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96 Ford Explorer reliability

I'm looking at a new vehicle. Currently driving an Olds Cutlass Supreme with 193,000 miles and a computer problem. While it is paid off, I've put about $1200 into the olds over the summer fixing fuel pumps, egr valves, starter, etc. IMO, not worth the money to fix up, especially since I put on about 25k miles per year. So, I've been doing some looking and keep noticing Explorers lying around at the dealerships. Took one out for a test drive and loved it, but I'm scared of taking the plunge.

I was wondering if anyone can give me some input on their opinions of a 96 Explorer. I'm looking at three (all are 96's). All are 4wd. Two of the three are four door (xlt's) and the other obviously a 2 door (not certain of the xl/xlt/etc). The 4wd is not an issue for me as I do 99% of my driving on highway and city. Definitely don't need the 2wd, but it just so happens that all of the explorers I've seen around lately are 4wd versions.

The 4 dr versions are both automatic transmissions. One has 93k miles (asking 5900 for it in Nebraska) and the other has 135k miles (asking 4900). Not certain what the engine is in either of these. I've only seen these as I drove by the lot and haven't actually stopped to look at them.

The 2 dr version is a manual transmission with the 4.0 ohc engine (I believe it's the ohc). This is the one I test drove and having not driven a stick in awhile, it was fun to drive. This one has 97k miles and the dealer is asking about 5900 for it. The prices on these are all below Kelly Blue Book for this region of the country, but I think the reason is because of the high gas prices right now and a reluctance by most to get something that gets poor gas mileage.

I have read that manual transmissions in the earlier 90's were from Mazda and had a problem with them. Was this corrected by the time the 96 version came out? I know the standard complaints on the 96's; bad seal on the heater door, maf sensor, and egr sensor (per msn auto webpage). What other types of mechanical problems regularly occurred in the 96 versions.

How reliable are they? As far as reliability goes, is there much difference between the manual and automatic transmission versions for the same year? How many miles are people seeing on them without having a major repair to either transmissions or engine? When you see one of these major repairs, do you notice that you will all of a sudden get a series of repairs going on? Has there been any recalls on the 96's that I should be aware of? From a mechanical perspective are they easy for a do-it-yourselfer to work on? I would like to be able to change the brakes and do minor mechanical things myself.

I plan to take which ever I decide to consider to a mechanic to test, but beyond these things, what should I be looking for? I've read about pinging problems and bad heads & gaskets on older versions, but have not read much on the 96.

Thanks in advance for the input.

Robert

Reply to
RAS
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The Explorer has been the number one selling SUV on the planet every year since it was introduced, in the last century. That should give you some idea of its quality. As to any particular used Explorer, only one who has examined and driven it could tell you anything about that particular Explorer. Take a friend that knows something about automobiles with you to appraise it for you, WBMA.

mike hunt

RAS wrote:

Reply to
MelvinGibson

Approximately 9/1/03 15:29, snipped-for-privacy@mailcity.com uttered for posterity:

Microsoft Windows has been the number one selling operating system on the planet since the introduction of Windows/95, which tells you about as much about its quality as the sales figures for the Ford Explorer do for it. Hopefully the billions and billions of dollars of money lost to worms and viruses for Microsoft have even less to do with the reliability or quality of the Explorer.

The older V-6 is serviceable, but not as nice a cruising engine as the newer OHC version. The V8 is nicer for highway cruising at little additional cost. Reasonably sure the 1996 V6 was the 4.0 liter non-overhead cam unit, with the V8 that year only in the 2wd versions.

The miles on the odometer are not a particularly good way to judge any vehicle, enough so that many sources recommend putting whatever figure you like on a piece of sticky tape and sticking it on any used vehicle you are shopping for.

With any 4WD you will be paying a bit extra for maintenance mainly due to more things that wear. No biggie.

If you have the bad habit of driving with underinflated tires, avoid the 2 door Explorers, they appear to tip easier than the 4 door. They are also harder to get rid of, as are the 2WD versions. If you plan to run it into the ground, this can work in your favor.

A fairly "trucky' SUV, good serviceable with halfway decent offroad capability, particularly in the part-time 4wd with the 2 speed transfer case. Handling can be tamed a bit with aftermarket shocks such as the Edelbrock IAS, Rancho RSX, etc. and good Michelin or Pirelli M+S or AT tires.

Reply to
Lon Stowell

If this appears twice, sorry. Tried to send this morning before leaving for work, but noticed it still hasn't been posted (at least on my news server)

I was about to look at getting the 96 2dr 4wd with 97,000 miles on it until I talked to my brother-in-law last night. He seemed to feel that there could be major expense in the 4wd, I believe in the hubs, but maybe it was differential, maybe both. He had a 95 full-sized pickup that was a ford and had to replace the hubs (?) on it two or three years in a row and that it cost him about $800 each wheel.

Is this something I should be concerned about on the 96 Explorer? Anyway to determine if this could be a potential problem through a pre-purchase inspection?

Robert

Reply to
Robert

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