Saying goodbye

[rayman051]

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to my wonderful 98 xlt. After 322XXX miles on original motor and trans, she finally said enough. Transmission gave it up and stopped all engagement. Too much body cancer to fix, and with all the miles I log daily something with much better gas mileage is needed. My boss is hooking me up with a company vehicle, so my explorer days are over...For Now. That truck was awesome and I will miss her. Thanks to everyone for all the help and insight over the years. These are truly great vehicles!

 

[XLTrunner]

Sounds like she served you well! And, I'd say 322K miles on original engine/tranny gives you some bragging rights! I routinely see these trucks in the local U Pull yards with well over 200K miles...and, most look to still have their original suspension parts (non-greaseable ball joints, tie rods, crusty shocks). But, as you say, the rust gets the better of them here in MN and people just dispose of them rather than further maintain them.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Congrats, and don't look back. I hope to be there some day too. If my pile of junk doesn't keep me in the poor house with repairs. Last Ford I ever own, and probably the last domestic too. Congrats again!

 

[1997XLTRollover]

Congrats, and don't look back. I hope to be there some day too. If my pile of junk doesn't keep me in the poor house with repairs. Last Ford I ever own, and probably the last domestic too. Congrats again!

That's sad you hate your truck that much. I've owned countless Fords over the years of all years and models and all have been nothing but good to me. Currently have my 98 F-150 with 233k miles on an all original drivetrain still being daily driven. About the only thing that's happened to it are a couple brake calipers and the exhaust rotted off because I put a cheap flowmaster on it.

To the OP - Sad to see you go but you'll be back one day. I was Explorerless for probably 6-8 years and now that I'm back in one I realize how much I missed it. I too see countless 200k mile+ V8 Explorers in the yard. Very rarely do I see anything under 200k miles that isn't hit hard.

 

[chefduane]

Tech, if you hate your vehicle and it continues to nickel and dime you to the poor house, why not sell it and buy another used car and be done with it? What's the point in keeping a car that is "the biggest pile of junk I've ever owned and I plan of letting everyone know about it"? But maybe it's just simpler to complain about what you have rather than doing something about it.

OP - I'm at 197k on my '98 SOHC 4x. I sure will be sad to see her go when the day comes. But I know it will inevitably come at some point. And when she goes I will buy another Explorer, got over 100k on my first ('94), and probably over 200k at least on this one. With a track record like that, and with the testimonials posted here by current owners, I think the design, build quality, toughness of these vehicles has been established. There may be a few lemons here and there (see Tech's comments above) but the Explorer has proven itself to be one of the best SUV lines ever built.

 

[Tech By Trade]

I would sell it but I have 20k in debt, 2k of which came from the timing chains this winter. Right now its not in my best interest to sell. When it is I will be more than happy. Not sure what will replace it but it will not be Ford. If I stick to my plans and don't have any more major expenses come out of the blue, I should be in the market in 2 years and 3 months. Hopefully she can hold together for that long. If I can save just one soul from going through the headaches I have by them not purchasing a sub standard product from ford I have succeed.

 

[chefduane]

My '98 will probably still be on the road at that point. I'll give you a great price on her!!!

 

[Tech By Trade]

Lol, only if the wrecker will give me another 1000 on top of what I pay for my trouble.

 

[crunchie_frog]

Congrats, and don't look back. I hope to be there some day too. If my pile of junk doesn't keep me in the poor house with repairs. Last Ford I ever own, and probably the last domestic too. Congrats again!

To each his own, for me, I have four 5.0 explorer/mountaineers and I cannot imagine a cheaper, more versatile, more comfortable, safer vehicle to own. You just have to be your own mechanic.

 

[Gilbert G. Jr.]

Impressive!

 

[XLTrunner]

Guess the other option if you don't want to deal with repairs is to go out and buy a brand new Explorer for, what $40K? Taxes here in MN will cost you another $3K and first yr licensing another $750. I can spend a helluva lot of money on repairs for that kind of money. As long as my Explorer continues to look good, I don't mind spending some money on it. I've probably dropped around $2700 on it to date, but at least I don't have a $500/mo payment while watching the value decline by thousands each year. Reality is...owning a vehicle is going to cost you money. Either by way of repairs or in payments/late model depreciation.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Bet if I had all my repairs done at a shop, instead of myself, The cost would have been enough to put half down on a new exploder, and been driving a new car with 250 dollar a month payments. Car being the key word. Too bad once the warranty was up, that new pile of junk would probably be exactly the same. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice....... plates here are 1500, that's with insurance. Gota love soviet style public insurance.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=385793

Sorry about the hijack,

 

[Puckboy106]

My 98 XLT is still running with 325K. Getting ready to pull the engine for a rebuild because of oil usage is just too high. Hopefully, we'll see you back soon!

 

[Mounty99]

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to my wonderful 98 xlt.

She's in a better place, my friend. You'll always have the memories, and hopefully a few pics to look back on now and again.

After 322XXX miles on original motor and trans, she finally said enough.

My 1999 Mounty is currently at 209,000 and running perfectly. Original engine/tranny. Minimal repairs. Can only hope for 300,000+…

Thanks to everyone for all the help and insight over the years. These are truly great vehicles!

Indeed. Great forum and great vehicles. Especially the 302 / 4r70w combo!!