Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I have a chance to buy a 2003 Ford Explorer Sport 4wd XLT. The thing is loaded and in immaculate condition. It has 127,000 kilometres on it. I checked Edmunds.com and they raved about them. Then I checked Autobeef.com and they said don't buy. Carsurvey.org said they were pretty good but the 2-door models were a PITA. I don't know what to believe. The dealer is asking $9,900.00 for it (CDN). What do you think? I have a mechanic who will check it out for $50.00, but is there any way to know if it's a lemon or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevef Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Get the vin go to carfax.com you can get the history of the truck. Most dealers around here give you the report for free, if they're not trying to jerk you around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Ours is a '94. $600 2-1/2 years ago. I'm a cheap __________. I think the Explorer is the greatest thing Ford ever made. They get acceptable gas mileage, they ride good, you can haul plywood in it, that V-6 is bulletproof, they start at -30F, and if there's 23" of snow in the driveway I just push a button on the dash and I'm through it. It's one of the few vehicles I could drive all day and not have my butt go to sleep. Plus they look nice. It's 15 years old and yet doesn't look weird or dated. The downside is that the rocker panels were made of recycled Pintos and Mavericks. The rear shackles are made out of hard cheese. Other than that, I'd like to go back to '94 and buy this vehicle new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I had a friend with a Ranger truck, and if it has the 4.0 V6, his ran for over 200,000 miles and the 4 wheel drive was used often and very bulletproof. That seems like a high price, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Ours is a '94. $600 2-1/2 years ago. I'm a cheap __________. I think the Explorer is the greatest thing Ford ever made. They get acceptable gas mileage' date=' they ride good, you can haul plywood in it, that V-6 is bulletproof, they start at -30F, and if there's 23" of snow in the driveway I just push a button on the dash and I'm through it. It's one of the few vehicles I could drive all day and not have my butt go to sleep. Plus they look nice. It's 15 years old and yet doesn't look weird or dated. The downside is that the rocker panels were made of recycled Pintos and Mavericks. The rear shackles are made out of hard cheese. Other than that, I'd like to go back to '94 and buy this vehicle new.[/quote'] LOL I wondered what happened to all those Pintos and Mavericks I used to see on the road. I sure hope the 2003 is as good as yours was Scott. It's the snowplough effect that really appeals to me. This year was the final nail in the coffin for driving the Mazda RX7 in the winter. I just can't take it anymore. Steve, the dealer SAID he'd give me the carfax report. That's what he said but he's yet to do it. Thank you for the reminder! I won't leave home without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Murph, what do you think the price should be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Murph, this one is loaded: leather seats (heated), power everything. In fact, here's the link..... 2003 Ford Explorer XLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Check autotrader.ca for a price comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Thanks AreNine, that was enlightening! Looks like the price is in the ballpark but a wee bit high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 My first wife drove SUV's (actually the current wife does too). Shortly after we married she got a GMC S-15 Jimmy. That turned out to be a major POS, and after I refused to work on it anymore I convinced her to buy a Explorer (I'm longtime Ford guy). She was on her second Explorer when we divorced. They were both very fine vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I don't own an Explorer, but I swear by my F-150. Let us know what you decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 My bf had a ford explorer and the transmission died at 200k+ Other than that bit, he used it for LONG journeys and it never failed him... CARFAX as stated before is THE place to go. I'd be sure its not been wrecked. A car that has been wrecked is not my thing. I think it jerks the insides too much >.> Aside from that, its a great car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I should add that my bf didn't take care of a transmission fluid leak....don't get me started. If he had taken care of it, the norm wear stuff (balls and joints...I'm such a girl that all sounds like Chinese to me) might have been its only issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Thanks for the info Izzy. Yeah, I don't know too much about automotives.... I'm scared out of my wits at buying this thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Larry, you're not the first one to report bad things about the Jimmys. I've been told to avoid those and the Blazers. Chanman, I'll be sure to post if I get this thing, complete with pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slashadler Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 My dad has a Ford Explorer Sport Trac, which is the truck version of the Explorer. It runs amazing! It is pretty hard on gas but it definately gets a 9/10 rating in my perspective. (its very comfortable for trips) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 A buddy had the Explorer for Reenacting and regular driving. Loved it. 120 shouldn't be too bad but... some of the fancy stuff may fail at that age or mileage. But then... cars are like people. They seem to have personalities and get along better with different folks. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 A buddy had the Explorer for Reenacting and regular driving. Loved it. 120 shouldn't be too bad but... some of the fancy stuff may fail at that age or mileage. But then... cars are like people. They seem to have personalities and get along better with different folks. m Wow, they sure don't make cars like they used to. I have two 1983/84 Mazda RX7's and everything still works on them. Everything, including the power windows, the dashboard displays, power antennas, cassette players, etc. It's criminal how the car companies nowadays make things to last just long enough to keep themselves in business. Milod, what's reenacting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 2006 Ford Focus nightmare warning. They have a sealed air filter. You don't just change the filter, you have to replace tho whole canister to the tune of $400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Watch the gas consumption. They can be hard on fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSG_Standard Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 They are nicknamed the Ford Exploder...I see a lot of rusted ones down here, and I saw a lot of broken down Explorers in Colorado. I know that consumer reports always rated them highly, but I don't know why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 We've been lucky with ours. The worst part is the rust. I don't know if the newer ones are better but I've replaced everything from the bottom of the doors down. It's deceiving because of that big plastic piece. Take that off and you will be greeted with.... well, nothing. A big void. In 2-1/2 years I've replaced the brake pads and shoes, the rusted rear shackles, the rear wiper motor, and a bearing in the idler pulley. My dumb head thought that pulley would be a "dealer item" and would cost a lot so I went to a farm supply store, bought a bearing and pressed it in myself. I found out later that pulley is a stock aftermarket item and was only about $15 or so. The worst we've endured is a fuel pump that went bad. That meant a towing bill in addition to a big repair bill (the tank has to come off). Last week a couple teenagers rolled a dark green Explorer over right across from my house. Same color, probably the same year as ours, the whole bit. Driving a little too fast, mixed snow and summer tires, inexperience, slippery roads... no surprise in other words. We watched the wrecker pull it back over onto it's wheels and I was amazed at how little damage there was. Cracked windshield, sheared off mirror, and a passenger's door that will never function again. Other than that it looked like it could be driven away. One kid had a little cut on his hand. When it was upside down, they were taking turns snapping photos of each other standing in front of it, making peace signs and such. I'm sure they were on facebook within the hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailjunkie Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 I've got 130,000+ miles on my "Exploder" and it still looks and runs beautifully. Of course, I've taken very good care of it (scheduled maintenance etc). The engine is somewhat of a dog until you end up in a foot of snow...then my baby shines like daylight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSG_Standard Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Just saw a news report of an Explorer run wild in Australia. Some guy was cruising down the highway with his cruise control on and the Explorer developed a mind of it's own. He couldn't get it to stop or turn off! He finally got it stopped with the emergency brake and some help from the police. Apparently, Ford has had a recall on some of the Explorers for faulty cruise controls...Just wanted to pass this along to you, you can easily find out about which ones were recalled, on Ford's website. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Robot Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 You might want to read this before you buy one now. Yesterday, a guys Cruise Control locked on his Explorer and the cops had to clear the freeway in Melbourne. It was like a scene from the movie Speed. Every driver's nightmare: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/16/2773292.htm and http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/16/2773868.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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