Need some feedback before making a purchase

[driver4523]

I've been doing a TON of research online in the last 24 hours and hoping you guys can jump in and give me some feedback.

I have a 2011 Explorer Limited White fully loaded 4x4, black leather, split bucket seats with middle console, with 51,000 miles on it sitting in my drive way. The dealership is letting me drive it for the weekend. We REALLY like the car. A lot, A lot! What we don't like is all of the stuff we've been reading online about them. I'm friends with the finance manger there and he is selling me the car at his cost which is 29,888. This seems to be a great price. I don't need the 4x4 so I wish I could find this exact car without the 4x4 to save a little more money, but I haven't been able to. None the less, this seems like a great price for this car. The sticker price when it was new was 49K. (It was the 302 option and the drivers package....all really nice stuff!)

We think it looks great, it's in mint condition, and has a ton of features on it that we really like. Way more features than you could get on any other car around this price range...especially with the 3rd row seating, which we need.

It looks like lots of folks have issues with leaks, power steering, control arms, and transmission...or at least lots of folks that come here to post. I know that people that are happy with their car for the most part aren't going to come online and post...it's mostly going to be people looking for an answer to their problem.

The car has only had one owner, and the car has had all scheduled service at the dealership. They haven't had to do any major repairs on the car , and it looks brand new inside.

I want to buy this car. My wife and I both like it. It runs perfectly. There's nothing else in this price range we like nearly as much..including the Tahoe's / Yukons. It's amazing how many features are packed into this Limited. (And I even like the MFT with the current update. I don't really plan on using the voice activated stuff...but I think the lcd screen looks fantastic.)

I'm worried about some of the concerns folks have had on here. It sounds like the transmission is a big one. I'm curious how if anyone has any feedback as to how wide spread the transmission problem is, and how soon it would pop up if it was going to. (You read on these forums and it makes it seems like everyone is having the issue.) If the car I'm buying was going to have the transmission issue would it have popped up by 50K miles? Also same with the leaks. We've been getting a ton of rain where we live lately and I haven't noticed any issues at all with leaks. I look all around the 3rd row seat and the spare tire compartment (I had read on the forums to check that area as water would collect there if it was leaking) and I couldn't see any water. I'm assuming the first owner would have noticed it if was going to leak. Just wondering if just because it hasn't started leaking at 50K does is that a pretty good sign that it won't? This makes me nervous. Not sure if its something I should get nervous about, or if it should be a deal breaker.

I didn't even notice how the passenger side speaker grill is a littler lower than the dash therefore it doesn't line up perfectly, and there is a gap on one side of the lift gate until I read this forum. (To be honest I doubt I would have noticed until I started reading.) That isn't a huge deal to me considering how feature rich this car is.

I can't duplicate the bad smell issue that some folks are having on here.

I did notice that the keyless entry panel is starting to come undone at the top, and I can stick my finger in-between it and the door panel.

I have also noticed a very very very faint sound that sounds like a tea kettle whistling if you listen very closely from outside the car when you start it.

As I mentioned I'm friends with the finance manger and he isn't trying to sell me the car at all. The dealership isn't making any money on the car or the financing. He just let me drive it for the weekend so I could see if I liked it. (We were going to buy a Tahoe, and just randomly stumbled upon the Explorer and really liked it....and once we got in it were blown away by all of the features..it has everything and more that we wanted. It blows the Tahoe away in appearance and features!)

I was told to make a list of any issues or things I noticed with the Explorer over the weekend and they would take care of it all if I wanted to purchase it. Also since the car is certified I have a 12 month / 12K warranty from the date of purchase for other things that could happen.

I also plan on buying a Ford premium care warranty which I can also buy at cost if I decide to purchase the car. It seems like it offers a good piece of mind, especially with all the electronics in the car. it seems like for the most part people who have had mechanical issues have had them taken care of by the dealer. So if issues did pop up with the car after I buy it, it looks like I'd be taken care of. I just want to be sure any issues there are going on with the car now as taken care of before I buy it.

