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I'm currently looking at purchasing either a 2003 Explorer or Mountaineer but would like others input on these two SUV's. I'm steering more to the Mountaineer V-8 AWD since hit has so many items that are standard and looks like it gives you more bang for the buck. Any thoughts on these two vehicles would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
crispy - I bought the Explorer because I need 4WDL which the AWD doesn't really provide. If I hadn't needed that, I would have gone with the Mountianeer.
- What are the pros and cons of the 2002 model?
- What are the common problems? I've seen some stuff around A/C problems but they do not seem to be common in all 2002 Explorers.
- What kind of gas mileage are you getting?
- Are the 3rd row seats working for a family?
- When you have had problems, has the dealer been reasonable to deal with? This may be a dealer-by-dealer issue but curious if some relationship issues stem from Ford corporate edicts.
Any feedback or other words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
My wife certainly agrees with you daryl. She won't buy a car without one. Nissan did flirt with it for a year or two, on both front doors, (nice), but dropped. Ford has tried repeatedly to decontent it out of several models over the years. The 98 Town Car came out without it. The dealers lost so many sales because of it, they put it back on in 99 and ever since. The 96 Cougar came out without it, and made my Wife buy her 94 out of the lease to keep the keypad. They lost a sale. They have never offered it on the LS, which annoys. They would love to drop it for the $5 bucks or so per unit, in favor of the key fob. But the loyal customers (like us) who lean towards their products that have them, keep them on the cars. I say, keep up the pressure, because it is a great feature! (I wonder if Ford monitors any of these?)
- What are the common problems? I've seen some stuff around A/C problems but they do not seem to be common in all 2002 Explorers.
- What kind of gas mileage are you getting?
- Are the 3rd row seats working for a family?
- When you have had problems, has the dealer been reasonable to deal with?"
Chris: I have one of the very very first 2002 Mountaineer models off the line. I have had no A/C problems at all. It's awesome. My wife drives this car mostly, she gets 17-18 MPG in town. The 3rd row seat is remarkably good, and handy for a family, and really nice to fold away for cargo rather than have to muscle it out, and find a place to put it.
Problems have been really few and far between. The only real issues we have had were a noisy serpentine belt, which replacing repaired. The other was the rear window. It was so hard to close, the frame cracked by the time I got it in to be adjusted. Ford stepped right up and replaced the entire panel voluntarily. I have a good dealer here though, and my experience with all L/M dealers has been varied.
I think the Explorer/Mountaineer design is great, and I think the 2003 should be a tad better than the 2002 for "bugs". I have 17,000 miles now, and still no rattles, squeaks or leaks. I would recommend the V-8 though. We have the six, and to me, it's a little light on push.
When we looked at Mountaineer we said it was a must have feature.
By the way ckoll after 9000 miles on a 2002 no problems. Third row works with the kids.
8 cyclinder engine poor on the gas mileage but great pickup. Running 13 mpg around town.
regards
I've gone to Ford's website but cannot find anything to confirm my suspicions. This may be old news for many of you but can someone please enlighten me on how I can find out which vehicles are 2002 vs. 2002.5? I'm assuming it's by production date and/or VIN #. If so, what are those specs?
Thanks to the feedback many of you have provided to my various questions on this forum. I just like to make informed decisions.
And Yes, the XLT was made much more attractive with this change.
jerry2281 Mar 4, 2002 3:57pm
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Anyway, Eddie is doing just great and after tanks he is averaging 17mpg mostly city so i am hoping it will improve as it breaks in further. It is very solid and well built and also don't know why there aren't more keypads. I love it!
Steering is nicely boosted and the brakes are firm yet not over boosted. I really like th epickup of the V8 and the nice sounds it makes.
Dislikes? I notice that over bumps the steering vibrates a little. Don'tknow if it a design flaw or a problem with it, but it is no biggie either way. Not too crazy about the tether strap because it gets in the way in the trunk, which is cavernous.
I beleive the middle folding seat is only available with the 3rd row seat? That is what I have been told.
The sound system is real nice, just make sure you research it, the compression feature really helps blend the sounds better. a little boomy at low volume, but that seems to be characteristic of every Ford system.
By the way, can someone recommend tire pressure? Is 32lbs okay all around?
I guess I'd probably ask the service manager just to satisfy my curiosity. I have found that even at the most conscientious of dealerships, some of the techs are idiots nonetheless. I find myself checking to see if they did what they say they did too.....
Another interesting thing I noticed from reading the owner maunal... on your engine, do you have the oil filler cap right near the dipstick (driver side)as indicated on the manual for the V8, or is it on the other side of the engine (passenger side). On the manual, it indicated for the 4.0L V6, the oil filler cap is on the passenger side. Mine is on the passenger side but I have a V8 (at least it says V8 on the black engine cover!). My car was built on 03/02, perhaps they moved the oil filler to the other side for the 02 1/2 model??
Good luck.
Anyone else have a number to suggest?
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
those pressurized thingies should be checked regularly by setting to 4 quarts and pouring into a marked gallon container... and again if the new kid drops it.
1. XLT 2WD-delete OWL tires, now has BSW tires
2. Limited Roof Rails-Chrome deleted, replaced by
black like all other Explorer models
3. New Audio option-AM/FM Stereo, clock/single CD w/MP3 player (60 watt)Order code 58P. This in addition to the two current audio options.
Likes:
1. The ride is MUCH improved over our old '99 Explorer (which I still have and still like).
2. The rear hatch design is a MAJOR improvement as you can open the window and get stuff in lower than you could in the old vehicle. Plus you can open the rear hatch with the remote. (I must add, however, that I've had some problems CLOSING the rear hatch window as it sometimes "bounces" instead of latching...the dealer adjusted it and it's BETTER but not as solid as Toyota would have designed and still occasionally "bounces".)
