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Comments
As for the deal I got: It could be that nobody else is buying these since I have yet to see another one on the street (which I like by the way), who knows?. But I was also at the dealership for 5 hours negotaiting eventually with the president of the family of dealerships himself since he was there. Last car I bought, an '04 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible, I got for about $2500 below invoice as well.
And you also have to look at it from the dealer's point of view. OK maybe he loses $1000 on the deal. But he makes you happy, you tell you friends about it, they go buy from him. Also, you have thousands of dollars of in maintenance/warranty work over the next few years. Who will most likely service your car? The dealer who sold it to you, especially again if he makes you happy.
Anyway, my mom and dad, may they rest in peace, had to send me to earth in a rocket, but there was no room for them. I can tell you there were no Ford Explorers on my former planet,too much snow, but there were plenty of Jeep GC. You may have seem an earthly TV ad some time ago that showed me and my JGC going into my ice cave. That is no Joke!
Anyway, I'm always pulling Ford Explorers out of the snow, and I just don't have time to get them all, so there are special groups of Jeep Drivers who have donated their time to pull Fords out!
Why do you think Ford named the upscale Explorer the Eddie Baure? So everyone could wear that Great Eddie Bauer out door clothing to keep from freezing until the Jeep Rescue Squad got their to pull them out!
Anyway, some day you will need us too Mr ExplorerX4 Man. So remember, as your slipping on that down filled Eddie Bauer set of Ski pants and Jacket, Clark Kent in a Jeep will pull up to save you. And, since I can't seem to find any phone booths in a snow storm, you will never know if the guy in the Jeep that tows your Explorer in is the real superman from another planet, ie: me, or just your average Superman that drives a Jeep!
CK
As for the Exploders I rescued, 2 of them were between '02 and '05 XLT's and EB's( can't give exact years because they all look alike, absolutely no differentation) and the others were older late '90s models, all in good condition. Drop the price on the Commander? How about lower the price of admission on the Exploders and maybe they'll regain the top spot because as of right know they've outpriced and outclassed themsleves.
P.S.- This Jeep fantasy island is a great place. The Jeep is for those who have and the have mores and the Exploder is for those who have less(on all accounts).:P
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder - but these eyes think this shoebox-on-wheels is for the optically challenged. It is one UGLY truck!
The same ones have been sitting on the dealers lots for WEEKS now...can't seem to give them away...I'll take a classy-looking JGC anytime over this 80's style sales-loser. But then some people bought the AMC Pacer....
Steve, Host
Horst
Shoebox-on-wheels? At last check, most SUV's are squared-off, albeit not quite as square as the "different" Commander, hence this would make them shoeboxes on wheels also.
Alright already, so you think the Commander is ugly? How many times can you repeat it? Oh, are the mechanicals that hide under the Commander's "ugly" sheetmetal ugly also. Probably not.
So to be optically challenged, you just have to love the ugly Commander? Well the first thing I'll do in the morning is go down to the eye doctor so he can correct my perfect 20/20 vision with 5" thick tri-focals so that I can then agree with you that the Commander is "ugly"
i guess you and b'hemi ought to come over to ct some time to learn how to drive in snow. we can use my explorer for driving school. my wife went out in her escape in 8 inches of unplowed snow and had no problem. 12 inches of snow is not a problem for an explorer (driven properly). i don't think it is a big deal. you just have to take your time.
watch out for that krytonite.
As for the snow, I don't care what you say, you and nobody else was driving that Exploder in 12" ( a foot for the non-measuring) of snow "without a problem at all", and in your case without having to use 4WD, no matter how "careful they were".
Thin-skinned, nah. Were just not gonna let a Exploder driver tell us that the Explorer is superior to the Commander.
Offer them invoice price, maybe $500 over and if that's not enough, walk and let them call you about 2 days later with better numbers. This almost always works.
it is not 'ragging', it's just 'spitting the truth'.
the explorer autmatically shifts from rwd to 4wd when the rear wheels slip. if you want to, you can lock 4 high on the fly too. my nephew said he could feel the power shifting as needed, but didn't feel like he had to go to 4 high. that is the best explanation i can give you.
i did want to like the commander for it's overall functionality, but my kids gave it the thumbs down, so end of story for me.
merry xmas everyone.
I ended up buying the Land Rover LR3 HSE because of the space for the third seat and for carrying "things" when the third seat is down. Granted, the LR3 was $11,000 more MSRP so they aren't in the same league price-wise.
