Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

dan1

I have never posted here before but will be in the market for an SUV this summer. We have pretty much decided on a Ford and we like the Explorer but my wife thinks it may be too small. I think the Expedition is too big. Our kids are small now and I just don't think we need a full size SUV until down the road a ways. I was hoping to get some insight from current owners. We are going to the new car show this weekend to check everything out but owning and driving is different then kicking tires.

akangl

I have 2 children (ages 8 and 10) and 2 dogs. The Explorer is perfect for our family of 4, I would hate for it to be any bigger. Its easy to park, I can fit 2 weeks worth of groceries in it, take the dogs out if I want to, its a really great little truck. I have a 2004 Explorer XLS Sport V6/4WD, it has approx 6000 miles on it and isn't quite 2 months old yet (5 more days and it will be). Gas mileage is hanging around 15-16 mpg, that's wintertime in Alaska, so idling and mixed driving.

I may in time upgrade to an Expedition, but I kind of doubt it, I'd imagine that 3 years down the road when we hit the 120k mark I will replace it with yet another Explorer (this one is my 3rd).

I certainly have no regrets about buying, nor do I find it too small......I brought home a washing machine in it just a few weeks ago.

dan1

Thanks for the reply, I just got back from a dealer and looked at them both side by side. The extra room would be nice in the Expedition but I still think the Explorer would be fine. My kids are only 3 and 5 so they do not take up much room. When we get a little more serious we will drive them both. It is going to be primarily the wifes car so she will make the final decision.

chuck1

I had a '99 Suburban-I had lots of trouble with it and traded it in for a NEW 2002 Explorer XLT. I have found that the Suburban is nice for vacations-you have loads of room. However, for the grocery getter, kid's sport taxi to the park, the Explorer is just fine. My kids are older now 15, 17, and 19, (all boys) so the family will probably never vacation together again. The 3rd seat in the Explorer works well for kids, and for adults on short trips. The only downside I would see for you is that if you end up going on a long overnight road trip, you will want to split up the kids and put one in the 3rd seat. Consequently, the luggage would end up on the carrier on the roof. So really think about what you do MOST with the vehicle, and then decide.

brast69

I have a family of four, plus a dog and I have the MM Premier. It is plenty big. I find, the bigger the truck the more "junk" you fill it with. When you have a bigger truck "expedition", the more your friends will ask you for favors like moving furniture, home depot runs etc. For the amount of times that you will fill the expedition to its full capacity, its not worth the extra $$$$ each month in payments or gas !! Also you mentioned this being your wifes primary vehicle, I cant tell you how many times I see woman struggling to park or even maneuver the bigger SUVs...Go with the Explorer or Mountaineer !!

dan1

We have found that a DVD player is a must on trips wheather flying or driving. My wife said last night she still wants to look at the Durango, I cringe at the thougt of owning a Chrysler product. But a lot of people own them so mybe they have gotten better. We also currently own a Buick Regal and it has had a lot of problems so I am not real up on GM right now. The Tahoe is the best selling full size SUV last I new, but they seem to be having a lot of problems with the Trail Blazers. Anyway if its up to me I would go with one of the Ford products but I may get out voted if you know what I mean.

nvbanker

The Durango is now longer than the Tahoe, it's not midsized anymore, keep that in mind. I think it's a performer. Reliability is uncertain at this time - Chrysler and MB are having their respective problems in that area.

The Trailblazer is a pretty good rig also.

My preference still though, are the Fords. And I have an Explorer, Mountaineer & Navigator currently.

dan1

also, even though the Expedition finished last in a recent comparison of five full size SUV's, I think the Nissan came in first. The Nissan looks like five different people styled it and they didn't talk to each other. Neither my wife or I care for the looks of the new Durango at all kind of goofy, so we would be looking at a used one with the old body style if anything. My personal opinion is that headlights should accent the front of a vehicle not dominate it, but thats just me. We may have to take a closer look at the Trailblazer, I did not realize you can now get it with a V8.

