Hi Guys,

foremost : I am not a Car Guys, Car is a tool that has to work. I can fix and do small things on my car but that is about it, i dont follow models or makes, i dont have a preference.
Normally i drive my cars until they are not worth repairing but i do need something bigger in the foreseeable future.

Nonetheless did i today see a 2018 Ford Explorer XLT with the V6 Engine that is ringing all my bells.

Since here are expert for literally anything i wanted to ask if somebody here has Experience with that particular Car / Model / Engine ?

I am especially concerned about :

- Reliability (Fords dont have the best record, at least from what i heard)
- is the advertised MPG 16/22 realistic ? Its really not great but would not be a deal breaker
- maint. and insurance cost ?


2018
55k Miles
3.5L V6
Some nice features and i looks cool (that is really it, i dont care about all the details and in terms of electronics it has too much allready but that is a cross i would have to carry with every newer Car)

Asking $33.900 but are willing to give me good trade in Value on my car.

If arf.com talks me out of this one i am 90% set on a new Subaru Forester that will be delivered in Sept if i order this month.


Thank you all in Advance.

Turbo or na? The ones in my fleet go through tires, even with alignments. And the water pump is inside the engine. I've done a bunch of lower control arms. Nothing really traumatic, but we have the 3.7 na v6.

We just gave our 2016 to our daughter with 140K on it. It has been bulletproof when we bought it used with 28000 on it. It had the 3.6 I think and it had good power and averaged a solid 20 mpg in mixed driving with a best of 28mpg on a long trip.
I wouldn't fear it.

I have a 2018 Limited with the V6.  Nice car with more junk in it than the XLT.

Since it does have more stuff (my drivers seat has 6 motors and a separate air-condition/heat pump system) more stuff can go wrong.

Big items are:
The internal water pump.  If it leaks it can go into the engine oil.  Pump = $2000, engine = $6000
If you have 4wd/AWD the PTU (transfer case) sits next to the catalytic converter which cooks the oil and destroys the bearings/gears.  $2500
The rear AC lines can leak and you have to take the subframe apart to replace for $1800.

I recommend a Ford ESP warranty from one of the online dealers.  Mine was $1750 for 8 years/100k.


Nice thing is that there a ton of 5th gen explorers around and you can get parts easily.  So insurance is cheap, maintenance on par with other american SUVs.

TYCOM

In honestly dont even know, i would have assumed but after looking it up it does not mention anything about it. 3.5L TI-VCT V6 is what the Sticker said, that would then be this without a turbo correct ? https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=159



Jesus but i think this one has the same seats, felt like it had more buttons on the Seat than my car has in total.



It is the 4WD, i guess for all these issues there is no way to check for them beforehand or to keep an eye on them, its just too late at one point ?

It still comes with the rest of 10y/100k warrently, that would let me sleep in peace for 3-4 Years.

Had 2 explorers over the years and lastly an Edge that shares same drive line and a lot of other with the explorer, including the 3.5 non turbo v6. The integral water pump is a ticking time bomb that you can't change without pulling the motor. It also has plastic valve covers with pressed in seals; I was 1 for 2 in changing the seals without breaking the valve cover.  I'm a ford guy and they build a great truck in the f150. That said, I just replaced my wife's ford edge with a 2019 Toyota Highlander. Similar size etc to explorer. Much more reliable

The n/a motor in that should be less maintenance. Have the ptu fluid changed, although it is a pain to do so. I think the water pump can be done in the car, but it's a ton of work. If you're losing coolant get it checked right away. It will usually leak externally near the alternator before it gets bad enough to leak internally.

Electric power steering racks are another common failure.

Buy a highlander or RX350.

Pics from a taurus water pump that I did.

We ditched my wife's 2016 limited, it spent its first 3 months in and out of the dealership for the a/c and heated drivers seat. The only other issues with it were recall related, it had 5 over the course of 4 years of owning it. The actual mileage was 15mpg city and 22hwy if it was really babied.

I've got a 2015 Explorer XLT with 165k, that I've had for about 10k miles. Cloth seats, FWD.

Bought mine from my company as a former fleet vehicle. Its been great to me so far. 22-23mpg average.

I thought the newer models had corrected the built in water pump issue but not sure.

We have a 2011 xlt v6 with 165k and it’s been perfect. I tried  to like the Highlander but the third row was a joke.

The newer waterpumps have a double seal to prevent coolant going into the engine oil.  They still fail but at least you see it drip outside first.

TYCOM