FORD EXPLORER.....are they any good....

[Sambartom]

Hi all the cook has her eye on a 1998 ford explorer XLT.Just wondering what are their pros and cons and are they any good.It will not be a bush basher but a every day driver and some times easy tracks "dirt roads".Any advice would be great....THANKS.....

This is the one.......

 

[BUSHNUT]

commonly known as Ford Exploders, definitely not an offroad vehicle, typical American soft suspension, allright as a town vehicle but that is their limit .

A mate of mine was at one stage looking at one, said it was very comfortable and probably not a bad tow vehicle .Check on the economy, I think it is in the category as the Territory - a bit thirsty

 

[BUSHNUT]

Hey ,

In your earlier posts for the House Fuehrer, you mentioned economy and room, Have you considered a Holden Jackaroo
Used HOLDEN JACKAROO Private Seller Cars For Sale - carsales.com.au

Or an Izuzu Used ISUZU MU Private Seller Cars For Sale - carsales.com.au

 

[Pure Yobbo]

commonly known as Ford Exploders, definitely not an offroad vehicle, typical American soft suspension, allright as a town vehicle but that is their limit .

A mate of mine was at one stage looking at one, said it was very comfortable and probably not a bad tow vehicle .Check on the economy, I think it is in the category as the Territory - a bit thirsty

Agree 100% and I think they are a little hard to find parts for.

 

[Sambartom]

Cool,Thanks guys for the in put...Are jackaroos any good tho my mate had one and sold it had lots of problems with it...May be because its a holden....LMAO..

 

[redback]

Hi all the cook has her eye on a 1998 ford explorer XLT.Just wondering what are their pros and cons and are they any good.It will not be a bush basher but a every day driver and some times easy tracks "dirt roads".Any advice would be great....THANKS.....

This is the one.......

For what you want it for, it is a good vehicle, as for economy no worse than any other 6 cylinder car and heaps better than a petrol Cruiser, Patrol, Jackaroo or Pajero, offroad they are very suprising, IFS is the biggest downfall, they have good power, very roomy, good luggage area space, nice to drive, very reliable, PARTS ARE EXPENSIVE IF YOU GET THEM HERE, best place and price for parts is the USA, even with postage or a wrecker.

We had one, ours was a 99 manual, i liked ours, it took us to Iniminka Alice, Kings Canyon, the Dig Tree and places beyond without any problems.

Good tourer.

Baz.

 

[Sbazz]

A mate had an exploder and whilst it was comfy and good for blacktop and dirt, it really struggled with anything much else as the gearing was quite high and being an auto it tended to get away from you pretty quick if you weren't always on the brakes
Anyway from what you have described what you are looking for its probably a reasonably good option

 

[Sambartom]

Thanks for the info and pics RedBack.Wear is that tunnel it looks like one up hear ...And thanks to every one for their in put.....The ford is not to bad i think for its price......

 

[LowLux]

Very thirsty. My friend has one and say he thanks his lucky stars he's not paying for the juice.

 

[GippsSurfer]

I'd personally go a similar aged PRADO... bit more capabale offroad if thats what you want...

 

[mansenator]

my old foreman had one and he used to complain about the fuel economy on a weekly basis and how he had to order parts as many shops did not keep stock

 

[knot_gillty]

.....The ford is not to bad i think for its price......

Are they paying you to take it??

Jackaroo is a better vehicle. A mate had one and drove it from Morwell to Melbeveery day for 2 years (except Sundays, days off) and put almost 200,000 klm on it and it was still going strong.

 

[redback]

Thanks for the info and pics RedBack.Wear is that tunnel it looks like one up hear ...And thanks to every one for their in put.....The ford is not to bad i think for its price......

That tunnel is on the Wombyen Caves Rd down to the Wollindilly River Station.

Yes price wise they are a bargin, fuel economy is like any petrol 4WD, I used to average around 14l/100 around town and a bit less touring/hwy when not towing, we towed a lot so the economy was a bit worse at arond 17 to 19l/100, a bloody site better than my mate with his 80 series petrol.

The Explorer is like any car, look after it and it will be fine, i drowned mine the trip that photo was taken of us before the tunnel it had 196,000ks on the clock.

Baz.

 

[Jarh73]

Main problem with American cars is build quality.

Tends to apply to english cars too. (don't mean to offend anyone with an english cars)

If you get one that came out of the factory well built it probably will be decent car.

Trouble is with American cars you are more likley to get a lemon.

Perosnally I'd stick with something made in japan.

A mate at my last work had one and usually got 16/L per 100km.
Mind you that was a lot of short trips.

Cheers

Justin

 

[carves]

Hi all the cook has her eye on a 1998 ford explorer XLT.Just wondering what are their pros and cons and are they any good.It will not be a bush basher but a every day driver and some times easy tracks "dirt roads".Any advice would be great....THANKS.....

Should be more than adequate for general use ... deciding factor will be your ability in regard to servicing and sourcing components from places other than a Ford dealer here in Aust. Since you have a Jeep - you will know what I mean

definitely not an offroad vehicle ... typical American soft suspension, allright as a town vehicle but that is their limit

How do you figure that ... Looks just like a prado / pajero / jackeroo / 200 series ... oh, of course ... its made in the U.S .... pffft

Redbacks photos must be photoshop jobbies I guess.

