Is this car worth 4 grand?

[lightningrodbob]

Sure you can buy mine for $5000. But I'm keeping the rims ....

Honestly if the SOHC Explorer you are looking at is in good condition, well maintained, and is not currently having timing chain issues you could probably drive it for several years without any issues. Sure a V8 is preferable and more reliable but there are plenty of SOHC owners that HAVE NOT had and NEVER WILL have issues. Just think, there are MILLIONS of Explorers out there so the posts you see about their issues are just a small percentage of Explorers out there. If you need a vehicle right away go ahead and get it as long as it's the right price. Just be sure you have a reputable shop or dealer check it out. It will be well worth the small fee.

Good Luck.

Yeah this is what my old man was saying. Also there's a higher percentage of V6's out there than V8's so obviously there will be more people with V6's who have problems.


I have a buddy in SLC who can go look at that Limited for me and take it to a mechanic, if it checks out I will probably buy it.

 

[lightningrodbob]

Well that V6 i was thinking about buying sold... too bad.

I keep finding gorgeous cars in Portland and Spokane that are V6's... Why can't I just find a nice looking V8 with less than 140k miles on it? Haha

 

[JDraper]

Well that V6 i was thinking about buying sold... too bad.

I keep finding gorgeous cars in Portland and Spokane that are V6's... Why can't I just find a nice looking V8 with less than 140k miles on it? Haha

Because people don't want to give those trucks up.

 

[lightningrodbob]

Well this is the one I'm currently looking into I guess:

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1524679074.html


5.0, 2000 eddie bauer. 107k miles. Only $4900 OBO

not crazy about the color but I can get past that. Just wish it didn't cost so much for a good paint job

 

[71cutty455]

That one looks nice and has decent mileage at a decent price too. That is actually my favorite color on 2nd Gen explorers. Go ahead and buy it then we can trade. I'm still keeping my rims though .

 

[BBQ Bandit]

Well this is the one I'm currently looking into I guess:

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1524679074.html


5.0, 2000 eddie bauer. 107k miles. Only $4900 OBO

not crazy about the color but I can get past that. Just wish it didn't cost so much for a good paint job

Looks good... its AWD... not a true 4X4... either a 3.55 or a 3.73 rear end
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1590773&postcount=4

FYI: The 3.73 rear has a larger towing capacity... useful when needed.

Hope you can get it!

 

[Mirge]

I really like that color. Talk 'em down on the price though.

 

[lightningrodbob]

The guy who owns that last truck isn't responding to me anymore. I think he might have sold it


I'm targeting this one now:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/1536928257.html

Only 2200 for 1999 V8 black Eddie Bauer with 120k on it. Thats right up my alley. Trying to confirm its a V8 (I think I see the badges) and also need to confirm its either 4WD or AWD because I don't #### with 2WD

 

[X6StringerX]

It looks great in the pictures. As long as everything is mechanically sound and it is, indeed, AWD, I think you've found your gem. I know I'd hop on it for that price.

 

[lightningrodbob]

It looks great in the pictures. As long as everything is mechanically sound and it is, indeed, AWD, I think you've found your gem. I know I'd hop on it for that price.

Yeah thats what i'm trying to find out. I can be down there within the week if it checks out

 

[lightningrodbob]

I'm also interested in this one:


http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1535330457.html

 

[celly]

I'm not trying to burst your bubble here or anything, but you've got a mountain of useful information at your fingertips here on the forums. Take advantage of it and research before you buy. There's a reason why I've owned one 4.0 and three 5.0s.

It's also why I went from three V6 Explorer to a V8. Luckily I had no issues with all three (they were all VERY low mileage as one was sold with low miles, one was a 2 year lease. The other did have the timing chain work done).

I've had the 5.0 for 4 years now with no drivetrain or engine issues whatsoever.

 

[lightningrodbob]

The black one in LA is a 2WD, so I'm turning my attention towards the red one outside of Sacramento.

The owner e-mailed me back, the car has 139k. The only problems with the car she knows of are the antenna not going all the way up, and a crack in the center console lid. She gave me the number for their mechanic and told me to call him about any mechanical questions.

 

[lightningrodbob]

Well saturday it will be official, I'm buying this Explorer for $3200. I'm not even going to try to haggle the price down, this explorer is the nicest one i've seen in this price range and its Blue Book value is around 5600

I really think its a great deal considering how good of shape the owners have kept it in. Their mechanic ran down a list of all the maintenance they've done on the car, all the parts they replaced, etc. They've really babied it.

1998 Eddie Bauer, V8 5.0 engine
139k miles


The only issues with the car are:

-AC/Heat blend door needs replaced. But that can wait, thats an easy fix temporarily.
-Console lid has a rip in the leather
- antenna doesn't come all the way up
- Radio LED's don't come on most of the time. Either bulb is out, or a short somewhere.



All of those issues are pretty minor, the biggest thing is the blend door and i can get by just taping that thing shut when I need to until I can afford to replace it.

Here's some pictures:

Don't worry i'll be taking the tinkerbell decal off haha.

There's the lid that needs replaced, I can find one in a junkyard for like 10 bucks i'm guessing.




So what do you guys think? I think its a helluva lot better than the green one I originally posted. Less miles, in better shape. Don't have to go through a dealership and pay a lot of fees.

Think its a good deal?

 

[71cutty455]

Looks good to me, decent price too. I'm happy you finally found one and a V8 at that.

As far as the console lid you'll never find a good one at the junkyard, they will either be torn also or gone already. Buy the recovering kit on eBay for $10-15 and get a cheap staple gun and recover it yourself. It will come out very nice if you take your time and do it right. I recovered mine about a year ago, the color and grain of the vinyl match perfectly, you can't tell it's not the original lid.

The blend door and radio display are also very common issues, check out the stickies at the top of this forum for the fixes.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Nice.... do it.

As was said, all three issues are very common. The console lid is held on by 2 screws, and the radio display is fixed easiest by just getting an aftermarket stereo.

Search around the forum for the blend door, and enjoy!

 

[coonerboy]

Very nice, and at a decent price too. You got a V8 and an EB. Great combo. Enjoy!

 

[graciebrother]

The radio LED is a well known problem. Search the threads but you'll likely to need to either resolder the board or get a replacement board. I got another unit from a scrap yard. Much easier and less hassle. $40.

You could also pick up a bug/ stone deflector from the scrap yard too if you wanted.

 

[lightningrodbob]

Bought the explorer yesterday and spend the whole evening and early this morning driving it home. Had some issues on the drive home. Can anybody read these and help me out a little?

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266278

 

[lightningrodbob]

*bumping a 15 month old post*


Well I've had my explorer for over a year, and its been pretty good to me all things considered.

I replaced the multi-function switch, but still had headlight problems

Then I had problems with my battery dying all the time, figured out it was the alternator, replaced that and it fixed the headlight problem as well.

Those are pretty much the only things that have needed replacing.


I still haven't fixed the blend door. I've been getting by on lukewarm air all winter haha. I'm gonna have my neighbor fix it this summer though. He's a mechanic and he did a good job replacing my alternator.


Still haven't fixed the ripped console lid either. I was unemployed for a while and cash was hard to come by. And a small rip in my console lid wasn't a big priority haha


Now that I'm gainfully employed again, my goals are:

1) Fix the blend door
2) fix the console lid
3) replace sub/amp/HU/speakers (this might be an interesting project)



I was thinking about replacing some audio components tonight and it reminded me of this forum, I haven't been on here in like a year, totally forgot about it.

Just wanted to say thanks for all your advice. I'll probably stick around and ask some audio questions