Buying Mountaineer: 2004 V8 or 2007 V6?

[Marina97]

Hi, I am going to buy a Mercury Mountaineer tomorrow. Here are my 2 choices:

2004 V8 with 38k mi. or 2007 V6 with 63k mi.

I can get both for about the same price. If everything else were equal, which would be a wiser choice?

I will be towing a utility trailer (a few weeks a year for vacations), but loaded weight will be under 2,000 lbs.

The rest of the time, I'll be doing mostly city driving. I am not too concerned about the gas mileage difference (although I hear it's negligible), but I really do prefer the 2007 body style over the 2004 body style. However, that low mileage on the 2004 is quite attractive.

Thanks for your input.
Sharon

 

[Chris K.]

Well, the mileage for the 2007 seems a bit high and the mileage for the 2004 seems low.

Are they about the same condition regarding the body, paint, and interior? That would be the deciding factor for me. Plus paint and interior can be an indicator of how well the mechanicals have been maintained.

I supposed if you're going to put a lot of miles on it and get rid of it relatively quickly, I might go with the lower mileage 2004 with the V8. If you were going to put low miles on it and keep it a few or more years, I'd go with the higher mileage 2007 V6.

Also, did you drive both? I had a 2nd generation (1997) Explorer and my 4th generation (2008) Mountaineer rides a whole lot better on crummy streets. I suspect the ride on the 3rd generation (2004) model is closer to the 2nd than the 4th. But I may be wrong.

Based on what you said, it sounds like towing capacity and engine size is a non-issue.

Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it goes.

Chris

 

[Marina97]

Thanks

Thanks for the feedback, Chris.

I put about 20k a year on my car, although with real estate slowing, it tends to be a little less.

I'll check out the condition of both vehicles tomorrow. I'm leaning toward the 2007, but if the 2004 is cherry and rides nice, that would be a good option too.

Sure appreciate getting feedback from actual owners of these types of vehicles.

Sincerely, Sharon

 

[stuartr]

I own a 02 and an 08 both ride and run great. Both of mine are v6s so can't really talk about that. I do like the style of the 08 better though. So good luck.

STU

 

[Marina97]

Thanks for all the help, everyone! It was a l..o..n..g day of car shopping, even though I only looked at 2 vehicles - they were quite a distance from each other. The 2007 V6 with 63k on it had a carfax accident on record and it really looked like it had never been garaged, although it did have new tires on it. It hadn't been detailed well, and the lowest they would go on the price was $16,400.

So, we went and looked at the 2004 V8 with 38k on it, which turned out to be a V6, but it was cherry and immaculate, no accidents, and it was very tight. I picked it up for $15,500 and taking into consideration all the Mountaineer inventory within 100 mi, conditions & prices, I am very happy with my purchase. We will use that car until it become economically unfeasible to do so due to mounting repairs - so I expect to have it for many years and many miles.

All of your feedback was helpful. Thanks so much!

Only thing it didn't come with is an owner's manual, so I'll need to get one of those so I know how to work everything.

Does anyone know how to reprogram the keyless entry without taking it to a car dealer? They didn't have the code for it. I have a key and a remote.

Thanks again, and I'll get a photo up soon! Sharon

 

[mkmcfrlnd]

Since the 2004 is the previous generation, this thread, from the 2002-2005 forum, should help you out with finding the keyless entry door code.

Congrats on the purchase!