Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

explorerx4 · August 2005

if you don't drive many miles, you are not going to save much gas money buying a more fuwl efficient vehicle. the additional cost, insurance, and property tax, will wipe that out and more.

daryll44 · August 2005

vehicle to trot out only on Sundays to drive granny to church? In the real world, people ACTUALLY USE their Explorers daily. And while I agree that it doesn't make economic sense, even at $3/gal to take the huge hit (resale value are awful) and pay the juice for a more economical vehicle (high mpg vehicles now command a premium). But with so many Explorers on the road, there is constantly a turnover of people who are just ready for a new vehicle, not specifically because of gas. And as that happens, they won't come back for another Explorer. THAT is my point. And sales will be dead in the water, not to mention what it will do to Expedition sales.

nvbanker · August 2005

You're right, Daryl - but the dirty little secret, even in 73, was your Buick Electra got you maybe 7 mpg at the time, but the Pinto you bought to replace it in 74 (to save gas) got you 12 mpg. A VW bug at that time got you 18 mpg. And gas was how much per gallon? 50 cents? Do that math on how much you saved on that equation! And what did you give up for your Pinto? Power, ride, room, comfort and reliability - plus $5,000.

The difference between then and now on gas supply and prices is that in 74, Nixon put wage and price controls in place, so the gas could not go up in price, therefore, the gas companies could not make money refining fuel, and shut down. Bush is smart enough not to do that, so although the price is outrageous, at least you can get it. I prefer today's scenerio, having lived through the other one.

chuck1 · August 2005

I just got back from a 1,800 vacation road trip with my '05 -4Runner V8 that I traded in my '02 XLT V6 for.

I traveled at 90 MPH all the way from St. George Utah to Las Vegas Nevada and got 18.88 mpg with the 270 horsepower-24 valve DOHC V8. My wife got 20 mpg on other parts of the trip driving no more than 70 miles-per-hour. This would be about the same mpg I got with the Explorer with the V6!

The wind noise with the 4Runner is more noticeable. However, it feels more stable at highway speeds than the Explorer did. But the Explorer had less wind noise. And there is no rear-end noise either with the 4Runner.

The V8 of the 4Runner is very,very quiet. We traveled up 10,000 foot mountain passes with no-trouble at all. It looks like we will purchase a 21 ft. trailer at 3,300 pounds and use the 4Runner as our tow vehicle.
Happy motoring!

nvbanker · August 2005

I'm happy for you Chuck. Now, why don't you go celebrate on the 4-Runner board with your new friends. There's no question the 4-Runner is a great truck. In some ways, it's far superior to the Explorer. But some of us, like me, don't like the hard steering, choppy ride and goofy interior controls, the high hump on the hood that blocks your view of the road, or no road ahead, the high floor, low seating position, and lack of a decent third seat, or live axle in the 4-Runner.

Some of us, like me, appreciate the fact that our Explorers have given us 140,000 trouble free miles, and we're sorry yours didn't, but they're machines, and some of them have issues. The design of the Explorer though, is the most popular in the States, since they came out, and the fact that they're still the best selling SUV in the class, despite the availability of the 4-Runner for at least 15 years, says something about their apparent desirability to me.

I've had 5 of them, and never had a bad one, they just get better with each iteration IMO. I'm a Toyota fan - they are awesome cars and trucks, but their design is not always cutting edge, though their performance may be great. They're not always flawless either. The Sequoia was fraught with A/C, 4WD and brake problems when it first came out, for example. Still a good truck, but for my needs, it's short on design.

I bought a 4-Runner for my neighbor - it's what she wanted. She had a Chevy truck before, and wanted the "most reliable" truck. I drove it extensively before I delivered it to her - and I just don't care for it for all the reasons above. If you like it better than the Explorer, that's great. But we don't care about that here, know what I mean? :mad:

explorerx4 · August 2005

maybe if you had driven your v6 faster, it would have gotten even better mileage.
i told you higher speeds did not necessarily equate to lower mileage.

daryll44 · August 2005

I've also had 4 Explorers/Mteers and all but the '99 were good and even the '99 wasn't too bad.

In response to the earlier post about Nixon, you have a mishmashed memory. The wage and price controls were from the summer of 1970 to about 1972 or so. The gas thing didn't hit until the Arab Embargo after the Yom Kippur war of October 1973. And prices DID rise...gas went from about 25 cents to 50 cents. By the time I started driving in April 1976 regular unleaded was about 54 or 55 cents.

I guess you make a good point about giving up so much from a big car (had a Buick LeSabre that got....as you said...8 MPG around town) for a Pinto that got, as you said, about 12 MPG in the real world around town.

