Honest opinions of your Explorers?

[briwayjones]

My Explorer has 78K on it and I have replaced ALL the brakes including the E brake, some of the exhaust system, sensors, rear drive shaft and joints, plugs and wires, upper and lower ball joints and a few other things.

New brakes plugs and wires is a normal matenance item on a vehicle with 78K on it and should not be considered problems.

 

[lechip]

New brakes plugs and wires is a normal matenance item on a vehicle with 78K on it and should not be considered problems.

I agree about the brakes but upper and lower ball joints and rear drive shaft and U joints for a truck under 100K is more than I barganed for.
And for plugs and wires, tha manufacturer says that a tune up is not needed until 100K.
I understand about routine maintenance since I'm over 50 and have had at least 2 dozen cars.

 

[volkl]

If you're not towing and not going off-road, personally I'd go for a lighter crossover AWD SUV that gets better mileage. But I'd pass on the Pilot...too bland looking and over-hyped.

Extremely happy with my '03 Ltd Explorer but my range of choices was narrow. Had to be truck-based for towing and wanted independent rear suspension (IRS). One of the other scarce choices in that category is the first generation Mercedes ML320 series. For being truck-based, Explorers handle very well and the steering has perfect feedback at all speeds. The ride is extremely smooth on most surfaces without feeling squishy. Brakes are phenomenal -- found this out thanks to clueless drivers pulling out in front of me on several occasions. No problems yet but only 24k miles on it. Getting an extended warranty for a fraction of the cost difference sounds like a smart strategy. The transmissions are a big question mark (at least for '02). Biggest complaints: seats are not as supportive as they could be (changed in '06) and brake pedal is closer to foot than accelerator. Makes it difficult to find an ideal seating position even with adjustable pedals (since both pedals move together).

 

[kawiultra99]

My 2002 XLT

My honest opinion of my 2002 Explorer XLT 4*4 V6.

Good Points
Awd Drive system is perfect for New England. From the beach to snowy rodes. It just works perfect.

Ergos are good. I am 6'-2" 250lbs

Vehicle has very good lowend torque. Great for trailering. I tow all the toys from double jetski trailers to sleds to atv's. Tows perfectly!

Extended warranty

Bad Points
No 2 inch receiver for towing
Electrical system sucks. Fan went. power window motor went. driver side controls for dl, windows, etc, went south. Broken wire in harnes between door and vehilce.

Rear EBRAKE design. Hard to service.

Spark plugs hard to change

Rear End Whine


All in all, I plan to keep it for a long while.

 

[dablack]

I have a 02 XLT V6. 100K miles. Only problems since new were, a check engine light that turned out to be a $45 part and a ABS light that turned out to be a $50 part. I replaced both in about 15 minutes. Everything else has been great. I have only put pads on the front brakes and I haven't even touched the rear besides replacing that ABS part. Interior is nice and clean. I have always driven fords and have never had a problem with them. My 97 Lincoln mark VIII gave me 145K miles trouble free (besides me replacing the blend door), and my 96 Tbird gave me 185K miles trouble free. I replaced belts, plugs, wires, tires and brakes. Thats it.

 

[jlinskey]

Knock on wood......

No problems yet..... I hope that Ford got most of the bugs worked out prior to the 2003 models.

I have been very happy with my 2003 Explorer XLT 4wd. It is still relatively new with only 20K miles on it. For the record, I will say that this is a MUCH NICER SUV than my 1999 Jeep Cherokee. Even though the Jeep was a much more capable off-road, the ride suffered the other 98% of the time.

Explorer's Pro's:
Ride comfort
towing capacity
power (v6 works fine for me)
creature comfort features
good looks (IMHO)

 

[jrford]

For ’04 Explorer V8 AWD at 22k only a few problems was the ABS sensor covered under warranty and Shocks which were not covered.

First Ford Explorer and previous owner of 2 Jeeps, couple of Hondas cars

Ford Pros, Rides significantly better (improved with new OEM shocks), AWD is sweet compared to SelecTrac, V8 no comparison to I6, Roomy (Quad Buckets), Feels like a solid heavy truck, Full Frame, Turning Radius is as tight as a subcompact, A/C much improved, Parts availability and cost.
Ford Cons: Low Ride, Running boards, MPG, High Step in, hard seats, Higher Price

Jeep Pros – Off Road durability, Solid Axels, Old tested design, cheap parts everywhere, Full Time SelectTrac, Low Price
Jeep Cons – poor ride, side to side rocking, tight cabin, light truck

Honda Pros – Always started, Runs forever, only need two wrenchs to take it apart but overall lite, nimble and quick.
Honda Cons – hate to get hit $$$$, no crash protection, hard to find parts which are also much more expensive. Hard to find good serivce thats reasonable.

I'd still buy the Ford.

 

[93TwotoneXLT]

93 Explorer 4x4 with 120K on it. Runs great(knock on wood). Have only had to tune it up and replace the brakes on it, and replace the shift motor. Everything else is stock (including the tranny!)and shows no sign of giving up the ghost anytime soon. Still get ~18mpg in the city and with the cruise set at 70 get ~22mpg on the highway. I have also had Ford's pretty much my whole life and have personally found them to have better build quality than the GM line of vehicles that I have owned over the years. The Ford's seem to be screwed together tighter than GM's. Case in point: I have a 95 Olds 88 with only 24K on it. It runs great with the 3800V6(possible the best engine any manufacturer has,IMO) with good fuel economy. However, I think that the interior was put together by monkeys . The thing has more rattles than my 13 year old Explorer! I have put foam cutouts in certain crevices to keep the rattles at a minumum, and ALL of the GM products I have owned have been that way. My 2 cents

 

[badgett]

Probably a good decision. An Explorer will turn you into a pretty good mechanic though. If you can't afford to pay the outrageous prices to fix them , you will have to learn to fix it yourself. I don't think that will be the case with the Pilot but forget about going off road. You can park on the side of the main road and watch us play in the mud.

