Buying an '00 Mountaineer . . . . Any tips on specifics to look at?

[Andy(SC)]

I am planning on buying a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer Tuesday . . . . driving a ways to the dealer to check it out and hopefully drive it home.

It has the Montery package, the 5.0L engine and only 57K miles on it . . . . . looks clean the dealer has a good reputation and sent a lot of photos . . . . CarFax backs up the history he provided.

Of course I'll do the usual items like:

- Check all the fluids (oil, tranny fluid, coolant)
- Air filter
- Test drive it at highway speeds (noise, shimmy, pull, etc)
- Braking
- Tranny shifting
- All electrical "stuff"

Are there any things specific to the Mountaineer that I need to be aware of or look for? Any problem prone areas for this generation / model?

Any other specific things you would look at?

One question on the Mountaineer . . . . realizing it is not a car but rather a truck, how quiet is it on the highway? I test drove a 2002 Explorer XLT that literally roared when you got above 50 or so. The tires were fairly aggressive in terms of tread pattern but I walked away from that deal. The dealer I am going to look at the Mountaineer said it had a good deal of road "roar" but said the tires were 1) aggressive in design and 2) had some cupping on the rear tires. He swapped them out for a street tread truck tire and said it was "ready to go". I test drove one locally and it was fairly quiet . . . what should I expect on this SUV in terms of road noise

Thanks in advance

Andy

 

[NYMount21]

Hey man, just listen to the engine @ start-up and make sure there isn't a whine (almost supercharger-like), had to re-build my transmission cuz of it, but chances are it won't have the same problem.

As far as noise, its really not that loud but either way u'll get used to it. I drove mine from LI to NH all the time for 2 years and it never even phased me. Great truck, ask to make sure the stock subwoofer works too......

hope that helps, best of luck

 

[kert0307]

It shouldn't be too bad as far as road noise goes. The 2002+ explorer/mountaineers are a completely different design to the 95-01. The 5.0 is known to be very reliable, same with the trans for the 5.0.

I would look at the ball joints in the front. I'm sure someone else will have more to look at.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

That's a heck of a find The 5.0 is a great drivetrain, no worries with the engine or transmission.

All Explorers/Mountaineers suffer from ball joint issues, its really not that big of a deal to change them out.

Road noise shouldn't be that bad, depending on tire design as you mentioned. A continuous roar could mean a bad wheel bearing, but I'd doubt you'd have a bad one at that low of mileage.

If you don't mind, what are they asking for the Mounty?

 

[pumpkin]

I am planning on buying a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer Tuesday . . . . driving a ways to the dealer to check it out and hopefully drive it home.

That's a nice find for the year and mileage. You won't be disappointed. With the right tires, you'll be happy on the highway. Take a look underneath for leaks and wet spots.

How far is 'a ways'?

Sometimes you have to drive a little if the price is right. I lived in Milwaukee and drove past all their dealerships into Chicago and found my then 5 year old Limited w/ 70k miles for only $8,787. That trip was only 80 miles.

 

[mace]

re

make sure the blend door works !

 

[techieman33]

Mine has what I consider to be car tires on it, and it was a quiet as any car until I started modifying my exhaust. I'll second the blend door, which is checking that both the heat and A/C work