looking to buy 93 XLT, pros and cons?

[Zio]

Hey guys and ladies. I am looking at buy a 93 xlt with 66,000 miles on it. I have always been a GM guy so I don't know anything about fords, so i was looking for some help. I know you guys are probably bias but if you guys could point out the pros and cons to buy a 93 XLT explorer that would be great. I am looking for something that isn't going to nickle and dime me because I am a college student right now and don't have much money.

Here is a link to the add: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...=2006&start_year=1993&isp=y&lang=en&cardist=3

thanks
Tom

 

[Opera House]

I'm so far out of reality! I'm thinking, hey, it's a decent $600 car and then I looked at the copy. I bought a 97 XLT 4DR 4WD almost four years ago for $5200. I put another 65K on it and just recently gave it away. Figured I got my moneys worth out of it. Nothing gets old like Explorers and computers. Shop around and you can do a lot better.

 

[Zio]

thanks for the input? Are you saying that it is too much money for that explorer or I should just stay away from explorers all together?

thanks
Tom

 

[Chew_12]

I wouldnt say that is a bad price. It has low miles which is great. These trucks last forever and are great.

 

[FROADER]

If all that is true in the ad, that's not a bad deal at all for a 93 with that many miles. That truck if you maintain it properly will last you through 4 years of college and then some.

 

[bipolarbob]

Look for a standard. It is not IF your tranny will blow up, it's WHEN.

 

[Jason94sport]

I 99.9% sure that is 166K miles. Most X's before 94 had a 5 digit od. The only real weak link in the X is the tranny. Most auto trannies do not last past 100K miles. Some do last a while, & if that is 166K miles, you can bet that it has been replaced, rebuilt, or will go out in the very near future. Your best bet would be to have a shop check it out before you buy it. Do a search & you will find what the problems are with a 91-94 X. They are not major, & are easily fixable except the tranny.

 

[SilverSL500]

If you can afford 15 mpg to drive it, and for some reason need a fairly large SUV for college, go for it.

There are much more realistic vehicles available for your current needs. IMO anyway.

I would also take the mileage with a large grain of salt for something that old. My '93 had 167K when I got it.

S

 

[jayhawkexplorer]

Take it from me, another college student. I love my Ex. I do. But I feed the damn thing just short of $40 in gas every 10 days and it gets expensive. Any repairs you need won't be cheap either, especially if you have problems with the auto hubs and/or the transmission, two major problem areas for first generation Explorers. Remember you're buying a 12 year old truck, so there's plenty that could be wrong with it. It could have some rust issues too, at that age and coming from Illinois. I'd look for something else, unless you're set on getting an Explorer. Offer $2500 and see where you go from there.

 

[Jag]

I owned a '92 XLT for 11 years. Problems:

1. Fuel sender...easy fix
2. Vacuum modulator...fairly inexpensive repair by a tranny shop
3. Brake pads every 30K or so.
4. RABS valve...actually replaced it myself, not hard to do.
5. A u-joint here or there.
6. Master cylinder.
7. Rust..rocker panels, rear door dog leg, and left rear fender above the fuel door.

I also had a new radiator and AC upgraded under warrenty shortly after I purchased the vehicle new.

I never had the tranny problems that some do, but had the fluid and filter changed every 40K or so and never towed anything.

For under $3K, it sounds like a bargin.

 

[explorerscope]

BEWARE of the mileage...I brought a 1993 explorer 1 month ago claiming it has 98000 miles. I did a carfax report Carfax report showed it had 127000 miles way back in 1998. I reported the matter to the BBB but nothing much they could have done but keep the company on file for the next 3 years. To confirm my Carfax report I paid for title report from the DMV state where the vehicle was originally sold and copies of the title showed it did indeed have 127,000 miles way back in 1998.
It now read 99,000 but has 5 digits so its actually heading for 200,000 miles and I believe so is the ad you seen.
My efforts to get my deposit back on this were futile, so I did fixing myself(never worked on vehicle before...Here's what went wrong in 5 days after purchasing

1. Radiator boiled over- I did a flush and changed thermostat
2. Truck stalled - Discovered blown fuel pump, a thick 1-2inch layer of dirt in the gas tank and along with that 3 gallons of water which clogged the fuel filter.
3. Trans is slipping - did a quick fix with an Lusac additive and its holding up well. Dont know how long it would last, but I eventually need a trans rebuild
4. Pulls to left and steering wasnt centered - did an alignment, still need to do the brakes(left caliper gone)

My advice is, dont buy a vehicle so old, unless maybe you can do or learn to fix yourself cause it will be costly.I learn quick and did the fuel pump, thermostat and radiator on my own using a service manual and no previous knowledge of cars.I also found out after buying that I paid too much for it, being new to america, I didn't know better- I know now.

Look for one 1996 and up.If possible, if you find a car you really want to buy, write down the VIN and do a Carfax report for 20 bucks, it can save you a lot in the long run, cause even some newer model cars for sale have been flooded or salvage rebuildts, you never know. Also test drive the vehicle hard at least 2 times before buying, by hard I mean run that sucker up to 65-70 mph and at least 30 minutes to an hour, dont cruise around like I did, cause I didnt know the trans was bad over 55mph. As for the mileage, if it looks like a chicken,clucks like a chicken but walks like a duck, then something is wrong...Always be suspicious of old used cars with low miles.Average 12,000-15,000 miles for each year.

 

[cybercreeper]

Wow i hear all these problems with the X's I've got 110,00 mile on mine and it runs great...bought it at 90,000 miles for $6,000 '96 Limited all the bells and whistles in it.

hmm...maybe i paid too much?