High mileage- how long will this generation go for?

[ILLwill]

Just curious to see if anyone out there has a high mileage ex (140,000+)
If so, could you post which engine and any costly or non-maintenance repairs you've had to do.
Im really debating with myself whether I should just sell the explorer before it loses too much value and buy an f150.. Im currently at 99,300 miles.

 

[TourGuide]

Proper maintenance is key to getting the most out of your Explorer. It is usually cheaper to maintain than purchase new(er). I bought an 07 V6 with about 96k on the clock because I knew it had been taken care of. I want it to last, so I did wheel bearings, new tires, swapped all the fluids, and started running full synthetic with a quality filter. Now I'm at 127k and it runs and works great. There are a few guys here that have run their vehicles over 200k.

Proper maintenance.

-TG

Just curious to see if anyone out there has a high mileage ex (140,000+)
If so, could you post which engine and any costly or non-maintenance repairs you've had to do.
Im really debating with myself whether I should just sell the explorer before it loses too much value and buy an f150.. Im currently at 99,300 miles.

 

[Maniak]

I can say the 2006 4.0 sohc motor can last.

We have one in our 2006 mustang (4.0 sohc) and at about 225,000 miles the only things we have "repaired" on the motor are the alternator @ 30k miles (factory warranty) and the plastic thermostat housing somewhere before 200k miles (way out of warranty by then).

Once we hit 36k miles we changed our oil change regimen to "around" 8k miles (between 7k and 9k) and we use Wix filters with synthetic oil. We were using Mobile 1 but somewhere around 100k miles I switched to Mag 1 and things are still going well.

~Mark

 

[banditxp]

far as the 4.6 3v. i think it will be good for a long time.

the new 6 speed trans... thats sealed... kinda worries me. normally I like to change my trans fluid every 30K ish but now i cant. so... im better trans might be good till 150Kish maybe 200K depending on how someone drives. but i think think you will see much more then that.

far as my own, unless something else is whining, i think my trans pump might be going at 82K miles.... along with what ever is causing my shifting problem in my other thread. (TCM i think)

but of course you have the 1 off's that will fail sooner and others that will just keep going... parts fail, parts never fail. so sooo many variables that all of us put on our cars/trucks and weather also.

I knew someone with a 97 Bonneville SSEi supercharged. the trans in those normally go around 100-150K miles always. his lasted till 290K and he wasn't easy on it.

 

[Explorer_PL]

161k miles on my 06 v8

I replaced the radiator at 150k miles for the first time.

I am loosing coolant very slowly somewhere. No drops on the ground, oil is clean, no milky residue. I am hoping it's just water pump or heat core ?

 

[GFish]

147,00 and still like new

Mine has been well maintained and at 147,000 still runs and drives as new. So far only a radiator at 140,000.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Just clocked 162k this morning
The slow leak was from a heater hose, no big issue, still drives strong and works, here hauling my firewood:

 

[kam327]

I really wish my Ex was as reliable as the ones posted here. My coworker also has an '06 V6 that has had no major problems at 110k.

Unfortunately I was unlucky with mine. I decided to trade her in after having a near miss with the first huge repair bill out of extended warranty. Makes me a little sick that I couldn't keep her for many more years.

I have a car payment again, but money is cheap (1.9% for up to 72 mos). You might consider selling your Ex private party for as much money as you can possibly get and then look for a killer deal, maybe at the end of the year, on the new(er) car you want with the latest technology.

 

[kam327]

Proper maintenance is key to getting the most out of your Explorer.

Proper maintenance.

-TG

That is the general wisdom. But no amount of additional maintenance would've prevented my problems. I took great care of my Ex.

 

[TourGuide]

It is true that every situation is different. There are, no doubt, vehicles that end up just being problems. As others have said - too many variables in it to speculate strongly.

I wouldn't buy a high mile vehicle unless I knew it was well maintained. With these vehicles, there are the known problem areas. The zingers are the ones that crop up without warning and that can happen with any vehicle.

 

[sohcmike]

I have a 97 with a SOHC V6. It appears to be the same long block as my 2006 that has 230,000 miles. I use Castrol GTX and change it every 5000 religiously. I use a FL-1A filter. I have 423,000 and i've never been inside the engine. Does not burn a quart of oil between changes.

 

[OrangeSuedeSofa]

V8 147K

No work done other than standard-service. It's been very reliable.

 

[bryris]

I have a 97 with a SOHC V6. It appears to be the same long block as my 2006 that has 230,000 miles. I use Castrol GTX and change it every 5000 religiously. I use a FL-1A filter. I have 423,000 and i've never been inside the engine. Does not burn a quart of oil between changes.

