potential owner

[ukengqatar]

i am considering purchasing a 2006 explorer here in qatar in the middle east. i have to admit that the vast majority of the time it will be used simply as an around town motor, competing against the variety of huge 4x4's on qatars roads.

however i will use it on the beach once a week and from time to time when we have guests down south in the dunes.

as its not a toyota, nissan or mitsubishi pajero the explorer gets a lot of stick here for being no good, too heavy, unreliable, expensive parts etc.

what i would really like know is peoples experiences of the explorer on sand. i know im on an explorer forum so the opinions may be biased but your experiences would be appreciated none the less!!

cheers

 

[X6StringerX]

I cannot speak for the 2006 model year as I have only owned 2nd generation Explorers, but they were the most reliable and well built vehicles I've owned and I've owned many different makes ranging from GM to Ford to Infiniti. As you already know, much of how the vehicle will perform on sand will rely upon tire tread, tire pressure, and the driver. As for your weight concern, I don't know the exact numbers, but I can't see there being much of a difference between an Explorer and a Toyota 4Runner for example. I'm not sure if that's what they're called in Qatar, but that is Toyota's mid-size SUV in the US. Ford's fit, finish, and reliability has been steadily increasing in recent years, but as I stated before, I have not owned a 3rd gen Explorer, so you'll want to do some reading on the forums to identify specific problems. Toyota, and Nissan to a much much lesser extent, are widely known for reliability, but I wouldn't say that is the case for Mitsubishi and that doesn't necessarily mean that Ford is unreliable. Its hard to overcome a reputation that was developed many years ago. Overseas models may differ, but I don't know anyone that has owned a Mitsubishi and would recommend it for its reliability. I've always heard they have a lot of engine trouble. As far as expensive parts go, prices must also differ overseas because out of the brands you mentioned, Ford would be the cheapest to repair here by a very wide margin.

Hopefully some of the 3rd gen off-roaders will chime in with their experiences. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.

By the way, this thread would be better suited in the Stock 3rd Gen section, but there's no need to make another thread as a mod will most likely move it once they see it.