97 Ford Explorer

[Missouribassman95]

Hello, I am getting a 97 Ford Explorer for my first car. It's 4 wheel drive so I should be able to go "off roadin" to get to those isolated ponds around where I live. And it has enough cargo space for my fishing stuff. Have any of you guys owned one of these suvs? Are they normally pretty reliable?

Thanks,

[retiredbosn]

First congrats, your first car is always a big deal. Yes I've owned them. As with any vehicle the care and maintenance it received prior to your purchase is key to it's longevity. Is it the six cylinder or V8? My son's had well over 200000 miles when he sold it. Still running and being driven daily. If it has been taken care of it will be reliable, if you take care of it too. Remember it is 15 years old, drive it accordingly

[Missouribassman95]

First congrats, your first car is always a big deal. Yes I've owned them. As with any vehicle the care and maintenance it received prior to your purchase is key to it's longevity. Is it the six cylinder or V8? My son's had well over 200000 miles when he sold it. Still running and being driven daily. If it has been taken care of it will be reliable, if you take care of it too. Remember it is 15 years old, drive it accordingly

It's a V6, and it has 148000 miles on it, so Iam going to have to take good care of it.

[retiredbosn]

Both the V6 & 8 are good dependable engines. It has relatively low miles considering its age. Congrats and enjoy

[MCS]

My brother inlaws 1997 F-150 is a v8 and is near or over 300k miles. While not the same motor they share many of the same parts. Built to last, take care of it, cheap parts fairly easy to fix.

Pretty cool for first vehicle, 4x4 = lift kit n big ole tires lol. My first car was a 1995 Nissan sentra 4 door. Congrats

[retiredbosn]

Oh man my first car 1974 Ford Galaxy 4 door turd brown with baby poop color vinyl top. A total chick repulsor.

[flyfisher]

Oh man my first car 1974 Ford Galaxy 4 door turd brown with baby poop color vinyl top. A total chick repulsor.

That truck should serve you well....and for my first car it was a 1986 toyota minivan or as i liked to refer to it as the mid engine roadster since this was the model that you sat basically on top of the front wheels and it was a manual with rear wheel drive. I did my fair share of burn outs and 360's in that van and even went off roading a few times too.

[Root beer]

I'm driving one currently. Other than the lock system it runs great!!

[tbone1993]

Please do not spend anything north of $2000 for that car. It will get the job done just do not make the mistake of paying too much because with that mileage you are going to run into some problems. Do not do what my friend did and pay $4000 for a jeep cherokee with way to many miles , bald tires, bad brakes and much more. If they ask for $2000 say $1500 and go from there.

[shootermcbob]

Good luck with your first car. I had a friend who had a 98 ford explorer that he loved. He used it to tow his boat, and he had no problems with the vehicle at all. I am pretty sure his was the V6.

He regrets to this day getting rid of that vehicle. I certainly hope you will have the same good luck my friend did.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

My first car was a 1990 chevy 1500 step side with a Southern Comfort paint job that went from cherry red at the top to black at the bottom. It lasted all of 3 days after I got my license. I hydro planed driving to school. It rolled and then flipped end over end and landed 20 ft down a hill into a creek. The frame was bent in almost in half. It took 2 tow trucks to drag it out of the creek. I made 3/4 of my school late that morning. All I had was a small nick on my neck from where the windows exploded into the car. Seat belt saved my life that day. Also everyone I know that has had a 98 explorer has loved it.

[Bassn Blvd]

Hello, I am getting a 97 Ford Explorer for my first car. It's 4 wheel drive so I should be able to go "off roadin" to get to those isolated ponds around where I live. And it has enough cargo space for my fishing stuff. Have any of you guys owned one of these suvs? Are they normally pretty reliable?

Thanks,

It's 15 years old with 150k miles. I guess you could say it has proven to be pretty trliable.

[craww]

Ive got a 98 withe same drivetrain with over 220K on it. It sits in the yard now as Ive upgraded, but I cant say enough about its durability. It comes out in the snow or going deep in the woods. Ive put 110K on it and all Ive done is brakes,ball joints, and a battery, thats it. They have their issues. Locks,window regulators, front ends tend to need upper/lower ball joints more often than most. One major plus is they made so many of them for so long all the junk yards are full of them, parts are readily available and cheap. They have a low resale value, so dont overpay. But their DANG good vehicles.

Keep the oil changed and all fluids checked.

Let it warm up before just jumping in it and driving.

Dont dog it. My wife is all brake or gas, no in between. Its hard on a vehicle. Let off the gas when you know your turning. Keep it under 2500RPM's when accelerating (your mpg's will thank you)

[Missouribassman95]

Okay thank you guys! I'm excited to get it.