It has great looks, I haven't had any problems with it. It has 135,00 miles on it and runs great. There are tons of things you can do to this suv, from super chips to the air intake systems it's really fun.

It sucks on gas. This is my biggest problem with it.

Price was good, the thing is great in the mud, snow, and rain.
Pretty cool truck.

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I just bought a 98 escort to avoid the high gas prices with the explorer

Very reliable, looks sharp, good interior space.

Ford service, brakes, cargo cover

I'm very satisfied with mine. It's very reliable. The only things I've replaced are the fuel pump and the brakes (I'm still having problems w/the rear antilock). The cargo area cover won't spring back like it should, but that's minor. I'm getting good mileage for an suv, 23 highway, 16 city. As with all trucks, it rides a little stiff, but it get's me anywhere I need to go, summer or winter. It doesn't handle like a sports car, but I have never had a problem with it wanting to roll over. With 150K on it already, it looks like it will probably make it another 50-100K. It's a good vehicle for snow, unimproved roads and just driving around town. I would definitely buy another or recommend one to a friend, with a warning about Ford Service. Find yourself a good mechanic you can trust.

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1976 chevy blazer

Nice looking, great interior, best seats I've ever seen (really great!), rear radio controls, push button code lock on front door, nice fold down rear seating, flexible roof rack system.

Ours has 48,000 mi in ~54 months. Really reliable, decent service at our local dealership. The truck feels really solid (at 4400 pounds, it should!) Really manuverable, you can park it on a postage stamp, short turning and great visibility in all directions.

It rides like a truck (well, what do you expect from a truck?)
Definately a gas guzzler, but we don't rack up a lot of miles.
Had Firestone tires, replaced free by Goodyears; this was a significant improvement in ride quality and smoothness.

Recommended for a family car, with a little bit of fun mixed in. My wife uses this car for everything. In four years, it's been reliable. It seems very safe, is great(!) on snow and ice (we Wisconsinites know snow), and has flexible seating for changing needs. Overall a great combination of capability and convienience.

I would not recommend this vehicle if you use it primarily for highway driving. It is not that quiet at 65+ mph, uses too much gas, is not very agile at high speed; it's not designed as a highway car.

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We own a Sienna minivan.

Attractive, comfortable, reliable (so far)

Gas guzzler, wind noise
Has some quirks, like the rear wiper quit, than a month later began working
Dealer service expensive but poor quality

I purchased a 99 XLT - AWD with the 5.0 liter V8 as my commute car and to tow our new 20 ft runabout (5,000 lb with trailer and fuel). It's adequate.

I replaced the shocks after 1500 miles with better performing Tokicos. This improved cornering.

I replaced the air intake with a K&N (type) cone air filter and replaced the exhaust (Cat Back) with a 3" stainless system after about 700 miles. This improved acceleration, increased engine noise (but sounds cool!) but really didn't help the pathetic mileage.

The Explorer's OK. Price is only part of the value equation here, since Ford has very attractive financing if you time it right. I paid a little under $29k with AWD, tow package, leather, CD& changer and other amenities; tough shopping could probably knock another 1 or 2 k from that.

I have only 21,000 miles on it, and it hasn't had any major problems yet. It's not the greatest, but it does what it should. I'm not in love with this vehicle and probably won't get another, mostly for variety than because of anything wrong with the Explorer or the company. Note though that it depreciates quickly because there are a lot of them out there, you can't offer the new vehicle financing or dealer incentives to whoever buys it, and some people have not had good luck with their Explorers.

PS: Firestones. I had them and liked them. I now have Michelins

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Toyota x-cab PU; the little 4 cylinder in the Toyota can't match the V8 in the Explorer for acceleration or towing, as expected. The Toyota ran forever, however.

More interior room than other mid-sized SUVs, built on a frame-not unibody, nice interior, easier to get parts for than Toyota or Nissan

gas mileage is awful!

does not stop well (hey, at 4,700lbs...this ain't no Neon!)

We bought this vehicle as a demo in 1995 - it had 5,000 miles on it. Five years later, it now has 115,000 miles on the odometer. The only time it went into the shop for serious stuff (other than tires, brakes, etc.) was at 110,000 miles for some transmission work due to slipping bands. This was probably due to off roading and pulling heavy trailers. This vehicle also does a 52 mile round-trip commute Mon-Fri in heavy traffic.

I think that kind of reliability out of ANY SUV is fantastic. Don't believe the hype lately on these vehicles. Get rid of the Firestones and you'll have a great vehicle. Not all Ford products are great, but I really think the Explorer/Ranger platforms have alot going for them. You can get a loaded Explorer for what you'd pay for a fairly stripped down 4-Runner and the Explorer is available with a 225hp V-8...Toyota's V-6 has about 190hp.