As I mentioned the previous owner took great care of it, preformed all scheduled maintenance and never really had any problems. Which makes me feel a little better.

Curious if you guys would feel ok with this purchase.

Also on a side note, I've talked to some folks that said that Ford in general has a reputation of having lots of issues with the cars going in and out of the shop..just just the Explorers, but Ford in general. He said that may have been back in the 80's and things may be different now. Curious what you guys think about Ford's reliability over the years..have they gotten better since the 80s?

This would be our first Ford, so I appreciate you taking the time to chime in.

As I said, I really want to feel ok buying this car as we really like it, and it would fit our family perfectly.

 

[FordFool2]

Sounds perfect....do it.

 

[Sgt1411]

Im sure you have read lots on this site about the issues with the first year of production but if yours is one of the ones with no issues your in luck.

Your already buying an extended warranty and thats a must. Also read on here about the pricing for the extended warranty. Dont just buy from the selling dealership as they can upcharge you. There's some really good pricing advice from members on this forum. Theres a thread on that too.

I would go through the thread on here that shows all the TSB's and make sure your dealer checks for all these to be done.

Also make sure you run the VIN to make sure there were no accidents.

Also go into SYNCMYRIDE and create an account with the VIN and see if your vehicle has had all the updates. Latest is v3.6.2

 

[CajunFordEx]

If you and the rest of the family really like it, then get it. You will most likely regret it if you don't. If your wife really likes it, and you don't get it, she might not let you live it down.....LOL

We own the 2011 XLT and we love ours. The only problem we have ever had with it was the A pillar noise twice and it was taken care of by the dealership. The second time was after we had to change the windshield because it got cracked by a rock right in the drivers view. It gets good fuel mileage, is comfortable on trips, has plenty of room inside, plenty of power with the V6, is really quiet inside, and still turns eyes everywhere we go. It is also still fun to drive after 2 1/2 years owning it.

The advice that Sgt1411 gives is sound advice.

 

[plumbago]

Don't be surprised if you are not so in luv with it once you own it. You're crazy if you don't think the Dealer is not making any money on this vehicle...Just remember it's a used car, possibly someone else's trouble, out of warrantee, be sure you buy the extended warrantee, and get the Dealer warrantee in WRITING.....For your $30,000.00 I'd look around a little more........

 

[blwnsmoke]

The 2011 has had it's issues.. more then any of 12-14s but it was to be expected being a brand new design. First year models always make the customers the Guinea pigs. I've had several issues with my 2011 but again, my expectations were to have to deal with some of them. Just as an example

Window TSB done.
Squealing Brakes TSB done.
Shift to Park error - shifter replaced - new part number
Rain sound on roof TSB done
Random courtesy wipe TSB Done twice.
A-pillar TSB done.
Exhaust smell TSB done - problem resolved.
Oil in intake - part replaced with updated part.
4wd module/knob replaced.

With all of these issues, we still love our Ex. All of these were more annoyances rather then a vehicle that left us stranded on the side of the road. For most of them, I let the list build up and left it for a period of time at the dealer so I wasn't taking it back 1 at a time. I always got a loaner car and I have a 6yr/125k Premium ESP on it with 1st day rental so the inconvenience of finding a ride is non existent.

We now have 52,500 miles on ours and not one of the problems listed above have come back again. We have the current MFT version which has been flawless, prior to that, we had 2 reboots during ownership so not everyone has issues. The newest version is what Ford should have launched with from the beginning.

Now in regards to your 2011 that you are interested in. First, request the OASIS report from the dealership. This will show you every time the vehicle has been in for service and what the complaint/repairs were. You will be able to see if problems were fixed or if they were "not able to duplicate". I would not buy it without the Premium ESP. That is one of the biggest reasons I got the ESP, 1st year model. Not only that, but with a wife who works as well as I do and 2 kids, I wanted to make sure we always had a vehicle to drive.

