1998 Ford Explorer XLT 4 Door 2 Wheel Drive review from North America

Had to replace rotors and rebuild calipers at 90,000 miles all four wheels.

Replaced rear wiper motor after purchase. I overlooked this item during my purchase inspection.

Replaced shocks after purchase.

Replaced tires with Yokohama Avid ST's after purchase.

Replaced front grille due to discoloration of original paint. This was necessary only for appearance and is common for all Explorers of this age in my climate.

This Explorer was a high mileage trade at a local dealer. My local Ford dealer normally auctions trades with more than fifteen thousand miles per year average.

I knew this vehicle had high mileage and was probably traded because it needed work. Overall my vehicle was very clean and test drove exceptionally well. This particular Explorer had gone

through the detail shop by mistake and looked very nice.

The tires needed to be replaced, yet the indicated wear did not show any misalignment problems, just normal wear.

The paint was still glossy with no scratches, dents, or rust.

The upholstery was as clean and neat as the day it was sold new.

Overall this vehicle was in very good condition for one which rarely if ever was stored inside a garage since new.

A quick compression check indicated even compression within all cylinders, but the engine oil was dark as well as the cooling fluid. The transmission fluid was fair, but not burned. Since the

engine compartment had been cleaned and detailed, oil leaks were not evident. A test drive did not produce any.

Explorers with over one hundred thousand miles rarely hold any value in my area except to the owners. I knew it would not take me long to push the odometer past that mark. Since the dealer and I knew this when I made my purchase, we negotiated a price that was satisfactory to me and the dealer.

Since the Explorer is actually a truck, any truck is always worth some money in Texas, I knew my Explorer was a bargain.

I have put over twenty thousand miles on my Explorer in a relatively short period of time with no problem at all. I feel I must qualify that statement by adding the changes I made after purchase.

I changed all the fluids immediately after purchase and again one month later or about four thousand miles. The new shocks and tires indicate no unusual wear. Everything works as it should, and it still looks like new.

At the rate I clock miles, my routine oil change is about five weeks, coolant and transmission once per year.

A little advise for those with repeated brake failures. Never let anyone, and I mean nobody use an air impact wrench to tighten the wheel lugs on your Explorer, as over-tightening will warp the rotors causing premature brake failure. Always use a torque wrench to tighten wheel lugs evenly as Ford recommends. Do not let a brake shop resurface a bad rotor in order to save you money, it will eventually destroy the caliper and pads and cause more warping due to thin spots on the

rotor. Buy new rotors and check your brake pads at each oil change. If you take heed to this advise you will only spend your hard earned money for pads in the future. And yes, all four of

my rotors were shot as well as the calipers.

I am driving a one owner used vehicle that someone else became weary of and felt their maintenance cash would be better spent on a new vehicle. It was a bargain ride for me with loads of miles to go. I purchased this vehicle for a price far less than it depreciated the first year of ownership. Many low mileage trades often had nothing done to them, including regular oil changes.

If you think that buying a used car is like buying someone else's problems, you may be partially right. If you are

willing to fix problems immediately, you can drive a bargain. Buying a new car does not absolve the owner from

problems, only it is expected that there will be few during the first two years of ownership. Taking a car to an

authorized dealership for repair does not guarantee the repair will be done properly. Regular maintenance does

prolong the life of any vehicle. Follow the recommended maintenance schedule in the manufacturers owner guide and

you will not have to make car payments for a very long time.

This is my 1998 Ford Explorer XLT experience and my opinion. I could have done just as well with a Jeep, Chevrolet, or Dodge. The facts are, I own a 1998 Ford Explorer XLT, and there was no other input for this model

year at the time I wrote my experience.