Best vehicle I've ever owned, period.
Written: Feb 10 '04
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Pros: Safety, reliability, dependability, good cargo space, good towing.
Cons: Gas mileage isn't great (17-20 mpg)
The Bottom Line: Can't go wrong. The 1998 Explorer is a rock solid, safe, dependable vehicle.
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| scountry's Full Review: 1998 Ford Explorer 4WD |
I have owned mostly Fords over my lifetime, but have also had a Toyota, Chevy, and two Subarus. I have also had many friends and relatives with various brands of vehicles. No other brand has been as reliable and safe as Ford.
On to my Explorer:
SAFETY
With Four kids and a Wife who could possibly be the worst/unluckiest driver in history (11 accidents) you want to know without hesitation that your vehicle is safe. I can fully attest to the safety of the 1998 Ford Explorer... My Wife hit a school bus head on with our oldest daughter in her car seat in the back (don't ask how you can hit a giant, bright yellow school bus on a sunny day, but... moving on: The front end was completely bashed in. The hood was buckled, the grill devastated. I got the call at work and drove as fast as I could to the accident site. The tow truck was there to gather the Explorer and I almost didn't recognize it. The first thing I noticed, however, was that the passenger compartement was untouched and in perfect condition (although the front end was squashed). They had taken my wife to the hospital to check her out and my daughter was at the day care of the Church next door to the accident site (one of the Church ladies came to help and knew my daughter, so she volunteered to help out). My wife was fine when I got to the hospital (just shaken up). My daughter was also in great condition. The Explorer was actually repaired (turns out the frame was straight, the damage was mostly confined to the front end and was repairable (about $8k for the insurance company to pay). When I got my Explorer back, it drove as perfectly as it still does today four years later. I figure if a vehicle can take a head on with a School Bus and protect my family, that's pretty good. As a separate story, we were at the park one day when we heard a horrible crashing sound... We ran over to find a teen girl had rolled her Mom's Explorer a few times after clipping the high curbs on the curvy road there. The Explorer was crushed and beaten pretty badly from the multiple rolls, but... the passenger compartment was intact and the girl had NO INJURIES (other than the fact she was in tears over what she was going to tell her mother... ;-)
RELIABILITY
I've got over 125,000 miles on my explorer including highway, in-town, snow/ice, and off-road mud, rocks, etc. It has never let me down. It has the 6 cylinder, OHV engine that performs like a V-8. The only problems I've had have been typical things like a couple of thermostats, a few new batteries, and a belt or two. It rides as smooth as glass, the engine purrs as quietly as the day I bought it, and the 5 speed electronic transmission is as smooth as glass. With the addition of our fourth child, my wife and I bought a van. My wife wanted to buy another brand, so she picked out a Chevrolet Venture. Now she laments how my Explorer drives so much better than her van and how it is such a "better vehicle".
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
I used the four wheel drive back in South Texas once in awhile to get through the flood season and had a few ventures into the Texas Hill Country (including some mild rock crawling), but had really not used it anywhere near as much as I did in my old Ford Ranger 4X4 when I was single and crazy (I did rock crawling in it that turned my passengers' hair white :-) Now that I live in Utah, I was awaiting my chance to see how it does in the snow... The state motto is "Greatest Snow on Earth" here in Utah and it doesn't disappoint much. Last winter we had a mild time and I used the four wheel drive a few times around town and to take the kids sledding. This winter... We have had the heaviest winter in over 5 years. It started with a 44 inch blast the day after Christmas. The Explorer handled it with ease. I couldn't get our Venture van out of the driveway, but the Explorer could go anywhere I wanted to go with it. I took the kids sledding and watched a 4X4 Jeep Wrangler get stuck in the deep snow, followed by a Nissan Pathfinder 4X4, a Toyota 4X4 truck, a Honda SUV, and a Chevy Silverado 4x4 all in the same nasty spot near the sled hill in some deep snow. When I told my Wife about all of them getting stuck, she just smiled and said "so you drove through it to prove a point?"... Well, yes, in fact I did. The Explorer drove right through it with no trouble. (I admit that my extensive youthfull experiences with 4 wheeling in mud helped me know how to do it and why the others had such troubles and all of them had to be pushed out by a 5-6 men). But, the Explorer DID go through it where none of the others did.
SUMMATION:
This is an excellent vehicle. I will definitely look at another Explorer or perhaps an Expedition when I finally replace my current one.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 25000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: XLT, 6 Cyl OVH engine, 5 speed electronic transmission
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Epinions.com ID:
scountry
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Member: Sean Countryman
Location: Ogden, UT
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
DBA, IT Administrator, Web Developer. I currently live in Ogden, Utah.
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