Almost Ready to Buy a 2017 Limited

[clm65]

I ended up getting Smoked Quartz after seeing it in person.. website doesn't do that color justice.

Smoked Quartz is my pick, but I told my wife it is her decision. I think she likes the MM better, but we'll see. We looked at them side by side last night, but there was so much pollen on both cars that you couldn't really get a good idea how they really look.

 

[Lewisra]

Smoked Quartz is gonna take on a different color depending on the lighting. Dark grey, black, dark blue etc.

 

[kmarnes]

Smoked Quartz is my pick, but I told my wife it is her decision. I think she likes the MM better, but we'll see. We looked at them side by side last night, but there was so much pollen on both cars that you couldn't really get a good idea how they really look.

Well if it helps, Smoked quartz is a new color in 2017, therefore much more unique. Magnetic has been around for years and is very common. Smoked quartz is also darker... somewhere in the middle between magnetic and black.

Here's a few pics of mine in real world conditions:


Right after I put custom winter wheels & tires on.

Autumn pic (stock)

Winter pic

 

[clm65]

Great looking Explorer! Looks great with the black wheels, too. The fact that it looks different in different lighting conditions really appeals to me. We are heading back to the dealer tonight for another look. They are supposed to wash the Smoked Quartz one this afternoon, so my wife should know exactly how it looks in a couple of hours.

 

[kmarnes]

Good luck with your purchase. I'm very happy with my Explorer. So whereabouts are you? I got mine during the Ford Employee Pricing event last August in Canada and got effectively 12% off MSRP with the deal including Costco discount. Figuring out the best deal will be your next step.

 

[clm65]

Thanks! Spent another hour and a half at the dealer tonight, and still no decision from the Mrs. After driving a couple of Explorers over the last few weeks, she just realized that the interior has a black headliner and dash, even with the camel interior that she wants. She's not thrilled with that (I think it looks classy, but that's just me). She likes the Smoked Quartz, but in the sun the paint on the car makes the black plastic trim look a little greyish. Again, she's not thrilled with that (the Magnetic Metallic matches the trim better). She likes the Magnetic Metallic, but my sister has that exact color, so she's not thrilled with that (even though my sister lives 300 miles away). My wife is not good at making decisions in case I haven't mentioned that.

And I live in Florida. I get X-plan pricing through my employer, and they have a couple of rebates, so they have already priced out the two color options and it looks like I will be right around 11% off MSRP. I am good with that. We turned in her leased vehicle last night, and now she is driving my Wrangler which is a garage queen. It is an '07 with 17,500 miles, so the quicker I can get her out of the jeep and into her own vehicle, the better!

 

[peterk9]

Thanks! Spent another hour and a half at the dealer tonight, and still no decision from the Mrs. After driving a couple of Explorers over the last few weeks, she just realized that the interior has a black headliner and dash, even with the camel interior that she wants. She's not thrilled with that (I think it looks classy, but that's just me). She likes the Smoked Quartz, but in the sun the paint on the car makes the black plastic trim look a little greyish. Again, she's not thrilled with that (the Magnetic Metallic matches the trim better). She likes the Magnetic Metallic, but my sister has that exact color, so she's not thrilled with that (even though my sister lives 300 miles away). My wife is not good at making decisions in case I haven't mentioned that.

And I live in Florida. I get X-plan pricing through my employer, and they have a couple of rebates, so they have already priced out the two color options and it looks like I will be right around 11% off MSRP. I am good with that. We turned in her leased vehicle last night, and now she is driving my Wrangler which is a garage queen. It is an '07 with 17,500 miles, so the quicker I can get her out of the jeep and into her own vehicle, the better!

FYI the 2018 models will likely be out at the end of November just in case she's still deciding. A few new colours as well.

Peter

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

I like the dark interior stuff as well and yes it is darker inside it does have a "higher end" feel to it.
I really notice the difference when I get in our Subaru with the white vs. dark,

 

[kmarnes]

Hah! I'm sure you'll figure it out. These first world problems can really add up!

There is some merit to wanting a lighter interior color in hot weather climates, but alas seems headliner/dash is black in the Explorer no matter what. I'll never forget the time I drove my BMW with black leather to Las Vegas and made the mistake of parking outdoors. The leather absorbed so much heat, it took a good 10 minutes of cranking AC before I could even sit inside it and touch the burning hot steering wheel -- though not sure how much a light interior would have mitigated that. On that note, deleting the sunroof is also valid to keep things cooler inside -- but the tradeoff is losing a lot of light inside the car, which feels pretty dark when everything is closed up.

 

[peterk9]

I like the dark interior stuff as well and yes it is darker inside it does have a "higher end" feel to it.
I really notice the difference when I get in our Subaru with the white vs. dark,

Funny, I feel just the opposite. I guess that is why Henry eventually went from any colour as long as it's black to more choice.

