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My Explorer is totalled

97LTD

Well-Known Member
Joined
August 23, 2003
Messages
104
Reaction score
2
City, State
Concord, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
'97 and '98 LTD
I got rear ended in October when a driver fell asleep and hit me in the back on the freeway. The other driver's insurance totalled my '97 Explorer. The most of the damage is on the rear bumper area, that is bent down but frame looks okay. The driver side quarter panel moulding popped open. The estimate of repair upon visual inspection is over $3100.

The vehicle that hit me is Honda Civic that is also totalled with the front end crushed and airbags deployed. So the other driver's insurance offered me money to surrender my Explorer or give me a bit less money if I keep it. It is still drivable but I wouldn't want to pay more to fix it and the body shop told me that most parts is discontinued. I probably will take the money by surrendering the Explorer and I hope to look for an upgrade to a newer ones.

I'm ok so is the other driver... there's no injuries.
 



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Sorry to hear about the accident. On the bright side, that's one of the things I love about explorers, they will take a hit and keep you safe! It's a possibility that you could rebuild the back end with junkyard parts (bumper, trim, maybe a lift gate, etc.), as long as there's no hidden damage. Glad everyone was ok!
 






How much are they giving you for it and how much to keep it? When my 90' f150 got hit I kept it cause they weren't gonna give me much to keep it. A friend of mine just had his 2000 totaled by a driver rear-ending them and squashing the passenger side. He said insurance was gonna give him 2000 for it. He'd just had the trans fixed and the motor redone a few years ago. He isn't happy. He paid 1200 just for the trans work this summer I think.
 






At this point an insurance company will total a '97 Explorer for anything above a broken tail light. Can you post a pic of the damage? As said, you may be able buy it back from the insurance company and fix it with salvage yard parts for a few hundred bucks.
 






If you have the room, keep it.
And yea.. go to a scrap yard if you need parts.

If anything, if you get another 2nd gen, could use it for parts.
 






Always make sure to dicker with them and get the NADA value of your car, when i totaled my blazer they said the best they would do is 1800(if they take it) and 1700(i keep it. I sent them a nasty email stating that they were trying to screw me, they then offered me 3000(and i kept the blazer and sold it for 1500, bought my x for 1500). dont let them take advantage of you.
 






Here's a few pictures of the accident...and they offered $3150 if I surrender my Explorer... that's well more than the KBB value of my Explorer.

16d46951f16499410d2894a299630576.png
 






How much is their offer if you keep it?
 






$3150 for that? I'm gonna assume it's a SOHC? If it was mine and a SOHC, well it was nice knowing ya, because I could buy a V8 for a third that if I was patient. Which I'm very anti SOHC
 






$3150 for that? I'm gonna assume it's a SOHC? If it was mine and a SOHC, well it was nice knowing ya, because I could buy a V8 for a third that if I was patient. Which I'm very anti SOHC
So much hate for the 4.0L....lol.... do you actually know what the failure rate is on these engine!?!?!
Considering how many are out there its very low!
Of course you only read the negative, but the truth is..... A very small percent of explorer owners are a part of forums!
Ask your ford dealer what the actual failure rate is
 












RE Hate for the 4.0L SOHC, I've had 3 of them. 2 of them had/have timing chain problems and so far one has died and was junked. In my book that's a 66% failure rate and I don't hold out much hope for the one that doesn't have timing chain problems at the moment (by the way it has a rebuilt engine in it). By comparison, I also have four 5.0L's which have given me very few problems.
 






OP, that damage is not that bad at all. I'd either fix it (one way or other) or live with it. I sure wouldn't junk it because the rear bumper, it's mounting brackets and possibly rear frame horns are bent. You can probably get a used rear bumper with brackets for around $100 and worse case you might need to have a body shop with a frame straightening machine pull the frame horns back into place. Find out what the the insurance co. will want for you to buy it back. You should end up with plenty of money to get the bumper fixed and I'd live with the minor body damage on the left rear corner. It looks like it's in good shape for a '97, and being a CA vehicle, rust shouldn't be an issue.
 






My opinion is this. Over $3k for a truck worth less than $2k sounds like a deal to me if your not attached.

