Is this car worth 4 grand?

[lightningrodbob]

http://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/1491653902.html


What does everybody think about this one? Its got 50k less miles than the other one for about the same price. Private seller so I could probably talk it down to around 3k.

Pictures aren't as detailed though. I emailed the seller and asked him some questions


also I have no idea what 4.0 SOHC means haha

 

[71cutty455]

Cutty I just looked at your car, that thing is gorgeous. Where can I find those gauges you have? Could those be put in a 98 explorer? haha

Thanks for the compliment. Yeah I got the gauges on ebay, around $35 if I remember correctly. Installation isn't too bad as long as you don't screw up the needles and can get them aligned right.

As far as the last craigslist post you asked about I would rather have a higher mileage 5.0 Explorer than a 4.0 SOHC one. The 4.0 SOHC is a V6 with a single overhead cam, they are not bad on power but have issues with the timing chain guides and tensioners that can end up costing big $$$. Stick with finding a V8...

 

[Mirge]

Thanks for the compliment. Yeah I got the gauges on ebay, around $35 if I remember correctly. Installation isn't too bad as long as you don't screw up the needles and can get them aligned right.

As far as the last craigslist post you asked about I would rather have a higher mileage 5.0 Explorer than a 4.0 SOHC one. The 4.0 SOHC is a V6 with a single overhead cam, they are not bad on power but have issues with the timing chain guides and tensioners that can end up costing big $$$. Stick with finding a V8...

For what it's worth... when I had my 98 EB rebuilt (also 4.0L SOHC)... it had roughly 156,700 miles on it. They said the timing chain guides & tensioner(s) were on their way out FAST... it wouldn't have been too much longer til they started causing issues too.

From my experience here, people offering you advice to avoid the truck.. well, you can safely assume that you should be avoiding the truck. You're not mechanically inclined (I mean no offense whatsoever), you have a newborn (I have a baby girl on the way in just a few short weeks), and medical bills on top of it all... paying cash for a vehicle is great.. hate payments, but you don't want to buy a vehicle and have it break down on you. I think that is what people are trying to warn you away from... just my .02 cents.

P.S. There are a TON of explorers... you can easily find a better one . I would worry more about the mechanical condition of the truck rather than the cosmetics.

 

[lightningrodbob]

Thanks for the compliment. Yeah I got the gauges on ebay, around $35 if I remember correctly. Installation isn't too bad as long as you don't screw up the needles and can get them aligned right.

As far as the last craigslist post you asked about I would rather have a higher mileage 5.0 Explorer than a 4.0 SOHC one. The 4.0 SOHC is a V6 with a single overhead cam, they are not bad on power but have issues with the timing chain guides and tensioners that can end up costing big $$$. Stick with finding a V8...

How much did you put into that car? And how much did it cost when you bought it?

 

[lightningrodbob]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/1521275511.html


How about this one? Same mileage as the original one I posted, but for almost 2,000 less. With that money I could fix it up or stash it away for repairs down the road.

 

[X6StringerX]

Unless the owner shaved the V8 badges off of the fenders, that last one is a 4x2 with the 4.0 V6.

 

[lightningrodbob]

Unless the owner shaved the V8 badges off of the fenders, that last one is a 4x2 with the 4.0 V6.

DAMN haha

 

[97xlt4.0]

I'm over in Portland, Oregon and just found this one on our local craigslist:


http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/1522893679.html


If you look on our CL and need one checked out or something, let me know.

-Mike

 

[X6StringerX]

I'm not sure what your search radius is, but based on the fact that the first one you posted was in Boise, I took the liberty of running a quick Autotrader search for you. I used 1998-2001 for the year requirement, V8 for the engine requirement, and Explorer or Mountaineer for the vehicle requirement. I know you've been posting Eddie Bauers, but if you're willing to take an XLT, which can be equipped pretty much the same as an EB barring a few minor options, you can get some pretty good deals. I, for one, really don't like the fender flares on an EB, so I avoid them like the plague when I decide to search for an Explorer, lol. XLTs are often much much cheaper than Eddie Bauers or Limiteds as well.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...&systime=&sownerid=49573100&rdm=1261634923501

PS - Sometimes it's an honest mistake when a dealer refers to a 5.0 Explorer/Mountaineer as 4x4. Even with this being a Ford SUV enthusiest forum, we still have members on here that use the terms incorrectly.

