Free Explorer? why not?

[superford19]

Hey what's up, my name is Jim and I just picked up a 91 Ford Explorer XLT, light blue, automatic, 4x4, a little beat up but definitely drive-able. And the best part, I got it for free! My friend bought a 1996 Honda civic and said I could have his explorer, so I thought, why not? It has some problems, like it needs an alignment, a tail-light, a head light, new tires for real, and the alternator is going out, and i'm pretty sure it is going to need a head gasket job pretty soon. Did I get a good deal or should I just trash this beast? I'm new to explorers so i don't really know too much about em. Any help is appreciated though. Thanks!
JT

 

[celly]

Free is good. If you're a good do it your selfer, you should be able to do a lot of the work yourself using the resources on this site. The SEARCH function will be your best friend.

Lots of people on this site still driving 91 Explorers (first year of production).

 

['92Bauer]

If you decide to keep the Explorer, I have the set of tail lights of my '92. Let me know if you would want them? you could also check ebay for a head light assembly.

 

[shamaal]

Search the forum and ask questions. If you do the work yourself, you are looking at <$700 for repair on all the items, including the head gasket. Tires are your biggest expense.

 

[churd69]

Search the forum and ask questions. If you do the work yourself, you are looking at <$700 for repair on all the items, including the head gasket. Tires are your biggest expense.

if the explorer you have has 16 inch rims I have tires for sale. You got a good deal like shamaal said you can pretty much fix it all yourself. who cares about the body you can make it an offroad beast!

-Rich

 

[superford19]

Sweet! Yeah the tail light and head-light were just the bulb that was out, went to kragen and now those are fixed. The best part about this thing is I have my 04 ford focus to drive around in, so if this thing needs to sit under repairs for a while, its all good. I believe the rims are 15". It came with alloys though, and they look pretty good for stock. Right now the tires are BFG all terrain radials but they are pretty worn. Still has some ok traction, I did a decent little hill climb in 2 wheel drive the other day. I love this beast! I can't wait til winter because where I live, winters are harsh, snowy and muddy every where! Off-road heaven!

 

[JStrider]

you got a great deal... if you havnt done car work in the past... this is a great opportunity for you to learn... its not your primary vehicle and you dont have much money invested in it so if you mess up or its out of commision for a long time its no big loss.

have you tested the 4x4? a lot of times the shift motor or auto hubs need work on the first gen explorers... the shift motor is an easy fix, theres a thread about it... the auto hubs can be replaced with new autos(expensive) or manuals(not as expensive)