 

[BenS]

I had a 2002 XLS which had several of the first model year bugs people have been experiencing. Overall I was disappointed in the quality and did not want to pay to fix anything else at 64K miles. I just picked up a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder SE and couldn't be happier. Tons of power, 6000lb tow rating, and same gas mileage as the Explorer. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[donniesd]

I had a 2002 XLS which had several of the first model year bugs people have been experiencing. Overall I was disappointed in the quality and did not want to pay to fix anything else at 64K miles.

Same here bro.


As soon as i can pay it off its gone, and will never go back to one.

 

[rtgreen]

I have a 2004 EB 4.0, this is my first and last Explorer, but I'm a diehard ford fan! I own 1991 5.0 mustang, 1996 GT, and a 72 Gran Torino Sport, but the Explorer has been a Pain in the A$$ from the get go. Right after we purchased the vehicle(new) we noticed a vibration in the steering column. I enquired about the issue and they asked us to put 30-40 miles on it because they thought the tires had a hard spot from sitting on the lot. Well the vibration never went away. We took it to the dealership 3 times and still had the vibration...now it was worse. They replaced the tires, but wanted us to pay half the cost. I had to do the "pissed off customer" routine to get them to replace them for free. Well before I went to pick up the car I asked over the phone "Is the vibration gone", the saleslady stated that there was "no more vibration than what a new car should have". I was floored! When I left the lot I noticed that the vibration was still there...at this point I gave up! I did not have time to continually persue the issue, so we have delt with the vibration since.
Next the rearend gears started grinding at 12K miles. When I went to the dealership I told them flat out that I knew the gears were bad from research( Ford subcontracted out it's gears to another company that screwed them up). This dealership(Not the purchasing dealership) fixed the issue with no problem.
The last issue has been the RETARDED drive-by-wire throttle. Whomever came up with this is a real idiot. I have NEVER had an issue with a conventional throttle cable, and I can't seem to figure out the logic behind using d-b-w other than to copy other companies. There is a really jerky lag when taking corners at slow speeds. If you have to floor the gas pedal to get out of the way of an 18 weeler...good luck, your gonna die! There is a 4-5 sec delay as to when you depress the pedal and the engine actually engaging in full throttle.
I'm now at 35K miles, good thing we got the extended warranty.

 

[aspitaletto]

umm, back on the bottom of page 1, he bought a honda..

 

[jrford]

rtgreen which Bham are you from?

 

[Aero540T]

umm, back on the bottom of page 1, he bought a honda..

true, but i'd still like to hear more of what others think of theirs

 

[emas]

I'm on my second Explorer. First one (97 Eddie Baur) I bought and restored as a total, was great for about 160k miles. My 04 that I bought new, I have to say that I am fairly disappointed with... much worse mileage, and a lagging transmission that I've had since the day I got it ( that no one can diagnose).

I got a explorer because I need to tow a boat, and have never known a honda or toyota that can stand that low end torque requirements or tow ver well at all for that matter.

If you don't need to tow or haul, then get the honda, it will be much more wory free. Good choice on the Pilot, you wont regret it.

 

[Rscotts1]

Mabuhay from Hawaii. I used to own a 2002 Explorer but after two years and numerous, numerous problems, had to get rid of it. Glad I did. I would never buy a Ford Explorer again. Ended up buying a 2005 Toyota Sequoia Limited and could not be happier. 15000 trouble free miles!! The Toyota by far has a more superior ride, fit and finish are excellent and the power is great! BTW my Toyota gets far better gas miliage than the explorer did; 18-20 mpg now compared to 10-12 with the Ex. My recommendation is to buy a Honda, Nissan or Toyota.

P.S. If you do a search on my previous post's you will find all of the problems I had...approx 13 to 15 of them!!!

 

[dkkne]

i had an '02 that I bought with 60K on it.I drove it to 120K with only wheel bearings as a major pain in the butt. I replace all 4 wheel bearings with ford units twice in 60K. I also replaced the ABS sensors once. My ex wife got the explorer and its still goign strong, but I hear the tranny is being flaky now. I got the tranny flushed every 12K by a tech2000 machine, I think thats the ONLY reson its lasted as long as it has.

 

[old mechanic]

I bought my 92 EX 3 years ago for $1800 with 80,000 miles on it and it now has 105,000 on it. Outside of regular maintaince I have probably spent $500 on parts for it including rebuilt auto hubs that were around $100. Gas mileage-BAD can't see how other 1st Gens running stock are getting 18 around town and 21+ on HWY. Some usual rust areas, rides rough but so far its held up really well for a high mileage EX.
If its as good as my 93 Buick with 270,000+ miles on it with the same factory motor, trannie, shocks, and exhaust on it I will be happy.

 

[rtgreen]

rtgreen which Bham are you from?

Birmingham, Alabama