2003 Explorer 102K miles, Keep or Sell?

[ddderek]

Ok, I have the 2003 Ford Explorer Limited w/ the V8 engine... It currently has 102700 miles on it. I replaced the drive shaft, rear axle shafts, two pulleys, serpintine belt, struts, and the normal brakes suspension etc....

Is this worth keeping?

Can I get 200,000?

What major common defects does this model have that I may have to fix if I keep it?

Thanks in advance for your experience and insight!:exp:

 

[HiImBrian]

I'm at 156K on my '03 V8 and she's still going strong. She's going in for a full tuneup in a few weeks - new belts, plugs, filters and fluids. Also replacing the struts and ball joints at the same time.

And just keep up with maintenance. As long as you do that it'll hit 200K no problem.

 

[ddderek]

I am looking at buying a Ford Taurus with 20,000 miles for $15k and was thinking of trading in the Explorer vs. keeping it.

The Dealer is only offering me $6000 which I think is low, but it would be hard to sell right now with gas prices where they are.

If I keep it I will have five cars and so it would get limited road time which will make it depreciate even without adding miles....

hhhhhmmmm?

 

[94Eddie]

You can probably get 200k from it but the odds are you will need a tranny rebuild before then among other repairs. If you really don't need it then I would say sell it now while it is running well. If you wait until another major repair hits, and try to sell it before fixing it, then you won't get much at all for it. Otherwise you will just have to pump more money into it before you sell it. After 100k miles the third gen Explorers have higher odds of needing major repairs like a tranny rebuild, wheel bearings, ball joints, differential rebuild etc. The good thing is you have the V-8 engine which is very reliable and durable.

 

[ddderek]

Sold it...

Yeah, I probably could've gotten 200,000 out of it. I had just put $3000 into it in the last year replacing the driveshaft, struts, and differential... and also tires....

But it was going to be the 5th car in the drive and this Taurus was too good a deal to pass up... So good bye for now to the Explorer Forum!

:roll:

BTW... the Dealer gave me $6000 as a Trade In price.... I thought it was too low but sitting in my driveway unused it would just continue to depreciate.

 

[Yadkin]

....wheel bearings....

I did some research on this today and lots of this stuff is designed to last 150k miles.

 

[ddderek]

I did some research on this today and lots of this stuff is designed to last 150k miles.

"DESIGNED TO" is the key words... doesn't mean it will... LOL

 

[03explorerL]

"DESIGNED TO" is the key words... doesn't mean it will... LOL

What year Taurus did you buy?

 

[Teejay4490]

The stealership boned you, I got offered 7,500 for mine and it has 123,000 and a V6 lol. But you probably made the right decision I had a few major repairs shortly after going over 100K. Including ball joints, tranny, DPFE sensor, alternator and other things..

I was gonna trade mine in on a truck but everytime I look at it I cant bring myself to do it. Plus all the money invested I may as well keep it for awhile.

 

[94Eddie]

BTW... the Dealer gave me $6000 as a Trade In price.... I thought it was too low but sitting in my driveway unused it would just continue to depreciate.

I think you did alright on the price. The truck is nine years old and over 100k miles. They will probably sell it for $7k-$8k. Having it sit in your driveway depreciating isn't doing you any good either.

 

[Yadkin]

"DESIGNED TO" is the key words... doesn't mean it will... LOL

Very true. But the 150k mark is where I plan on replacing the wheel bearings regardless of life left on them. I've had one disintegrate on me, and it was a bit more excitement then I needed that day. I was doing 60 on a two lane, slowing down from passing a car when my rear axle shaft, wheel and tire passed me...

 

[ddderek]

It was hard for me to part with it as well... and the reason? I put $3k into it last year on repairs... But now it should last another 100K right? Unless the Tranny goes!!

The Taurus I bought was a 2009, 19,750 miles, for $15,555... Clean as a whistle and I thought a pretty good deal. With the trade-in I left with a $195 payment and no other money down...

 

[Dalmus]

I'm kind've in the same boat. I have 150K on my 03 V6, and the pinion bearings are going... Might as well just swap out the entire diff. Do I stick $800 - $1200 into it knowing that the tranny will probably need to be rebuilt within a year or two (I'm getting some occasional clunking when down shifting), which is another $1,200+?

Or do I just stick the money into it, knowing that $2,000 - $3,000 will buy me another couple of years barring an engine failure (no signs of one, yet!). That's far less than a new/used car payment would be over two years...

On the other hand, a newer vehicle would be far less likely to leave me stranded on the side of the road! Not to mention MPG would be an improvement... Although averaging 18/22 city/highway is really not bad at all for the beast that she is!

 

[94Eddie]

It was hard for me to part with it as well... and the reason? I put $3k into it last year on repairs... But now it should last another 100K right? Unless the Tranny goes!!

The Taurus I bought was a 2009, 19,750 miles, for $15,555... Clean as a whistle and I thought a pretty good deal. With the trade-in I left with a $195 payment and no other money down...

IMO, you absolutely made the right decision. Having a 2009 car with less than 20k miles and a payment less than $200/month versus a 100k+ mile third gen Explorer is an easy decision. Especially if you don't need an SUV type vehicle.

My nephew has a 2008 Taurus and he loves it and it has been very reliable. My wife drives a 2003 Sable that we bought new and it has 140k miles on it. It has been a very good and reliable vehicle.