But in the real world what a prudent person would do during rising gas prices is WAIT AND NOT BUY ANYTHING. Once it became clear that gas would peak out at 55 cents, it was clearer that the Pinto wasn't the way to go.

And I don't know if Ford and GM can withstand that downturn this time around.

nvbanker · August 2005

Mishmashed memory huh? I started driving in 68, and gas was as low as 19 cents a gallon at the el-cheapo places then sometimes in my town. But whatever, your point about Ford & GM not being in a position to withstand a serious downturn in sales right now is certainly valid. The big profit vehicles are the SUVs U& trucks. If they stop selling and only Corollas do for a few years, they are in big trouble.

stever · August 2005

History is fun, but let's stick to recent Explorer factoids in here please.

Steve, Host

electricdesign · August 2005

I'll say this about that, Looking back is an essential part of getting ahead. Why do you think they put rear view mirrors in cars. I little interesting history is good to keep us on track, but agree, we need to stay on track. That part of the thread has boiled down to gas mileage being an important factor on the sales of the vehicles, and if people don't want to buy gas guzzling SUV's, then they are going to buy OTHER more fuel efficient vehicles. That will directly affect both new car sales and used car sales. My Explorer will be worth even less when I go to trade it in or sell it, and especially if nobody wants one. I've owned 4 Explorers also, and they have all been nice, 91, 93. 97 & 2000, the newer ones have been great. But I am afraid that my current Explorer will be my last. I have to do a lot of driving, having a long commute to work, about 60 miles round trip of mostly city driving. I will be looking for something else next time, don't know what yet.

explorerx4 · August 2005

gas prices have already affected the prices of used explorers. last year, i took a risk. i bought a focus and kept my explorer. the depreciation hit would have been pretty big. it is costing me in car payments, insurance, and property taxes. i am saving in gas consumption, delayed maintenance and higher gas mileage on the explorer, since i don't use it as much for commuting. if it ever pays off, it will be measured in years, even at today's gas prices. on the other hand, i am having a lot of fun driving my little 2.3 5 speed zts.

nvbanker · August 2005

Exactly my point.

kc_flynn · August 2005

We just took our 2004 Ford Explorer XLS Sport 4x4 on a 1440 mile round trip vacation. The Explorer did a great job. We averaged about 75 mph on the highway and were able to get 19-20 mpg. We had a lot of luggage, and it all fit with room to spare and with no obstruction of the rear window. A very nice ride. While on our vaca, we also comfortably hauled around extended family members (seating for 7 with the 3rd row seat) on day trips. In terms of looks, comfort, and ride quality, the Explorer made a great impression on everyone.

okmom · August 2005

My beloved 2000 Mountaineer (49K miles) didn't pass the emission inspection at local mechanic.( pass the safety test.)
The mechanic told me the brake pads are fine.
He told me that he cannot connect to my car's computer board.
(something about "the fuse kept blown up.")

I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow.

The car is running fine.
However about two weeks ago, after I filled the gas tank, ABS warning light came on and stay on.

so two questions... someone help me...

1) Is it possible ABS light comes on when the brake pads need to be replace?
2) Which brand's brake pads are best for this SUV?

explorerx4 · August 2005

that makes you special, just like those millions of other explorer owners(like me).

daryll44 · August 2005

I see that GM has extended $10,000 off of the fiction-sticker "Employee Pricing" to the 2006 Tahoe and other large SUVs. This new Explorer will be totally dead in the water with gas prices this high. Totally dead. You're lookin at $25,000 Explorers (loaded) very soon.

nvbanker · August 2005

Why will it be dead? It's more like the car based SUVs now, yet still tows, and gets better mileage than it has ever before gotten. If the Explorer is dead, it's a lot less dead than any of the competition will be, or any of the larger SUVs. Believe it or not, most SUV drivers don't care about the gas, or they wouldn't drive one to begin with. At least that's how I see it.

electricdesign · September 2005

Yes, they didn't care, Then. But, Now is a different story. As gas prices rise through the roof, the SUV drivers will be changing there minds. I didn't worry about gas prices when I bought my 2000 XLT V8 in March of this year, now I'm concerned. I live in one city and work in another, do a lot of driving. I must drive a long commute to get to work and back home.

daryll44 · September 2005

entire sector will die. Could force GM and/or Ford into bankrupcy. We do love our Mountaineer and I'd like to get the 2006, but I certainly won't do so until I see what is going to happen with gas. And with prices. My suspicion is that prices will be lower than ever by Xmas and dealers will be begging us to buy them. More than the usual begging!

fdthird · September 2005

I just hope that people are not going to be trading them in, using gas prices as excuses to get a new smaller car. You know that SUV prices have to take a major hit with gas prices where they are (on LI I saw about $3.00 to $3.30 for unleaded regular last evening) and the trade in value of your vehicle is got to be less than it would have been a couple of months ago. I hope people are going to realize that if the hit is big enough, you can buy a lot of gas for the difference between what it should be worth and what they'll give you.

