Need advice..going to look at 95 Eddie Bauer EX tomorrow!!

[BrianDye]

Finally met a guy who is wanting to just straight up trade, my 97 taurus for his 95 EB Explorer.

Im going to look at it tomorrow, what kinda stuff should I be looking for when I look at it...


What do i want to see, and what dont I want to see lol.


Thanks guys


He said the engine was kinda making a "whining" noise, then his buddy looked at it today, and said it was the alternator starting to go, so ill be replacing that with a nice 250 amp or so.

 

[Lacky01]

I don't know how rust is in your part of the globe, but in Oregon, If theres any rust it probably means the car was either not taken care of or sat for a good while. If I was you, I would pick up the front end and check ball joints and tie rod ends. I'm not sure how particular you are about that sort of stuff. maybe overall cleanliness, too? and while test driving it, make sure it rides how you like it as is. cuz odds are, if you want to lift/lower it, it may never ride better than stock.

I'm not really sure what else. hope this helps!

 

[BISHOPSEXPLORER]

Check Transmission

Drive it and make sure the tranny is not slipping...A4LD automatic transmissions tend to go out quite a bit. When you drive it make sure it does not take long to shift or shift too hard. Other than that sounds like a good trade for a 97' Taurus.

 

[BrianDye]

Ill deff keep those in mind, and that was my first thing, well besides cosmetics lol taking it for a drive, and making sure the trannys not bad, slipping, or hard.


How much does a tranny go for a 95 anyways? Just in case; Or what would be the best thing todo lets say I do get it, and down the road it starts to slip, or act up; would I want to replace it? get it rebuilt?

Whats the best thing to do?
And whats the cheapest route? (Im a 16 y/o part time bagger at krogers so money is TIGHT)

 

[marragtop]

The 95s don't have the A4LDs. Only the 91-94 had them. Make sure all the HVAC stuff works properly. Beware of the blend door problem.

 

[nitro71]

Plan on buying some tools Brian : ) First off if it's a auto I would find out how much it costs to get a replacement at the local wrecking yards. Do they have a pull n save type place where you can go get your own for $100 or less? If so are you wanting to be a mechanic? Check ebay for some rebuilt auto trannies. See what it could cost you. Honestly I would look for a manual transmission Explorer. The EB might have air adjustable, ride sensing? I can't remember(expensive shocks). I don't know if you can just drop in regular ones. Like one guy said the air plenum blend door can break. If the AC and heater blow but don't seem to change hot to cold that is a PIA to fix. The whole dash has to come out.

Things to look for:

Tires: how good are they? Will you be buying new ones ASAP?

Look in the engine compartment at the fender bolts. If the paint is scratched up and you can see where they have been removed and put back in it's been wrecked on the front end. Not neccesarily bad but still a bartering point.

Look under the steering column, see if someone has screwed with the wiring for alarm installs and whatnot.

Find out where it's been parked. Look for puddles. Look for leaks under vehicle. You will see some signs of leakage but shouldn't see something like the steering arm coated in steering fluid(example from one I looked at).

Drive it. Any odd shifting or noises at different RPMS are bad. Put in in 4WD, preferably on a dirt road. See if it makes any excessive noises.

Look at the interior. If it's trashed then that's the type of owner it had. Avoid.

Are the shocks shot? Take it on the interstate. If it's hard to handle at 60-70 they are bad. Yank it back and forth at low speed. Does it seem to have excessive body roll?

If you want to get in depth have the engine compression tested.

More in depth. Jack it up. Check bearings on tires. Not overly expensive to fix but still work, time and $$.

See if you can run your finger over the brake rotor. Check for grooves.

Check engine lights. They are not minor and will cost you money and time to fix. Up to $200? for a pair of oxygen sensors if I recall correctly?

Anything that doesn't work should be dollars off the asking price as you'll have to pay to get it fixed or do it yourself.

If you like working on vehicles and have a available supply of cheap parts locally and you shop carefully you'll probably come out alright.

 

[BrianDye]

Wow, great info, ill deff do as much of that as I can,
but the thing about it, is I only know of one junkyard around here, and its horrible, they should just close, theres about 4 or 5 old vans/cars, a couple grilles of semi's and thats it, and the dirt trail through there has potholes deep enough to fit a whole wheel in.

 

[nitro71]

You are in the middle of zillions of people. There's gotta be a wrecking yard within a 100 miles or so I'd think.

 

[BrianDye]

is there any way i could find out online if theres any other ones near me?

 

[nitro71]

yahoo yellow pages, google, try to find a forum member near there and PM them..

 

[BrianDye]

Nvm, found 3 of them

Hull Road Auto Parts Inc
15278 Hull Road
Monroe, MI 48161
(734)242-7422

Auto Wrecking, Salvage & Junkyards
Sottile's Auto Parts
15196 South Telegraph Road
Monroe, MI 48161
(734)241-3600

Auto Wrecking, Salvage & Junkyards
South Telegraph Towing & Storage
15196 South Telegraph Road
Monroe, MI 48161
(734)241-3600


that hull road is the one thats a DUMP!

 

[nitro71]

There's a pull n save in Muskegon but that's 200 miles from you. That's quite a ways. I'd give them a call. See if they have explorers. How much is a transmission?

 

[nitro71]

I'd really try to find a manual one if I were you. Darn automatic trannies are just not worth the gamble in my opinion.

 

[nitro71]

http://detroit.craigslist.org/ctd/1176485975.html

This is pretty nice looking!