ANT14

I believe the Durango was the one that came in 1st, although the Expedition did come in last. It's not the first comparo it comes in last mainly because of it's engine isn't as powerful as the competition. This will be rectified next year for 2006 models, when the 3V version of the 5.4L is phased in.

dan1

You are correct the Durango did finish first. I think they cited the ride quality as well as the engine for the Expeditions poor showing. The funny thing is the Expedition was quicker than the Chevy although not by much.

idntnvu

I never did get a reply about the exhaust question. But now I have other stuff on the agenda. This morning, my explorer started missing and running really rough on my way home from work. I broke down and took it to the ford dealer, the same one that caused me so much grief last fall, and left it to be checked out. Turns out, it was the spark plugs. They wanted to replace the plugs, clean the throttle body, and change the fuel filter. That was gonna run me $317.52. After regaining consciousness, I informed the kind lady on the phone that I'd have to make a few phone calls. I called my regular mechanic, and he said he could do the same thing for around $130. So, I call the Ford dealer back, and they inform me that I owe them $93 for "an hour and a half diag time." WHO THE HECK MAKES 62 BUCKS AN HOUR??? Obiviously not me!! I make less than 7 bucks an hour, and they expect me to pay something like that? Now, I'm going to pick up my missing, rough running exploder, unload a hundred bucks for no good reason at all, and then have to turn around and actually have the problem fixed next week. By then, I'll have $225 into this problem. How rediculous!! I feel majorly ripped off. By the way, any ideas on that exhaust question?

ANT14

DAN, I haven't read the article myself, but someone in the office mentioned it, which is why I kinda new what places they came in, although not the reasons why.

It's ironic they mention the Expedition not having good "ride quality" yet many other publications state otherwise, and having better drivability, manuevering and overall highway feel. Not sure if this article mentioned any of that.

Which publication is this, so I can find it?

IDNTNVU,
Dealership service depts will always charge rediculous amounts, even for diagnosis. Is the vehicle still udner warranty though? A personal mechanic you know, or even yourself can change the sparks plugs easily and with minimal costs.

To think Ford has one of the lower "per labor" hourly rates...You should see some of the prices I've seen on other makes.

tweedie

I love my NEW Mountaineer in all respects EXCEPT the radio seems to lack AM sensitivity. If I had bought the better radio would it have been better? Perhaps I'll need to go to an aftermarket radio to overcome this? Any comments are welcome.
  
First SUV. Wonderful vehicle. Got the V-8; Love the power and refinement. 18 miles per gallon going back and forth from work--80% highway--country roads.

chuck1

On some of the cars I have owned there was a screw located on the radio to adjust the "gain" for the antenna. If the SUV is under warranty ask about an adjustment to the antenna vs. buying a new radio.

idntnvu

Yeah, I know you pay out the yin yang at the dealer, but that is the only dealership that honor's my warranty for free, so I took it to them thinking it may be something major. I managed to con a friend of mine into changing the plugs for me, because while I know cars, I'm not very mechanical. It's also a tight fit, and I didn't have or know how to use a gapper. I got a fuel filter as well, but couldn't get the old one off to put the new one on. My explorer is a '99, so it was out of warranty when I got it last summer, but I bought an extended Costguard warranty, 3/36, but it didn't cover replacing the plugs. I'm still gonna take it to my regular mechanic for an alignment and balancing the tires on Wednesday, and I'm going to get the flowmaster exhaust put on Wednesday as well. Did anyone ever happen to figure out what the name of that color is? The "burnt orange" color, almost a rust kind of color, totally unlike the bright orange that is currently being used on the explorer sports. This color was used primarily on XLS Explorers 99-01. Just thought I'd ask again.

