Not sure if an explorer is for me....

[abitapurplehaze]

or not. Here is my situation, I am in outside sales(drive about 35-40k yr) & was considering an explorer(need suv b/c of back problems) I live in the deep south, not many hills, no snow, plenty of humity etc. I don't want to spent too much, around $5-8k. I was considering 95'-00' explorer/mountaineer. I must say that it seems like there are lots of issues with these trucks. I would probably be looking at something with at least 60-70k miles, many that I can afford are @ 100k. What sort of things should i expect to have been replaced in one of those vehicles? Do the expeditions have similar problems. I was also considering a durango :fire: . Well my fingers are hurting me now. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks

 

[metstalker]

well if it means anything my explorer has 220000 miles on it and it is still running havent had too many problems with it and it has been in the family for all those miles

 

[Hartman]

If you're looking for reliability, I wouldn't even consider a Durango.

You're probably getting the impression that Explorers aren't reliable because you see all these problems posted on this site. People generally don't post if their truck is running great. You won't see a post like "My TPS sensor worked flawless today."

I would say look for a 96-99 Explorer with a V8 or a 97-99 Mountaineer with a V8. They are strong trucks with solid transmissions. With regular maitanence they will run for well over 150k.

 

[abitapurplehaze]

very good point...

there are at least about 5+million of them on the road. Not being sarcastic either!

 

[00XLS]

I would say from what I've read on this site, it seems the OHV V6 is the most durable or the V8. all depends on gas mileage, Not to scare you but it seems the #1 problem I've read about (major) any way is the tranny. But this isn't true in all cases.

 

[hilhi2005]

Not that the Explorer isnt a great truck, but with that many miles a year, just be ready for the cost of gas, otherwise it is a great truck.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

yeah i agree with hilhi... if you drive that much a year you should consider getting a smaller suv... maybe an escape... hell you drive so much a year you would probably be better off leasing one.... then you dont have to worry at all about it breaking down .... other than that i would recommend 95-99 V8 2wd for you.... the 302 motor in those last a long long time with good care and the v8 tranny is also more reliable *in my opinion* than the v6 one.... and with 2wd the mileage difference will not be much on the highway.... I have a 97 with 133k on it and although it hasnt been perfect it has been a truck that doesnt beg to be fixed every weekend....

 

[John D.]

... hell you drive so much a year you would probably be better off leasing one....

With as many miles as he drives there's no way he could lease something. He would get killed on mileage charges at the end of the lease term.

 

[general x]

To let you know about the weak tranny thats being mentioned around, the tranny in the 91-94 explorers was the A4LD tranny. Generally its the weak one in the explorers. Some ppl have lots of trouble with them and some ppl go on 200k without any problems. I myself have a 92 and have replaced the transmission once since i got it (do note i beat the tranny to the grave) for lots of money you can replace this tranny with a 700r chevy transmission but you need adapters that cost plenty. The other v6 tranny i do believe is stronger but i dont know much about the 95+

 

[jayhawkexplorer]

What about an SUV makes your back problems less painful?

 

[sk1er17]

I just helped my pops pick out a work truck.

We went with a 1997 Expedition XLT with the 5.4L Triton in it. Has 130K miles on it and we got it for $7500. I did a quick tune-up on it (well not exaclty "quick" because of the coil set-up..) and he's gettin around 18mpg.

That's my advice.


Edit: and the driver seat has built in Lumbar support

 

[Majisto]

My Taurus has built-in lumbar support and is more comfortable on long trips than the Explorer is on my back. It also gets better gas mileage too which is a definite plus. But the Explorer has been very good to me. Almost 150K miles, and it still gets around 20/25 mileage. Don't get the OHV unless it comes with the 5R automatic. The SOHC always will, so it's a good bet IMO. You will hear quite a bit about the OHV, but having owned this X for as long as I have, and the treatment it has taken, I see no reason why the SOHC cannot hold upto the OHV in durability. It's certainly much more powerful and efficient.

 

[stubborn1]

If I was putting on that many miles, I would probably drive a Crown Vic. Not sure if it's hard to get in with back problems, but if you are gonna spend that much time in a car you need to be comfortable.

 

[abitapurplehaze]

What about an SUV makes your back problems less painful?

I am 6'3, about 230lbs. I make 5-8 sales calls a day & crouching down to get into/out of a car is hard on my back. Also the sitting position is much different in most cars vs. an suv/truck. I thought A crown vic would work(power seat, fullsize) but rented one & the back didn't take to it very well. Anyway anything i do get will have to have a power seat since they have many different positions. Thanks for all the post & keep em' coming!!

 

[hilhi2005]

I am 6'5 and know exactly what you are talking about, being this tall can make it difficult to get in and out of almost any car. When I finally sat in the expolrer, I loved it because it had enough leg and head room. I would also not recomend the Durango, as it gets even worse gas milage, with the V8 being the only engine as far as I know.

 

[CodePoet]

i'm around 6'4 and love my explorer for the same reasons....very comfortable

Later
cp