1994 XLT value question

[Anthony_Mc]

Hello,

First post on the forums here.

I've never owned an Explorer. There seem to be quite a few for sale at reasonable prices. I am looking to purchase used as I cannot afford to buy anything remotely pricey.

I am looking at a 94 XLT tomorrow.

85K miles. Needs to have alternator replaced and seller says needs a tail pipe.

It seems to be very low on the miles for a 94. Is it possible to verify the mileage on the vehicle. The pictures he sent me look good. Seller says there is a bit of rust on a bumper and one of the wheel wells...other then that he says it's in very good condition.

He is asking $1300 for said vehicle. It seems like the price is almost too good to me. Am I being naive in thinking this?

Is there anything I should be specifically looking for when I look at this explorer? I am not overly mechanically inclined, but am not clueless when it comes to vehicles.

The low miles are very attractive to me but it almost seems to good to be true.

I'd appreciate any comments or advice that is given concerning my questions or the vehicle in general.

I currently have a 94 jeep cherokee with 217K miles and just about completely rusted out.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice given.

Ant

 

[82R100]

Ant,
We currently own a '99 Mountaineer. We bought it to replace a '94 Explorer XLT (both vehicles bought new). I usually keep my vehicles a very long time but for the '94 I made an exception. We had a chronic braking problem that I ultimately found I could not confidently solve. The problem we had does not appear to occur commonly and I don't mean to cite it as a reason to avoid the vehicle.
There are a few things that I found better in the '94 than in the 2nd generation Explorer (which is what our Mountaineer is): 1) The turning circle is awesomely tight. 2) There's a general impression of more space in the front seat area and genuinely more legroom with the seat fully rearward.

The 2nd generation though is much improved in just about every respect of feel and function (steering, brakes, noise and ride). The '94 was very needy in terms of maintenance and repair. The front caliper design is almost prehistoric with the need for removing and greasing rubber/metal bonded "pins" almost once a year to ensure proper function. The gas strut mounts for the tailgate were inadequately spot-welded and needed riveting to stabilize them.

Long story short--I'd spend twice as much to get a '95 or later equivalent model.

- Chris

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The overall condition is what counts, and not the actual mileage.