Perhaps this will cause people to consider their vehicle needs a bit more realistically in the future. While a single person who mostly drives alone doesn't really need something Expedition size, a family of 5 who spends the summer towing a pop up probably does.

mschmal · September 2005

Before you get all excited about gas prices, consider that if you drive 12k a year in a vehicle that gets 20mpg, your annual fuel cost at $3.50 a gallon are $2,100. If gas is $3.00 a gallon you would pay $1,800. only $300 in savings. If gas got down to $2.00 a gallon you would be paying $1,200. Only a $900 savings or less than $20.00 a week. Are alot of people willing to pay $20 a week to drive the kind of vehicle they want or need to drive? Most likely.

Most people who buy Explorers, based on Ford research, choose this vehicle because it works best with some aspect of their life style, for instance they take long road trips with the family. They tow a boat/camper on the weekends. They take the family skiing.

Alot of people are still going to purchase this kind of truck. Will SUV sales slow? Sure, but its going to be the weak SUVs that suffer, not the strong. The 06 Explorer is the most capable SUV on the Market.

Mark

lateralg · September 2005

Bullseye, Mark!

nvbanker · September 2005

Right on, Mark!

gschech · September 2005

I just bought this vehicle last week. It has a keypad on the driver's side door, but the seller did not know the combination. I was told by Mercury to look for the combination on the vehicle's computer, but I don't know where the computer is. Does anyone know if I can do this myself without going to the dealer? Thanks. :confuse:

alman08 · September 2005

to look on the vehicle's computer probably means to bring your car to the dealer and they will get the code for you off the car's computer. you can also call ford customer service and give them the VIN and they should be able to give you the code after verifying that you're the owner of the car.

nvbanker · September 2005

The computer is in the back, I believe, behind a panel. Wish I could remëmber which side. There should be a white sticker with 5 black nümbers on it. Your permanent code.

mschmal · September 2005

Actually, if you get a flash light, look up under the dash around the steering column. If the code is there you'll see a sticker on a lil' black box thingy.

Ford no longer puts the codes on the vehicle though so you might not have it. Either way, your dealer can retreive it from the computer for you.

Mark.

daryll44 · September 2005

I saw an '04 Limited yesterday at the Ford dealer. $44,000 sticker for a loaded-to-the-gills machine including NAV and DVD. Some nice improvements over the old machine but it was nothing spectacular. I guess if you back out the DVD and NAV the price would be about the same $38,000 sticker (I paid $33,000) that was on my '03 Mountaineer Premier. bot 3 years ago this week. Nevertheless, I can't imagine anyone forking over 40 grand for an Explorer, especially with gas prices uncertain. But as mid-sized SUVs go, it does appear to be the design leader again. It will be interesting to see how high the rebates have to go before they can move volumes.

alman08 · September 2005

for a 04 model, I would think the dealer would have done anything possible to get rid of it today, LOL. How about family pricing plus plus plus plus plus plus plus plus :P $16k out the door!

spring25 · September 2005

Hi guys, I am still in search of my Mountaineer and I getting a deal from 2 different dealers One is offering me either 2002 black/leather AWD Mountaineer with about 48660 mileage and/or an white/tan leather Explorer for $15500.00 including taxes, fees everything. Another dealer started me at &17990 and now is offering me a White/upfolsery seats Mountaineer with 55450 mileage for $13990+ taxes and fees which is $15575.62 in total....what do you think....I have $15000 in a check to purchase as a cash buyer...are these good deals or should I wait for something better in the line?
Please helpppppp!!!!

chuck1 · September 2005

If you can't buy a Ford backed warranty with either one of these vehicle, I would run the other way. If I understand the warranty situation correctly, both of these vehicle have too many miles to qualify for a (Ford) warranty. There are far too many "lingering issues" to buy these used without a warranty. Some of these are: bad rear ends, bad transmission solenoids, bad power window motors, the transmission needing a reflash is common.