Now if you like the truck and they still give you over $2k for it it's not a bad option either. My only concern would be a little frame damage near the shackle area. Under $500 on a frame machine would get it nice and close. Then a nice $100 bumper from a junkyard would get you back like new. Then you have over a grand left over for Christmas shopping.
 






At the local JY, I'd estimate between 30-40 Explorers ranging from 95-01, at least 75% of them are SOHCs, the rest are OHV excluding four V8s, and two of those were wrecked. Mine rattles occasionally, I bought another 4.0 for a drop in when the time comes for dirt cheap, and the guy I got it from said they're a high demand engine, and I've seen multiple torn down with guides in pieces in the pan. Oil changes are vital to this engine, and thin is in with oil
 






The pick-a-part yards I go to charge $37-52 plus $0-10 core charge for a bumper. Bumper brackets pry would be included at that price, since I would just leave them installed on the bumper, and they would just charge me the bumper's price.
 






well i have owned 4 explorer
94 ohv
97 sohc
00 sohc
01 sohc

I still own 00 and 01

Not one has ever failed or given me any chain noise!
The oil was always changed every 5000km's
Except for the 2000 sport its now a plow truck and has had the same oil in it for the last 4yrs
NO chain noise!!!

these engines were mass produced and used in a variety of vehicles and yes, the plastic chain guides weren't a great idea..... But on the grand scheme of thing, they don't have a high failure rate. Ask your dealer, believe it or not manufactures actually collect this kind of information.

Its always easy to google and find the bad about something then it is to find the good..... Few people actually review anything but the people who do will complain and the other few will positive review stuff... I like these forums, but honestly in a case like these 4.0litres its almost fear mongering. It makes people think i would never buy one now reading this, and some people probably fear their vehicle..... Bottom line is, you look after it, it will last.... But honestly my 2001 EB that i use as my winter beater owes nobody anything its 16yrs old!!!! But with that said it'll likely go 10yrs more if maintained.... and the 00 sport will never see fresh oil ever again!!! but im willing to bet itll keep pushing snow for many winters to come, assuming the body doesnt completely rust off
 






I've had 2 people hit me, I'm on my 3rd 91 aerostar. Insurance would subtract what a junk yard would buy the car for in running condition. With my 1st van the bumper was pushed back into the tires and the doors wouldn't open so I got to buy it back for $50. I swapped all the parts onto another van which got rear ended 10 months later. Since that van was able to be driven insurance let me buy that one back for $250. I now have 2 good spare 4.0L engines and an extra transmission, seats, trim etc. I sold the body for scrap.
 






Here's a few pictures of the accident...and they offered $3150 if I surrender my Explorer... that's well more than the KBB value of my Explorer.

16d46951f16499410d2894a299630576.png
@97LTD
Easy fix. Looks as though the hatch is very straight, still, a good indication of very little damage beyond the obvious. imp
 



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well i have owned 4 explorer
94 ohv
97 sohc
00 sohc
01 sohc

I still own 00 and 01

Not one has ever failed or given me any chain noise!
The oil was always changed every 5000km's
Except for the 2000 sport its now a plow truck and has had the same oil in it for the last 4yrs
NO chain noise!!!

these engines were mass produced and used in a variety of vehicles and yes, the plastic chain guides weren't a great idea..... But on the grand scheme of thing, they don't have a high failure rate. Ask your dealer, believe it or not manufactures actually collect this kind of information.

Its always easy to google and find the bad about something then it is to find the good..... Few people actually review anything but the people who do will complain and the other few will positive review stuff... I like these forums, but honestly in a case like these 4.0litres its almost fear mongering. It makes people think i would never buy one now reading this, and some people probably fear their vehicle..... Bottom line is, you look after it, it will last.... But honestly my 2001 EB that i use as my winter beater owes nobody anything its 16yrs old!!!! But with that said it'll likely go 10yrs more if maintained.... and the 00 sport will never see fresh oil ever again!!! but im willing to bet itll keep pushing snow for many winters to come, assuming the body doesnt completely rust off

Perhaps with regular oil changes the timing chains are less problematic (honestly I doubt it) but most of us here are buying well-used vehicles with 150-250K on them with who knows how many owners. Beginning with good maintenance on a 18 year old vehicle with high miles is too little too late. I stand by my opinion that the 4.0L SOHC engine (with it's hydraulic chain tensioners) is a poor design.
 






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