nvbanker

Mine works fine in all of my Fords, although I have heard of this problem. But they are supposed to work, so take it back and [non-permissible content removed] (nicely), ok? Granted I got the audiophile systems in all my cars, but still, AM should work. It's been around for years.

swschrad

if so, shoot, slide under the dash so all your pockets empty on the seat, and diddle the trimmer near the antenna connector until WAKO-AM on the high end of the dial is its strongest. the radios appear to be broadband inputs and electronically tuned now.

the other likelihood is that the input transistor (whether it's on a multifunction chip or not) is blown from static. or if they put protection diodes on the antenna input, THEY are blown from static. your wax cloth slipping and throwing your hand into the radio antenna is enough of a zap to kill anybody's input circuit.

nvbanker

We have had our 4th Mountaineer on order now for a couple of months, while the dealer tried to get it right. I've been dealing here for over a decade, and these people all know me well. They're trying their best to please my wife in her preferences, but Ford has made it impossible, we found, after the 3rd vehicle ordered came in still wrong. The option packages are so inflexible, that to get the same equipment she has now on her 02 Mountaineer, you either need to get the Premier (with only 4 color choices), or order a Convenience, and try to option it up to the Premier level. Found out that won't work, when that one came in with cloth seats, and 3 other deficiencies. So, it looks like my wife won't be getting the dark blue pearl she wants after all - you just can't get one that color with the equipment the way she wants it. Insane really. Hope we don't have to buy an Envoy to get the color she wants. Or she'll keep the car she has and buy it out of the lease. It's a shame, and decontenting has a lot to do with it.

For example, the Luxury and Premiers have gone to Quad Seating standard. She doesn't want that. If you want a 2nd bench row seat, you can't get the 3rd row, etc. It's nuts.

My dealer isn't happy now, she has 2 blue Mountaineers on the lot now to sell, a color that sells poorly in this town. Lose, lose.

fsv

I have 1300 miles on my V6 MM; only once, in 100% highway driving, I had 320 miles on 20 gallons of gas. So, consider youself very lucky.

dan1

The article was in Car and Driver, I went through it again and they said that Expedition road kind of hard but also was a lot more responsive than the others. They also commented that the interior looked cheap and while this may be true, it looked OK to me, I have always found that Ford interiors stay together better than GM's. We went to the car show in Denver on Sunday and were talking to one of the salesmen and he said they had one new 03 Explorer EB on the lot and were already discounting it $9000.00 off MSRP. Man I wish we were ready to buy right now! Oh well. We are going to test drive some different vehicles in the next couple of weeks and mybe rent the one we decide on for a day just to make sure.

explorerx4

i would drive your current vehicle over a rough road, then drive an explorer/expedition over the same road, to see if the ride really is rough.
c/d opinions may not match yours.
i have an '02 eb explorer, think it's great.
i like the keypad entry, easy entry seat, heated front seats, 3 memory drivers seat, auto door locking, steering wheel that has controls for cruise, temp, fan, audio source, and radio memory, trip computer, selectable oil life/low fuel level warning, auto headlights on/off, delay, driving lights, 290w stereo with dsp.
most of what i detailed is eb or limited specific.
i also have the aux(rear) climate control, which is nice for someone sitting in the 3rd row.
hope i'm not gushing too much, it's not a perfect vehicle, doesn't get great gas mileage and i have some vibration issues. leather seems more like vinyl. check out the problems discussion.
overall, it's well thought out and solid, imho.
try to get more than 9k off, it's an '03!

ANT14

Dan I always recommending renting vehicles possibly before buying them. There's numerous things you will notice in situations where a regular salesperson will make it harder to notice.

dan1

My current vehicle is a 96 Ford Ranger XLT 4X4 so anything compared to this will have a smooth ride. We are keeping the Ranger, the car we are getting rid of is my wifes 97 Buick Regal, I could list the number of things that have gone wrong with this car but I would run out of room on my screen!