Good luck in your decision.. I think the OASIS will tell you a lot and go off your feeling from there. Chances are, if a lot of the TSBs have been performed already, you shouldn't have repeat issues with it. If there are not a lot of issues on the Oasis report, then it should be a good one of the bunch and I wouldn't worry much.

 

[virtual]

We're all different about what our wants are, and what we consider important. My point is that in asking a question like this, you're going to get peoples opinions that reflect that their priorities, and even though they're perfectly valid opinions and well intended, they may not have any connection to what matches your wants and needs. So often a lot of coming to your answer is to understand what you really want, and then go with that irrespective of what others might say.

We considered the new used car option, and decided that we didn't want to put down $25k+ for a car that already had 30,000+ miles on it. So we prioritized the features that mattered to us and we ended up getting a brand new XLT with the 202A package on it for only about $5.5k more than you're thinking on spending on a used one (though admittedly the LTD has many more features on it, and they might matter to you). Our thinking was that the extra few years to iron out some of the wrinkles with the 2011 redesign would reduce the chances that things would cause problems (but of course you never know), it meant we didn't pay more for features that we didn't care about, and it means that we will know that the car has been properly maintained, since we are the only owner.

Other things to consider are about how long you are planning to keep the vehicle. Since most of the depreciation occurs in the first few years, if you only keep it for a few years, buying used allows you absorb less depreciation during the time you own. In our case we tend to keep the vehicles for 6-7 years, and partly it is because we don't put a whole lot of mileage on them so we (at least we feel) that the increased depreciation of buying new is offset by the fact that we will have lower repair bills from a car we have looked after properly from the get-go.

Probably none of this is anything you don't already know, but it's an opinion.

 

[driver4523]

Don't be surprised if you are not so in luv with it once you own it. You're crazy if you don't think the Dealer is not making any money on this vehicle...Just remember it's a used car, possibly someone else's trouble, out of warrantee, be sure you buy the extended warrantee, and get the Dealer warrantee in WRITING.....For your $30,000.00 I'd look around a little more........

Why would you say I won't be happy with it once I own it? How could you know that. Lol?

Also they really aren't making any money on it. This is the cost. These folks are personal friends.

And just because it's used doesn't mean you are getting someone else's problems. None of the cars I have sold used have had any problems what so ever. I just wanted a new car.

 

[driver4523]

We're all different about what our wants are, and what we consider important. We considered the new used car option, and decided that we didn't want to put down $25k+ for a car that already had 30,000+ miles on it. So we prioritized the features that mattered to us and we ended up getting a brand new XLT with the 202A package on it for only about $5.5k more than you're thinking on spending on a used one (though admittedly the LTD has many more features on it, and they might matter to you). Our thinking was that the extra few years to iron out some of the wrinkles with the 2011 redesign would reduce the chances that things would cause problems (but of course you never know), it meant we didn't pay more for features that we didn't care about, and it means that we will know that the car has been properly maintained, since we are the only owner.

Other things to consider are about how long you are planning to keep the vehicle. Since most of the depreciation occurs in the first few years, if you only keep it for a few years, buying used allows you absorb less depreciation during the time you own. In our case we tend to keep the vehicles for 6-7 years, and partly that is because we don't put a whole lot of mileage on them and so we (at least we feel) that the increased depreciation of buying new is offset by the fact that we have lower repair bills from a car we have looked after properly from the get-go.

Probably none of this is anything you don't already know, but it's an opinion.

Thanks for the feedback. We could have virally bought a 2014 for a few thousand more as well, but we really liked all the features of the limited and would have been comprising some of the things we wanted by going with the newer model. Not to mention buying brand new is one of the worst investments ever. Especially when the 2014 are exactly the same as the other models. You can buy a 2013 limited for under 30k (without the 4x4 option) with very low miles. We just haven't found the color combo we wanted otherwise we would have done that.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Why would you say I won't be happy with it once I own it? How could you know that. Lol?

