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Posted: 8/15/2005 6:35:56 PM EDT
[#1]
IMO no, the only thing decent on them is the 8.8 R&P wich is commonly ripped out & used to upgrade your TJ. You can pick up a XJ w/ a D44 pretty cheaply, throw in a couple of Lock-Right's & have a far superior vehical w/ plentiful parts availibility.
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Posted: 8/15/2005 6:38:23 PM EDT
[#2]
I think this depends on your definition of "off road".
I am a Ford guy. The Ford Exploder does not qualify in any means other than very light duty off road use. I have a F-150 4x4 with the off road package and it works very well but it is by far not the best off road vehicle. We need more info on your use.... |
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Posted: 8/15/2005 6:38:40 PM EDT
[#3]
I had a 95 explorer. Wheeled it MODERATELY, and trashed the shit out of it. I'd go fullsize. Preferrably something GM with a 11.5 ring. HARD to break.
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Posted: 8/15/2005 6:39:05 PM EDT
[#4]
Run the fuck away.
My Ford Exploder rant |
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Posted: 8/15/2005 6:46:49 PM EDT
[#5]
Yeah. Ford in general ain't nothing but sh#t. If you insist-go with the F-150. |
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Posted: 8/16/2005 12:40:52 AM EDT
[#6]
DOW has a point. i own a 1993 ford explorer that runs like a top. it has required only regular maintenance and has lasted me over 195,000 miles. im actually getting the engine rebuilt as we speak. i take it offroading at least once a week and drive the shit out of it. NOWADAYS ford makes total a POS. my parents bought a 2002 and almost every problem that DOW had with his expo occured with theirs. that rear window thing pisses me off the most. all of the little crap on the truck broke within a year of purchasing the truck. if you get an explorer for offroad use, purchase and older one and do some minor repairs. theyre (older ones) pretty good trucks.
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Posted: 8/16/2005 4:04:18 AM EDT
[#7]
I'm not hijacking the thread, but the J.D. power numbers that I have seen show the Explorer at .15 more problems per vehicle than the class leader, the 4Runner. .15!!!! Is this even debatable?? when you sell 4 times as many vehicles as the competitor, you are logically going to have 4 times the number of complaints.
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Posted: 8/16/2005 4:10:51 AM EDT
[#8]
High speed special forces operators use F-350s for off-roading with machine guns mounted on a roll cage in the back of the cab.
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Posted: 8/16/2005 4:11:41 AM EDT
[#9]
I, too, am a Ford guy. We have an '03 Explorer. Fine vehicle. Actually, a damn good vehicle. However, it's not much of an off-road platform.
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Posted: 8/16/2005 4:16:39 AM EDT
[#10]
The J.D. Power statistic controls for the increased number of vehicles by making the reliability stat a "per vehicle" number. The number of complaints gets divided by the number of vehicles sold. Thus, if the numbers were even Ford would have several times more repairs (if their sales are truly several times that of Toyota). Personally, I would lean towards a 4Runner except the head room sucks. shooter |
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Posted: 8/16/2005 4:53:51 AM EDT
[#11]
That's the thing. Today's SUV's(with the exception of some platforms(ie, Jeep Wrangler), do not cut the mustard when it comes to off-roading. The SUV's are more easily situated to bad-weather conditions. |
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Posted: 8/16/2005 5:19:07 AM EDT
[#12]
Ford guy...blue oval blood kinda Ford guy.
I have two Explorers. '94 4.0L 170k mi with a 4yr coolant leak. Front hubs can be fragile if not properly engaged/disengaged. It's my daily driver/beater & consider it dependable enough but would not travel more than 50mi from home with it. IT IS A STATIONWAGON not a truck. '99 4.0L Sport with 90k mi. It is my wife's daily driver. She doesn't like it because the short wheel base & tight steering make it a bitch to drive when the roads are messy. IT IS A STATIONWAGON not a truck. BRAKES both front & rear are an issue with this model. I would not recommend either for offroad use. When these two die we won't be getting any more. Get a '92-'97 F350 if you want a vehicle to hold up to offroading in Montana. Parts are readily available & they are a real truck, not a car that has 4wd. |
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:33:30 PM EDT
[#13]
I know that. I guess maybe I should have made the last sentence a seperate paragraph.  The point of that comment was that with 4 times as many vehicles on the road, you are going to hear 4 times as many people bitching. |
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:36:47 PM EDT
[#14]
FORD (Found On Road Dead)
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:38:02 PM EDT
[#15]
F-150
Best truck on the road. |
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:39:24 PM EDT
[#16]
My Explorer had problems with the head gaskets at only 60,000 miles. Also the entire climate control system went to shit on me as well as several other things.
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:42:23 PM EDT
[#17]
The ol' Exploder eh...
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:42:33 PM EDT
[#18]
Great rig - but not suited for 4x4 action.
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Posted: 8/16/2005 7:44:11 PM EDT
[#19]
Not unless you have a very bumpy parking lot at the supermarket...
They are not designed for true "off-roading" Get the truck. |
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Posted: 8/21/2005 7:29:47 PM EDT
[#20]
you full size advocates must be wheeling in the open-fawking-desert! for ANY kind of rock-crawling and tight trails, a vehicle with a 90-105" wheelbase is the cat's ass. FS vehicles are just TOO big. all you'll do is tear stuff up and piss off the jeepers that are waiting for you huge-ass rig to make that 9-pt turn cause your turning radius sucks so bad.
the only problem with the Explorer is the lack of a solid front axle. the SLA/torsion bar setup of the 96+ Ex's suck the big one, but the TTB susuension of the 91-95 Ex's can be made to work. if ya get a manual, the drivetrain will last for YEARS |
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Posted: 8/21/2005 11:57:54 PM EDT
[#21]
he's asking about a 2001 exploder......which falls firmly into the "suck" category. Of course, if you'd bothered to look at his link, you'd know that 
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Posted: 8/22/2005 6:24:46 PM EDT
[#22]
From someone who works on these things nearly every day: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Posted: 8/22/2005 6:27:28 PM EDT
[#23]
I drive an Explorer and STILL voted No...I need it for the NE Winters and I have little ones and all...but if you're gonna "play" get the truck...or al OLD jeep that you can trash, no?
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Posted: 8/22/2005 7:06:21 PM EDT
[#24]
Good point Playmore. Although if you really want an SUV, you should get it...super sized! |
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Posted: 8/23/2005 4:08:19 AM EDT
[#25]
FTR...from what I understand (and what I know about cars is not enuf to fill a thimble with...but I am repeating what the hubby said) Up until 2002, the Explorer frame was the same frame that was used for the Ranger. In 2003, the Explorer earned its own frame thus eliminating that "station wagon" feeling. I had an 01 and now an 03 and I HAVE noticed the turning is better in the 03. Not as tight as my sportscar before the kids came along <sigh> but I digress.... |
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Posted: 8/23/2005 10:20:19 AM EDT
[#26]
The Hummer H3 got great reviews as far as its offroading ability. I personally don't like the looks of it, but different strokes for different folks
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