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Honest opinions of your Explorers?

CochinoFilipino

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Joined
April 26, 2005
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City, State
Menlo Park, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
'94 XJ
Hello.

I’m in the market for a used mid-sized SUV to serve as the family hauler and DD for the wife. It will be used mostly in town. We have a 8mo old baby (we’ll probably make one more) and a 88lb lab. 4x4 will only be needed for 2 or 3 ski trips per year. No towing.

We think we’ve narrowed it down the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot. Our requirements are Leather interior, 4x4, and third row seating. We’re looking at 03-05 models.

The wife is leaning towards the Pilot she rides in the back with the baby and likes the space, it rides nicer and has more space. But it’s a bit feminine to me and I like to buy American. :usa: Plus the Explorer is more available and we can get more for less money.

I’m sure you’re pretty much biased in favor of the Ford but I want to know what you think of your Explorers. I can read plenty of new car expert reviews online but i wanna hear from real users with 30 or 40K + miles on them? Are there specific problems to be aware of? Is the 4.0 adequate? Is there a big MPG dif between the 4.0 and 4.6? Any other input?

Thanks,
 



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CochinoFilipino said:
Hello.

I’m in the market for a used mid-sized SUV to serve as the family hauler and DD for the wife. It will be used mostly in town. We have a 8mo old baby (we’ll probably make one more) and a 88lb lab. 4x4 will only be needed for 2 or 3 ski trips per year. No towing.

We think we’ve narrowed it down the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot. Our requirements are Leather interior, 4x4, and third row seating. We’re looking at 03-05 models.

The wife is leaning towards the Pilot she rides in the back with the baby and likes the space, it rides nicer and has more space. But it’s a bit feminine to me and I like to buy American. :usa: Plus the Explorer is more available and we can get more for less money.

I’m sure you’re pretty much biased in favor of the Ford but I want to know what you think of your Explorers. I can read plenty of new car expert reviews online but i wanna hear from real users with 30 or 40K + miles on them? Are there specific problems to be aware of? Is the 4.0 adequate? Is there a big MPG dif between the 4.0 and 4.6? Any other input?

Thanks,

We have an '03 Mountaineer with 80k on it now. Overall I have been happy with it, and only had a couple of problems (transmission solenoids needing replacing, an ABS sensor going bad, and a window motor going bad). For us, with a 1 and 2 year old, there is a good amount of room and it is comfortable for travelling.

From what I have seen, there isn't much difference in gas mileage between the 4.0 and 4.6, mainly due to the size and weight that the engine has to move around (the V6 has to work a bit harder).

A couple of things that we have found:
- with a little one, the rear seat dvd player is great for travelling
- with 2 little ones in car seats, you are not going to be using the 3rd row seat very much as access is limited to crawling over the 2nd row seat or removing the child seat to flip the 2nd row seat forward.

The Honda may get a little better gas mileage (not sure what the ratings are, but the V8 Ex typically gets around 20 on the highway), but will cost more up front and any repairs will typically be more expensive. Plus, with all of the Explorers out on the roads, it is easier to find exactly what you want.
 






Thanks blichy. How much did the transmission solenoids and ABS sensor problems set you back? Or were you still under warranty?

Did the tranny problem leave you on the side of the road or were you able to drive it to the shop?
 






My dad has had 3 explorers (97, 2000, 2002). Each of them he put over 150,000 miles on them, the last one he put 196,000. His last explorer was the first one to give him and problems at all. He had to replace the ABS sensor and a new tranny at around 180k. Other than that he had absolutely NO problems whatsoever with the other two or the last one. I'de say they are great realiable cars as long as you take care of them. I just got an 02 sport with 69k on it and it runs like new as well.
 






The Honda is probably more "American" than the Explorer. My '02 has Made In Germany stickers on the engine.

My ABS light came on about a year ago and is still on and the rear end howls. I had to have axle seals put in the rear end twice, but other than that, no problems. It's really a pretty good ride and suits my needs. Decent gas mileage too. 2wd v-6 and gets around 23-24 on the highway.
 






Ditto. I have a '02 XLT V6 with only 33k miles and my ABS light just went on.
The alternator also crapped out last October.
But I will abstain from making a recommendation for either the ex or pilot.
 






I've never driven a Honda, but I love my '04 Explorer. It's an XLT with 3rd row seats.

It gets decent gas milage, about 350 miles until we are ready to fill up. The ride is great, and it has good acceleration.

No problems as of yet with ours.
 






I have an 04 Mountaineer Premier AWD and V-8. I do like it lot, but it has has some issues that been have repaired under warranty. I beleive the Honda is the better SUV, but I buy American as well. If I buy another Ford product,I will buy it while it is still under warranty and buy an FORD Extended warranty, like I have done with the one I have now. I have had 4 Mountaineers V-8's and I still keep going back. I suggest you get the V-8 for the duraability and the gas mileage is a bout one mpg less than the V-6.