I actually prefer a firm ride over a soft one. My Dad has an 90's Olds 88 and the suspension is so soft I think it is unsafe, you finish going around three corners and its still rebounding from the first one!

The Ranger has not been a trouble free but compaired to the Buick it is a much better vehicle. All the reports I have read on the Explorer praise its ride and handling. The Regal is super charged, has a big six, and requires premium fuel so I am not expecting much worse in gas mileage.

dan1

We drove I 04 Mountaineer, an 04 Explorer EB and a 04 Pilot tonight. My wife is leaning towards the Mercury. I hadn't really considerd the Merc because I thought they would be a lot more but they are really close in price. The ride in the Merc seems a little smoother and the interior a little more upscale. I was a disapointed in the Fords power, I did not drive the Merc. My wife seemed to think the Merc had better acceleration even though they have the same motor. Mybe the gearing was different on the two vehicles.

akangl

We are around, well, most of us are. I seem to be spending my days in my Explorer which will turn 8000 miles this weekend.

I managed to get pulled over for speeding......80 mph in a 65 mph zone. I had NO idea I was going that fast. Thankfully the cop was nice and let me go.

I'm still not used to how smooth my 04 Explorer is, fools me sometimes with how fast its actually going. It loves to cruise at 80, unfortunatly I can't afford the speeding tickets, so cruise control is on most of the time.

nvbanker

Yeah, I too got a ticket for going 60 in a 25 in a six cylinder Mountaineer I was test driving....so I guess they are more powerful than I thought too. Grrrr.

The dealer is now ordering the 4th new Mountaineer for my wife. She has rejected the first 3 that they ordered because they all lack some "essential" equipment. This is likely to be the last try. If they don't get it right this time, we'll just keep the 2002 we have, which has been a great car.

akangl

OUCH, that will hurt the pocketbook. My Explorer is so quiet and smooth that its usually going faster than I think it is. Wonderful truck though.

rpdrpd

Forgive me if this issue has been covered. Last month we traded in our 97 MM with 110K miles for a 2004 MM Premier, 6 cyl. We now have 1500 miles on it. I notice when I am accelerating just on this side of aggressively, each shift of the transmission seems to come in two steps, a normal dip in rpms, then an immediate slightly further dip as the transmission settles in to the next gear. This happens throughout the "shifting" process until my speed levels off.

Is this unusual, or common? And why is it happening in the first place?

I do like the vehicle, don't really miss my 8 cyl, but the gas mileage is not what I had hoped, but I guess I knew that going in. Third row seating is very convienent, and was a requirement, but I wish the seat folded completely into the floor, giving me the same flat cargo area my '97 had.

explorerx4

you do know that the back of the 3rd row slides forward to cover the gap between the 2nd and 3rd rows when both are folded, right? just push or pull by one of those dished out plastic pieces. have to thank the wife for pointing that out.

ANT14

Rrpdrpd,

With the V6, it's not uncommon when your at speed, and press down a bit for power, that it'll step shift twice to a lower gear for power, then upshift when your at the level (accelerator/speed) you wish to be at. It'll all depend how far you press the accelerator, and after some time you will eb able to do so, without it shifting so low... BUT like automatic, just slam it and let it do it's thing.

I also caution you not to use O/D, unless your doing 45+MPH steady such as highways.

As for gas mileage, we many have stated before... chances are you would almost do the same with the V8, as with the V6, only because the V6 has to work that much harder to make the power, whereas the V8 is a bit more relaxed.

nvbanker

Our 02 Mountaineer/V6 did the same thing when new. A "reflash" of the transmission cured it, and it's smooth as silk ever since. There is a slight reduction of power before the shift, makes it smoother, and if you're used to the 97, it will feel different. If it's too prounounced though, a reflash may fix it.

akangl

My 04 Explorer does that too, started at around 1200 miles. Its chilling out now, I had it looked at and they told me it was normal, asked another Ford dealer and they mentioned the computer. Its ok for now, but if it does it again I'll take it in. Just turned 8000 miles today.

