I'm about to pull the trigger

[ALDrums]

Hi all,

I'm new here, but I've been lurking, doing research, and waiting for my time for a while now. I found this guy the other day, and I'm about to pull the trigger. It's a 2016 Limited, but I've never seen them with black wheels before. Same wheels, just black. Are they painted, or aftermarket, or does Ford have a black version of these wheels? Additionally, it has 51,000 miles on it. It was a rental. I am going to drive it today after work. What do you think?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Edit: Looks like my pic didn't work.

 

[613GT500]

Ex-rental...I would stay clear.
Which engine?

 

[ALDrums]

Ex-rental...I would stay clear.
Which engine?

I'm trying to find that out now. It just says "V6 Flex Fuel Vehicle."

 

[Halwg]

That's a lot of miles for a 2016, and if it's been in a rental fleet, it's been beat. Run, do not walk, away from this vehicle.

 

[ALDrums]

That's a lot of miles for a 2016, and if it's been in a rental fleet, it's been beat. Run, do not walk, away from this vehicle.

I figured this might be a "too good to be true" scenario. The price is where I want it, but the miles are up there. Lower miles, and it's a bit high price wise. It looks SO good, and is so tempting.

 

[peterk9]

Not sure why so many people always say to stay away from rentals and why they say that the vehicles have been abused. I've rented vehicles and always treated them as my own. Can you really say a previously owned vehicle is that much better. Just take a look at all the threads here about issues on NEW Explorers!

Peter

 

[ALDrums]

Not sure why so many people always say to stay away from rentals and why they say that the vehicles have been abused. I've rented vehicles and always treated them as my own. Can you really say a previously owned vehicle is that much better. Just take a look at all the threads here about issues on NEW Explorers!

Peter

Thanks Peter. That's something I've also considered after years of lurking on here. I already know my Explorer will more than likely not be perfect, but it may be perfect for me. I'm still leaning towards it. We'll see after my test drive this evening.

 

[peterk9]

Edit: Looks like my pic didn't work.

An Elite membership will allow you to post from your device otherwise you can use a 3rd party site like Photobucket and use a link.
That is a lot of miles. It would seem the majority could be highway but hard to tell. As well it could have been an early build and possibly be almost 2 years old now. Good luck.

Peter

 

[ALDrums]

Engine listed: 3.5LL 6-Cylinder SMPI DOHC

 

[bdginmo]

Engine listed: 3.5LL 6-Cylinder SMPI DOHC

Yeah, that's the naturally aspirated engine. The twin turbocharged 3.5L engine is called an EcoBoost and it uses direct injection. It's only available on the Sport and Platinum trims.

I have mixed feelings on ex-rentals. I travel a lot for work so I rent cars frequently. I always treat them well, but some of my coworkers drive them hard and really without a lack of concern. So I don't know...I probably wouldn't get one unless I could get a really good deal...like way under the book value.

 

[Jon M]

Give it a good look over. Add a Ford ESP. Then you won't have to worry about issues.

 

[JAPeterson]

Is it a dealer or a private sale? I watched a rental sit on a lot for over 6 months and drop in price over $15,000 before I purchased my 2016. I always wondered just what was wrong with it.

If it is a private seller or even a dealer I would see if I could drop it off at a shop that I trusted and have them go through it with a fine tooth comb and then see what they say.

I also agree with the others about how they might be treated. I have rented a few vehicles and treat them like they are mine, and I have seen others that beat them into the ground. Then when the rental agency goes to sell them they run them through a detail shop and clean everything up to the point you can't even tell if the oil has been changed.

 

[peterk9]

Engine listed: 3.5LL 6-Cylinder SMPI DOHC

See if you can get the maintenance records.

Peter

 

[ALDrums]

Update: Didn't pull the trigger. I'm still looking, though. I'm debating between 2015 Limited and 2016 Limited. Obviously there were changes between the two years, and the 2015 is SLIGHTLY better budget wise, but the look of the 16 is so much better to my eyes.

Also, the 15 has 33,000 miles. The 16 has 43,000.

 

[edino]

I sold our 15' Ex Limited due to quality and general ownership experience issues. Some months ago I wrote a post on this site. Maybe worth to consider.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/sold-our-15-limited.457212/#post-3594401

 

[ALDrums]

I sold our 15' Ex Limited due to quality and general ownership experience issues. Some months ago I wrote a post on this site. Maybe worth to consider.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/sold-our-15-limited.457212/#post-3594401

Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely take those factors into consideration.

 

[kmarnes]

I would never buy a rental. Some people respect them, some people don't. The problem regardless is they get used heavily in a short period of time. I know you've moved past that now, but it's really important to protect yourself and know what you are getting yourself into. Because these cars can be very expensive to fix if something goes on it. I've done pretty well purchasing 2 year lease returns. There are some 3rd party dealers that specialize in these. They can be great because you can find great deals and still have some warranty. But definitely consider an extended warranty.

 

[luc]

the stigma attached to rental car don't make sense anymore
Obviously you can't really abuse electric and electronic components such as radio, power windows, etc
So that leave us with body/trim and drivetrain
Body/trim is a non issue because you can see it, either its damaged or not, nothing in between
That leave us with drivetrain and that is transmission and engine
What is THE worth thing that a renter can do to a car engine?
Rev it to red line on a cold engine? that's about it and with the much improved manufacturing tolerances, low viscosity oil and all the electronic sensors, fuel injection.etc. how much damages can that seriously do?
Has been many years that cars end up in junkyard for other reasons than engine problems
Anyhow, the car rental stigma is a bit like the 3000 miles oil change, some people live in the past and don't realize or accept how much cars have changed
The most important thing for a car is correct maintenance and a car rentals business do that 100% correctly
Simple economics

 

[kmarnes]

You seem to have a lot of trust for profit driven companies that only keep their cars for a year or two - and the last car we rented in Maui (Alamo) had a oil change warning for the entire 10 days we had the car.

51,000 miles in 1.5 year old car is insane. That car is going to run into expensive maintenance issues that will outpace any cost savings and also not have a warranty. Buying any car, you need to do your due diligence. Plus you are guaranteed to have torn up rims, and way more wear and tear than you would expect, especially in the suspension department (less care over speed bumps, bottoming out entering parking lots). There are other ways you can hurt a car, especially luxury performance cars by not driving it hard enough (carbon buildup)... and so forth.

 

[Summers22]

^^^I bought my 2016 with 42K on it 3 months ago. It is a Limited AWD in white platinum. The dealer made it a CPO, so drivetrain is covered for 7 years, 100K. I paid $28, 500. It was a company lease return and I am very confident in the car and warranty I got.