 

[lightningrodbob]

I'm over in Portland, Oregon and just found this one on our local craigslist:


http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/1522893679.html


If you look on our CL and need one checked out or something, let me know.

-Mike

Ahhh its too bad I hate white haha. And i've only got 3,500 to spend right now unless I want to wait until my tax return in january... which I might end up doing. I just hate sharing the car with my girlfriend. Its good she doesn't work right now because of maternity leave. When she goes back to work its going to get interesting

 

[lightningrodbob]

I'm not sure what your search radius is, but based on the fact that the first one you posted was in Boise, I took the liberty of running a quick Autotrader search for you. I used 1998-2001 for the year requirement, V8 for the engine requirement, and Explorer or Mountaineer for the vehicle requirement. I know you've been posting Eddie Bauers, but if you're willing to take an XLT, which can be equipped pretty much the same as an EB barring a few minor options, you can get some pretty good deals. I, for one, really don't like the fender flares on an EB, so I avoid them like the plague when I decide to search for an Explorer, lol. XLTs are often much much cheaper than Eddie Bauers or Limiteds as well.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...&systime=&sownerid=49573100&rdm=1261634923501

PS - Sometimes it's an honest mistake when a dealer refers to a 5.0 Explorer/Mountaineer as 4x4. Even with this being a Ford SUV enthusiest forum, we still have members on here that use the terms incorrectly.

Yeah i've scoured autotrader, i've done atleast 100 searches on there. I do like eddie bauer's a lot, I love the 2-tone paint. But an XLT is not out of the question, I just want it to be nice.

 

[71cutty455]

How much did you put into that car? And how much did it cost when you bought it?

To be honest I overpaid big time for my Explorer but I guess it was worth it. To make a long story short in May of 2004 I bought an '98 Oldsmobile Intrigue from a local dealer for $6000 and promptly blew the engine in it in 3 days (being stupid doing 110 mph on the highway). The dealer said they would take back ONLY if I bought another car from them. The Explorer was just about the only other vehicle on the lot in the price range I was looking for so I had to get it or be out $6k. So I got the Explorer for $9900. But it was in PERFECT shape and had 60k miles on it.

So here we are 5 1/2 years later, my Explorer now has just under 134k miles and at this point I don't regret getting it, even for that price. It has been one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. I have put a little money into it but saved a huge amount because I do 99% of the work myself.

Here's a breakdown of the repairs I've made -

New battery - $90
IAC valve - $60
New inner/outer tie-rods and all 4 ball-joints - $130 (cheap kit on eBay)
Replaced cracked EGR tube - $200
Idler Pulley - $25

The only other $ I've spent on it has been strickly regular maintenance like tranny fluid changes, oil changes, brake jobs, tune-ups, etc. so I don't count those as repairs, all vehicles will need those.

I have put about $2000 into it the for rims, subwoofer, cat-back exhaust, trailer hitch, etc. but obviously those are just for fun.

So all together I've spent about $500 in repairs but I have had it for over 5 1/2 years and put 74k miles on it myself and it is still going strong. My advice to you would be don't pay more than $3000 or so on an Explorer unless it's a newer 98-01 lower mileage one, and make sure you get the V8, much more reliable and gets close to the same gas mileage as the V6's. Also when something goes wrong fix it yourself, these Explorers are pretty simple to work on so there shouldn't be much you can't fix yourself without a little research.

 

[lightningrodbob]

To be honest I overpaid big time for my Explorer but I guess it was worth it. To make a long story short in May of 2004 I bought an '98 Oldsmobile Intrigue from a local dealer for $6000 and promptly blew the engine in it in 3 days (being stupid doing 110 mph on the highway). The dealer said they would take back ONLY if I bought another car from them. The Explorer was just about the only other vehicle on the lot in the price range I was looking for so I had to get it or be out $6k. So I got the Explorer for $9900. But it was in PERFECT shape and had 60k miles on it.

So here we are 5 1/2 years later, my Explorer now has just under 134k miles and at this point I don't regret getting it, even for that price. It has been one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. I have put a little money into it but saved a huge amount because I do 99% of the work myself.

Here's a breakdown of the repairs I've made -

New battery - $90
IAC valve - $60
New inner/outer tie-rods and all 4 ball-joints - $130 (cheap kit on eBay)
Replaced cracked EGR tube - $200
Idler Pulley - $25

The only other $ I've spent on it has been strickly regular maintenance like tranny fluid changes, oil changes, brake jobs, tune-ups, etc. so I don't count those as repairs, all vehicles will need those.