dan1

I agree with ANT14 especially in a heavier vehicle a smaller engine is not always the best choice. You will find yourself applying more juice to get going with the six. On the highway you would probably see an advantage with the six but around town It would not suprise me if the six got worse mileage. It depends on how heavy your right foot is also, mine is very heavy.

nvbanker

If it's programming, it should do it consistently, I think.

swschrad

the 6 is a touch better in-town than the 8, as I remember. highway was identical in the 2000, and highway mileage is darn near so in the current ones.

given that, you have to consider what you want the truck for. if you are likely to load it up and/or tow more than once when you own it, consider that you not only get more low-end torque with the V8, but you also get a beefier transmission. the ability to get the load moving, and potentially avoid tranny repairs, kinda locked me into a mind set, and I had to wait out a one-month delay before "THE" truck finally got on the dealer lot. got there just before special financing ended, and in a nasty sleet storm, so there was no time to clean it up and sandblast the windows, apply unicorn polish, etc. before I got in there, test-drove, and bought it.

for some silly reason, the dealer I prefer close to me doesn't order a lot of V8 towing AWD trucks. guess they like leaving the money on the table instead of in their safe, because that should be a good quarter of all sales here in the land of 10,000 lakes and a million and a half boats on trailers.

rpdrpd

Thanks to all for your comments on the transmission. I will probably wait until 2000 miles and then go to the dealer and talk about "reflashing".

And thanks for the tip about the folded third seat. Didn't see that one at all!

nvbanker

My wife has selected another Mountaineer for her next car. This will make our 5th Explorer or Mountaineer. Trading in the 02 for a Premier. Differences are few. Adds include tire pressure monitoring and rear air. Deletes are the toy chest in the second row under the second seat and a cheaper DSP system in the audiophile stereo. Not much change. She's been comparing for 4 months and decided this is the one she likes the best.

akangl

You mean she finally found one she likes?? Congrats!!!

I'm on my 3rd Explorer/Navajo (had a 94 Navajo). As much as I like my Explorer I kinda wish I had bought something more fuel efficient.....oh well, guess I gotta give up something to drive a truck I like.

explorerx4

also does heat. if it gets left on hot or cold, it can drive you crazy trying to figure out what is wrong the the climate system. i usually figure it out when i turn the front heat off, but the back of my neck feels warm! i like having it though, because of the 3rd row seating.

nvbanker

A black Premier came in, and her old one was black, she liked it so she went for it. This one has more stuff on it than we needed, but the deal was very good so......

Need to correct a previous statement though - the toy chest in the second row under the seat has not been deleted - at least not from the Premier, it's there, which pleases her for the grandkids sake. Aside from me loving the V8, we both noticed in the first 50 miles how much quieter this one is than the 02 we traded in, and more solid. Not a creak, squeak or rattle anywhere. No wind noise, and the old one had an air leak in the door we never bothered to have looked at. It seems they've tightened them up quite a bit from the first production. The 02 was the first one the dealer got in and looked so good on the patio, my wife just "had to have it", so it was very early production.

Still and all, and obviously, it was a very good truck, or we wouldn't have bought #5.

ANT14

" It seems they've tightened them up quite a bit from the first production. "

   There have been a few improvements made along the way. Body tolerances, insulation are just a few. The Focus underwent some refinement last year in the same way.

nvbanker

Well, I've stated elsewhere that the 04 Monterey I bought for the business has proven to be flawless in the first 1900 miles. The 04 Mountaineer is looking really good so far as well. Good sign.

explorerx4

i agree about the seals. they seem pretty flimsey. i just try to keep them lubed.
minor issue, compared to how great a design it is, overall.