People love to say how the 4-Runner has better resale and thats something to consider if you trade often. We keep vehicles about 8-10 years and put over 200,000 miles on them...we could care less about resale. We prefer to have 4 years of notes, then slide for 4-5 years without a note. If you trade often, you probably ought to suck it up and get the 4-Runner. Actually, I see lots of good deals on 2-3 year old Explorers...some at about 1/2 the price of a new one. This may be the real way to buy an Explorer...who knows.

Our Explorer has pulled several trailers and has never missed a hunting season, where it sees lots of off road use on rocky and muddy terrain. The 4 wheel drive gets us through the sloppy stuff with little slippage. Its not a total serious off-roader, but show it a little mud and the 4x4 Explorer does fine!

Does it ride like a truck? Of course it does! It is built on a 1/2 ton truck frame...what'd you expect? If you're ever in an accident, you'll be glad it is built on a frame.

All you "car" people thinking of making the crossover remember one thing...this is not a car! This is a truck. It does not corner at 70 and will not stop like your Accord. It will, however, survive an accident with a car much better, it will go off-road, pull a trailer better that a car and is built hell for stout!

Check out the Explorer...its a nice vehicle.

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S-10 Blazer, Nissan Pathfinder...Explorer is MUCH bigger on the inside and does not feel as "cheap" overall

Reliability, room, power and cosmetics. Black Explorer with V8 AWD

Poor gas mileage, rough ride with Goodyear tires at 32 lbs.

This is the first Ford product I have ever owned. I hated Fords before owning one. The Explorer has been defect free and has required no unscheduled maintenance since purchasing used @ 5,000 miles (company sell out). Sorry to those that have had products with problems but mine has been problem free. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone considering an SUV.
Rear radio controls are great for the kids. Reliability has been great. Never got into the car without it starting and running great. Ford dealership has been very responsive to needs / desires. Would consider a Yukon as a replacement but the Explorer will need to seriously disappoint me first :)

Give them a shot and take those with serious disappointments as a "data point" in your decision process. Good luck to those who have had problems... how is it you drive these things?

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1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee

reliability and safety

gas mileage could be better

Our Explorer has been the best, most reliable and safest car we have owned. After 4 years the only reparis were 2 leaks in the roof (moon/sun roof) and replacing the battery. The car is protected by Ziebart and has no rust. We have serviced the car regularly including rotating the tires. We now have 70,000 miles on the car and have a reasonable expctation of 100,000 more miles.

At 75 mph on I-90 a sudden, violent crosswind and a patch of hardend snow caused us to drift into the steep "V" seperating the N and S bound lanes. Easing off on the gass and maintaining direction the vehicle slowed, I switched to 4WD eased the into the steep slope, lightly increased power and traversed back up the hill and onto the roadway. No damage to the car and no sign of instability during the event. What more can I say.

We have owned several Ford cars and have been satisfied with each and will likely continue to purchase Fords.

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Jeeps to 5 tons in the Marine Corps

reliability and safety

gas mileage could be better

Our Explorer has been the best, most reliable and safest car we have owned. After 4 years the only reparis were 2 leaks in the roof (moon/sun roof) and replacing the battery. The car is protected by Ziebart and has no rust. We have serviced the car regularly including rotating the tires. We now have 70,000 miles on the car and have a reasonable expctation of 100,000 more miles.

At 75 mph on I-90 a sudden, violent crosswind and a patch of hardend snow caused us to drift into the steep "V" seperating the N and S bound lanes. Easing off on the gass and maintaining direction the vehicle slowed, I switched to 4WD eased the into the steep slope, lightly increased power and traversed back up the hill and onto the roadway. No damage to the car and no sign of instability during the event. What more can I say.

We have owned several Ford cars and have been satisfied with each and will likely continue to purchase Fords.

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Jeeps to 5 tons in the Marine Corps

I don't no

Bad on gas & a cheaply made truck.

Remember the old saying F.O.R.D. (fix or repair daily}. Well its was true for the first year the I bought this suv, I had to rebuild the transmission, replace bolts on the suspension and now my spare tire mechanism is broken. So, I'm just waiting for them to recall this car.

very roomy, (i'm 6' 8") very quick for a stock truck. love all the space (former Supra owner) handling (like a car)..

small gas tank, and mileage.

I paid 24000 for my truck, and it has everything except the leather,(would cook in this hot Texas sun) and 4x4 which i probably wouldn't use, plus for insurances purposes it's cheaper. This truck has alot of ground clearance. it also turns like a car. Small turning radius. You won't find that in a Blazer. It has the right amount of interior space to handle my 6' 8" 280lbs frame. Seats are comfortable..only thing...radio is blah...CD's almost too hot to handle after prolonged use...will definately swap with aftermarket system. Gas mileage isn't too good..but when i did the math..i found out that the tank is small (17 gallons. and also NO "Low Fuel Light". oh well. So...with a better stereo, (Never liked factory stereos anyway) and bigger gad tank this truck would be perfect

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1995, 2000 chevy blazer