another "im wanna buy the right explorer for me" question

[System]

Im headin off to college this summer, and as a graduation gift/b-day gift and some of my own money im gonna get an explorer. money is not too much of an issue in this case. i guess nothing under 15K

my problem is im trying to find a 4 door sport. I want 4 doors, but i also want a manual transmission. i want the 4 doors becuase it just has a "fuller" look to it. maybe not more intimidating, but just something a little bigger. But i also want a manual transmission, to bring me a little closer to the driving expirence, as well as giving me a little more control. (I smell corn) heh. But maybe i'm wrong, would you recomend a sport over a 4 door for off roading and such? I would assume the sport, being smaller and all, so it would fit though paths better, and less likely to get stuck in diff situations. Also, what are some of the better years to look for? it seems after 97's they became very plastic looking, and very fake looking.
Also, if there are any, what are some quick, cheap mods to get me going in the begining? Also, after reading the other post, it seems pre 95' models are better for 4x4 because of the suspension. 95 and after supposedly have a safer suspension. im not an agressive driver...i would call it effective... mostly im a traveler, but if i see a back road, or a big puddle, im there, im sure most of you can relate.
So, in a nutshell:

1. Whats better for off roading, 4 door, or sport?
2. what are some of the better generations?
3. quick, easy mods to start out with.

thanks a lot for your time.

 

[Jason_25]

Sports are better for offroading of course, but the interior space is quite lacking. I assume you will need alot of space if you travel alot?

If you want a manual 91-94, I beleive you can get a XL, XLT, sport, or navajo. For 95-98, you will need to get an XL or sport. For 99-2002, you will need an xls or sport.

I say get a 95-97. From my extensive research on the boards, I have found them to be most reliable overall.

Also, the extra wheel travel from the TTB is negligible compared to the SLA when staying stock, or close to stock.

 

[System]

i dont need that much space, i travel light. i do play drums, so when the situation arises, i need to transport them. but if i can fit em in a wrangler, a sport should be enough room. im new to the whole off roading termanology, so those alphabet soup abberviations go right over me. heh. it would decently be a dialy drivier, but im also purchaseing a motorcycle soon, so it might not be used as much during the summer (excpet the rainy days). so for now the 95-97 sport is a good descision?

 

[Shredder]

Hey! I am a drummer too, in fact I initially got the Explorer because I needed a car I could carry my drums in. I have a 4 door 96 and it barely has enough room to carry my growing drumset. As far as off-roading goes it does a fine job, in fact I end up towing my friends out of rough spots more often than anybody else. As far as mods go, i would go with an intake and possibly a new muffler. in combination those could add upwards of 200 hp and can be found on ebay for a bit over $200 total, so definetly look into that. Have fun!

 

[System]

hmm, i use a 3 piece, so i gues si might not need as much room as you. how much more smaller are the sports than the 4 doors? would you still have enough room if you had a sport, if you put the abck seats down? and 200hp jsut from intake and exhuast? its a lot different from the car world...intake and exhuast would get ou maybe 50hp at the most, and that would run about 500$ at least...

 

[bigDerk]

Originally posted by Shredder
in combination those could add upwards of 200 hp and can be found on ebay for a bit over $200 total,

I hope you meant 20hp, and even 20 would be a stretch... 10-15hp to the wheels would be more realistic for a new intake and exhaust system.

I say go for a 97 or newer Sport mainly so you can get the SOHC 4.0L over the older OHV design. The SOHC's have 207hp as compared to 160 of the OHV.

 

[Shredder]

Oh man, sorry, ya obviously not 200 hp, ya i meant 20. I have a 5 piece, many cymbals and a lot fo percussion stuff, i have to fold down the seats. But with a set your size i doubt you need the extra space.

 

[Jason_25]

Sorry about that system, here's some explanation.