keeferb

Hello,

We are in the market for a new SUV. Having owned 2 Nissan Pathfinders with few problems, I still find myself drawn to the Ford Explorer. My problem seems to be deciding between the V6 or V8. From everything I've ready, it sounds like the V8 is noticeably stronger, smoother, and quieter. However, since I commute 50 miles a day(mostly highway @ 70-75 mph) mileage is a concern. I read Edmunds long-term test and they averaged 14.5 mpg over the course of a year with the V8, with the best at around 17. For those of you with the V8, is this similar to what you're getting? For those with the V6, are you doing better than this? With gas prices the way they are, even a couple mpg will make quite a difference over the course of a year. Also, is either engine more problem-prone than the other?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

dondilio

Ive had experiences with both engines, 4.0 in 2 Explorers and the 4.6 in a Mustang.

4.0 in first 02 explorer which by they way is very safe, I wouldn't be tipping this if I wasn't riding in one, went 65 -68k, dont remember exactly, with no problems at all just routine maintenance. I now have another 02 with the 4.0 engine is 32k and has been trouble free too.

The 99 mustang basically the same 4.6 SOHC on the Explorer was trouble free too. That one went up to 81k.

My opinion is that you must check your priorities.
If you're opting for 4wd or awd, if you tow frequently or dont want to sacrifice acceleration I would opt for the 4.6.

On the other hand if you opt for 2wd, dont tow that much and dont need the extra power go with the 4.0.

One thing Ive noticed on my two 4.0 explorer is that they get more fuel efficient after 20-25k miles. Im definetly getting more MPG than the Edmunds tester and the V8.

The 4.6 wont drink all that much if you dont push it. If you like to step on the accelerator it will get 14.5 MPG or less.

Since my experience with the 4.6 was in a Mustang which is a much lighter vehicle than the Explorer I cant tell you about the fuel economy. In the Mustang i could get 19-21 MPG in the city, of course if I didn't stepped on it.

tjf2000

I have a V-8 2003 MM AWD (without the towing option so it has the 3:55 rear end) it is 13 months old with 46K miles, I do a lot of highway driving in the 70-75 mph range and consistently get 19.2 to 19.5 mpg, and I have all the paperwork to back up those numbers and am very careful about how I fill-up each time. Those mpg figures are based on calculations not the trip computer which at least in my MM always reads a little higher. On one trip I was able to get 20.45 mpg. I would go for the V-8. The 4.6 is a real workhorse, this is my third 4.6 (in other Mercury Products) and they have all gone over 100k miles with no problems. Good Luck

nvbanker

I have had 2 4.0L Explorers, still have one with 125,000 trouble free miles on it, and just turned in one Saturday with 32,000 trouble free miles on it. We were getting 17.5 MPG in town on that one. Rarely had it on the highway, so don't know what it would do there. Did tow around town with it, and it was fine. But the 04 we just bought has the 4.6L and AWD. I can tell you I definitely like the "fun" the 4.6L puts in the truck, and enjoy driving it a lot more.

Based on my anecdotal research, the 4.0L is a fine engine, but the 4.6L is even better. The 4.6L may be one of the finest engines ever made on the planet. Cabs, Police & Limos run those engines 24 hours a day around here in the most severe heat and circumstances you can invent, and they will go 200,000-300,000 miles without a tear down, I'm told.

fsv

my MM has 2,000 miles on it. 500 miles ago it has developed some clutter from the center of console, could be on firewall. It sounds like some wire fastener fell out from the place where it was sitting and now is hitting something, when the car shivers from the working engine etc. Could someone tell me, what the problem could be? I believe I saw something on this forum - can not find where.

cmartin411

that might be a tad optimistic Honda and BMW would rank higher, not to mention Ferrari, if budgets were not an issue.

nvbanker

Do ya have one Chris? I'm just reporting what those who run fleets of them tell me.....

My Honda went 171,000 with no major problems, but was using a quart of oil every fill up at the end. She needed a tear down. That's not bad, but also not, how did you put it, "ranking higher".