Buying Used

[Jeffrey16]

Hi,

I am in the market for a used Explorer Sport. Probably the 2013-2015 range, mainly for price reasons.

A couple options I am seeing out there are a 2014 with 150000 miles for $15900 and others close in years with 80-90000 miles going for $20-22000.

I tend to keep my trucks for 5-10 years and put on 15k miles a year. When I can, I do my own maintenance.

Is it worth paying more for the lower mileage Sports? What would you do and why? Is there anything I should look for when inspecting potential vehicles? Are there better years than others? Say '13 vs '14 vs '15? At what mileage did you start experiencing problems or have to start replacing parts?

Thank you all for your time!

 

[613GT500]

My opinion is to avoid the EB and go with an NA V6.

 

[Jeffrey16]

Why is that? I'm new to the EB world. I never really considered the Explorer until I read twin turbo. Something about that seems like a lot of fun. Plus it will help for the few times a year I tow a boat.

 

[613GT500]

Why is that? I'm new to the EB world. I never really considered the Explorer until I read twin turbo. Something about that seems like a lot of fun. Plus it will help for the few times a year I tow a boat.

I'm probably going to get flamed, but there's just to much underlying issues with the EB and components such as PTU and transmission that bolts on to it.
While I love the power that it puts down compared to it's competition, the reliability is not there.

 

[Jeffrey16]

Lol, I tend to like things that could cause me problems. Just like my interest in the hybrid Tahoes. More technology, more problems.

What kind of issues does the EB have? What's the quick story to the PTU issues? Anything the owner can do to prolong its life?

 

[Keith N]

Spend an hour going thru this forum and you will learn a lot. Focus on PTU and waterpump, but to be honest, they are known issues for both 3.5L (with or without EB). EB probably does stress system more though. To your question on mileage, lower is definitely better, as it seems the higher the mileage, the likelier your odds for PTU failure ($2000) or water pump failure ($2000 for water pump, $7500 if it destroys engine before you catch it). Luckily if you learn the weaknesses, you can minimize your risk. Example - keep close eye on coolant level in the coolant tank. Change PTU fluid as others have done to increase your PTU life. But if you get a car with 150k and nobody touched the PTU fluid, which is likely, you are at high risk for a failure in my opinion. Good luck. Study up. Its free.

 

[runningonfords]

I purchased a '14 xlt with towing package about a year ago. Drove many of the used vehicles offered around town. Cigarette smokers' cars, non-closing (noisy) panoramic roofs, weird engine jerking/slow response, borked rotors with shaky braking. The one we got i was satisfied with even though it had THE SMELL when pounding the accelerator on the highway. What sold me on the NA and non-ecoboost was reading and acknowledging that a stressed gasoline engine is probably not a long-lasting engine. My other car is a diesel TDI Jetta at 300,000 miles currently. The ford gasoline turbo version has greater pressures, compression, parts count, etc etc, that all add up to more wear and tear and lead to potentially not as long lasting a vehicle. Maybe I'm wrong. There are enough problems i've become aware of with the 3.5L NA that while the Turbo Explorer response time, acceleration, 0-60 are desirable, for the Long Haul in my fleet it wasn't worth it. Also working on the car is a bit of a pain as there isn't much room to get things done from below on the ground. Just my two cents. Hoping to hit 300k in my Exploder someday. Good luck. Do many test drives if your area permits.

edit: You should also expect to flush and/or replace all fluids/coolant in the vehicle. Use totally synthetic instead of conventional/blends where applicable (brakes/oil/gear boxes). Mercon LV in the trans, but you can't change the filter without cracking the case (haha jokes on you!). The PTU and rear diff fluid changes are annoying as hell and messy in this regard on the '14 or lesser years. It says a lot about this build that Ford designed a "transfer case" for the Explorer whose fluid can't be changed (at the dealer) and total fluid volume is 2/3 of a quart.

 

[peterk9]

Hi,

I am in the market for a used Explorer Sport. Probably the 2013-2015 range, mainly for price reasons.

A couple options I am seeing out there are a 2014 with 150000 miles for $15900 and others close in years with 80-90000 miles going for $20-22000.

I tend to keep my trucks for 5-10 years and put on 15k miles a year. When I can, I do my own maintenance.

Is it worth paying more for the lower mileage Sports? What would you do and why? Is there anything I should look for when inspecting potential vehicles? Are there better years than others? Say '13 vs '14 vs '15? At what mileage did you start experiencing problems or have to start replacing parts?

Thank you all for your time!

Welcome to the Forum Jeffrey.
Check out this post; Looking to buy an explorer, need some tips!

There are also other threads you can find using the Forum's 'Search' feature (upper right) once you become familiar with it. Here is one of them;
Should I get the Explorer?

Peter

 

[Ironworker40]

Thats way too much for a vehicle with that many miles. I paid $30,000 for a 2015 XLT a year and a half ago with 18,000 miles certified used. I paid $1630 for the Ford ESP for 100,000 miles and its good until 2024. ESP plans are cheaper on a CPO vehicle. just a quick search on the web I found lots of Explorers with 40,000 and less miles. I would not buy a used sport unless it was certified. Here is one example it has 44,000 but is only $23,399 certified
Autotrader - page unavailable

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d be beyond leery to pay 15,000 for a 150,000 mile Explorer. These are not the vehicles to gamble on with that high of mileage. If you are looking for something with all the bells and whistles, and are willing to trade miles for price there are certainly better vehicles to look at.

 

[Jeffrey16]

Thanks everyone for replying. I read through the PTU and some of the water pump threads. Kinda scary....

