Inquiry about New Explorer XLT 4WD | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Inquiry about New Explorer XLT 4WD

amyrvik

Member
Joined
March 3, 2009
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
City, State
Collierville TN
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Explorer Sport Trac
Hi Everyone:

I am relative new to this forum and this is my first or second post I believe. I find this forum an excellent source of knowledge and have already put some of it to use. I currently own a 1991 Mercury Capri XR2 with 114K miles, a 2002 Explorer ST XLT that is stock with 88K miles and a bone stock 2007 Focus SE with 46K miles. All vehicles are essentially trouble free and I try to do all of the maintenance and most repairs myself. I also own a 1978 Triumph Bonneville 750 (T140E) to keep me from getting bored and to see if I can ride it more days that I have to work on it.

Anyway, my daughter is preparing to go out and begin her career having recently graduated from UT-Knoxville. She has decided she wants a new Explorer with 4WD and factory towing package. She is thinking of moving to Colorado. Can y'all on the Forum give me some input about whether this is a good choice, is it too pricey for her, are there any pitfalls in the running gear (such as why don't they offer limited slip differentials) or (is the new 6-speed automatic strong enough to tow with or not).

I am concerned that since this vehicle will price out in the mid-$30K range is it possibly too much expense to start out with and what would possibly be a reasonable alternative vehicle?

I am not certain this kind of inquiry is entertained here but I thought I would send it out and see what response I get.

Alan
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Hi Everyone:

...I am concerned that since this vehicle will price out in the mid-$30K range is it possibly too much expense to start out with and what would possibly be a reasonable alternative vehicle?...

Hey Alan, congrats to your daughter!

Has she considered used. With gas prices rising maybe she could get a great deal on a low mileage used Explorer still under warranty? Does she need 4WD and towing? Or only if she ends up in Colorado?

I see where you are coming from. Buying a new SUV today means taking a big hit on depreciation and keeping it a long time to compensate. But where will gas prices be in 2-3 years? Tough choice.

If she does decide to go new:

http://www.automobilemag.com/am/2009/ford/explorer/rebates.html

http://truecar.com/release/index.html

Of course, weigh the cost of financing used (higher APR) and new car rebates against the cost of new with a full warranty. New might be the better choice.
 






shaker1,

Thanks for your input, especially the 2 sites you linked. They are helpful. You're right about it being a tough choice. I am sure she wants a new one but right now she has no job yet and the monthly payment is going to be pretty hefty. I guess we'll see what kind of financing we can find.

I was wondering why they don't offer limited slip differentials on these Explorers especially when ordering a 4WD and one with trailer towing package from the factory. She wants the 4WD because of being in snow country and she will be towing a trailer with household items when she goes to Colorado. She be considerably cheaper going with an F150 but she is picky about such things.

Alan
 






So being in Colorado and moving between here and Montana, she is going to need 4x4 or an AWD is amazing out here. Just for a heads up about it though, if you buy from another state you might have to get the sploder (or whatever she lands on) adjusted for altitude, nothing major, just more cost. I just ran a quick cars.com search and there are some really nice used ones here (I know she wants new). They are all going to be 4x4 or AWD and properly adjusted to our lack of air.

Just to throw this out there also... I would try as hard as you can to talk her into a used one. I graduated a couple years ago and as a gift to myself I bought a new car. I don't regret the purchase but if i had gone used and saved that 5k ($1,524 per year) I could have bought the Colorado Pass (unlimited access to 6 ski resorts) and still had a kick ass SUV to get me there lol.

Just throwing that out there. :D
 






When I was searching for my '06 I had my wants and not wants. Fortunately I was not in a rush to buy because my '98 was running strong and I just wanted more seating. I ended up with an '06 without navigation and without DVD. The two things I did not want. It had everything else I wanted and some more that I didn't care about either way. I ended up with a Limited in the color I loved that was 2 years old for somewhere around $23,000. The truck stickered new for $40,840. For me used was the way to go and two of my wants was the towing package and the V8.
 






welcome to the site, we rarely get people asking about buying a new explorer. Do they really sell for mid 30s??? That seems very high in todays auto market.

Maybe some others will chime in on the deals available right now. I would think there is some great deals to be had on a 1 or 2 year old Explorer. I can run auction prices for you and tell you if it's a good deal but I'm not much help if you go brand spankin new.
 






Back
Top