What to do with '97 Explorer...

[MikeDog123]

I need some advice.

I have a '97 Explorer with 193,000 miles that I love. But it needs some repairs and money, like new tires, rear diff is making a lot of noise, upper control arm needs replacing. I guess I don't trust it for longer trips anymore.

I have $10,000. Should I...
1) Keep my Explorer and fix the the things wrong with it
2) Buy a 2004 (or so) Explorer with 90,000 miles for $10,000
3) Buy a 2007 (or so) Explorer with 50,000 for $15,000 and get a loan for $5,000
4) Something else...

Thanks for any help or advice.

Mike

 

[GuardianSport]

Buy 20 second gen Explorers for $500 a pop.

Unlimited parts.

 

[sean99]

Buy a clean, low mileage 99-01 5.0 Limited or Eddie for $4k-$5.5k

 

[BrianDye]

Id go with Sean's idea, but $4-5.5k for a second gen is pretty high. (Around Michigan at least)

 

[pickupman6]

i wouldnt get a 3rd gen i would fix what u have. u can get a rearend outta a junkyard with low miles cheap and chances are the new ex will need tires. u could probably get uppercontrol arms that are still good at the junkyard too.

 

[sean99]

They are rust free out here

 

[1998Exp]

Buy 20 second gen Explorers for $500 a pop.

Unlimited parts.

Great idea -- for someone who lives on 5 acres, far away from civilization. The rest of us have trouble keeping even one junker in the driveway.

On a more serious note, the one thing I would not do is get in debt in order to buy a 4-5 year old vehicle with 50,000 miles. Unless it came from a very reputable source, with very good maintenance history, something as complicated as these things are is going to need repairs. When all is said and done it could end up costing you $18,000-$20,000 -- and it's still a used vehicle with 50,000 miles...

 

[GuardianSport]

You could do A LOT to that Explorer you already own for $10,000. Like, enough to make it practically a new truck.

 

[ranger7ltr]

It comes down to what do YOU want to do with what you have...

I bought my 99 Sport thanks to issues the previous owner couldn't and didn't want to deal with...They had it towed to a shop who gave them a bill of $2800 to get the truck running again!!!

So the owner pulled the plug and the shop sold the truck for $200...The majority of the issues with it centered around maintenance...or the lack thereof...

I replaced the fuel pump[dead], oil pump[dead], both door latches[design f*&%up], brake rotors and pads, upper/lower balljoints, tires, hoses, belt,and fluids...Granted I bought this truck to drop a v8 into but when I found the original engine actually ran I stuck with it...It had 151k on it then and it is now up to 177k and I take it on trips more than i take my Charger R/T...

I did all the work on this one so there was no labor cost but for less than $1000, including the purchase price, I had a running reliable vehicle...Plus now I have a maintenance history where before I believe the truck still had the original oil filter on it...

 

[MikeDog123]

I am surprised that so many are advising me to hold onto the 2nd gen. Explorer. Are there some problems with the 3rd and 4th gen? Should I be worried about my transmission failing?

 

[sport97]

I personally would move on, and get a low mile 2nd gen for 4-5k, or spend a little more and get a 3rd gen. If you have the money set aside, and your current ride has almost 200k, it just makes sense to me. There could still be life in it, but I would say go newer if you have the cash. Forget about loans though, car payments aren't fun.

 

[2TimingTom]

You could probably get a 2nd Gen with half the miles (or so) for about $3-$4,000. Minus the $1500 or so you sell yours for, and you've basically reset the clock on your existing 2nd gen for $2-$2,500 or so.

Or get into an entirely different type of car with some of that money.

Basically, I wouldn't go blowing all of that money on a car. Save some- if you buy used, you might need some of that money for repairs/maintanance.

 

[ranger7ltr]

Too bad you are not in Houston...

This guys' dad is looking for possible sale prices on his in good shape 5.0 1998 Explorer...Carmax offered him $1000 for it...

Check it out...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303304

 

[windsors03cobra]

Buy a clean, low mileage 99-01 5.0 Limited or Eddie for $4k-$5.5k

^This^

3rd gen has a horrible rear axle/suspension

 

[Explodr94]

i wouldnt get a 3rd gen i would fix what u have. u can get a rearend outta a junkyard with low miles cheap and chances are the new ex will need tires. u could probably get uppercontrol arms that are still good at the junkyard too.

I agree with pickupman6 get a rearend from the junk yard and get your tires at costco or sam's club, but I would go new on the ball joints and control arms. This should be less than $1400 bucks total (good tires aren't cheap), but you would have a vehicle you know the history on and $8500 bucks in your wallet. CASH IS KING IN A BAD ECONOMY!

 

[klund]

Wow, timely thread - I am in the almost the exact same conundrum as you.

97 Sport with 200K - $10000 to spend. Needs about 1,500 in work plus new tires. Love the vehicle, but I'm worried that some big repair is looming.

Wish I could offer you some advice but I can't figure out what to with mine.

Many miles ago, my timing chain started to make a rattle. My mechanic told me not to worry about it as it's a known problem with the tensioners on the 4.0 engine. After reading some threads on here it sounds like the timing chain usually will need replacement eventually. Is this something I need to worry about?

I've got the same question as the OP? replace or fix the vehicle?

 

[lynchy wa]

Replace amigo.

 

[tweety]

Nothing against any of the suggestions above, but first I want to ask what will you need it for?

Daily driver, off-road 4x4 adventures, long distance travel, some kind of all purpose hybrid ??? How many miles do you average a year and why an explorer in the first place? How long do you plan on keeping the vehicle and do you have other transportation options available to you if the vehicle decides to not want to function?

I love my 1997 Sport (especially in winter) but at the hint of decent weather I'm out on the bike saving gas $$$. We also have the minivan if the family needs a dependable vehicle to travel in. I paid cash for the truck 4 years ago, and I'm OK knowing that I'll probably have an assortment of repairs ranging from simple to not so simple each year. That's a trade off I'm happy to make for not having a monthly payment. I personally enjoy working on the truck and learning new things so that doesn't bother me too much. (I also get to expand my curse word repertoire each time)

Your situation may be different. So what I'm saying is the same thing I used to say to clients when giving investment advice: there is no one solution fits all and we need more info about your goals and expectations to offer better individualized advice.

 

[2TimingTom]

Nothing against any of the suggestions above, but first I want to ask what will you need it for?

Smart advice.

Too many people own vehicles that are completely unnecessary for them. I know people with full size pickups that don't have a trailer hitch and the bed is still scratch free. I know people with Suburbans with 1 kid still at home (and that kid is a lazy early 20-something).

My mom wants to get a Mazda CX-9. I told her that it's an awfully big vehicle for something who rarely has any passengers in her car.

 

[Glen4X4]

I'd have to agree with other suggestions. Find a 99-01 V8 truck, XLT/Eddie/Limited you can find descent ones with low mileage for around $4-5500 and would be a good investment. From what I've seen on the forum the V8 2nd gen is less problematic than the 3rd gen trucks plus can be had cheaper with low miles.