 

[94Eddie]

I'm kind've in the same boat. I have 150K on my 03 V6, and the pinion bearings are going... Might as well just swap out the entire diff. Do I stick $800 - $1200 into it knowing that the tranny will probably need to be rebuilt within a year or two (I'm getting some occasional clunking when down shifting), which is another $1,200+?

Or do I just stick the money into it, knowing that $2,000 - $3,000 will buy me another couple of years barring an engine failure (no signs of one, yet!). That's far less than a new/used car payment would be over two years...

On the other hand, a newer vehicle would be far less likely to leave me stranded on the side of the road! Not to mention MPG would be an improvement... Although averaging 18/22 city/highway is really not bad at all for the beast that she is!

I think it comes down to what you plan to spend for a replacement vehicle. If it is a lot, and it will be financed, then repairing the one you have would likely be less costly in the long term. If you go the route that ddderek did then it makes more sense to get another vehicle. I haven't had a car payment since the early 1990s and I don't miss them at all. I buy used cars in good condition and with low miles. I stopped taking the depreciation hit of buying new over two decades ago. My wife's 2003 Sable is probably the last new car we will ever own. She has finally seen the light and doesn't want to buy another new car or finance it.

I work from home so the Explorer's gas mileage isn't a big concern for me. If I did commute a lot I would have something else or buy a cheap beater to commute in. I am glad that everyone doesn't have the same view on vehicles as I do because then I wouldn't have such a number of used vehicles to choose from when I am shopping around for one!

 

[ddderek]

On top of switching from a vehicle with 103,000 to a vehicle with 20,000... is the fact that I now get 25+ MPG vs. 15+ in the Explorer....

And I don't need to remind anyone what gas prices are doing!!

I'm sure glad the Federal Government and WE subsidize the oil industry... They couldn't make it without our help! (tongue firmly planted in cheek)

 

[Dalmus]

I think it comes down to what you plan to spend for a replacement vehicle. If it is a lot, and it will be financed, then repairing the one you have would likely be less costly in the long term. If you go the route that ddderek did then it makes more sense to get another vehicle. I haven't had a car payment since the early 1990s and I don't miss them at all. I buy used cars in good condition and with low miles. I stopped taking the depreciation hit of buying new over two decades ago. My wife's 2003 Sable is probably the last new car we will ever own. She has finally seen the light and doesn't want to buy another new car or finance it.

I work from home so the Explorer's gas mileage isn't a big concern for me. If I did commute a lot I would have something else or buy a cheap beater to commute in. I am glad that everyone doesn't have the same view on vehicles as I do because then I wouldn't have such a number of used vehicles to choose from when I am shopping around for one!

Yes... Ideally I'd like to keep the truck for special occasions (hauling the ATV's up north, commuting in bad weather, etc) and get a decent runner for daily use.

If I could find a good deal on a used Escape (the new body style is terrible, IMHO), I'd consider that as a daily. My uncle has an 09 2WD and gets 24-28 mpg... a nice improvement over my beast. I also would consider a good mid-size sedan... I'd have to get used to sitting so low to the ground again.

 

[imp]

3rd. Gen. "Struts"?

Since the thread has meandered quite a bit anyway, (Oil Prices, etc), please help me with the term "Replaced Struts".

I was under the IMP-ression that 3rd. gens. do not have struts. I've been wrong before. Please clue me in.

Sure would be a kick in the a$$ to learn I'd paid for new struts, when there wasn't any! imp

Edit: Double ! I'm wrong once again! 3rd. gens. DO have struts, but they ain't in the FRONT. They have a skinny, weak little upper A-arm in the rear, the knuckle kept in proper location by a shock-absorber, coil spring, "strut" assembly. Pardon my ignorance, please! imp

 

[not8taxi]

3rd gens do have struts and they are your suspension...hence a strut is a shock absorber but the spring sits inside the strut...its 1 piece...where as other trucks and cars have shocks and springs where theyre seperate from eachother...

a better definition would be appreciaited thanks

 

[94Eddie]

If I could find a good deal on a used Escape (the new body style is terrible, IMHO), I'd consider that as a daily. My uncle has an 09 2WD and gets 24-28 mpg... a nice improvement over my beast. I also would consider a good mid-size sedan... I'd have to get used to sitting so low to the ground again.

I drove an Escape for a couple of weeks last summer as a rental. It was 2WD and the mileage didn't impress me all that much. I was getting 19-20 mpg around town and 24-25 on the highway. Considering the 2+ ton V-8 Explorer I have gets 16-17 mpg in town and 20-21 mpg on the highway, I expected better from the Escape.

The difference in MPG is so small between them that it doesn't justify the cash outlay for the Escape. I would be better off paying the extra gas cost of driving the Explorer. The difference in the gallons of gas purchased between the two vehicles, and assuming a person drives 15k miles a year, is 150 gallons of gas. At $4 per gallon that is an extra $600 spent on gas a year for driving an Explorer versus an Escape. If I paid $6,000 for the Escape, it would take ten years to get my money back from purchasing the vehicle. That also assumes gas will be $4 per gallon over those ten years and doesn't factor in insurance, repair, maintenance costs etc.

To really make it worth while you need to buy a vehicle that gets at least two times the mileage of an Explorer unless you drive 30k-40k miles a year, or more.