What do you think of your 02-05 Explorer?

[NHarris]

So I'm still looking for a newer car after my failed attempt to buy a 04 Sport Trac. So after that I found a 05 explorer XLT. Its a 4.0L V6 SOHC, mated with an Automatic Transmission. And it has 60K miles. Seems to be in great shape, I have the carfax on it, it was a rental car for 8 months and had 13,800 miles when it was sent to be auctioned off to a dealership. The only major disadvantage (Besides gas mileage) I find to this car is it has no transmission dipstick. So tell me what you think of yours, what problems you've had, if you taken off road how does it do, and anything else you think would be helpful. So here are some pictures of it.

 

[dannym52fire]

Man, thats a nice one! I have an 02 XLT V6. It is a great truck. The V6 is a great engine with good performance and the gas mileage is ok, could be better. But I love our Explorer. We have taken ours through mud, thick, deep mud, and through snow and climbed a couple off road hills. It's great in all conditions and we have BFG Rugged Trail T/A on it which are great tires. I would recommend them. We have had little to no problems with it in the 3 years we ve owned it. But this truck is all around great. Great engine, 4x4, comfort, air conditioning, everything. Good luck in your searching, and I would definitely recommend buying the 05. Btw, are you planning on wheeling it if you get it?

 

[NJExplorerFan]

You'll find there are common issues that most Explorers have, but overall it's a great truck. I've had both a Gen II and recently a Gen III Explorer. Both have been great so far. They seem to be strong overall, despite the criticism they get. My '97 went to 162K+ miles before I sold it in March of this year. Then I bought my 2003 just 2 months ago and it so much better than the older Explorer - much smoother, more powerful and looks/feels great!

I'd say go for it. Everyone on this forum is here to help and provide input if you get it. Just keep in mind if you're gonna tow, you may need the Class III/IV hitch, V8 etc. For just around town crusing, the V6 might be fine for you.

 

[Thomas Mackin]

Looks very nice. With the small hitch it probably was not used for much towing? I would try to deal your best price and then have the dealer change all fluids(especially the transfer case and both differentials. The back one has been a problem. Make sure they put in 75-140 synthetic and also 4oz. of friction modifier if it has limited slip. If it is a good dealer I would have them change the cooling and tranny plus filter too. Also clean maf etc. You also maybe able to check with ford to see if any major work was done under warranty if you do not have the service records. Sometimes seals and timing belts etc could have been done??? I love my 02 and have had very little problems. Good luck!!! Check this forum for lots of ideas.

 

[chezoom]

go on youtube and search rental car. people destroy rentals. i will never buy a used rental car

 

[NHarris]

go on youtube and search rental car. people destroy rentals. i will never buy a used rental car

-My 98 explorer XLT was a rental car also. Great car, except the front end was basically completly rebuilt.
-Well I'm taking my father back to get a second opinion on it. Sometimes he finds some issues with cars that I may have overlooked.
-I've been doing some research on it, and it seems to be a good car like all of you said.
-What I plan on doing is taking a few trips with it, going off-roading with it, and taking it through many nasty Utah winters. And of course I'm going to do some towing with it.
-This is a picture of Hitithard's 2002 Ford Explorer. This is similar to what I had in mind for what I would do to this generation of explorer.(http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/member.php?u=93200)

And the dealership this vehicle is at is an old Chrysler Jeep dealer. It is now a used car dealership that is part of a larger chain of dealerships. They have, I beleive a NAPA service center.

 

[05explorerXLT]

Make sure it doesing have a rough idle. Seems to be a common problem on these xlt's. Really no one has found a permanent cure for this problem. Let the truck idle in park while you sit in it and see if this one has the problem too.

Other then what I mentioned it has been a great vehicle.

 

[dannym52fire]

go on youtube and search rental car. people destroy rentals. i will never buy a used rental car

wow retard, the guy is looking at a really nice truck and you go and put him down like that? the thing is probably nicer than your truck and since it only has like 15,000 miles on it from rental car usage, that probably means it was used very little, maybe 3 family trips in another state. i would definitely buy that truck and it's really nice. if you're gonna be down like that than don't bother posting your opinions because we don't need them

 

[kstrayhorn]

Now then, people DO treat rental cars like trash, chezoom was just making a point there. However, when they are destroyed, they are fixed. If the interior looks good, and it sounds ok, I wouldn't worry about it's former life as a rental car. It looks like a good car to me! I love my 02 xlt. I have only had it for about 6 months and I think they are great cars to drive, mod, or whatever you want to do with them.

 

[chezoom]

wow retard, the guy is looking at a really nice truck and you go and put him down like that? the thing is probably nicer than your truck and since it only has like 15,000 miles on it from rental car usage, that probably means it was used very little, maybe 3 family trips in another state. i would definitely buy that truck and it's really nice. if you're gonna be down like that than don't bother posting your opinions because we don't need them

Listen up noob. Your an idiot. How did I put him down? I said people destroy rental cars and gave my opinion... NO WHERE DID I SAY THIS TRUCK WAS JUNK. Whats the point of an opinion if you only allow positive. I dont care what you would do. I dont care if the OP buys this truck on not. Im saying I wouldnt. An opinion.