After thinking about the mileage thing more, I'd rather be the one putting the miles on the truck. I'll at least know how it was taken care of in that time. Now I just got to get out and start test driving some vehicles that fit us best. The short list includes the Explorers, Acadia, and Cadillac SRX. Surprisingly, the Caddys are the best price of the 3. Must be high cost of ownership.

 

[RhinoQuartz]

I assume you're looking at 7 seater AWD SUVs? I'd recommend the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Highlander/4runner, Honda Pilot (by far the best choice) in addition to the Explorer to look at.

The ones you described seem to be really high in price for the mileage (before taking into account any repairs that will be come up as soon as you hand over the check). Also, take a look on carmax to get a feel for what a decent price for mileage would be for various vehicles you're looking at.

 

[03WIExplorerLtd]

I have a 2011 with 125k +. I bought it with 80k at 3 years old. It had essentially no door jamb/lift gate rust when I bought it, but unfortunately, started. I have had five previous Ford models made in Chicago (2 500s, 2 Freestyle, Taurus) and they all rust in same place - trunk and door jambs after several years of much better than average care. I wax the jambs frequently with Klasse sealer, touch up paint ,etc. Our Sienna with rolled welds over the seam has zero rust.

Just watch for rust in those places and corrosion on hood lip. Otherwise its been a reliable for me, but has a tight rear seat (which I knew buying it). I enjoy driving it otherwise, but wish Ford would improve their paint process....

My 10 cents

 

[boominXplorer]

Thanks everyone for replying. I read through the PTU and some of the water pump threads. Kinda scary....

After thinking about the mileage thing more, I'd rather be the one putting the miles on the truck. I'll at least know how it was taken care of in that time. Now I just got to get out and start test driving some vehicles that fit us best. The short list includes the Explorers, Acadia, and Cadillac SRX. Surprisingly, the Caddys are the best price of the 3. Must be high cost of ownership.

A Traverse/Acadia is not a more reliable vehicle than an ecoboost explorer. Their engines arnt reliable and the power steering system is a joke.

Now adays every make/model has it's own issues. From my experience (15 year tech) the customer's that take care of their vehicle usually last 2 or 3 times longer than the ones that only do oil changes till they actually need something. Then when they change the oil it's 1-3000 miles past due. You can also tell if someone drove a vehicle hard by how many sets of tires they've gone though by 100k. I wouldn't buy a used car at retail price unless it has 4 matching tires that it's previous owner installed. That way you know it wasn't a turd when the dealership got the car and just puffed it up.

I've done a few 3.5 water pumps and ptu's but lowest milage car between both was just over 100k. A 14 Edge at around 105k with ptu failure (had 1 new "used" and 3 older tires with various tread depths. The 13 Taurus I recently did water pump on had around 120k and was 500mi past due on an oil change. Also the pivot for your heal was worn out in the floor mat which shows alot of stops and go. Then again if y'all don't tear your cars up I wouldn't have any work to do but maintenance.

 

[suzook]

A Traverse/Acadia is not a more reliable vehicle than an ecoboost explorer. Their engines arnt reliable and the power steering system is a joke.

Now adays every make/model has it's own issues. From my experience (15 year tech) the customer's that take care of their vehicle usually last 2 or 3 times longer than the ones that only do oil changes till they actually need something. Then when they change the oil it's 1-3000 miles past due. You can also tell if someone drove a vehicle hard by how many sets of tires they've gone though by 100k. I wouldn't buy a used car at retail price unless it has 4 matching tires that it's previous owner installed. That way you know it wasn't a turd when the dealership got the car and just puffed it up.

I've done a few 3.5 water pumps and ptu's but lowest milage car between both was just over 100k. A 14 Edge at around 105k with ptu failure (had 1 new "used" and 3 older tires with various tread depths. The 13 Taurus I recently did water pump on had around 120k and was 500mi past due on an oil change. Also the pivot for your heal was worn out in the floor mat which shows alot of stops and go. Then again if y'all don't tear your cars up I wouldn't have any work to do but maintenance.

The gm engines in acadia/traverse are fine. It's the transmissions that are junk.

 

[ExplorerCT1080]

I can tell you one thing about the EB motor, it SUCKS down the gas faster than I thought it would!! Holy cow I'm glad mine is just a lease swap and while I love it, I can't deal with how fast this thing burns gas! Not sure if the N/A version is any better.

 

[peterk9]

I can tell you one thing about the EB motor, it SUCKS down the gas faster than I thought it would!! Holy cow I'm glad mine is just a lease swap and while I love it, I can't deal with how fast this thing burns gas! Not sure if the N/A version is any better.

A lot depends on your driving style. I use www.fuelly.com to track my usage. My N/A 2011 Limited averaged 19.5 MPG, my 2014 MKT Ecoboost 17.3 and my 2017 Platinum 16.9 so far. My driving is roughly 50/50 hwy/city.

Peter

 

[ExplorerCT1080]

Yeah, I only have it for 11 months so it's all good... thought the lexus I had at 19mpg was bad... but this thing just sucks down the gas. Today alone I had to run about 70 miles and I'm under 3/4 after filling it this morning.

 

[suzook]

Yeah, I only have it for 11 months so it's all good... thought the lexus I had at 19mpg was bad... but this thing just sucks down the gas. Today alone I had to run about 70 miles and I'm under 3/4 after filling it this morning.

Tiny gas tank doesn't help either. My camaro had a 19 gallon, the explorer is what? 16? Why so small on a decent sized truck?

 

[peterk9]

Tiny gas tank doesn't help either. My camaro had a 19 gallon, the explorer is what? 16? Why so small on a decent sized truck?

The fuel tank is 18.6 gallons. The size is likely to save weight and also due to possibly space restrictions.

Peter