Selecting an Explorer

[kizzie]

Hi there all you Explorers out there,

I need help, I'm an Australian Chick who has moved to America and is about to purchase a Ford Explorer (every please clap your hands)

Anyways here is my dilemma....

First as a woman im not very good at making decisions and I have 3 choices!!!

Choice Number 1:

Please Click here for PICTURE

Ford Explorer Limited
PRICE $4500
Year:1996
Mileage: 121,000
Engine: V8 5.0L
Drive: AWD or 4WD - (Whats the difference????)
Interior:Leather Trim All great condition except a crack in the leather on the drivers left-hand side of the chair. Everything is powered and a 6 stack CD player.
Exterior: Has been repainted a maroon metallic (previously White) really good paint job, no nicks, scratches dents etc, on the back door the black is fading and same with the rear bumper.


Choice Number 2:

Please Click here for PICTURE


Ford Explorer XLT
PRICE: $5995
Year: 2005
Mileage: 161,000
Engine: V6
Drive: 2WD
Interior: Leather Trim All great condition again except a crack in the leather on the drivers left-hand side of the chair the interior is dirty not cleaned and has been stained on the roof and carpet etc. (This car has just been traded in)
Exterior: Great condition again nothing wrong with it.

Problems that stand out... The Diff in the rear I could hear an awful whirring sound as the car speeds up and slows down... I think something is wrong but I have no idea what this is or means. Front brakes seemed to have a large lip on the discs as I ran my pen across it and I could feel the large groove. Is this anything serious or is this normal????

Choice Number 3:


Ford Explorer XLT
I have not seen this vehicle yet..as its over 120miles away and I'm not sure if its worth looking at yet.

PRICE: $6300 (will talk about dropping price to 5800 so far...)
Year: 2002
Mileage: 82,000
Engine: V6
Drive: 4WD
Interior: All great condition cloth trim not leather.
Exterior: Great condition again nothing wrong with it except a small scratch on the passenger rear door.
Out of State in PA and will need to be reinspected into MD state.




So, here are my questions

Which one for price money etc?

Which one for features is better for my money?

Whats the difference between 2WD 4WD and AWD and what is better for gas and snow?

What are common problems that I should be aware of?

What does an emissions test include and will any of them perhaps fail??

Whats a trans-axle (as one of them just got replaced)?

Will I need to worry about the repaint from white to maroon in registration?

How much money can dealerships usually drop : ?

Do any of them Stand out from the crowd?


All the above information is urgently needed as I need to purchase a car within the next few days. any help or advice you could provide me I would greatly appreciate and I can guarantee I will be using these forums once I have purchased my Explorer... as you can see I'm a chatterbox!!

THANKS SO MUCH !!!

 

[IZwack]

Hello fellow Marylander. Go for the first one - the v8 and its accompanying transmission is typically more reliable than the v6s and their accompanying transmissions.

 

[safn1949]

Ok,my choice would be the 5.0 any day over the V 6,AWD means there is no way to go into 2wd or low 4wd.No big deal if you are not going offroad.

I know some will disagree but the 4.0 sohc motor is a loser as is the transmission behind it.Don't do it.The 2005 is a stinker with the problems listed, run away.

What year is the last one? The repaint is no big deal as long as it was done well,but the question is why was it repainted? Was it wrecked,rusty or what.A complete paint job can cost thousands of dollars so there had to be a reason.

if the 96 is AWD the big thing is the tires must be the same size and brand,as in they were all bought at the same time.Very important that they are or you are looking for trouble.

 

[section525]

1)

 

[kizzie]

Choice 3 is a 2002 model. The first one was repainted in 09. The dealer said the old man who owned it was bored and hated the off white colour. He had owned it for 2 years before the paint and 1 year afterward. I am not sure if it is a home job (the dealer thinks so) as the paint is really good but he hasn't stripped the vehicle to paint it so all the door jams and under the hood is still off white (it is actually a nice effect...am I crazy). Also all electronics work including sunroof, passenger, drivers seats and instrumentation. No warning lights were seen and it runs smoothly.

Picture of paint colour in boot door jam

The front tyres look like they are newer than the rear. Maybe the dealer changed them...? Do the AWDs have a central differential to compensate for this? Also what is the trans-axle as it was replaced?