 

[SteveBarker]

our '03 has over 110k miles. 4.0 liter. I, too, was a bit miffed about the lack of a trans dipstick. But having said that, i have done quite a bit of towing including hauling a model A johndeere home (kansas) from Wisconsin. We have only had a few problems, including the dvd player, (inop at this time), both front wheel bearings have been replaced and one (LR) wheel bearing replaced whilst on a cross country excursion. Fortunately, my cousins in Seattle turned me on to an honest shop and they worked on it for about 6 hours and only charged me 3. The rear differential is noisy, and it was replaced with a new unit when we bought the vehicle at 40,000. The engine and trans have been maint free, i've still yet to change the spark plugs. I do change the oil and filter every 3k. One final thought; I am NOT impressed with the brakes. Whilst they do stop the vehicle, I have definitely had vehicles with better brakes.

 

[imp]

Our '04 XLT

Long story short: Bought it here in Missouri, from a gal who had taken a job in Alaska, and had to leave it here. 4.0 SOHC, 94,000 miles, 5R55S auto. trans., has 4X4 AUTO, 4X4 HIGH, 4X4 LOW drive positions.

Most impressive thing I find about it is how it tracks perfectly on the highway. I can truthfully say it follows the road as well as my '93 Mustang Cobra did!

The engine used less than 1/2 qt. of oil in 6,000 miles; I normally do not let one go that long. Driveline operation is very smooth. There are no fluid leaks anywhere.

No trans. dipstick: yep, makes it hard to refill. So, I plan to drop the pan, replace the filter, and while it's off, braze a fitting on the side and put in my own dipstick & tube! This mainly to allow easy filling; pumping the fluid in uphill is for the birds!

Whoever thought, years ago, that one could buy a vehicle with ~ 100K mi. on it used, and expect to get good service out of it? Unheard of in my day.......imp

 

[muzzymaniac]

hahahaha! flames everywhere! I've had my 04 for a couple of years now and overall I love it. It has it's issues - all vehicles do but overall I'm pretty happy. As for rentals - I beat them up real good myself. Just go over it really carefully.

 

[EasyRhino]

go on youtube and search rental car. people destroy rentals. i will never buy a used rental car

While some may, the fact is that few do (mostly moron kids) and in fact, that most rental cars are better cared for than privately owned vehicles.

I bought a used rental back in the day (a minivan) and it was flawless. A Dad renting a minivan to take his family to Florida does not typically rag on it.

As far as the OP's question: My 2002 Limited V8 4WD was bought completely loaded in May 2002, now at 105K miles or so, it has had a few repairs, but all do-able by myself. The tranny is original except for fluid and filter changes. All in all, not the worst car ever. Oddly enough, I have never before bought a new car and kept it to over 100K miles, so that says something.

 

[NHarris]

Well after a thorought look-over there is a few things brought to my attention, they are minor though. Spare Tire-Original, and its flat... Radiator Coolant-Its that wierd orange kind that I can't add any of my prestone to, and last (this is the most minor issue), the handle on the seat to adjust the back of the seat has a piece broken on it, so the handle falls off if you use it forcefully. But other than that its a great car. The radio deck I think is a little odd, being that it does some funny stuff.
-The brakes, they seem to be good, at stopping the car. I'm getting a transmission fluid flush, if I buy the car, and a free oil change. Can't beat free.
-The dealership seems to be eager to sell, and they want to deal on it, so I think I can get a good price on this car. Thanks everyone.

AND: HAS ANYONE noticed rental cars' speedometer ready about 2-3 MPH fast? Cause my 98 explorer does and this 05 explorer seems to.

Also I'm glad this SUV wasn't used by this guy. Watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPjni8yyP9w

 

[CALDWELL]

I picked up my 05 XLT 4.0 on March 2nd this year with 48,500 miles on it. There are only 2 problems that I have with this X, which arent really problems but more prference I guess...

* I have the 3rd Row Seat - I simply dont want it, and it adds like 80-100lbs to the X.

* Ford decided to combine to MAF, and Airbox together as one piece, which ruins the chance for an aftermarket intake...


I love my X alot, because its multifunctional...

* passenger space
* on road / off road capable
* bad weather capable - snow
* fun to mod

 

[NHarris]

I picked up my 05 XLT 4.0 on March 2nd this year with 48,500 miles on it. There are only 2 problems that I have with this X, which arent really problems but more prference I guess...

* I have the 3rd Row Seat - I simply dont want it, and it adds like 80-100lbs to the X.

* Ford decided to combine to MAF, and Airbox together as one piece, which ruins the chance for an aftermarket intake...


I love my X alot, because its multifunctional...

* passenger space
* on road / off road capable
* bad weather capable - snow
* fun to mod

To be honest I don't need that 3rd row seats either, but its there... They made the explorer into an expedition, and the expedition into an excursion.

 

[Robsbrd99]

Had my 05 for almost two years now. I ve done the front struts, blend door and front pinion seal. My extended warranty paid for the seal job and the blend door. Great truck!

 

[kstrayhorn]

I could not live with third row seats. I will never be hauling that many people, and I would have nowhere else to put my speaker system!

 

[NHarris]

Well I bought the truck! And at a great price too. It seems to be similar to my other 98 explorer. No regrets. I got it for less than the asking price even with all the fees and taxes. Glad I bought it. Thanks everyone for your help. I plan on doing a few modifications to it in the future.