Plum is one of the Ex owners that is not happy with their vehicle. They have had numerous issues and I'm guessing if given the chance to do it over, would not choose the Ex again. Just about every post is negative in one way or another hence that reply.

 

[driver4523]

Plum is one of the Ex owners that is not happy with their vehicle. They have had numerous issues and I'm guessing if given the chance to do it over, would not choose the Ex again. Just about every post is negative in one way or another hence that reply.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[driver4523]

Few other things - I"m surprised to find 2013 limited (non 4x4) in the 29K-32K range. I've spent hours and hours trying to find one with the same set up as this 2011 I'm driving, minus the 4x4 to the lower the price I bit (I don't need 4x4) but I've had ZERO luck.

I see that lots of people say not to buy the first year model because there were lots of issues, but am I right in thinking that any issues that could come up can be fixed by the dealership....? In other words, as long as I have the premium ford ESP that will take care of any issues that come up, I should be ok, right?

At the price I'm paying (29,888) do you think I'm getting a great deal that I shouldn't pass up? As I mentioned, the owner has gotten all service work done on time at the dealership. And the car is in mint condition.

Here is a copy of the carfax that shows all of the maintenance on the car (which I didn't know carfax's included.) http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=DLR_3&vin=1FMHK8F8XBGA18147

According to the report on 10/13 they did this "Engine/powertrain computer/module reprogrammed" --- not sure what this is.

As I said, this is the exact car we'd like, but not sure if we should let it go and try to find a newer model just so we don't buy a 2011, or if having the Premium ESP up to 125K miles would make it a non issue.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Again, ask the Ford dealer to print the OASIS report for the Ex. It will show every time the Ex was brought into the dealer, will state what was claimed to be wrong and what the end result was. I wouldn't purchase it without seeing this just for comfort.

 

[driver4523]

Again, ask the Ford dealer to print the OASIS report for the Ex. It will show every time the Ex was brought into the dealer, will state what was claimed to be wrong and what the end result was. I wouldn't purchase it without seeing this just for comfort.

Cool. I'll do that for sure! Can you tell anything by the report I posted?

 

[virtual]

Few other things - I"m surprised to find 2013 limited (non 4x4) in the 29K-32K range. I've spent hours and hours trying to find one with the same set up as this 2011 I'm driving, minus the 4x4 to the lower the price I bit (I don't need 4x4) but I've had ZERO luck.

I see that lots of people say not to buy the first year model because there were lots of issues, but am I right in thinking that any issues that could come up can be fixed by the dealership....? In other words, as long as I have the premium ford ESP that will take care of any issues that come up, I should be ok, right?

At the price I'm paying (29,888) do you think I'm getting a great deal that I shouldn't pass up? As I mentioned, the owner has gotten all service work done on time at the dealership. And the car is in mint condition.

Here is a copy of the carfax that shows all of the maintenance on the car (which I didn't know carfax's included.) http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=DLR_3&vin=1FMHK8F8XBGA18147

According to the report on 10/13 they did this "Engine/powertrain computer/module reprogrammed" --- not sure what this is.

As I said, this is the exact car we'd like, but not sure if we should let it go and try to find a newer model just so we don't buy a 2011, or if having the Premium ESP up to 125K miles would make it a non issue.

I can't tell if you're talking about 2013 LTD's that are "new", or used ones?Either way, a good dealer find get you wan you want, even if it involves them looking at inventory in neighboring states. They're often less willing to work with you on the price of remote inventory, but if you want what you want then tell them, and see what they can find. To me the price you're talking about seems "about right", rather than being a deal you "Can't pass up", but then again I tend to judge a car based on it's mileage rather than its calendar age, and I think of 50K mileage as a well used car, especially since I think of a car with 100k miles on it as more than I want to deal with (at this point in my life). But like I said, we're all different.