You have a 2006 ex with 4.0L 5 speed trans with 230,000?

 

[Ornery]

I have a 97 with a SOHC V6. It appears to be the same long block as my 2006 that has 230,000 miles. I use Castrol GTX and change it every 5000 religiously. I use a FL-1A filter. I have 423,000 and i've never been inside the engine. Does not burn a quart of oil between changes.

You gloss over those numbers like this is normal, and it's not! How the hell do you drive so many miles, and where? I'd like to know what the Ricer fanboys and "Fix Or Repair Daily" lug nuts have to say about those numbers?

 

[Maniak]

Thase numbers aren't unheard of.. We have just about 230k on our 2006 Mustang which is the same motor that is in the explorer.

The daily commute is a 50/50 mix of city and highway with 4 miles of dirt thrown in every day.

For us, Its 80 miles round trip for work (for her, I'm only 50 miles) .. Heck, its 15 miles round trip to get a gallon of milk and 30 miles round trip to the closest group of stores (super market, fast food, car parts etc). On top of that, we have another DD (honda) and that one gets about 6k less miles per year so combined we drive about 65k miles combined per year on the DD vehicles.

It is a different world (driving wise) when your not in the big city. We have have some roads with 50 mph speed limits in town and when your out of the city limits the speed limit is 75mph while in the city its 65mph on the freeway... Most of my neighbors have 200k or more on their vehicles.

On top of that, maintenance is key. We tend to keep all of our vehicles to 300k or so before we get rid of them and run synthetic oils and keep the filters changed.. The last one we got rid of was a 1995 Dodge neon with 325k miles (gave it away).. At 355k miles we rebuild the motor on the 1992 explorer (its not going anywhere). We figure we have just over 2 years left with the 2006 mustang before we decide what to do with it when it hits 300k.

~Mark

 

[Koga]

I change fluids as close to on time as I can before I sold my 91 xlt w/4.0L I carfaxed it and mine had over 600k miles on it no joke it ran ok but used it more for wheeling mostly.

 

[sohcmike]

Bryris
I just bought the 2006 with 229,000 miles on it. As good a service as i got from the 97, it was worth the gamble. Most of my driving is highway, about 42-43,000 a year. I'm in sales. I also carry a AAA Premium card and i have used it!
I have customers that flag me down to see if i've hit 500,000 miles yet. Its turned into a conversation piece. I change the oil all the time it seems and have the transmission serviced every year, knowing its the weak link.
I just bought the 06 a couple months ago and had the transmission rebuilt. It came from a guy who spent most of his time on the highway also. I had the transmission rebuilt in the 97 at 150,000 miles. I firmly believe if you bought one new, you could easily get this kind of service out of one.

 

[sohcmike]

Ornery,
I know i'm driving the 97 on borrowed time but its going to the bitter end! It still runs great but you can really tell when there's a load in it. The a/c still works too. I replaced a couple parts in the system but the compressor is original. You can tell there is something amiss with the a/c and i believe its the compressor but its almost fall.

 

[Ornery]

Gawd, you guys go through like $9,000 per year in fuel, plus a set of tires. Seems things like A/C and seat motor repairs would be inconsequential! My wife and I have five mile commutes, and the high fuel bills still bug me. Our vehicles usually die at the 20 year mark with less than 150K on them. Rust is what does it generally. Nice to know these trucks can have that kind of longevity!

 

[bryris]

I bought my 2006 EB 4 months ago because I was ready to buy and the thing was a cream puff. Honestly didnt do a hell of a lot of research beforehand, but I really liked the truck. Then afterward, I read some bad reviews and have been a bit concerned since. The truck had 90k on it when I got it, but everything on it looked brand new, inside and out. The waterpump, master cylinder, and driver seat power assembly were replaced under the used car warranty from the dealer. Since then Ive switched to synthetic oil and have replaced the spark plugs. Radiator was replaced before I bought at 71k and trans fluid was changed at 78k. I just passed 93k this afternoon and next weekend I am taking it on a 2,000 mile road trip.

It is not my daily driver. I have a very short commute and come home for lunch too, so kept my Nissan Sentra for that grunt work. Hoping the Explorer will hold up past 200k. I have very good luck with vehicles. Its not that I cant afford a new vehicle when this one wears out, but I tend to get attached to vehicles because I take such good care of them and want to get my money and efforts worth.

That is motivational to see them going so long. I figure I'll drive about 10k a year at the most. So if I keep it for 10 years, it'll only have 190k. I'll probably be tired of it by then anyways. As long as I am DONE with it BEFORE it wears out, I'm happy.