New Mexico Man

[dangrega33]

Hey all,

I just registered here because I was told that this is a really good forum by a friend of mine who checks it out from time to time. I am from the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico) and reside in the Albuquerque area but love my camping and cars.
I am actually in the market to get a good 4x4 vehicle that I can rely on for a little while just for camping trips or light off road trips. I will also use it on the road a little bit around the small town that I live in. I was told that Explorers are really good vehicles and will be able to do anything you want them to do. I have a limit of $4k due to this just being a "fun" vehicle rather than anything else. I do want a rock crawler vehicle and may or may not turn this into a rock crawler (thinking of saving up a lot more for one). Any help on this matter would greatly be appreciated. Just something cheap but reliable is what I want that can do some good off roading as well. I know my price is really low, but my friend has an Explorer he bought for $2k and love it! I think I posted some pics of craigslist adds that I am looking at. Sorry, don't really know how to add them yet. Hope it worked.

http://santafe.craigslist.org/cto/5051428833.html
http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/5060109877.html
http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/5059524223.html
http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/4995924250.html

David

 

[Rick]

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/5060109877.html

I like that one. It's the last year of the 2nd generation Explorer which is more easily modified for offroad use. If it has the 4.0 OHV it should be reliable for a long time to come. With the SOHC there's is chance that the came chain tensioners will go bad which is an expensive fix. Listen for rattling in the motor.

It looks like it's in great shape with low miles, but pics can be deceiving....

 

[dangrega33]

How can I tell the difference between the OHV and SOHC? I will definitely not buy anything before going and looking at it and test driving it first.

 

[shucker1]

Dangrega33,

First off Welcome. There is lots of experience on this site and plenty of folks willing to help.

Actually if you look on the right side of the "Home Screen" you can find a section called "Explorer specifications" it has a VIN # decoder where you can find out which engine should have come with your potential rig.

Unless it had a previous engine swap.

I'm a 5.0L guy so I know enough about the 4.0L to get me by and I can tell between the two as far as SOHC and OHV are concerned.

Some users here can give you the exact things to look for.

 

[dangrega33]

Dangrega33,

First off Welcome. There is lots of experience on this site and plenty of folks willing to help.

Actually if you look on the right side of the "Home Screen" you can find a section called "Explorer specifications" it has a VIN # decoder where you can find out which engine should have come with your potential rig.

Unless it had a previous engine swap.

I'm a 5.0L guy so I know enough about the 4.0L to get me by and I can tell between the two as far as SOHC and OHV are concerned.

Some users here can give you the exact things to look for.

Thank you. I am going to call them up tomorrow to ask them in depth questions about the one Rick said he liked. I will ask them questions so that I know more about it and see if I want to go check it out. I noticed a black mark on the seat and am worried that it is a cig burn. If so, I don't think I'd want the vehicle due to the smell. But if I do end up getting this, I will need to get a little lift for a little better clearance. Since this is $3900, I will barely have enough to buy the vehicle, much less do anything else with it right away. Should I offer them less? Or do you think that 3900 is a good price? I will make sure to let you guys know what I find out tomorrow. Thank you for the info! I am hoping I can get an explorer because I like this forum so far!

 

[shucker1]

First thing I would do is research Kelly Blue Book to find the media price for the vehicle. I see no mention of existing miles.

Secondly you need to drive it and look at it before you even think about a price.

Yes that does look like a cigarette burn, but a really good detail shop can get any residue smell out.

 

[Ritsui]

re: http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/5060109877.html

The OHV V6 wasn't used after 2001. It's going to be an SOHC, so depending on mileage, budget time/money for timing chain issues or just skip it.

 

[dangrega33]

Thank you to both of you. I called, but no response. I texted, so hopefully I'll hear a response. I texted another two that popped up, but haven't heard anything from them either. I really hope to find one soon so I can go camping!! Haha.

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site it's great to have you here

Tony :wavey:

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The 8th digit of the vin # is the engine code.