Thanks for the quick replies so much

 

[kizzie]

After the comments above and my budget I may be able to afford new tyres all round. What is the standard size and best tyres to get. Are they very expensive? And yes I know you spell tyres as tires here but I like the Australian way.....:

 

[celly]

#1 for the reasons already mentioned (5.0 etc). I"m biased too (I have a '99 with that powertrain).

2002 was arguably the most troublesome model year of any Exploder. Stay away from that one (although that '02 does't look like an '02).
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[kizzie]

#1 for the reasons already mentioned (5.0 etc). I"m biased too (I have a '99 with that powertrain).

2002 was arguably the most troublesome model year of any Exploder. Stay away from that one (although that '02 does't look like an '02).
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Thanks heaps celly, the photo I think your looking at refers to the 2005 model as I havent posted a photo for the 2002 model. But I'm glad you mentioned the 2002 model being the most problematic as its a fair distance away and we were going to look at it on Monday but I dont think I will be driving 120miles for that lol and 120 miles on return ! He put the SUV up for sale for 3 days on Ebay and wants to get rid of it quick so I'm guessing when I get there, no doubt there will be some engine issues.



Again keep the comments coming I really appreciate it I'm leaning towards the 1996 model at the moment and constantly checking this thread

Also the 1996 model doesnt have a crack in the centre console!!! LOL if that is a good sign or not!!!

thanks very much for your honesty!!!

 

[kizzie]

Just so you all know that im not a complete idiot when it comes to cars trucks etc as I am a Chick....

so when I came to USA (6 days ago) I wanted and F250 then with the cold etc and the snow etc... I fell inlove with the Explorer.

Here is what is back in Australia waiting for me to come home....

 

[explorer917]

the 4.0 V6 is a great motor in my opinion. i put some serious wear on it and it always purred like a kitten. im 17 years old and was out in the mud/water with it everyweekend. the ONLY reason i got rid of it is because i rolled it one night having a little too much fun.

but back to the point, my 98 4.0 was great. it had 169,000 miles on it, and the only thing i replaced was the belt,and tensioner pulley which was because the belt snapped. choose whatever suits you best, if the 4.0 doesnt sound right, then go with the V8, vice versa. hope this helps

 

[celly]

Also the 1996 model doesnt have a crack in the centre console!!! LOL if that is a good sign or not!!!

thanks very much for your honesty!!!

Consider 99-01 with the 5.0. Those model years pretty much got all the bugs out and later on in a "generation" is always a good thing. the "second generation" went from 95-01 so you're pretty early in the 2nd gen with the '96. Also, since you're in the US now, consider the Mercury Mountaineer around the same 99-01 model year. Most of them come with the 5.0 as well. Just different front end appearance and smaller differences (mostly cosmetic).

I've had my '99 Eddie Bauer for almost 5 years and it's been a great ride.

FYI, $4500 for a '96 is on the high side. I've seen great condition second gens much newer than that for the price you're looking at.

 

[kizzie]

FYI, $4500 for a '96 is on the high side. I've seen great condition second gens much newer than that for the price you're looking at.

We thought this too, so we asked why, the reply was because its a limited explorer with all the upmarket features would this be a good reason???


PS plus the great condition its in

 

[celly]

We thought this too, so we asked why, the reply was because its a limited explorer with all the upmarket features would this be a good reason???


PS plus the great condition its in

I remember showing someone on this site a '99 or '00 Eddie Bauer (which is a "upscale" version too), about the same miles and condition for around $4500. I agree that it seems to be in good shape, but that price does seem a bit high for a '96 to me.

Good deals can be had on these trucks. It was one of the top selling vehicles in its day and there are lots out there and they're not in demand as they once were. Even "Cash for Clunkers" couldn't wipe them out.

 

[joe doe]

out of the 3 number 1 is my choice .i have owned 3 explorers over the course of about 10-12 years .all have been the sport model(i like 2 doors)with the ohv v-6 engine .
i can only wish they would have put the 5.0 in the sport model.that would be one cool ride.

number 1 is my choice.

 

[jseabolt]

if the 96 is AWD the big thing is the tires must be the same size and brand,as in they were all bought at the same time.Very important that they are or you are looking for trouble.

What does than mean? All tires must be the same size? Will this mess with the AWD system if they are different sizes?