Yesterday, I had friends arrive from out of town for Christmas. They reserved an SUV and drove up in a 2006 Commander. Since I never drove one, I hope to drive their rental just to see how it is. It is a rather base model with clothe interior, etc. Not sure if it's a 6 or 8.
One of the biggest things was that my friends had lots of luggage. The rear of the Commander was full with two large suitcases and two mediums. Just in comparison on space, the LR3 is a lot bigger and will fit my personal needs better, especially, after seeing the Commander loaded.
That darn 4 inch raise in the Commander floor takes up a lot of space which was a concern to me. Now, I see what kind of difference it made. I'm not sure if their rental has a third seat as I'm not sure if that was standard item or not.
Anyway, the Commander is a nice vehicle, I really like the looks but I wish Daimler/Chrysler would have thought out the "third seat" a little better since this was a new vehicle. Maybe they should not have used an extended version of the Grand Cherokee frame. Seems like the Durango frame would have been a better chassis to use for the extra space in the rear. Isn't that the reason why someone would buy the Commander, for the third seat room? Maybe the discounts would not be so large if the vehicle was made to "larger" specs.
The Land Rovers, even with their bad gas mileage, are not discounted $8,000-$10,000 dollars. I would think reliability would be about the same as the Jeep as I am quite well aware of my Jeep experience (both of my Jeeps had to be towed due to breakdowns). Even though, I still would have purchased another Jeep as I like the looks and their ability off-road.
Again, Merry Christmas! Mark
I did it in a standard 1991 Jeep Cherokee with the 4L.
I backed out of my drive in low range and low gear (auto, you know) went about 3" and got stuck.
Got back in my garage and chains on all 4 wheels and got about 10" and stopped.
Went back into my garage and put on a set of Heavy Lug truck chains (ON TOP) of the standard chains on the front tires.(I wired the truck chains and the standard chains together so they would not distroy my fenders) Now I had 6 chains on the car 2 on each front tire and one on each rear tire. Took 10 minutes to pack down enough snow to turn the Jeep around. Then I just put it in low range and low gear and off I went. I would hit the new snow as fast as I could (about 10 mph) the car would ride up over the snow and swim its way about 20" then it would power out and just sink (high centered) in the snow.
I put it in reverse, and because of the big truck chains on the front, it would just claw its way back out of the snow. I would keep doing this every 20' or so. Slow going.
Ten times I got high centered and all 4 tires began to spin. I would then Crawl out of the window (no way to open the doors with 52" of snow. My hood bug guard was only 42" high and the snow was half way up the side windows! However the top 2 feet of snow was really fluffy, so I'd just bat it away as I brought the window down. I had a scoop shovel with me and out the window I went. It usually took less than 3 minutes to get enough snow out from under the frame to get the chains working agin.
I got out but lost my bug guard and pulled the tranny lines off in the last 50" (saw all the red oil in the snow. Looked like I killed someone! (would have liked to at the end of that hour and 1/2) but I wasn't going to let the snow beat the Jeep. I just re-clamped the hoses on the Tranny, put in a Qt of oil and had a drink! I got it done.
I live 10 miles from town. All the roads were plowed, but town was a real mess, so I kept all 4 wheels chained up for a complete week. I drove into town in the middle of a 4 lane road highway with a two lane turn center. I drove on the side of the center lanes because they still had deep snow that helped the chains, and I sure needed them that whole week in town and I didn't want to chain up each day.
I don't know of ANY Explorer that could have done that. I know the Jeep could do it and it did. Without the low range it would have never done it. I bet a GC with the Hemi or the Commander could have done it in less time. The big problem was that any car (even a H1 would not have have enough clearence to just drive out.) I just had to paddle my way back and forth, every 20' or so till I got the job done.
So I'll take a Jeep over any other rig other than a Land Rover and I don't want to spent the money on one of those.
I have a GC,standard Cherokee and a Wrangler. I guess you would say my wife and I are Jeep people.
Next year were going to replace the GC and standard Cherokee with a Commander and a Patriot!
All said, I sure DO like the interior of the 2006 Explorer.
It's one beautiful interior. I love the dash.
I could joke by saying that new Explorer interior would be a beautiful place to freeze to death stuck in a snow drift in Montana or Wyoming, but I won't do that!
PS. My former office manager (during the same snowstorm was on the NBC Today show, bcause she had 72" of standing snow in her drive way during that storm. (She lives 120 miles from me.) They couldn't get their cars out of the garage for a week, becaue they had to shovel all the snow off their roof in front of the garage.
What a Mess. What a great snow storm! Biggest ever in my life! Sure glad I had that Jeep!
