Convince me to buy an Explorer over a Jeep

[Stig]

Ford > Jeep... that is all.

 

[jobunn]

I have two friends with GC's... a '95 and a '98. The '95 has given my friend 160,000 fairly trouble free miles - he has only just begun off roading. The '98, like Mike 92 XLT stated has the aluminum diffs which just exploded on him at 100,000 miles, no off roading. He has a host of other problems too, including transfer case. So of course there are good and bad stories. Both vehicles have great V8's though and ride pretty nice.

I personally like the Explorer V8. I would definitely buy one if my Explorer blew up. Especially since you won't be modding it, I love their ride, their interior, great engine and they are the most reliable Explorer too.

At 100,000 miles I wouldn't worry too much about resale, I would guess you will have this car for a few years at which time both cars will have substantial mileage to make a very small difference in resale.

 

[FPrep2ndGenRX7]

I only live 10 miles from work. Probably no more than 8,000-10,000/year at the most. Maybe less than that depending on were we vacation this year and any driving involved with that.

 

[Majisto]

Have you ever owned or tried to work on a Chrysler vehicle before? I think I've said enough already

 

[410Fortune]

Judging by your log in name you are a Rx7 guy


So this would be like going to an Rx7 board and asking, Should I get the Rx7 or a Supra?

Of course everyone is gonna say, the Supra is a dog, they weight too much, the Rx7 has more potential, etc etc etc........

Same deal here. Jeep is good, Explorer is far better.

I would personally rather own a 4x4 that has a frame, no unibody for me.

Also the Jeep all time 4x4 eats up gas like crazy ( My mom has a 2002) The 5.0L Ford drivetrain is (IMO) the best damn setup you can get for reliability and performance......

Also when you sit inside the Jeep you will notice everything is squished together, not nearly as much room interior wise and the Jeep has weaker axles.

the only advantage the Jeep has over a later model Ex is the live axle up front, but thats only because I think about taking them both rock climbing in Moab, still I would prefer the Ex......

 

[FPrep2ndGenRX7]

I did expect most of the people on this forum to side with the Explorer as my best choice. But, very few of the replies have any content thats useful. Things like "Jeeps suck" and "Fords are better, nuf said" are pretty useless to me. There have been some good replies that make me think but overall I expected some Jeep bashing, just not as much as there has been. The Jeep forum members are not so focused on bashing Explorer's as some of the forum members here are, but thats to be expected on any forum.

 

[410Fortune]

Jeep +:

-live axle up front (for off road mostly)
-Looks
-Decent AWD system, problematic T case and Transmission
-It a Jeep, so it cant be all bad

Explorer +:
-5.0L V8 and proven auto tranny
-More interior room
-more towing capacity and a full length frame
-cheaper parts, easier to work on
-IFS (smoother ride on road)

Thats about it. If you ask me they are both good trucks, I prefer the Explorer V8 because of these items, especially if you dont plan to build it into a trail machine like most of us here do.......

The Jeep may be "better looking" in your opinion and that is important, but be aware that those rounded looks make a more cramped engine bay and interior space.......

 

[FPrep2ndGenRX7]

410Fortune - Thanks for the reply with actual content. That is the kind of information I wanted. All good points.

Another bad thing I've noticed is the availability of V8 Explorers and Jeeps. There are numerous 6 cylinders out there but not a good selection of V8's. Right now there are more V8 JGC for me to choose from than Explorer's. My current daily driver is needing a clutch soon so I need to purchase soon. I hate to be rushed so I research all I can before the actual purchase. This question I posted here and on the Jeep forum is all part of the research. www.epinions.com is also a good place for other peoples comments.

 

[tenikiwon]

My $0.02

For a daily driver you'd probably prefer the IFS on the 2nd Gen 95 + X's and the full independant suspension on the newer X's.

Truely it's a matter of opinion. I originally wanted a Jeep. But at that point I wanted any SUV. Now that I have my X the only reason I'd buy a Jeep is for hard-core off-roading because the wranglers have parts galore and from my looking around the Jeeps new and old have more parts available.

my previous car was a Chrysler and I though it was a well built car.

In compaireing my X to my buddies jeep, the jeep was wider (barely) and shorter. For what it's worth.

Full-frame appeals to me and I would expect it to be much better in a crash and for towing.

Also from my experience J@@pers are snobbier than the people on this board. Anyone here will help anyone and go wheel'n with anyone. Some jeep clubs are jeep only, some trails are jeep only.

 

[RAZOR]

Obviously, Nothing anyone of us says is going to make your mind up for you. So, make your mind up and stop being so annoying. Buy the Jeep!



"Good Riddance"

PUI- RAZOR

 

[tenikiwon]

Well after that responce I guess we have some people here that are rude arses!

 

[FPrep2ndGenRX7]

Originally posted by RAZOR
Obviously, Nothing anyone of us says is going to make your mind up for you. So, make your mind up and stop being so annoying. Buy the Jeep!



"Good Riddance"

PUI- RAZOR

I ask for useful content and this is the best you can do? If I annoy you then don't click on the thread and waste your precious time replying otherwise keep your thoughts to yourself as they aren't appreciated, JERK.

 

[diablo5969]

Calm down everybody! The little smiley guys getting drunk were a sign of friendliness

 

[Garth]

If the Jeep is what you want then go get it. If its a Explorer you want then you should know it by now.
I think someone had the right idea.

 

[hvac man]

my very good friend and mech at ford has one of the best built wranglers around and it has a 5.0 mustang in it. He also has had 2 x's 98 5.0 and 2003 v6 as for hwy I like the X the JP is too noisy for my taste. But both are good and your the one driving it. Drive them both and get an expedition.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

My $0.02

I had a '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9Limited and it was awesome. The engine has awesome power and torque nomatterwhere you're driving. The exhaust tone is just sweet. The AWD system is very smooth. It's got live axle up front and back but they have the coil spring setup and Chrysler tuned it to the point where it's soft so it can be tippy at times but it's an excellent highway cruiser...very comfortable ride.

The interior is way more luxurious than my EB Explorer. It's got fully trimed leather interior, including the gear shift and hand brake handles. It also has heated seats. Gotta love them in the winter. The Infinity sound system is just plain sweet. It's 100% better than my Ford/JBL setup. Granted, the interior is a lot smaller than the Explorer but I didn't really carry a lot of people nor cargo so it didn't matter. The thing I don't like is that they put the spare in the cargo area. That took up a lot of space.

Unfortunatly, I got into an accident and totaled it. Some drunk t-boned me at 55-60mph then my GC rolled over three or four times and landed on the roof. I got out with a cut on my forehead. I was very fortunate. If I can sell my Explorer and get that again, I would but since my dad is the one who buys my cars so I can't complain.