I have put about $2000 into it the for rims, subwoofer, cat-back exhaust, trailer hitch, etc. but obviously those are just for fun.

So all together I've spent about $500 in repairs but I have had it for over 5 1/2 years and put 74k miles on it myself and it is still going strong. My advice to you would be don't pay more than $3000 or so on an Explorer unless it's a newer 98-01 lower mileage one, and make sure you get the V8, much more reliable and gets close to the same gas mileage as the V6's. Also when something goes wrong fix it yourself, these Explorers are pretty simple to work on so there shouldn't be much you can't fix yourself without a little research.

Hey thanks for the advice. I wish I could find an explorer with that kind of mileage thats in good condition and less than 5 grand. I think I'll have to settle with a higher mileage car for my first one and then hopefully it will last me a couple years until I can afford to finance a newer car.

I found a black 98 Limited in california with 112k miles for $3600 private seller, probably could talk them down to 3k in cash. I'm trying to get more information on it right now. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/1521334155.html

 

[71cutty455]

I found a black 98 Limited in california with 112k miles for $3600 private seller, probably could talk them down to 3k in cash. I'm trying to get more information on it right now. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/1521334155.html

That's more like it, as long it is in good mechanical condition I would say go for this one...

 

[Blueraven]

Well I read through all the posts and I think the general opinion is to pass on this vehicle.
As for it's worth, it's worth as much as you are willing to pay for it.

I bought a 99 Sport with 129000 for my Son back in Aug. for $2450. They were asking $3400.
When I test drove it, something was a bit odd and after researching the vehicle on this website, I figured the 5R55E transmission may be going out or at least the throttle body.

Within 500 miles guess what, the transmission went totally out. Cost of fix $1800. Turns out, someone had already cracked open the transmission, so I think the previous owner knew it was about to go out and that might explain why they came down $950. I wasn't too pissed, because I had already been expecting it.
So now I have after the transmission and some other non-critical fixes around $4500 in it.

Well, I love the vehicle and I think it will be a great ride for my Son.

As for the one you are looking at, 160000 miles seems a lot to me. With 160000 miles you have to at least assume that there may be some major repairs in the future and you should plan ahead for it.

My recommendation/opinion is to pass on this, find a temp. vehicle for $1000 just to get you to work and back, get your income tax return and go out and find one with less than 130000 miles for $3000 or less, then sell the temp. vehicle for $500-$1000 and bank-roll the left over money along with your tax refund for future repairs. If the one you buy never needs any major repairs, you have a great start on your kid's college fund.

Just remember though, most people get rid of a vehicle because they either don't like it or they are anticipating or having problems with it. You need to assume that you will be spending money on any used vehicle, the gamble is how much.

Good luck with your search and the new addition to the family.

Blueraven

 

[X6StringerX]

Check with the owner of the one in LA to see if it is 2WD or AWD. If it's AWD, I think you might have found a pretty good one as long as everything mechanical checks out OK. If you can talk him down to $3k, I'd have a pretty hard time walking away from the Limited.

 

[410Fortune]

in this price range STICK with a V8 truck, being almost 10 years old now, any V6 automatic explorer you are asking for trouble/repairs

the V8 is the way to go IMO

Now that doesnt mean there are not good v6 trucks, it just means the v8 trucks are BETTER when it comes to reliability and longevity

I would offer then $2750 on the green V8 and see if they go for it.
Also pop the hood and verify it says 5.0L V8 LOL

the 96-2001 V8 trucks DO NOT have a 4x4 switch of any kind

 

[eXcali]

I have also noticed people charge a big premium on EB's. If it's the color you like so much you can generally get more for less, then get it painted to your liking and still wind up saving a couple hundred $$.

 

[cattleshow]

My 2 cents---72 point inspection. = pretty much dealer BS.
Nice looking truck,I would buy it. If it only last 2 years, thats only $170 a month.Cheap transportation. Cash talks so make him an offer he can't refuse. He most likely bought it at an auction for $1,500.

 

[Jtorsey91]

i got my explorer for 4500. its in incredibly good shape and when i bought it it had 80,000 miles. id try to keep looking a bit longer. and i'd take it to your mechanic and have him look at most of the mechanical aspects of it. looks great, but 160k is really getting up there.