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Almost bought a 93

Flashflood

Elite Explorer
Joined
September 2, 2018
Messages
754
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416
Location
Laramie
City, State
Wyoming
Year, Model & Trim Level
2000 ford explorer 94 xlt
I almost bought a 93 Xlt. In really good shape cosmetic only thing that held me back was the mileage.
 



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Upkeep is more important than mileage at 30 years old.
 






Upkeep is more important than mileage at 30 years old.
This goes hand in hand with the odometer thread that has resurfaced.
I almost bought a 93 Xlt. In really good shape cosmetic only thing that held me back was the mileage.
Just keep in mind a vehicle that has been maintained properly will last a long time. How many miles did it have? The 4.0 is generally good for around 335000 miles before requiring an overhaul. That is with proper maintenance and care. There was a thread to that affect on here for a while with a bunch of guys that purchased them new or very new. All had similar care and drove the wheels off them.

The mechanicals of the car are so much easier to fix than the cosmetics. Personally I'd buy a truck with no rust or body damage and put an engine in it verses the other way around. Body work and paint is significantly more expensive to do right than the mechanicals. But it also depends on your capabilities too.
 






This goes hand in hand with the odometer thread that has resurfaced.

Just keep in mind a vehicle that has been maintained properly will last a long time. How many miles did it have? The 4.0 is generally good for around 335000 miles before requiring an overhaul. That is with proper maintenance and care. There was a thread to that affect on here for a while with a bunch of guys that purchased them new or very new. All had similar care and drove the wheels off them.

The mechanicals of the car are so much easier to fix than the cosmetics. Personally I'd buy a truck with no rust or body damage and put an engine in it verses the other way around. Body work and paint is significantly more expensive to do right than the mechanicals. But it also depends on your capabilities too.
Truthfully I thought the same thing. This thing had one owner and was rustless beside the towing package. But unfortunately I didn't feel like trying to baby it back up to my place with 345,000 actual miles on it. Or have break down on me halfway there.
 






I’d trust it more than a 30 year old vehicle with 50k on it.
 






Wow that's a lot of miles, but it's not unheard of for them to go that long. If it was gonna be a daily, I'd rebuild the engine and check out the trans real good.
 






Wow that's a lot of miles, but it's not unheard of for them to go that long. If it was gonna be a daily, I'd rebuild the engine and check out the trans real good.
That would of been my plan lol but no go
 






Wow that's a lot of miles, but it's not unheard of for them to go that long. If it was gonna be a daily, I'd rebuild the engine and check out the trans real good.
I'd daily it until something broke. I bought an aerostar van for $400 that was close to 300k miles and had been parked on the street for 2-3 years. I got 6 months daily use at 150 miles a day before the transmission went out. I was able to limp it home. I replaced the transmission with a manual and got another 4.5 years then a head gasket blew.
 






Are you still gonna look at other 93 Explorers?
 






I'd daily it until something broke. I bought an aerostar van for $400 that was close to 300k miles and had been parked on the street for 2-3 years. I got 6 months daily use at 150 miles a day before the transmission went out. I was able to limp it home. I replaced the transmission with a manual and got another 4.5 years then a head gasket blew.
I totally agree with you. I guess what I meant is I would buy the vehicle planning on doing the mechanical work. I wouldn't just replace parts without a reason to do so. It goes along with the idea of buying a cosmetically great, high mileage vehicle. To me the mechanicals are the easy part, and I would be buying the rust free body or the perfect interior.

BTW, my 200K + mile, manual swapped, 4.0 Aerostar continues to chug along without much issue. It just consumes oil like crazy, about a QT every 500-600 miles. It was a $300 purchase with a near perfect interior and some rocker rust.
 






I totally agree with you. I guess what I meant is I would buy the vehicle planning on doing the mechanical work. I wouldn't just replace parts without a reason to do so. It goes along with the idea of buying a cosmetically great, high mileage vehicle. To me the mechanicals are the easy part, and I would be buying the rust free body or the perfect interior.