AND
remember, I could have just blown all that snow away
with my super powers. But I wanted to prove the Jeep could do it without any help from me.
But then, You Explorer guys could have melted the snow with all your "Hot air"!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! CK
Santa will be driving his new Grand Cherokee SRT-8
This Christmas Eve!
No Present left behind!
Can't you just see all those little kids crying their eyes out if Santa had to drive an Explorer? Not only would he get stuck in the snow, but he wouldn't be able to get up those steep roofs!
For a job like that, only the Jeeps 6.2 Hemi and Qudradrive will save the day!
Merry Christmas. If you Explorer drive are very very lucky (and have a great wife) you may just get a Jeep for Christmas.
if you get a jeep for xmas, congrats to you. enjoy it.
May we both get whatever we wish for in our stockings on the hearth.
And tell your kids to stop crying, they can ride in the Explorer. Being second, red ribbon, silver medal, runner-up, it's all the same, and much better than not to have dreamed at all.
Go to sleep little Explorers. And as you dream your dreams of sugar plums and Ferries, remember the story of the ugly duckling. He turned into a beautiful swan! So You little Explorers, you to will grow up to be Jeepers.
Oh, to be young again! Merry Christmas.
Now that I see you are a nice guy, and need an SUV, I have destroyed all of my kryptonite...you are safe!!!
Did I really just post that???...it's a far cry from advice after an auto accident... :confuse: :P :confuse:
Bob
CK
That's too bad. I understand that with kryptonite you don't need crumple zones and air bags!
tidester, host
It's as if my injectors are all cloged up! :sick:
Sometimes, Lois Lane does that to me without Kryptonite, depending on what type of perfume she is wearing!
But the Host has it backwards.---With Kryptonite around, I have to have crumple zones and ari bags. My super powers are made usless when that stuff is around. That is why I can't be with anyone who uses Kryptonite locks.
But, since no real Kryptonite really exists on earth, I feel pretty powerful most of the time!
Merry Christmas to all.
Tell the kids Superman will make sure Santa gets through to all of them! Promise!
The V6 has enough power for us since we we do not tow anything. We previously had a v6 jeep GC and the v6 was enough. Can not wait to see how the gas mileage is.
My wife and I have two children and haven't ruled out a third. My wife currently drives a 1999 Mitsubishi Montero Sport--it has been an excellent maintenance free vehicle for almost 100,000 miles now. Alas we are looking for a new vehicle of about the same size with newer/better safety features etc. Probably will end up getting something similar in size to the Montero Sport but with V8 and a 3rd row seat. We have test driven several vehicles including Nissan Pathfinder, Honda Pilot, Dodge Durango, Toyota 4runner, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Our favorite three were the Toyota 4runner, Dodge Durango, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. However my wife really likes the looks of the Jeep Commander and it would probably afford our family a little more room and give us a third row seat if we were to need one—so it would replace the Jeep GC in the rotation. The Toyota 4runner Limited V8 we drove was silky smooth and would be fine for our offroad adventures. My only concern is that I am pushing 6' 3" and the roof seems very low in the 4Runner. Not the end of the world as my wife will mostly be driving the new SUV. The Toyota heating and cooling controls seem a little funky and could learn something from Jeep in this regard--Both the GC and Commander seem to have much simpler controls which seem better to me. Of course the 4runners are said to be very reliable which has been a virtue of our current SUV. Nothing but routine maintenance for 100,000 miles. I'm going to assume that gas mileage will be similar in either the Commander or 4runner and isn't a huge deal to me to begin with. We crossed the Durango off the list because the interior fit and finish in the test vehicles we looked at were somewhat poor and the overall size might be a tad large for our needs—it did drive very nicely though—perhaps a little too much wind noise but nice nevertheless. The Jeep Commanders that we have looked at have been nice and tight inside by comparison. So I guess it comes down to the Commander and 4runner. Any one else drive both of these vehicles and have some advice or other information for me? Which one did you buy and why? As of right now I'm on the fence. Who knows, might need to throw the new Explorer into the fray as well. Thanks in advance for your input!
The 4-Runner, while an excellent SUV, suffers in passenger comfort because of the low-roof/ high-floor body construction. This has been a problem since there ever has been a 4-Runner. The mechanicals of it are typical Toyota, durable and reliable. So are the Jeeps of today. My '02 JGC Overland has about 139,000 miles on the odo right now, with just scheduled and preventive maintenance. Same tranny. Same motor. Same drivetrain. Before that, '98 JGC 5.9 LTD, and it's got 204,000 miles on it. Only thing changed besides normal wear and tear was a transfer case, and that was my fought because I left the truck in 4-lo and drove too fast in it.