And Jap vehicles never, ever need suspension upgrades huh ... what was it I wasted the most money on, when I had a hilux and a landcruiser ... oh yeah ... the bouncy bits attached to the axles ...

Very thirsty. My friend has one and say he thanks his lucky stars he's not paying for the juice.

Compared to what ??? ... fuel consumption is relevant to driving conditions, driving style, engine capacity etc ...

fuel economy is like any petrol 4WD, I used to average around 14l/100 around town and a bit less touring/hwy when not towing, we towed a lot so the economy was a bit worse at arond 17 to 19l/100, a bloody site better than my mate with his 80 series petrol.

Anyone who buys an american vehicle and expects to get daihatsu charade fuel economy obviously didnt think about what they were buying ... A larger engine doesnt have to work as hard either ... should mean less problems in the longterm. A few extra petrol cents per mile is better than a, little engine, early rebuild - because its been flogged out doing the work of a bigger motor.

Main problem with American cars is build quality.
Tends to apply to english cars too. (don't mean to offend anyone with an english cars).

Nothing wrong with the build quality for their purchase price ... in the U.S. - Secondhand yank vehicle prices are good value here ... about the same dollar value as in U.S. ... Its only the inflated, ripoff, new price in Aust that makes them look like bad resale value.

This link is one of many on the internet .... might help with making a choice.

HowStuffWorks "How the Ford Explorer Works"

 

[Sambartom]

Thanks Carves........

 

[LowLux]

Quote:
Originally Posted by LowLux
Very thirsty. My friend has one and say he thanks his lucky stars he's not paying for the juice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by carves
Compared to what ??? ... fuel consumption is relevant to driving conditions, driving style, engine capacity etc ...

And what ever they get will perform the same for them as they performed in the test. Its called relativity.

Toyota Kluger is just one for you carves and for only $2K more than the Territory. How many more would you like?

A quote from Cars Guide Australia "Toyota knows that fuel thirst is a Territory's weakness and so the Kluger is more economical to run, by more than one litre per 100km".

Cheers
Sambartom.

 

[carves]

Quote:
Originally Posted by LowLux
Very thirsty. My friend has one and say he thanks his lucky stars he's not paying for the juice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by carves
Compared to what ??? ... fuel consumption is relevant to driving conditions, driving style, engine capacity etc ...

And what ever they get will perform the same for them as they performed in the test. Its called relativity.

Toyota Kluger is just one for you carves and for only $2K more than the Territory. How many more would you like?

A quote from Cars Guide Australia "Toyota knows that fuel thirst is a Territory's weakness and so the Kluger is more economical to run, by more than one litre per 100km".

Cheers
Sambartom.

Well, I'm confused .......

The vehicle that is in the photo provided by Sambarton at the start of this thread is a 1998 Ford Explorer. The Explorer was the Ford U.S. replacement for the Ford Bronco II ... and was a larger vehicle making it a mid to large sized vehicle ... and with a 4.0l engine.

A Ford Territory is a Ford Aust vehicle built on a BA Ford floorpan base ... Again a large vehicle with a 4.0l engine.

A Toyota Kluger is ... from what I have seen ... a smaller vehicle, more comparable with subarus / Jeep Patriots and Honda CRVs ... and it has a 3.5l engine.

How many more would you like?

Just one ... with a matching engine size / body style / body weight etc to an Explorer. ... What reasoning would there be in comparing the Kluger with either of the other two vehicles in regards to fuel economy ... almost as pointless as comparing a prius to a V8 supercar. And whats a Territory got to do with an Explorer anyway ?????

You might want to sort out country of origin and vehicle models before worrying too much about fuel figures ... BTW ... The Aust Car Guide hype ... if 1l per 100klm is so critical to your driving needs ... Maybe you should get a mountainbike for your offroading.

Was interesting to note however, that the latest Kluger specs show very proudly - that its 2008 v6 3.5l engine uses a whole 1.5l per 100klm less than the clunky, 12yr old XJ cherokee with a spare on the roofrack, I get around in . .... 1.5l ... WOW ... I'm so impressed with what can be done with 12yrs of technology and a smaller engine.

Bit dumb comparing factory controlled toyota specs with my actual usuage figures though I guess ... where would be the relativity in that ...

Did manage to find a comparison between the Explorer and the Kluger tho ... apparently they both suffer from rollover problems ... A change of tyre brand sorts out the Explorer ... dont know what can be done about factory fitted toyota ABS/stability control tho .......

 

[LowLux]

Sorry my apologies, not Territorys, Explorers, even worse on fuel than the Territory. Still stand by my comment about being thirsty so all I'll say is prove me wrong. BTW, didn't say they were a bad vehicle, just said thirsty and comment supported by the owner of one. Bushnut hit the nail on the head with his comments.

 

[Jarh73]

Hey Carves

Are you by any chance american or have a close connection to american, possibly lived or worked there?

Just curious

Cheers

Justin