BTW, my 200K + mile, manual swapped, 4.0 Aerostar continues to chug along without much issue. It just consumes oil like crazy, about a QT every 500-600 miles. It was a $300 purchase with a near perfect interior and some rocker rust.
That's how my 91 was clean except clear coat and rocker panels. But man mechanically I had to put work into it. To make it a princess still had an oil burn when I got rid of it
Are you still gonna look at other 93 Explorers?
And if I can find one for a decent price oh I would love one.
 






That's how my 91 was clean except clear coat and rocker panels. But man mechanically I had to put work into it. To make it a princess still had an oil burn when I got rid of it

And if I can find one for a decent price oh I would love one.

Oh, I see. Hope you can find one soon.
 






I loved my 1st gens, but the roofs all rusted out on me. Even my 02 now is rusting & the paint & clear are gone off the roof. Would it have killed Ford to make the roofs slick & not with the ridges that collect water?
 






I loved my 1st gens, but the roofs all rusted out on me. Even my 02 now is rusting & the paint & clear are gone off the roof. Would it have killed Ford to make the roofs slick & not with the ridges that collect water?
Amen. My 2000 with sun roof is getting some clear coat fade up there, and I'm like nooooooo.
 






I loved my 1st gens, but the roofs all rusted out on me. Even my 02 now is rusting & the paint & clear are gone off the roof. Would it have killed Ford to make the roofs slick & not with the ridges that collect water?
You had the roof rust through? I have never seen a vehicle do that. I've seen truck frames break in two from rust but never a roof.

The ribs actually make the roof panel stronger and keep it from vibrating. The body would have crazy harmonics with out them.
 






You had the roof rust through? I have never seen a vehicle do that. I've seen truck frames break in two from rust but never a roof.

The ribs actually make the roof panel stronger and keep it from vibrating. The body would have crazy harmonics with out them.
Right. Now I'm kinda interested in seeing that.
 






Didn't rust through. But it was enough to be very ugly. On my white 93 I sanded & repainted once & when it sold it was starting again. 4 years later.
A 94 I had the roof was brown. X was green. :) Currrent 02 the clear & paint are peeling & starting to get rust spots. FL is just really hard on paint.
 






Right. Now I'm kinda interested in seeing that.
It was interesting to say the least. I was stopped at a light a couple blocks of from my house. A 79 super cab ford rounded the corner from my right. He was turning right onto my road from the cross street. There is a slight swale there because of a drainage culvert. As he rounded the corner the truck kinda dived a little into that swale. As it did the truck flexed it's last. The frame broke just behind the cab. It separated in the street about 4 feet and came to a stop.

The truck was appropriately filled with scrap metal on the way to the salvage yard! For whatever reason, those trucks would do that. I fixed a friend of mines truck because of this same failure, although his is overall in much better shape than that one was. I took two and welded them together. The donor was a 2wd 3/4 ton to fix a 1/2 ton, 4wd. Otherwise I would have just swapped the cab and bed.

IMG_20191011_163447465_HDR.jpg
 






It was interesting to say the least. I was stopped at a light a couple blocks of from my house. A 79 super cab ford rounded the corner from my right. He was turning right onto my road from the cross street. There is a slight swale there because of a drainage culvert. As he rounded the corner the truck kinda dived a little into that swale. As it did the truck flexed it's last. The frame broke just behind the cab. It separated in the street about 4 feet and came to a stop.

The truck was appropriately filled with scrap metal on the way to the salvage yard! For whatever reason, those trucks would do that. I fixed a friend of mines truck because of this same failure, although his is overall in much better shape than that one was. I took two and welded them together. The donor was a 2wd 3/4 ton to fix a 1/2 ton, 4wd. Otherwise I would have just swapped the cab and bed.

View attachment 341331
Holy smokes!
 



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Holy smokes!
Wonder how long he'd been hauling scrap metal, and how much it weighed. Scary to have your truck break in half, but he did get some service out of that 42 yo truck!
 






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