new guy with questions

[jtwlson2]

hey everyone,

current situation:

I am currently making payments on a 09 chevy colorado but have been looking around for something that is going to be cheaper on insurance and on payments.

I found a 01 explorer sport and have some questions regarding it.

info on the ex:
4x4
almost 140,000 miles
automatic
4.0 sohc
looks pretty clean, leather is in good condition
listed price: $5,000

questions:

what should I be looking for?
Is 140,000 miles to high, should I keep looking?
im trying to get as prepared as possible to go look at it, anything you guys can recommend is going to help.

Ive been looking through the forum and trying to gather as much info as i can, thought this might help me too.

Thanks guys

 

[Govna47]

first off, welcome to the site.
second, they say typical mileage for vehicles is 12k-15k a year (ish) so figuring that the truck is about 11 years old you'd be looking at 132k-165k miles. so it seems right about in the middle of average.

KBB says (I assumed on options, power seat, windows, etc...)
Suggested Retail value: bit.ly/zJ0RPx
and like those commercials on TV always say, get carfax. See where it's been. Looks can be deceiving, especially with cars. I almost picked up a 98 X until I carfaxed and found out it was in 2 head-on and 1 rear collision. One heck of a body shop fixed it. Then I found my 01, and it was love.

And also, do you maybe have a link to the truck listing that has pictures, like from autotrader or the seller's lot? May help others here possibly spot potential areas for you to check into if/when you go look at it.

 

[jtwlson2]

click here for listing

was going to get a carfax at the dealership, only thing i can see that is bad in the pics, fading plastic on the outside, and the cover on the center consul has a hole.

EDIT:
they also have a auto check vehicle history report on the listing, says no accidents and 3 previous owners.

 

[Govna47]

my plastic is fading as well . Yeah, the only thing I see is the hole in the center armrest and the steering wheel might be worn a lot too, because I see a big black line under the steering wheel cover.

Oh, and the only thing that was wrong with mine when I got it was that the one front sway bar link had snapped. Rockauto has replacements and I got one for like 7 bucks plus shipping

 

[jtwlson2]

ill check out the swaybars, going to see what kinda noises the engine makes as well. and how good the trans. shifts.

 

[Govna47]

And also, don't forget to check the 4wd to make sure it properly engages and such

 

[mcsteven]

...
what should I be looking for?
Is 140,000 miles to high, should I keep looking?
im trying to get as prepared as possible to go look at it, anything you guys can recommend is going to help.

Ive been looking through the forum and trying to gather as much info as i can, thought this might help me too.

Thanks guys

:thumbdwn: Driver's door - they don't like to stay locked. You hit the button, close the door and it will still open from the outside handle. It's not hard to fix, but if it's an issue figure that into your negotiating.

:thumbdwn: Check the entire thing. The dealer copied and pasted the description. They noted "child safety locks" which refers to rear doors on a 4 door. As Homer Simpson would say, "Duuuhhh!"

:thumbdwn: Lots of looking it over. The previous owner, or the dealership, went cheap when replacing the tires. Where else were corners/costs cut?

:thumbdwn: I'm asking why images 19-30 are not of the specific vehicle....? They are stock images used from FORD.

Certainly not trying to talk you out of it. It's a much less expensive way to go. But as always, do your homework. Take it for a test drive and be sure to fill out the paper that asks for your phone number. As Govna noted, the KBB shows $5400 for the car in that area. So $5000 is reasonable. But if it's been on the lot for a while, go in with $4000 cash and let the sales manager turn it down. The salesman will likely turn it down, but s/he isn't the final say. And if you don't get a decent price, walk away. They'll call you the next day (they'll have your phone number, remember?). They're bull$h1tting saying it was reduced from $8g. Just a marketing ploy for those that will go "Look - it's a DEAL!! We'll buy it!!"

If you have access to one (or a place that will do it), take it somewhere and have them run the diagnostics. Takes 2 minutes. Lots of places do it for free (auto parts stores are usually good for it).

Good luck, keep us informed.

MCS

 

[Govna47]

:thumbdwn: Driver's door - they don't like to stay locked. You hit the button, close the door and it will still open from the outside handle. It's not hard to fix, but if it's an issue figure that into your negotiating.
MCS

Your door doesn't/didn't stay locked? Funny, because 8 months after I bought mine the door handle torsion springs broke and the door was pretty much in a state of "Perma-lock." I would have to push the handle in to get it to unlock. That was a fun fix to replace the door handle.

 

[jtwlson2]

:thumbdwn: Driver's door - they don't like to stay locked. You hit the button, close the door and it will still open from the outside handle. It's not hard to fix, but if it's an issue figure that into your negotiating.

:thumbdwn: Check the entire thing. The dealer copied and pasted the description. They noted "child safety locks" which refers to rear doors on a 4 door. As Homer Simpson would say, "Duuuhhh!"

:thumbdwn: Lots of looking it over. The previous owner, or the dealership, went cheap when replacing the tires. Where else were corners/costs cut?

:thumbdwn: I'm asking why images 19-30 are not of the specific vehicle....? They are stock images used from FORD.

Certainly not trying to talk you out of it. It's a much less expensive way to go. But as always, do your homework. Take it for a test drive and be sure to fill out the paper that asks for your phone number. As Govna noted, the KBB shows $5400 for the car in that area. So $5000 is reasonable. But if it's been on the lot for a while, go in with $4000 cash and let the sales manager turn it down. The salesman will likely turn it down, but s/he isn't the final say. And if you don't get a decent price, walk away. They'll call you the next day (they'll have your phone number, remember?). They're bull$h1tting saying it was reduced from $8g. Just a marketing ploy for those that will go "Look - it's a DEAL!! We'll buy it!!"

If you have access to one (or a place that will do it), take it somewhere and have them run the diagnostics. Takes 2 minutes. Lots of places do it for free (auto parts stores are usually good for it).

Good luck, keep us informed.

MCS

ill check the drivers door when I first get there, they usually keep them locked so if its unlocked that will be a good indication, they have quite a few explorers on the lot, not supprised it was copy and pasted TBH. ill find out what i can about the previous owner and maintenance records and such. the picture thing, a lot of dealerships around here do that, not really sure why.

ill see if they will let me test drive it to a local auto parts store so i can run a dignostics, and I was going in trying to get 4 grand for it from the get go.

thanks for the help

 

[mcsteven]

Luckily mine works correctly

Your door doesn't/didn't stay locked? Funny, because 8 months after I bought mine the door handle torsion springs broke and the door was pretty much in a state of "Perma-lock." I would have to push the handle in to get it to unlock. That was a fun fix to replace the door handle.

:exp: Luckily mine works correctly. But when I was checking out others before buying this one, every other one of the 2nd gen - honestly - every other one - had the door lock issue. I think I checked out about 7 or 8 others and test drove 3 or 4 of those because I figured it would be a wash if I could get them at decent prices.

 

[AFexplorer]

:exp: Luckily mine works correctly. But when I was checking out others before buying this one, every other one of the 2nd gen - honestly - every other one - had the door lock issue. I think I checked out about 7 or 8 others and test drove 3 or 4 of those because I figured it would be a wash if I could get them at decent prices.

Strange. I kinda have the exact opposite issue with my 00' sport. It likes to relock itself after i have unlocked it and shut it off. Doesnt do it all the time so i never really paid attention to it.