I edited my previous post suggesting for you to focus on deciding what "you" want to do and worry less about what the rest of us think. That said, I think if you buy an extended warranty that will cover the lifetime that you expect to keep this car you should be in O.K. shape Based on what you say, you like the car, you like the options it has, you think you're getting a good deal. What's the problem? You waiting for one of us to talk you out of it? There's an old saying: "So long as you think you got a good deal, then you got a good deal!". From what you said it sounds like you have an "in" in the dealership you're buying from and hopefully that can also lead to fair treatment when it comes to telling you what needs fixing when.

I can't tell if your uncertainty is because of the car, because of the price, because of the car model, or because of the manufacturer. Or some combination of the above? You liking the car is a biggie! On the other front, best anyone can do is quote you reliability statistics. Most of what you read online about any particular model will be from critics who get paid to be picky, or from owners who are having bad experiences. Most people who are happy fail to share that information in forums like this. Ford sold ~135,000 2011 Ford Explorers in the US and the volume of bad experiences you see reported are at worst a small fraction of that number.

If you trust your friend, and you like the car, and if you buy the ESP to cover the time you own the car, and you're good with the price, then I don't see you can do too badly. Even warranty covered repairs can PITA to deal with, but no one can predict if they'll occur or not. But a warranty covered repair is a lot less of a pain than a non-covered one.

 

[driver4523]

I can't tell if you're talking about 2013 LTD's that are "new", or used ones?Either way, a good dealer find get you wan you want, even if it involves them looking at inventory in neighboring states. They're often less willing to work with you on the price of remote inventory, but if you want what you want then tell them, and see what they can find. To me the price you're talking about seems "about right", rather than being a deal you "Can't pass up", but then again I tend to judge a car based on it's mileage rather than its calendar age, and I think of 50K mileage as a well used car, especially since I think of a car with 100k miles on it as more than I want to deal with (at this point in my life). But like I said, we're all different.

I edited my previous post suggesting for you to focus on deciding what "you" want to do and worry less about what the rest of us think. That said, I think if you buy an extended warranty that will cover the lifetime that you expect to keep this car you should be in O.K. shape Based on what you say, you like the car, you like the options it has, you think you're getting a good deal. What's the problem? You waiting for one of us to talk you out of it? There's an old saying: "So long as you think you got a good deal, then you got a good deal!". From what you said it sounds like you have an "in" in the dealership you're buying from and hopefully that can also lead to fair treatment when it comes to telling you what needs fixing when.

I can't tell if your uncertainty is because of the car, because of the price, because of the car model, or because of the manufacturer. Or some combination of the above? You liking the car is a biggie! On the other front, best anyone can do is quote you reliability statistics. Most of what you read online about any particular model will be from critics who get paid to be picky, or from owners who are having bad experiences. Most people who are happy fail to share that information in forums like this. Ford sold ~135,000 2011 Ford Explorers in the US and the volume of bad experiences you see reported are at worst a small fraction of that number.

If you trust your friend, and you like the car, and if you buy the ESP to cover the time you own the car, and you're good with the price, then I don't see you can do too badly. Even warranty covered repairs can PITA to deal with, but no one can predict if they'll occur or not. But a warranty covered repair is a lot less of a pain than a non-covered one.

Thanks for the feedback, that makes me feel better. The car I'm looking at buying is a 2011 Limited 4x4. I was feeling great about it until I started looking online. I was surprised to see the Ford Explorer rate so low, and also be on a list of the most unreliable vehicles. I know a lot of reviewers and people in general had issues with MFT and I'm not sure if that is why a lot of folks are rating it poorly. I have used the MFT pretty extensively over the weekend I've been test driving and have had zero problems with it...I actually really like it. (It does have the newest update in case that has anything to do with it.)

So I guess to answer your question, at first I was just nervous about buying a Ford, because I've heard Ford in general aren't know for being reliable...at least back in the 80's. Then I started reading all the bad reviews about the Explorers in general.. Then I started reading that the first year model (2011) was specifically one to stay away from.

I guess what I'm looking for is someone to say, if the 2011 seems to be running well, you have a warranty, and like the car..go with it all... Not all of the 2011's had issues, even if they were "early build models"....