3. The third row seat seat-up is excellent...the main reason we upgraded from the old bodystyle.
4. The V8 seems a bit more powerful up the steep hills of Pittsburgh vs the '99 Explorer's V8
5. The INDASH 6Disc CD is nice although you do give up the cassette...which is pretty much obsolete anyway and don't really use it anymore anyway (in my other vehicles).
6. The armrest console is improved with the Kleenex box now in the underside of the armrest. I suppose some would like it more readily available as in the old bodystyle, but I like THIS better.
7. The optional rear air works great for my daughter who tends to get car sick. The old vehicle had rear air with a "kid accessable" fan control in the back. The new bodystyle, however, only gives a mere "puff" of air thru that rear vent but the "in roof" rear air option solves that problem with TRUE air to the back seats and roof vents that the rear passengers (kids
usually) can open or close at their discretion. When the new bodystyle came out, however, you could not get rear air with a sunroof. My factory ordered '03 has both and is great.
Dislikes/Pet Peeves:
1. The lumbar support is this Mickey Mouse manual thingie that doesn't feel solid and cannot be precisely set. The old car had an electric lumbar support controlled precisely by an air inflation buttom.
2. The heated seats use the same button to activate/deactivate as the old
vehicle...BUT...you can't see it! The old vehicle had the heated seat control almost horizontally on the seat side panel and you could SEE the indicator light to see if it was off or on. The new vehicle has it vertically on the side and the ONLY way you could EVER see that indicator would be if you stopped the vehicle and opened the door and got out or bent
way over. Worthless. What brain surgeon designed THAT?
3. The exterior temperature gauge is integrated with the climate control. So you have to CHOOSE between seeing the interior setting or the current exterior temperature as a default. You cannot see both at the same time. VERY annoying and I noticed it on my brother's '03 Lincoln Town Car too.
4. I miss the rear section MAT. I understand that with the 3rd seat, the mat would be a hassle to take in and out. But I know that rear carpet is going to get crapped up soon enough. The mat in the '99 could be turned over to
rubber side up and be easily wiped. I guess this is nothing that could be solved with the 3rd seat but is just a comment on something I hated giving up to get it (the 3rd row).
5. I don't like the fact that you must have the key to check the odometer. Mercedes, for instance, uses an electronic odometer (I guess all cars do now) but it indicates the mileage when you open the driver's door, even without the key in the ignition. I am somewhat anal about logging in services done, etc. So often I need to see the current mileage and I USED to
be able just to glance in (the old vehicle). Not anymore. I now must insert the key and turn it.
6. I kind of miss the power antenna. I know that they "decontented" it after the '99 model year so this is really not a valid complaint about this bodystyle as much as it is about Ford decontenting. At least let it be an option...I ordered the vehicle so I would have ordered it. As it is, the rod antenna hit the garage door going in or out so I had to give it a circumcision and cut off 3 inches. Not a big deal, I guess.
7. The vehicle would look a little better with a pinstripe like my '99. On the other hand, if you ever have bodywork, Ford makes a killing ($125 or
something like that) to replace the pinstripe so I won't have that expense when the wife gets an uncontrollable WENDY'S craving and sideswipes the
drivethru barrier pole (which she did when she was preggers with our son in an Audi that cost me $1500 to fix).
Even though the complaints are more numerous than the specific likes, all in all it is a great vehicle and MUCH improved over the old bodystyle...of which we personally owned 3 over various years and had family and close friends owning 7 or 8 more. I do hope Ford gets it's act together as a company and can solve the quality problems that have led to gawdawful resale
values and concern about the company's long term viability. But the overall design of the '02/'03 Explorer/Mountaineer is a winner. Toyota's new 4Runner STILL doesn't have the third row and the Lexus version has a Mickey Mouse setup like the GM Tahoe where the seat is bolted ON and must be taken OUT but cannot be NEATLY FOLDED DOWN. Also Explorer/Mountaineer is exactly the right size to serve as the '00's version of the family station wagon ... big enough for that third row but not massive like Expedition /
Tahoe/Suburban/Land Crusier/Range Rover, etc.
By the way, when you hit the heated seat button, it shows on your auto climate control, a little seat lights up. It is like that in my EB.
As to the mat thing. I think I solved the problem cheaply. I went to a local Home Depot type store and bot a "runner" that closely matched the interior color for about $20. I cut three mats from it...one for the 3rd seat feet area, one as a small mat for when the 3rd seat is UP, and one that's a larger mat for when the 3rd seat is down. It's not as convenient as just having it in the car all the time, but I can install the bigger mat when we take planned trips or know in advance that dirty stuff will be in the cargo area. Beats spending $150 for a set of custom mats.
I know that an '00 Explorer (or any other vehicle) with "X" miles will be worth about $3000 more than a similar '99 with 15,000 more miles. But following Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.com for a few years now, it doesn't seem that the depreciation is a linear $250 per month. I didn't realize until today that this was the case, but I also did not notice the pattern. In other words, if I know that my vehicle will depreciate $3000 between now and next October 28th, what is the normal pattern of deprecation, if such a pattern exists. I would assume, but am not sure, that it's greater between July 1 and Oct 1 than in any other 3 month period...yes? NO?
it depreciates faster than it is paid for, because you pay the lion's share of the interest off first. I have forgotten how to apply the "rule of 78s" which is the method of calculating the balance due for payoff at any one time. maybe that's because I never have, and learned of it too long ago
depreciation, however, DOES vary on the market. I would expect to hear an expert say something like half the value is gone by the time your two-year leases are up, because so many used ones flood the market at that time. if it's a soft economy, maybe a little more.
but just which voodoo tools are used to make it predictable, I have no idea.