Remember- a used car (Or SUV) was traded in for a reason. Why did the previous owner get rid of it?

spring25 · September 2005

Thank you Chuck1 you are the BEST!

daryll44 · September 2005

Oops! I must be brain dead. I subtracted a year (from the current '05 model) instead of adding. I MEANT to say that I saw the '06 Explorer, and reviewed it above! Oops!

nvbanker · September 2005

With all due respect to our friend chuck1, I take some issue with his concern over a used car. I have bought and delivered hundreds of used cars at the Manheim auctions, and never had a bad one - many of them have been Explorers & Mountaineers. They're not all bad, in fact the vast majority of them are very good. Occasionally, there is a clunker out there, and boy do you hear about it here, because that's what this board is for. My 2002 Mountaineer had one repair on it - a squeaky idler arm pully, and it had the cracked liftgate thingy. That's it. But it's in the used car lot now, because the wife wanted an 04. That was because she loved her 02 so much, which she wanted because she loved her 98 so much, which she bought because she loved my 97, which I bought because I loved our 94. See the point? I've never had a bad one, and the 94 was bought used. The rest were new.

Another thing. I'm not saying the extended warranty is always bad - but it's likely to cost you $2000 or so. If you have $2000 to spend for the warranty, you can handle a pretty hefty repair, which is why you are buying the warranty. So, I don't agree with chuck1 that you shouldn't buy a used Explorer without an extended warranty. It's a crap shoot. If you get a bad truck, then he's right. But if you don't, you'll waste the money. Which is how the warranty companies make their money.

Anyway, that's how I feel. For the money, the Explorer/Mountaineer is the best SUV on the market, and damn good at that. You can pay more for a 4-runner, and it's probably going to last longer without issues, but it's not even close to as good an overall design, very trucky and hard to drive by comparison.

nvbanker · September 2005

Ok, spring - here's some hard core numbers for you. Manheim auctions sold 179 Mountaineers nationwide last week. At 55,000 miles, they went for about $11,000, assuming your prospect is AWD and a 4.0L six. (You didn't specify). Your dealer is making PLENTY of markup on that White one he's offering you at $14,000 in my opinion. Tell him you'll give him $12,500 for it (plus tax & fees of course) period. He'll still make $1500 on the car, unless he paid too much for it, which shouldn't be your problem. That's what I'd do. If you lived closer, I could buy you one out of the auction just like it for $11,000.

chuck1 · September 2005

"I take some issue with his concern over a used car. I have bought and delivered hundreds of used cars at the Manheim auctions, and never had a bad one - many of them have been Explorers & Mountaineers."

NVBanker,
As I think you may be aware-I purchased a NEW Explorer in '02, and experienced EVERYONE of the problems I mentioned. (And other problems I didn't mentioned.) You know my new 4Runner doesn't have a rear end that whines between 55 and 60mph? Imagine that!! :shades:

The repair for the rear-end out of warranty I hear is around $1,800.00 You can buy a Ford backed warranty for that on the net that covers the powertrain. I did just that, and got over a $500.00 refund when I traded it in and notified the dealer who sold me the warranty (a dealer over the net) that I nolonger owned this vehicle. With all due respect, I disagree with you. To buy one of these used without a warranty is foolhardy! IMHO!!

explorerx4 · September 2005

nv... my GUESS is that spring25 told the dealers they had 15k in hand. how much do you think a vehicle is then going to cost them?

daryll44 · September 2005

I have an '03 Mountaineer that was bot in Sept, '02 so it's an early ;'03. Just hitting 40,000 miles and only had 1 (warranty) repair...a leaking strut (and I am not even sure if that was the truth...perhaps the dealer was just "looking" for a way to milk the warranty as it was near 36,000 when he "happened' to find that). And the driver's seat "leather" isn't holding up too well.

Other than that, this has been the best Ford product we've ever had and that is over 20. The paint still looks like new, the ride is fine and the mileage does hurt at $3/gallon, but for the size of the vehicle it's as fuel efficient as the competition.

And at 3 years, LOTS of people trade just to trade. It doesn't mean anything is wrong as implied above. I would not be afraid to buy a used one of these puppies.

spring25 · September 2005

thank you very much for your opinion, yes you are right, the Moutaineer is AWD and 4.0l six and I am offering him $15000 with everything including, the SUV price and tax & fees but he doesnt want to give me for less thant $15575 and it is not even Leather seats or sunroof or all that kind of stuff, My loan is going to expire on 09/24/05 and all these dealers want to make too much money in all their SUV, do you think is a bad deal I am offering him $15000 for a 55,000+ miles Moutaineer?

