My 1996 Explorer XLT V8 AWD was stolen this past weekend and I am looking for a "newer" used, suitable, similar, replacement. It had
150K miles on it, ran great and never gave me any problems since I bought it used in 1998 with 59K miles on it. Since I liked this one so much, I am thinking I would buy another late model, used Explorer and am looking for recommendations on what year would be best (or not best) to buy, things to look for when buying, options, etc.I do own a 17' pleasure boat which weighs about 2500 lbs. which I occasionally tow into the mountains of northern California, so decent power is a consideration as well as a tow package. Of course, my V8 pulled the boat well in the mountains, but if a V6 will do the job OK for those 2-3 times per year when I tow the boat into higher elevations, I'm fine with a V6 instead of a V8 like I had. The vast majority of time I will be towing the boat at sea level.
Other than towing my boat, my needs are pretty basic...nothing fancy is needed, but I do like to stay away from the bottom end models. A 4 door, 4 WD or AWD XLT is what I am thinking but I have not educated myself on the recent years' Explorer models and what options are available on them, so I'm not sure.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions, comments, etc.
Bob