It sounds like you are saying pretty much all of that. So thanks!

 

[driver4523]

I can't tell if you're talking about 2013 LTD's that are "new", or used ones?Either way, a good dealer find get you wan you want, even if it involves them looking at inventory in neighboring states. They're often less willing to work with you on the price of remote inventory, but if you want what you want then tell them, and see what they can find. To me the price you're talking about seems "about right", rather than being a deal you "Can't pass up", but then again I tend to judge a car based on it's mileage rather than its calendar age, and I think of 50K mileage as a well used car, especially since I think of a car with 100k miles on it as more than I want to deal with (at this point in my life). But like I said, we're all different.

I edited my previous post suggesting for you to focus on deciding what "you" want to do and worry less about what the rest of us think. That said, I think if you buy an extended warranty that will cover the lifetime that you expect to keep this car you should be in O.K. shape Based on what you say, you like the car, you like the options it has, you think you're getting a good deal. What's the problem? You waiting for one of us to talk you out of it? There's an old saying: "So long as you think you got a good deal, then you got a good deal!". From what you said it sounds like you have an "in" in the dealership you're buying from and hopefully that can also lead to fair treatment when it comes to telling you what needs fixing when.

I can't tell if your uncertainty is because of the car, because of the price, because of the car model, or because of the manufacturer. Or some combination of the above? You liking the car is a biggie! On the other front, best anyone can do is quote you reliability statistics. Most of what you read online about any particular model will be from critics who get paid to be picky, or from owners who are having bad experiences. Most people who are happy fail to share that information in forums like this. Ford sold ~135,000 2011 Ford Explorers in the US and the volume of bad experiences you see reported are at worst a small fraction of that number.

If you trust your friend, and you like the car, and if you buy the ESP to cover the time you own the car, and you're good with the price, then I don't see you can do too badly. Even warranty covered repairs can PITA to deal with, but no one can predict if they'll occur or not. But a warranty covered repair is a lot less of a pain than a non-covered one.

One other thing..you said that warranty claims can be hard to deal with...does this include the Ford premium one as well? I know some 3rd party ones are hard to deal with sometimes, but I thought the Ford ones overall were supposed to be pretty good, no?

Does the premium warranty cover most of what could go wrong? Like I said, I'm friends with the Finance director there who has been at this dealership for many years. Also this specific dealer has very high reviews online for taking care of their customers when issues pop up. So I feel like if I did have an issue they would take care of me...I'm just worried about things like the power steering issue that seems to have been a big deal (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...er-steering-investigated-nhtsa_n_1619144.html ) --- I'm not sure how wide spread this issue was, or if it would have already have popped up at 50K miles. I'm also worried about something happening they can fix...seems like some of the folks on this forum have had a crazy number of issues..Reading this site makes it seem like ever 2011 Explorer is a lemon and anyone would be a fool for buying one. But in reality, like you said, it's probably only a very small number of people having issues in the grand scheme of things...

 

[alexk]

If the dealership paid that much for it, they paid too much. There are plenty of 2011 and 2012 explorers on eBay that are fully loaded limited with less miles for the same money or less.

 

[driver4523]

If the dealership paid that much for it, they paid too much. There are plenty of 2011 and 2012 explorers on eBay that are fully loaded limited with less miles for the same money or less.

Really? I've been looking and I don't see that. This one has the 302 package, 4x4, 2nd row captain chairs with center console, drivers luxury package, White Platinum Metallic....I could't find anything with those exact specs...

A lot of the Limited's I've seen online don'don't have the 302 packages, or the 2nd row captains chairs.

 

[blwnsmoke]

The Ford ESP is a great ESP. The computer gives the dealership automatic approval on most repairs and for high dollar repairs, just takes a phone call. It is the only ESP If ever consider. I've made back my money 3 times on my F250 and about 50% there with the Ex. A lot of it has to do with rental cars I got with the ex that Ford paid for.