sammisweetheart, welcome to the forum! We will be glad to assist you in your search for your Ford Explorer!
A mate on here just got his appraised (2005 xlt 4x4 70k miles) at $7,000.
-Yep, that is correct, $7,000 sell value to the dealer on my 05. Now its interesting the dealer would sell my truck for $11,000.00, but I get ~$5,000 less. Obviously I walked out the door on that sell offer, but that's a whole other story.
--Sammisweetheart- I would be concerned of the 2002 model out of all the 3rd gens available. They seem to be the most prone to problems. When going to look at these explorers I would suggest you take them somewhere to get a Used Car Inspection or
Pre-Purchase inspection. Do this only if you are serious about buying. This will instantly catch any issues as a qualified mechanic is checking over the whole vehicle.
--Things you can look for are a hard shift from gears. The most obvious transmission issue is the "2-3 tranny flare." At about 20mph watch the tachometer (RPM Gauge) and see how high it goes before shifting. My truck has this issue and it goes from the regular 2100rpm shift (with my driving) to a 3000-3400rpm shift.
--Check the carfax. Look over whats on there. If the truck has been around your area all its life and it lists a dealership that serviced it go talk to them about service records. See if there has been any major work done. I'm sure a service advisor would be happy to go over its records with you.
--Lastly, when you find the perfect Ex and everything checks out good make sure that you offer competitively. Make sure that they will meet you halfway, or close.
--Be cautious if they are too eager to sell. Sometimes that is a sign of the car being a "lemon" and they know it. This happened to me with my Ex, bought @ $13200 and now $6000 later the truck is fixed to a good working condition. So really i paid around $20k for my Ex.
I did notice the dealer called me at least 3 times a week. They knew something was up with my truck (l-e-m-o-n) but they lied to me. Told me it was fully checked, new brakes and everything was good to go. I didnt do the pre-purchase inspection and paid the price... $6000 less in my wallet and I can guarantee more money will be spent on it. Transmission is going out another $3k or so.
Morale of that is just be careful on your choice. Really look it over, have it checked by a mechanic at a different dealership, and just be wise. Look for obvious problems or stuff that doesnt appear normal. Really look for the transmission shifting problems, so you can avoid the bad ones and save yourself money.
I hope this helps you out,
Nate H. -owner of a 2005 Explorer XLT 4X4