Upgrade to a better X?

[espnfreak]

I was thinking of selling my truck to get a 96 V-8 or a 97 sohc-howd that slip in here???- possibly, but i have an extended warrnty good for about 1 yr, 13k on it. The mods I have include: speedgrille, trans cooler, 99+ bumper, black grille, alpine hu, neons under dash, sport trac guages, and i recently had a few parts replaced, but it seems to be in alright condition with 82k. I am just wondering what you guys would do? I think the 302 has more performance parts. Should I hang on to it until like 150k or so and then look for a different car? Help me out, thanks! If i get a different X I would like it to be limited or a EB, and be black.

 

[tbomb]

youre not gonna like this answer

well, youre only 17, right? i mean, youre still in high school. if i were you, id save my money (because theres no way you can do an even trade up for what you want from what you have.) once you hit college, youll know what it means to be away from your parents, but also broke as hell (and just wait till youre 21 and you start taking issues like "food or beer" seriously, heh.)

right now, youre a 17 year old kid with a nicer vehicle than most working adults. id keep the X for a while. throw a few bucks into it if you want, but i wouldnt go throwing a few grand into a new truck right before you go to college (and dont forget, your insurance will go up with a v8.) trust me, once youre in college, and you barely drived your truck (i drive mine about 10 miles per week, except when i do the occassional road trip home or to see my girlfriend on the weekends), you wont even be that concerned with it. just give it some time.

keep us updated.

(by the way, jason, did you do a lot of celebrating after the bears/eagles game? i know i did hehe.)

 

[Jason_25]

You certainly don't want a 97 SOHC! That's the first year of production. I.E. plastic chain guides and so on......you have a reliable truck now, why get rid of a good thing?

 

[bigDerk]

If you're still in high school like tbomb said, I'd stick with what you have. As far as performance parts and such, no matter what you put into it, you'll still be driving an Explorer- it's not a high performance vehicle (until you go to the point that Troll has ). I would stick with what you have for now, save up your money, and after high school you should be able to get something a little nicer with money to spare. But if you do plan on upgrading to something "better", just remember that along with that comes more cost- and coming from a broke college student stuck with two vehicles because of bad money management, I'd kill to go back to my first truck, even though it wasn't as "nice" as the other two vehicles I owned. It was definitely a nice truck, and it was paid for- and I had money left over. Sure wish I knew what that was like now...

 

[Stephen]

I'll also chime in and say that I agree with whats been said here, stick with what you've got. The OHV may be a dog, but it is a reliable one with plenty pf ways to spruce up it's power.

As for the 97 SOHC problems, I know they're out there but so far I've been lucky at 104k (knock on wood). My son drives the Explorer so it gets good use, so we'll see how long the SOHC stays trouble free.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Ditto that. You put way too much money in your rig already, why not spend a little money and do some more mods to it. I also had the same feeling you have when I was 17 (which was 2 years ago). I told my dad about it and he gave me a lecture of how lucky I was and that was when I realized that I was very lucky to drive such a nice car in high school.

 

[Steve94LTD]

Id say keep the truck. Im 18 and will be going off to school in August. A warranty would be a very nice thing to have for my truck, you have one, so why trade in on something thats working well for you already? Besides, you really wont be able to drive much around college... in fact, most schools wont even let you bring a car. The only reason that my college is letting me bring a car is because im just over the 300 mile radius to qualify for a parking permit.

 

[RTStork]

Yep. Keep it and one day when you have the money to get something nicer, keep it as a daily driver/beater. You always need a spare vehicle. That's why I have 4.

 

[Hartman]

You always need a spare vehicle. That's why I have 4.

Or, in your case:

A spare for your regular car.
A spare for that spare.
A spare for the 2nd spare.
A spare for the 3rd spare.

 

[espnfreak]

ya, i really need money for college next year, but i was just thinking of going to a v8 maybe if i could get a good deal without having to put more money into it. But then maybe i could do a few more perf parts to get this truck a little faster. granted, im not a racer, but id like to have a little more power, and this truck should last me a long time since i got a new cat, 02, new 4wd engager part, and im going to put amsoil into everything. It is a really nice nice vehicle compared to my friend 99 civic hatch dx or my other friends 92 cherokeee. Also, for mowing in the summer i bought a hitch and a little cargo hauler so i can put my mower in it. Maybe sell in a few years, like after college, and then buy something nice. But it hasn't given me any problems, and besides the power, i think my truck looks real real badass, i love how it looks a lot.

 

[Rhett]

I wouldn't do it, especially if your truck runs well. It looks like you have done some mods to your 96, and if you bought another Explorer you would have to do all of that over again, which means $$.

I have found when selling a vehicle you have modded, you can never get back the money you spent on the mods.

 

[Alec]

Once you get the TB and the chip, you'll be happier. I found those 2 mods really perked up my ride before I got crazy. The stock V8 has about 210-220, doesn't it? With your modest mods, you're as fast as a 96 with a V8. Actually, when I had filter, TB, chip, catback, I was faster than my friend's 96 5.0.

You're truck seems in great shape, and you just put some money and time into it with the gauges. Keep what you've got, throw another couple hundred in it for performance and you're set. Oh, think about the new Hypertech programmer for the 4.0 OHV. You can set it up with increased perf. without using 93 gas. I'd recommend setting it up for 89.

 

[Jason_25]

Alec is right. The V8 explorer isn't all that much faster. It can just tow alot more. You'll be amazed at how close you can run with a V8 one. When mine was stock with a chip and intake it stayed right with my mom's V8 Explorer.

 

[tbomb]

guys, i think his point was that theres more of an aftermarket for the 302. sure, he could prolly keep up with a stock v8 with his mods, but if he had a 5.0, then modded it, it would be even faster.

 

[espnfreak]

throw some of those mods at a v8, and id be looking at low low 8 0-60 maybe high 7's

 

[Alec]

Well it might just come down to money. In racing, the saying is that you can go as fast as you want, you just need the money. If you have the cash to buy a 5.0 X and mod it, great. However, you've mentioned that you've been strapped for cash sometimes, and with college coming up you need to be careful. Who knows, you might find a kick-@ss job in college and have money to burn? However, I'd see how things go and maybe decide to get a new X after your first semester. Yours is cool now, don't mess with a good thing for now.

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

I'm still in High school also. I decided to keep my Explorer for a few years longer than I was going to. Eventually I'll get my truck (see sig.) but for now I'm happy with my Explorer. In fact I just bought a stereo for it.

1995ExplorerXLT

 

[XLT_66]

I also agree with what is said. I have a 96 V8 and it is all bada$$ and whatnot, but i would not say it is worth gettin rid of your awsome ride for it. I am going to UT this August and i know that i will be damned glad i have a pimpin ride like i do. Don't mess wit sellin it right before college. You'll regret it

 

[espnfreak]

hey, what is your field of study going to be at ut

 

[IgotTwo]

AH!!!!!! upgrade to a 97 SOHC!!!
don't even think of it... mine is a living example of why to avoid one like the plague

DOA at the dealer......many broken internal engine parts.. going on the second week in the morgue
I saw it yesterday ......I think it rolled on its side and got bloated. Its tires are straight as a rail, kinda like a dead dear.... My poor "X" needs to be rescued.

Don't buy a 97 SOHC.