Solid, decently engineered vehicle. Nice & durable interior/exterior. Except front brakes, everything wears/ages exceptionally well; exterior - good chrome/paint/seals, interior - good upholstery/headliner/JBL sound system, tires, exhaust, etc. Low, Low cost of operation. Parts & service available everywhere & at anytime. Quality aftermarket upgrades galore. Aside from it's rigid ride, it's comfortable on long trips.

Radiator, fan clutch & blades, antiquated front disc brake system. Valve cover gaskets are hard to access.

After racking up the miles on 3 new Jeeps (electrical disaster in my '95 G. Cherokee), I bought a well maintained used Explorer w/56k for $9,800 (4 yrs ago) with the intention of running it into the ground. I now have 150k and I sense another 25 to 50 without major engine/trans failure. Not too bad. The standard components have gone out - power steering pump, water pump, exhaust, driver's side caliper. That's about it. These parts are so cheap & available everywhere; this has been by far the cheapest car for me to operate aside from old Honda Accords. Unlike the horrible mid '90's F150 pickup trans. this is the original auto. trans., is showing no signs of problems & is strong & smooth (Maybe I'm lucky - I haven't done any significant towing). Engine has excellent punch & smooth performance at all speeds, although minor valve cover leaks & radiator seal seepage. Leather interior is very durable - no cracks/splits, and front seats are comfortable. This black XLT can clean up to look like a 3 year old.
I drive a lot, and have had experience with numerous cars/trucks/cycles. For a 9 year old s.u.v. this Explorer is an excellent value & CHEAP to operate. Rack up the miles!

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Owned new: '91, '92 Jeep Cherokees; '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee, '00 Honda Odyssey; used Toyota Landcruiser, International Scout, Honda Accords, Mazda rotaries, etc.

REliability, Storage, Comfort on the road, Easy access for oil change

Brakes, can be rough on bumpy roads, rear windshiedl wahser/wiper

Back in 1993 I got this for under 18G. Now they are so popular teh price is well over 20G. This is beyond my comfort limit for a vehicle. Besides that it has been reliable and tows my jetski and such easily. Not the greates acceleration esp from 50 to 70 nor gas mileage but folks wake up! It is a truck not a sports car or econo-box. Mine is comofortable esp on road trips plenty of room. Because of the increased popularity the prices have gone up substantially so I wouldbe hard pressed to bu another one. But I guess I can say that it is the best in its class

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First one

A lot of options, comfort, quiet, powerful overall.

Gas mileage, to be expected

Paid 19000 for it and it's worth every penny. When I stomp the gas it goes like hell, and when I just want to cruise around it looks sharp. The interior is relaxing and comfy. Power everything to include backseat controls for air and the stereo.

For ME this vehicle is perfect. It is not for everyone, but if you are in the market for a SUV...consider the Explorer.

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Pathfinder

The Exterior is attractive and the seats are is comfortable.

Handling, Braking, acceleration, gas mileage, heater sucks, every mechanical part is ready to fall apart!

As shown by the strengths and weaknesses, do NOT buy this piece of trash! You can get good looks and comfortable seats in many SUV's, but this thing became a piece of crap after 40,000 miles! It has NO juice. Passing is dangerous with such a weak engine. A Geo Metro could pass this thing on the highway! When it does get going, watch out! I almost could put my foot out the door to stop faster than to use the brakes. The handling is the worst--interstate driving is a nightmare. The seats are comfortable, but that is about all that works well.

Reliable.
Handling.
Braking.

Acceleration.

I bought this truck new in February of 1996 for about 23,500 (MSRP was around 27,500). I drove it quite a bit and when I got rid of it this past December, it had 85,000 miles on it. I never had a mechanical problem with it. I used synthetic oil and changed it every 4000 miles or so (give or take 1000 miles) and rotated my own tires (got 75,000 miles out of original tires). At around 70,000 miles, I took it in to the dealer and had them change the fluids oil, transmission, rear, transfer case and other items included in the 65000 mile tune-up. Other than that (and the oil/air filter change), nothing was done to it through its history. My wife had a 1996 GMC Jimmy that had low miles and was plagued with problems. We at first planned to get rid of my car and keep hers because it had the low miles, but we decided to ditch it (for a FORD Mustang) and keep mine as her warranty was aboutto expire and we knew we'd be shelling out money to keep the bucket of crap running. I would definitely buy Ford products in the future if they are all this reliable (we will see with mmy wife's Mustang).

