Considering an Explorer

[rjs5689]

Hey everyone, I wanted to make a post introducing myself and explaining a bit about what I’m considering. I’ve been a car enthusiast for my entire (short) life. I’ve owned three very different vehicles. I started with a MKV GTI (which I went to town modifying). I moved north and sold the GTI for a Subaru Legacy GT SpecB (also very modified). After I moved back to NY, I decided it was time to switch cars for something small, light, fun and very trackable. I now own an NC Miata, which rides on custom coilovers and has some other work done as well. It makes a great daily/commuter car and is a warrior out on the track. I throw snow tires on in the winter time; coupled with the mechanical LSD I’ve never really had any trouble in the snow (unless it gets really deep—there’s only so much you can do with 3-4” ground clearance). I’ve thought about retiring it for the winter and picking up some sort of beater.

The two strong contenders for me are: a WJ Grand Cherokee, which I really like. I also want to consider a fourth generation Explorer, but I really don't know much about them. I was originally considering a third generation Explorer, but some of the feedback I got has deterred me from considering one (transmission, timing chain, and other issues).

The Explorer would serve as a second vehicle for me. I’d like to keep it under about $8,000 and would plan to buy sometime mid/late summer. I'm going to limit my search to the Eddie Bauer and Limited models, due to the features on them. Ideally I'd go for a V8, but they seem to be far and few between; it looks like I'll most likely need to settle on the V6.

What should I specifically look out for with a used third generation Explorer? Are there certain common problem/weak areas? Is the engine overall very reliable (V6 and V8)? How about the transmission and drivetrain in these vehicles? I’m open to any and all advice, problem areas, cautions, etc. to look out for when shopping for a third generation Explorer.

 

[Flag Gibby]

Plenty opinions abound here on reliability and weak points, just use the advanced search option and enjoy the hours of reading that will pop up. Also, for your price point you will most likely have to stick with the 06/07 years.

 

[rjs5689]

Plenty opinions abound here on reliability and weak points, just use the advanced search option and enjoy the hours of reading that will pop up. Also, for your price point you will most likely have to stick with the 06/07 years.

Yea, the 2006-2007 years are what I'm shooting for, given my budget. My heart is really with the WJ, however, they do have some problem areas as well.

 

[Boomyal]

Just picked up a 2006 Limited V8, with 125k miles on it. Paid $8500 for it which is under blue book for our area. Everything works on it but all the gadgetry does make me nervous. It drives like a new car with the exterior at 98% and the interior at about 99%.

No doubt it is a truck but it is fun to drive.

That all being said, I have a decent regard for the vehicle and I am glad I did not peruse this web site before I bought. It is akin to reading all of the potential side effects of a prescription drug, ie, enough to scare you to death.

Here, you are just getting a high concentration of problems displayed. The ones without problems are hardly represented here.

 

[rjs5689]

Just picked up a 2006 Limited V8, with 125k miles on it. Paid $8500 for it which is under blue book for our area. Everything works on it but all the gadgetry does make me nervous. It drives like a new car with the exterior at 98% and the interior at about 99%.

No doubt it is a truck but it is fun to drive.

That all being said, I have a decent regard for the vehicle and I am glad I did not peruse this web site before I bought. It is akin to reading all of the potential side effects of a prescription drug, ie, enough to scare you to death.

Here, you are just getting a high concentration of problems displayed. The ones without problems are hardly represented here.

Agreed! People often turn to forums to seek answers or to complain about problems. You very rarely, if ever, see the "another day has gone by and my car is running fine" post. Thankfully I've been on various automotive forums for many years, but I still manage to scare myself when researching buying a used vehicle I'm unfamiliar with !