something about this hear, but I'm not seeing it now. Isn't it something that's an easy computer fix?

 

[JohnnyO]

So, "all" the 4.6L V-8's got the 3.55 gear?

Yes.

I checked mine and it has 3.55. It would be great if it had the 3.73 when I get thru lifting it and installing the 32's.
Any grear swaps on here with the +'07 ST's?

I'm pretty sure gearsets for the Gen 1 Trac axles will work. I know a few guys on the boards with modded 2wd V8 Adrenalins who have put in a 4:30 rear gear.

 

[Loren R]

Not to interrupt, but I think that $20K for this year and mileage is pretty high. I bought a used 08 Limited V8 from a dealer 2 years ago for $22,500 and it only had 21K miles. I looked up an 07 on Kelly Blue Book and it topped out at $17,200 for a good condition. Granted, the KBB price is based on my area in Nevada, but still.... Twenty thousand??

 

[Austin77]

Not to interrupt, but I think that $20K for this year and mileage is pretty high. I bought a used 08 Limited V8 from a dealer 2 years ago for $22,500 and it only had 21K miles. I looked up an 07 on Kelly Blue Book and it topped out at $17,200 for a good condition. Granted, the KBB price is based on my area in Nevada, but still.... Twenty thousand??

You got a good deal, I just bought an 07 limited fully loaded with 70000 km for $22000 and that's a pretty good deal for around here (toronto, Ontario)