SLA- Short and Long arm, 95-01 Front suspension

TTB-Twin Traction Beam, 91-94 4x4 Suspensiion

Also, I would advise you NOT to buy a 97 with SOHC engine. If you do that, you are only looking for trouble. I recommend the 5.0L V8 as a good choice for power, because it's around 215 HP and with an exhuast an intake your looking at some major power. But, the trusty OHV 4.0L is fine too.

 

[System]

do they make '97 5.0 sports? and what about the gas? i hear the gas is pretty bad with explorers...a v8 would just make it worse. what product is generaly recomended for exhuast and intake?

 

[Jason_25]

Unforuntately they don't make V8 sports, if they did I would be first in line to get one

Actually the V8 gas mileage is not all that bad if you're a conservative driver. My mom's 2WD V8 with 3.73's gets 20 MPG highway.

The V6's are constantly having emission system problems that really increase their fuel cosumption. V8 explorers are basically troublefree engine-wise.

 

[System]

so then it looks like im looking for a 97' 4 door v8 manual....seems to me they might be hard to find. ive looked at carmax, and autofinder. none have anything.

 

[Jason_25]

Crap, sorry system I forgot to mention the V8 isn't offered in a manual tranny version either, sorry

But with a chip and a shift kit the V8's tranny will shift very "sportily" (is that a word?)

 

[Godspeed]

You can have my X

Yes I have decided to sell my beast, for reasons that men who are thinking about getting married understand.

I got a 92 x 4 door with a 10" lift, 35 12.50, 4.56 gears, front and rear arb's, recaro seats, the egine was tested at just over 260hp and a bout 310 pounds of torque, it is a beastly v-6, oh and it is a manual, i have about 28,000 dollars invested but i'am sacarficing it for 15,000
if you would like to know more just emal me or leave a post. You can find pictures of me in action if you do a search for Beaver Town, don't ask. The list of extras is about 2 pages long so if you want you can give me a call at (505)-897-9773, Just ask for Jason

If not, Good luck on your own explorer

Godspeed

 

[System]

hmm, i got about 15K to spend, but 80% of the fun is building your own beast, not driving someone else's, you know? sorry. im really stuck on the manual though, i like having that control. what would be more expensive, a engine swap, or turning an automatic into a manual? sorry to keep bothering you guys. but askide from the family hand me down, this is the first car i will own, and i wanna make the best decision i can, and not regret it in 5 years.

 

[Shredder]

neither are very cheap jobs to do, i would advise you to just get a manual transmission older explorer v8. but thats just me. eh?

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

There's no manual tranny for the V8. I'd advise you to get something else if you really want a manual b/c manual trannies are pretty rare for the Explorer.

 

[aggieEB]

System,

I was in your same position this summer...I needed a new car, wanted an explorer, and had about $12 K to spend.

I ended up with a 97 EB 4 dr V6 SOHC. I can tell you that you aren't going to see a huge difference in Gas Mileage from the V6 to the V8. I live in a college town with lots of stop lights so I get about 13 to 14 MPG on an average week.

I absolutely love my 97 and would highly recommend that generation. I am relatively new to this board but these guys are great about taking you in and explaining everything. The first mods I would suggest for more power are installing a KKM from www.kustomz.com and getting a new exhaust system put in. If you get the V6, get a single exhaust, but if you get the V8 go for duels baby! Search for exhaust and you will get everyone's opinion on what type of system to get. I am going to go with a Flowmaster 50 Catback.

Good luck with the upgrades...as for advice, go performance/safety first and then go for looks. You will be thankful later.

 

[System]

so either way it looks like i should get a 97. And after looking around at the other boards, a transmisson switch dosent seem to be to hard or expensive... and i have a mechanic who works out of his house, who owns nothing but fords, including an explorer...a job that was gonna cost me about 800 at the dealship, he did for 260. he did mention that putting a v8 in a v6 chassis is no good becuase the chassis cant handle the torque. One guy says SOHC is cool, the other says stay with OHV. well it looks like im off to find a 4 door 97, v8, automatic. now just gotta find a black one... thanks for all the help!

john