Buying a 95 XLT

[MikeM]

Hello, Ive all but decided to buy an Explorer, my first. The one im concidering is a 95 XLT 4X2, 4.0L v6, 3.27 Xmission. Its appears to be in excellent shape with only 57k miles. on the test drives all went well, engine sounds good, and shifts well. The only thing wrong with the feel of it, it seems to heal a bit much when cornering, which I assume may be because the shocks are probabally original. Are there any areas on the 95s that i should inspect more closely for common problems?
Also, the price tag of 8000 dollars is quite a bit for a 7 year old vehicle, Does that price seem to be solid concidering the miles on it? feedback appreciated, thanx

 

[Fischer]

I have one Too!

I got mine about 4 mos. ago. I paid about 9500 bones. Though I have 4wd, but it came with about 65K. I have had no real problems other than a few misdiagnosed problems.

I added a KKM Tru-Rev and that helped a bit in the gas and accelleration area. Then added 31" Bridgestone Deuller A/T's. Highly recommended from a friend that had 2 sets on different vehicles.

It is a champ in the snow in 4wd, but keep in mind that it is super squirrley in the snow in 2wd, though it is manageable.
Depending on how much you are exposed to snow and ice this may be something to take into consideration.

I also added a secondary transmission filter (auto only with tow pkg.) which I feel keeps her a bit clener. Cost about $25 with a bit of elbow grease.

Good luck.

Fischer

 

[Fischer]

I get about 14mpg. Just thought I'd add that. You will get better as you don't have a second (front) axel spinning all the time creating friction.

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

Congrats MikeM. You got one just like mine. Mine only has 59k miles on it. You should love it. Happy miles!!!

 

[Stephen S]

Very good choice!! Sounds a lot like mine...even down to the gear ratio. Only mine has 120,000 miles on it with no trouble to speak of. Just check it out really carefully, check all the fluids you can. Crawl underneath and look for oily spots on the engine and tranny. If you feel good about it, go for it. BTW: $8000 sounds like a good price to me too.

 

[MikeM]

Thanx for the feedback, on my way to the dealer with my checkbook. Ive owned a 93 blazer then a 98 rav 4...god I hated that thing, but the wife.....

Being 6'5, int room is a good thing, plus hauling the kids, cargo and being able to tow my boat im sure ill love the explorer.

One more question, Ill have a 1 mo. 1k mile warranty with the truck. Eventually my wife will be driving the truck mostly, but during the first month im going to drive it pretty hard to really shake it out before warranty expires. Any expensive parts that usually go around 50 to 60k on a 95? Im already suspicious of the shocks, but I need to drive it some more to really get a feel for it.

 

[Michigander]

Originally posted by MikeM
Any expensive parts that usually go around 50 to 60k on a 95? Im already suspicious of the shocks, but I need to drive it some more to really get a feel for it.

there have been some noted tranny problems, but they are hit or miss. If it feels good now, you will most likely be fine for about least another 60K miiles. The price doesn't sounds bad to me either. Have you considered a 96 XLT with the V8 for towing? What size is your boat?

 

[MikeM]

Ill be towing a 19' bayliner @ 2700 pounds loaded with trailer. Id love a '96 XLT V8, the V6 did deem to be a bit sluggish, not terribly so, but for the size of the Vehicle the 4.0 does seem a bit undersized. If I could find a low mileage V8 that would be ideal i think. The '95 XLT is rated to pull 3500lbs or so i think, Im hoping that wont be a strain on the tranny w/o a tow package. Thanx for the feedback, any more tips on Explorers of ths generation are greatly appreciated.

 

[Jason_25]

Definitely the V8. And it doesnt really need to be very low in mileage. My mom's 97 V8 explorer with 102K on the clock litterally runs the same today and it did on that day in late '96 when we took it for a test drive.