 

[jseabolt]

The first one on the list sounds exactly like my '96 XLT.

Personally I like the Gen IIs better than the newer ones as far as styling is concerned.

The car lot had mine listed at $7500 but I talked them down to $5000. Mine only had 82,000 miles on it at the time and was in excellent condition for a 13 year old vehicle. I thought I might have paid too much for it. I was going by NADA. I made them an offer and they took it! Who knows, maybe if I had offered them $4000 they would have taken that offer.

So far I've put 15,000 miles on it in just one year. The biggest replacement item so far has been light bulbs. Brake light, fog light, puddle light, etc.

I originally thought I bought a lemon because the headgaskets leaked when the vehicle was not running. So I put some $2.00 stop leak in it and it's been fine ever since. I was prepared to replace the head gaskets myself but I just bought it.

I'm kind of impartial to the 5.0 liters. The design is older than dirt but it's a good engine. The only thing I don't like about my Explorer is the fuel consumption. I've seen anywhere from 11 to 19 mpg. This wouldn't be so bad if we didn't drive it so often. Sometimes I wonder if I should have purchased an Escape instead.

I saw two Explorers they other day that looked OK from a distance. But what stunned me was the front seat upholstry was ripped all to hell on one of them. Like someone had taken a knife to it.

Soapbox time!

NADA don't mean squat. They may say it's worth that but is that what someone will actually pay for it?

KBB and NADA said my 2007 Chevy Cobalt was worth $8300. I turned down five $6000 offers when finally I let it go for that and the girl still tried to get me to come down $200 more on the car after we had agreed on $6000 after I had already knocked $500 off my asking price. She said $5800 was all the bank would loan her.

Seems like the best thing to do when selling a car is to goto your bank and say, how much money would you loan me on this car? Then add $1000 to it because you know they will always ask if you will take less for it.

 

[safn1949]

What does than mean? All tires must be the same size? Will this mess with the AWD system if they are different sizes?

Yes,it will tear up the transfer case and the front differential.When I bought my 2000 it had mismatched tires on it,first thing I did was take it down and have a new set put on.

It changed the way the truck felt dramatically,it also had a bad u joint,I knew that when I bought it and the truck really vibrated at 30+ mph.That vibration left after the tires were replaced and then the only thing you could feel was the u joint at 55+ mph.

It is an expensive fix if you don't have the right tires,one guy here who's name escapes me had his wife driving their ex and got a flat,the mechanic replaced the tire with a different size and she took off and drove it quite a ways.

It cost him big bucks to repair.

Tires...I have a set (4) of Prodigy Tires made by Yokohama on mine,235/75/15,they cost $400 mounted and balanced with lifetime flat repair and rotate and balance.Try to get 5 of them and mount one as a spare,rotate it also.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tires/prodigy/home.do good for about 30,000 miles.

I paid $3000 for my 2000 XLT and it's loaded,but it also was high miles at 175,000.It had never been offroad and is very clean.

 

[kizzie]

OK guys I went to another 2 dealership today and had a look at another 6 explorers... which most looked great on the outside.. but the interior was smashed or stinky or stained... or torn or shredded with knives LOL....

It was really sad to see how neglected they were... Then my husband locked the keys in one of them with the engine running!!! AH hahahaha..... So they are going to let it sit there till it runs outta gas!! hahahaha

Anyways my heart is starting to settle on the First Choice....

I'm convincing myself that the price is ok.. he came down from 4750 and said I'll let you take it for 4600 then I asked could he drop it to 4500 he said yes cause i asked with a big smiliey face!!

He was also the mechinic for this car for the last 2-3years so he said if anything has been wrong with it he has fixed it... It really runs smooth and feels reliable when I drive it... Going up and down slopes there was no squeaky noise either so I think we will be going to visit this guy again on Monday.

Is there anything else I can take a look at while im there???


Thanks heaps guys!!!

Kizzie

 

[sean99]

I'd go with #1 but offer them $3000. I just picked up a close to mint 2001 Limited for $4000 v8 100k miles with new tires, brakes

 

[celly]

I'd go with #1 but offer them $3000. I just picked up a close to mint 2001 Limited for $4000 v8 100k miles with new tires, brakes

That's the sort of a deal I was thinking of. Nice find.
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