By the way, you usually can buy a Mountaineer for about 2K less than the Explorer and it is the same SUV. I have yet to figure that out.
 






CochinoFilipino said:
Thanks blichy. How much did the transmission solenoids and ABS sensor problems set you back? Or were you still under warranty?

Did the tranny problem leave you on the side of the road or were you able to drive it to the shop?

The tranny was having some harsh shifting, so it was a matter of scheduling an appointment and driving in. I believe that it ran about $750 in total. From what I have read, the ABS sensor is pretty easy to do and would have saved about $100 or so, but it was easier for me time-wise to just have everything done (this was in the 65-70k mile range, so out of warranty).

One thing that I have found regarding gas mileage--we took a weekend trip with 4 adults and the 2 kids about 3 hours away. With the traffic, we ended up going pretty steady around 50-55 mph. As a result of going at that speed rather than around 70-75mph, we got about 25 mpg. The 20 mph slower made a huge difference in mileage (about 25% better).
 






I'll pry get a toyota next. They are actually made in the US in Indianna, I think. Everyone I know that has then, says they run forever.
 






Stay away from the '02s. And our interior is horrible. But its mostly rattle free, I give it that much.
 






I have around 54k on my 2002 Ford Explorer, though I have only had it for a couple of years I have not had any major problems with it as of yet. (knocks on wood) :)
 






I've had a 98 Mountaineer, a 200WJ and a 2004 Ford Explorer.
I hated that WJ. Man it was constantly in the shop. The ride was VERY nice, but that was about it.
The 2004 Explorer has been a good ride. So far no major issues, nothing of any concern. Whatever you buy, never buy the first year or two of building. Frankly you're the test pilots for the manufacturer. Get at least an 03-04 Expo.
 






I know they have a bad rap, but I like Jeep. I've had a YJ with 258k miles and have an 135K mile 94 XJ that I'd take anywhere. But the WJ is out, too small, no third seat. That commander is looking pretty badass (maybe I'll buy a used one 5 or 6 years from now).

Looks like a low mileage 04-05 Explorer is the better choice financially. I just wish the third seat was split. I'd get one with a warranty. The wife is pushing hard for the Pilot, used ones cost enough that's almost better to just buy new (the wife would be real happy with that). We'll see.
 






transmissions are really the only thing to worry about. I also looked at the Honda pilot when we bought out mountaineer. (both used) and for what we saved in money (5000$$$) that payed for the extended warrenty and still left us with 3800$ under the price of a same year Pilot. We have the 4.6L V8 3.73 gear version and it has plenty of power (tows trailers well also) and we average about 14 mpg strickly in-town and 21mpg highway @ 70mph and it WILL get 22-23mpg if we cruise at a nice steady 58-60mph.
 






rancherlee said:
transmissions are really the only thing to worry about.

Trans should be okay after some point in 2004. But it seems that some Pilots have a strange 70mph vibration issue that is hard to sort out.

rancherlee said:
. I also looked at the Honda pilot when we bought out mountaineer. (both used) and for what we saved in money (5000$$$) that payed for the extended warrenty and still left us with 3800$ under the price of a same year Pilot.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Is a comparable Pilot worth $5K more to me? I'll have a few months to decide.
 






I've been a Ford driver for many many years having owned Galaxies, Mustangs, SHO, and now I'm driving a 99 XLT V8 AWD.
I have to say unfortunately that I've spent a lot of money on repairs on ALL my Fords.
My Explorer has 78K on it and I have replaced ALL the brakes including the E brake, some of the exhaust system, sensors, rear drive shaft and joints, plugs and wires, upper and lower ball joints and a few other things.
Everyone else in my family and my wife's family owns Hondas and Acuras and they never go to the repair shop. They all think I'm a fool for spending so much money on my fords. I'm starting to think they are right. My wife's Acura Legend went 150-K with NO issues, my Sister's Acure went 275K with NO issues. The fact is that Hondas are more reliable and have a much much higher resale value I'm sorry to say. don't get me wrong, I really like my Explorer and I don't want to part with it - I'm just stating my own personal experiences.
 






My Explorers have been high maintenance. But even with that I am happy with it. The explorer is a handy vehicle to have around and a good 4x4.
 






We had a 97 Explorer and switched it for an 03 Trailblazer. A good switch IMO. The EXT version has 3rd row seating.
 



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The used Explorer had my vote. But the wife really wanted the Pilot, I decided to be frivolous and bought her a new Pilot EX-L. She loves it. Thanks for all the input.
 






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