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1996 GMC Jimmy

Good power
looks good
good towing ability

Very jerky rough ride, worse than a F700.
Rear seats unusable for extended period because of seatbelt holders poking up into your fanny.
High freq vibration thru accelerater peddle at 2000 RPM, like holding your foot on a bee. Still waiting on parts after 2nd trip to dealer for same.
Very heavy low freq vibration at idle. Dealer claims they know the fix but haven't come across with parts yet after 2nd trip and 2 months waiting. I rode in a Freightliner semi tractor once that had this same problem, but thats aceptable in those things.
Windshield wiper switch needs constant repair.

$26000
Runs good and a good looking truck but needs an engine that doesn't vibrate so bad and company that wants to fix its problems and not ignore them.

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93 Explorer
93 explorer
93 Explorer, various Ford pickups

Very agile when upgraded to Tokico shocks. Lots of room for most items. Reliability. Gas mileage

Ride can be rough. Plastic parts will break and fail. Sunroof leaks, had to seal mine.

Paid 9000 for mine used. I like the leather seats in the EB edition. I find that I can drive all day and not be beaten to death like foreign SUV's. Payload will handle almost anything you would want to carry. Ride can be a bit rough, but switching to Tokico shocks makes a world of difference. I also like that I can make a U-turn and park in a regular space. The engine has been extremely reliable with regular maint. i have 230K miles and still going. Have replaced 1 transmission, + radiator and a/c components due to the meshing of plastic and metal parts. The plastic dries out and cracks, particularly the fan blades. All in all a good vehicle. I would buy one again if the price were right.

Loads of interior space
Comfortable front seats
Lots of leg room
Fun to drive

Paint easy to scratch
Wipers have a mind of their own
Not enough power
Bad gas consumption

I've been driving SUV's for the past
13 years. For the most part, I have
been pleased with them. This is my
second Explorer and I feel the best
one of the two. A 4.0 six is just not
enough real get up and go, but I live
with this seriously underpowered
machine because it eats the gas as it
is. Love the interior room...and the
handling is good. If you replace the
stock tires with better ones it
definitly helps. I have 25000 miles
on this one in about a year. My
brakes are still OK...from my
experience with the last one...they
will have to be replaced at about
35000 miles. I haven't had hardly any
problems with this 1999 XL. The
wipers start on their own....which
bugs me. I need to get this fixed.
The paint (Tropical Green) is
beautiful, but will scratch easily. I
am starting to get some strange
whining noises from the engine
compartment sometimes. Little rattles
are starting to show up...which is not
unusual for any of the SUV's I have
owned in the past to experience. I
used to lease SUV's for three years,
but now I just do a two year lease
because when they hit 60K they all
start to fall apart and require major
bucks to keep going. I do drive alot
more than most people do. Every one
of my previous SUV's have had tip-top
care and I have pushed some of them
over 100K in three years or less. But
all of them, once they hit over 50K
start to fall apart. At 100K they are
for the most part shot. But I love
'em...and I won't leave 'em anytime
soon. Explorers are just so much
fun...so enjoy and lease one. They
are great when they are new and tight.
FOUR STARS!!!!

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1987 Chevy Blazer
1990 Ford Bronco II
1993 Chevy S-10 Blazer
1997 Ford Explorer XLT

-Good in snow and in the rain.
-It looks goog.
-I'm 6'4" and there is plenty of room for me.

BRAKES SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Could use more power for towing.
The thing is thirsty!

I feel that the ford explorer is one of the best SUV's.
It has great power (V-8) and the look can't get any better.

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Blazer (93')

Engine
Transmission
Rear End
Spare tire under carriage
Heating/cooling
Interior fan
interior lighting
Remote control side mirrors
Remote control door locks
Rear doors child safety latches

Brakes
Plastic Cooling Fan
Radiator
Shocks
Gas mileage
Power steering pump

I can tow my boat which weighs over 3,ooo pounds to almost anywhere in Souther California. Very seldom get stuck on slippery launch ramps. I can also carry my cargo when towing the boat. Seating is fine for 5 people while doing so.

The brakes are somewhat dissapointing. The radiator lasted me over 96,000 miles and is just now needing to be replaced. The ride is like riding a bucking bronco but you get used to it.

The power steering pump had to be replaced too.

The coolong fan behind the radiator keeps getting fatigued and needs frequent replacing. I'm afraid of slinging a blade!

I had to re-weld the exhaust pipe once because of the heat build up under the passenger side rear wheel well. It came completly off!

As for the integrity of the exterior and interior, it's all excellent. No creaks, squeeks or other abnormal noises. Must be the way I have driven it, but I don't baby it either.

As for gas mileage, I get better mileage on my Suburban with a 350 5.7 liter V-8 compared to my Explorer's V-6 4.0 liter engine.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with my 1991 Explorer but I will not be buying another one.

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GMC Suburban