Peter

 

[bdginmo]

Based on the number of responses you've gotten so far it should be pretty obvious that we all love our Explorers and want to buy another

 

[kmarnes]

Based on the number of responses you've gotten so far it should be pretty obvious that we all love our Explorers and want to buy another

Not completely true. I was completely set on getting the new Audi SQ5 or Q7, until I ran the numbers. This Explorer is the first Ford I've owned since the year 2000. It wasn't even on my radar until I got a $1000 Costco rebate email for Ford Employee pricing in July 2016, so I futzed around and configured a few cars and checked out the Edge, Explorer, and F-150 supercrew. Prices for options were really good, but the Explorer really took the cake for best aesthetics and value. And included some fancy stuff like illuminated door sills and ambient lighting. Only thought that kind of stuff existed in the German brands. And I'm a big fan of Audi and Mercedes... not so much BMW anymore, seems they've lost their way.

So even then, I wasn't convinced. The price was good, the interest rates were high... so I passed. Then in August, only a month later, they still had the same price, but with 1.9% financing over 4 years which is a win for Canadian finance options for a brand new model. Any equivalently specced Audi I picked would have been 50% more expensive with 4% interest. So I pulled the trigger on the Sport and have not regretted it one bit. Ford really outdid themselves on it. I was impressed. And great value too! For me it was weird because it was a new incoming model at clearance prices and I didn't understand why I was getting such a good deal. Turns out the answer apparently was that there wasn't enough stock on 2016s so they extended it to 2017s.

Ended up with 12% off MSRP all said and done and I bought it because it was the perfect storm of price/opportunity. And back then lots of people were special ordering them and I managed to get one off the lot and took it home one business day later, so it just worked out.

That said, I totally still want to get an Audi one day. Beautiful cars and I miss their perfect ZF-8 transmission every day. Problem for me again was everything there is getting refreshed and is brand new, thus high demand, full MSRP basically with waiting lists. I have no brand loyalty except to Honda, but that's another matter. Hondas are super reliable, hold their value well, but boring to drive. The Sport is just a giant beast of a car. Love it. The grumble, the power. It's pretty awesome!

 

[clm65]

Success today! She picked Magnetic Metallic. Dealer found one with the options we wanted, plus the polished wheels which weren't on our list but do look nice. It is not too far away, so should be here tomorrow. But the wife leaves in the morning for a graduation in Alabama. So we will likely wait until Monday to pick it up so that she can have the experience of driving it off the lot. Kudos to the dealer for putting up with us through this process.

 

[clm65]

Not completely true. I was completely set on getting the new Audi SQ5 or Q7, until I ran the numbers. This Explorer is the first Ford I've owned since the year 2000. It wasn't even on my radar until I got a $1000 Costco rebate email for Ford Employee pricing in July 2016, so I futzed around and configured a few cars and checked out the Edge, Explorer, and F-150 supercrew. Prices for options were really good, but the Explorer really took the cake for best aesthetics and value. And included some fancy stuff like illuminated door sills and ambient lighting. Only thought that kind of stuff existed in the German brands. And I'm a big fan of Audi and Mercedes... not so much BMW anymore, seems they've lost their way.

So even then, I wasn't convinced. The price was good, the interest rates were high... so I passed. Then in August, only a month later, they still had the same price, but with 1.9% financing over 4 years which is a win for Canadian finance options for a brand new model. Any equivalently specced Audi I picked would have been 50% more expensive with 4% interest. So I pulled the trigger on the Sport and have not regretted it one bit. Ford really outdid themselves on it. I was impressed. And great value too! For me it was weird because it was a new incoming model at clearance prices and I didn't understand why I was getting such a good deal. Turns out the answer apparently was that there wasn't enough stock on 2016s so they extended it to 2017s.

Ended up with 12% off MSRP all said and done and I bought it because it was the perfect storm of price/opportunity. And back then lots of people were special ordering them and I managed to get one off the lot and took it home one business day later, so it just worked out.

That said, I totally still want to get an Audi one day. Beautiful cars and I miss their perfect ZF-8 transmission every day. Problem for me again was everything there is getting refreshed and is brand new, thus high demand, full MSRP basically with waiting lists. I have no brand loyalty except to Honda, but that's another matter. Hondas are super reliable, hold their value well, but boring to drive. The Sport is just a giant beast of a car. Love it. The grumble, the power. It's pretty awesome!

I've never been in an Audi, much less driven one, but I do love their looks. If money was no object, I may have ended up with one of them. But reality exists, so I had to look for something that looks good, feels like quality, and is affordable. Que the Explorer. Everyone I know that has one loves them, and those are Limited and XLT models. I'm sure the Sport is even more enjoyable. Maybe the next one....

 

[kmarnes]

Congratulations, enjoy it!

 

[Astor]

i got the two tone hood

 

[clm65]

Wow, that sucks. Defect? Or did something else cause that?

 

[peterk9]

Wow, that sucks. Defect? Or did something else cause that?

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/hood-paint-bubble-issue-only.326943/