The newly updated '06 Explorer is a nice SUV, some on this forum think that the EXPLODER is superior to the Commander, I for one don't think so. The Commander is typical Jeep, which means you can get it configured so many ways that optioning it is very easy.
For the ultimate balance of towing, off-road capability, comfort, and a world class ride all in one, the Commander is a first priority choice. Add to that all of the creature comforts that the Commander affords, it has the makings of the perfect do all SUV.:)
Thanks for the response. Sounds like you are a satisfied Jeep owner. My wife and I like the Commander and probably would have wrote the check to buy one already if the interior didn't use quite as much hard and in some cases flimsy plastic--what is the deal with the pocket above the glove compartment on the passenger side? My kids could break that thing in a heartbeat:) Guess one could also rationalize the hard plastic will be easy to care for.
I think your "balance" comment is spot on. Doesn't sound like you have had any reliability issues to speak of either. Certainly any vehicle that racks up 200,000+ miles was well worth the purchase. My guess is that the Jeep dealers will be really wheeling and dealing in 06 due to all of the competition out there and the publics' interest in crossovers. Both the Jeep and Toyota dealers near me have been wheeling to deal without much effort on my part. I tend to drive a hard bargain as I pay cash, do not trade a vehicle, and take my time. Our family really uses our vehicles and enjoys the flexibility of SUVs. Please feel free to keep adding information. Your input is appreciated.
Happy New Year!
Using a Car Broker to Buy Your Next Vehicle
Steve, Host
The Commander was on my buying list but the LR3 won out solely for the third seat and rear storage when the seats are down.
I can see why the Commander will be popular because you get a lot of gadgets and engine for the money... believe me, I checked.
Mark
it has very little bump steer, which i appreciate.
it might be fun to get in a gadget debate, but it might get boring. do you have a drivers seat that slides back to greet you when you open the door?
my point is to give prospective buyers my impressions or experiences. they can make their own decisions regarding what is cheerleading or not.
Several of my family members have bought Expeditions, Explorers, Bronco's, etc. My Dad just got a Mercury Grand Marquis about a year ago.
There are buyers for every brand... I've never owned a "regular" Ford but now I'm part of the Ford family.
How can anyone go wrong with the Commander as far as capability... it's on the Grand Cherokee frame/chassis. Like I've said before I've had two Grand Cherokee and found them to be very enjoyable to drive. They had a couple of issues but everything worked out fine in the end.
I wish Chrysler still made the regular Jeep Cherokee, I think that would still be a hot seller along with the Liberty, etc.
Mark
As for the midcornering, even tho my Commander has a more durable rigid axle over the Explorer's IRS, I don't experience any tail hop, thanks to the Jeeps shock tuning, which eliminates this and the thumps that the IRS's dish out.
sounds like the seat work similar.
i have keypad entry, but i don't have those skateboard surfer handles on the back.
I'm also glad to see you have interest in the Commander. It is a great SUV, and I've really enjoyed my ownership thus far. The V6 Commander is a sensible choice if you don't do any major hauling or towing. And it gets 17/21 mpg. But for 16/20, you could opt for the 4.7L V8 and will probably get better mileage as the powertrain is not straining and struggling as much. And it's only about $1k more than the V6 model. But different strokes for different folks. One guy on this forum was pleased with his V6 Commander, while one was franticly upset. My point: drive both models before deciding on either.
P.S.- You'll be able to afford more gas because you won't have to worry about those pesky Bimmer "trouble codes" any longer.
If you want good gas mileage buy a Civic. If you want a powerful SUV, especially a V8, you will use a lot of gas. I so wish people would stop expecting 25 MPG from a 5500 lb vehicle, it ain't gonna happen folks. And even more so, don't buy one and 2 weeks later start complaining that it is a gas guzzler.
those grown up kids of yours are going to be fighting over the front passenger seat. the commander is not especially roomy in the 2nd and 3rd rows.
get a moonroof and if you get leather, make sure they are at least the heated ones. your bimmer probably has those features, but they are options. heated and cooled seats are now available too. don't know if they are on the commander.
check out the x3, mdx, and rx330. get cards from the sales reps. leave them in plain sight when you go to the jeep dealer.
post back about what you decide.
lol, fun tip. Stick some brochures of the Acura and Lexus on the front seat of your trade too. ;-)
Steve, Host
I appreciate all the advice I can obtain. Thank you, Kerri:)