spring25 · September 2005

No when I went to the dealer I didn't tell the guy what I have, I let him show me and gave him a price range, he asked me if I was financing the SUV either through them or another bank, I just told him, let see what you have to offer me, so we took it from there...whe he started giving me numbers like $179990 for 2002 Moutaineer with 55,000+ miles then I told him it was too much then he went down to $16789, then to $15990 and then finally $13990 but with tax & fees he said I have to pay $15575.63 and that is when I took my check out and told him $15000 with everything including and we can close the deal right now, he said that I needed to pay taxes and stuff and seriusly I think I can do better, yesterday I was checking again some dealers online and I found another Moutaineer with less miles on it and leather seats and the dealer starting price is $16789 so if I got this guy going down from $179990 to $139990 (well technically $15575) then don't you think I can get this other guy go down until I have my deal of $15000 with all?

alman08 · September 2005

spring25, from what I'm reading, chuck1's opinion is the best for your situation. no offense, but if you're only qualified for $15k and nothing more, just think, what if the car does break down a week or 2 from the day you bought it and you have no warranty on it?
also, nvbanker just told you how much the car would go for in the auction, so yes, definitely $15k for that moutaineer is a VERY BAD DEAL!
just to give you an idea what is out there, last year in august (yes in 04) I saw a 03 slightly used eddie bauer model, v6, fully loaded , 15k miles sitting on a ford dealer lot asking for $16,999. Get the picture?

chuck1 · September 2005

"to milk the warranty as it was near 36,000 when he "happened' to find that). And the driver's seat "leather" isn't holding up too well".

There hasn't been any wide-spread issues with the struts, so I guess this is an isolated situation. I can tell you the leather on these vehicles is JUNK. There have been many complaints about cracking. When you consider my wife is alone in the vehicle 70% of the time, and the drivers seat is cracking-and then the rest of the leather (save for the third seat which was not used very much) was also showing the same "cracking", this all points to very thin/cheap leather directly due to cost cutting. I might also add that I used "conditioners on the seats" but it didn't seen to help much. They also cut costs with the aluminium rear-end that is a wide spread problem. Where did Ford cut corners where you can't see?

tidester · September 2005

Ford Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer: Prices Paid & Buying Experience.

tidester, host

nvbanker · September 2005

Well, somebody has to tell the other part of the story, chuck. I also bought a new 2002 Mountaineer, and experienced NONE of the problems you mentioned. People need to know that too. Sorry you had a bad one, enjoy your 4-runner. I, for one, don't care for the design, of the Yoda, though I acknowledge, they are bullet proof.

electricdesign · September 2005

Yes, there are always 2 sides to every story. I am really happy with my 1997 XLT V8 and my 2000 XLT V8.
My wifes been driving the 97 for 3 1/2 years now, runs and drives perfect at 140,000 miles. I only had one problem so far, I had to replace the multifunction switch, which cost me about $63 at the dealer and it was easy to put on myself.
I have been driving the 2000 XLT for 6 months, so far it's very good at 107,000 miles.
Both are wonderful vehicles, the only problem is they drink a lot of gas, 13-14 around town, 17-18 on the road.
E.D.

nvbanker · September 2005

GOOD GRIEF, MAN!! How do you dare drive those two Vehicles without a WARRANTY!!!

chuck1 · September 2005

The testimonials prior to the redesign in'01 are meaningless. They were redesigned and consequently, completely different vehicles. I am glad you enjoyed yours.

nvbanker · September 2005

I understand that, I had both versions. I still drive them. I just think it's disingenuous for you to hit this board constantly, warning everyone who may buy one, that they'll need an extended warranty I've purchased Ford ESP plans four times, and needed them exactly twice, once for a power steering pump leak, and once for a loose crank pulley. Both on an 87 Mercury Sable. Never even came close to getting my money out of it. Never needed it on any SUV. I have concluded that in general, Ford is making money on them. Obviously they do, or they wouldn't offer them. For every time somebody soaks up their warranty cost with an engine or transmission failure, 100 customers don't use them for anything catastrophic and waste their money. I'm sorry your experience wasn't good. They're machines, it happens. The Asians make the best cars. Not everything Ford makes is great. But some of their products are very good. Their trucks generally are among them. I have a Mercedes on order, and hope it treats me as well as every Explorer/Mountaineer I have owned, for the record.

daryll44 · September 2005

the 6 Fords (Explorers, Town Car, Mustang) spend MUCH less time in the shop than the Mercedes. Trust me....you'll appreciate the Mercedes loaner car (usually a Toyota around here, by the way)!!!!!

nvbanker · September 2005

Yeah, I've noticed the Toyota Camry loaners here too. I don't understand that logic, but evidently MB doesn't think there is value in tempting their customers with a nicer newer Benz while their heap is in the shop. If the Mercedes is a hanger queen, it won't last long with me. I'm quite used to not having between oil change service intervals with my Ford products, and I like it.

Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles