What would you do in my position? Advice please

[King$nake]

Ok, Im 24 - have owned 2 Ford Explorers, my current being a 98 5.0 Eddie Bauer.

I like the truck alot, except I just replaced a leaking radiator (I have some serious cuts on my hand from the job, lol).

For some reason, my front suspension is starting to 'wobble' and my steering wheel shutters when I steer left/right. I also just had my transmission rebuilt for a cool $2k (although my extended warranty covered it )

Now I am having an issue where it only starts when it wants to (see other thread). It could be a bad fuel pump, but Im not sure.

So my question is - should I fork out another $1500-$2k and get all these little demons fixed? Or should I use that money for a down payment on a newer F-150?

The great thing about my current Explorer is that it is paid off, and I sure as hell dont want a car payment. But Im afraid this truck is turning into a money pit. What happens if I get all this stuff fixed and then something else happens?

Like I said, I love my Explorer. Exterior wise - it still looks brand new, interior is a little worn but I always keep it very clean. Its just these drivetrain issues are driving me up the wall.

Any advice/opinions would be great

 

[N1265]

How many miles ?

 

[CHEESYPOOFS]

well the way i look at it you have already put the money into it. You could either put more money into it and not have to worry about the same problem anymore or have all new car payments and have to worry about all this again later on down the road. Personally i have thought quite a bit about the same thing (luckily i havent had any major problems yet) and i come to the same answer every time, I love my X and i would rather put money into fixing it than have new car payments and have to fix all these problems later on down the road on a car i have a feeling i wont like quite as much as the one i have worked on and loved for so long. ^_^

 

[nooberiffic]

The thing that gets me is this. As soon as someone pays off a vehicle it automatically becomes a money pit.

Every time you buy a new vehicle you lose money. Say you buy a 2010 F150 for 29,000. Its warranty is only gonna last 3 years or so. And your payments will prob go on another two or three years. Then what? You are stuck in the same position you are in now. In I have a '90 Ranger and a '93 Explorer that together cost be under 2,000. With somwhere around 4-5000 put into them with most of that going to a factory rebuilt engine for the ranger (before I knew enough to do a swap, now that wont happen again).

Over the next 15 years I could put three brand new engines and transmissions into them and still would have spent less money than you would having buying a new vehicle.

I just dont get buying new, unless you have that kind of disposable income.

Hell, say I were to go a little crazy and but a newer used ranger or exploder. A 98 exploder in decent condition and around 150,000 miles could be had for less than 3,000. Say you put 3,000 into repairs in it. Even if you had a yearly repair bill of 2,000 and kept the explorer for 10 years you will still come out ahead.

 

[King$nake]

how many miles ?

125,000

 

[pwtsvwt]

Consider that, properly maintained, the 5.0 has 100,000+ miles left in it. The rebuilt tranny should be good for at least 100,000 miles.

Now, sink a few $$ into a suspension rebuild. Some tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings, and shocks. All of which you could do yourself and save mucho bucks.

Add to that a $140 fuel pump that you can also do yourself.

Throw in a few hundred bucks for the unexpected. Now you've got a vehicle that you say you like, and it's good for another 100k miles. Of course I have not mentioned normal maintenance items - you'll put brakes, fluids, tires, etc. into whatever you have for that 100,000 miles.

Let's see. $800 to $2000 now (difference = you vs them doing the work), and drive payment free for four more years, or $500 per month ($6000 per year) for 6 years to drive a new F-150............

 

[celly]

Keep it. You've got the most reliable Explorer platform ever made. All cars are money pits in some form or another.

 

[Rooster-Alpha]

I'd keep the X the reasons stated above ^^^ are more than enough.

It's the age old devil you know vs. the devil you don't know issue. You know your X already. All it's idiosyncrasies. You know exactly what to expect from it when you go to crank it to go to work in the morning. You know just how reliable it's going to be when it's raining, there's nobody else around for miles, and you've got to get to where it is your going. What you don't know, however, is all the little things about that slightly used F-150. You don't know if the previous owner tried to get 7,000 miles on an oil change. You don't know if they slammed on the gas redlining the engine 3 times a day. you don't know if they tried to yank all their friends out of mud puddles every time they got stuck. My point is that you just don't know.

You have a pretty good idea of what to expect to pay maintenance wise from your X 1-5 years from now. The F-150 could seem great but be a lemon somebody is trying to get rid of that your now making the payments on.

 

[BBQ Bandit]

Heres my real-life example...

Bought my 97 5.0 AWD last October, 2008 for $2250. Thought I bought a decent price for condition. Its been quite a year just in maintenance costs.

In the last 12 months... replaced or installed:
Battery, class IV hitch, brake controller, tires, Belt/tensioner/idler, Equal-i-zer hitch, running boards, rear brake line - steel, euro headlights, rear brake pads/rotors, front brake pads/calipers/hoses, rear shackles, emergency brake, and one O2 sensor.

Half of it was add-on upgrades.... towing equipment.

At my cost... over $1,800 in parts alone... did most of the work myself (would of been over $4 grand at a shop).

Rather pay 2,000/year in repairs than 4,000 in new payments.

 

[King$nake]

Thank You all for your input. I talked w/ my girlfriend and we agree I should just keep my truck and put some $$$ into it keep it going.

I was thinking since the front suspension is all junk now (I was quoted $1900 from Ford to replace the worn parts) that I might as well get a nice lift kit for the truck, and go with a C4 trans and a Ford 9" rear - to compensate for the lift and to add reliability.

Also, another thing that sounds exciting down the road is maybe getting a GT40 5.0L Crate Motor from Ford (w/ 320HP). I think the C4 Trans and Ford 9" would compliment the GT40 Crate Motor well Plus it would help with the extra power with the lift. If I keep my current 5.0L, I'm def. going with a MAC CAI and MAC Catback.

I got some new LED lights coming in the mail for all my interior lights. I could also get some new interior carpet, reupholster my leather seats (they are worn, torn). Then I get some new plastic clips for all my interior panels to reduce rattles, maybe even lay some dynamat under all the panels to give it a nice plush, quiet ride. I could also redo my sound setup with a new head unit, speakers, amp & sub and have it all tucked away hidden in the truck. Might need a new windshield as well since mine is very pitted. Throw some nice 5000k HID headlights and foglights on and I have myself a nice truck thats paid for! If I do upgrade the drivetrain, that should be good for another 150k miles I would think.

Thoughts? Maybe Im getting carried away - but If I drop $3-4k into what I listed about (not including the crate motor or trans) then I think I would be pretty happy with it

 

[rileyrs]

sounds like your goin all out with this thing!

all the cosmetic and interior mods sound sweet.
and so does the crate motor.
but.. i doubt you really need to go with the 9" rear end, it will be alot of work, and unless you are really gonna push this thing off road, i doubt you would need to upgrade your rear end anytime soon. a good locker should do
also the C4 trans? if im not mistaken, thats a 3 speed from the 70's right? i dont know much about the particular tranny, but it seems like if your droppin a crate in there, you should keep a more modern, electrical controlled tranny with at least 4 or 5 spds, if you want it to be durable, just get your current tranny "built" by someone who knows what they are doin.
a crate would be nice, but its pricey, and the 5.0 is a strong motor, so if you just re-gear your current rear end, and do some mild mods to the 5.0, you should be in good shape for big tires after the lift.

good luck with the mods, sounds like whatever happens its gonna be a sweet truck!