1997 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition 5.0L

Summary:

I love it!

Faults:

Absolutely nothing mechanically has gone wrong.

The driver seat is very comfortable, but there is a small tear on it.

Eddie Bauer parts are hard to find, because they are more rare than the XLT.

The sub is known to blow, and that's how I bought it.

General Comments:

My truck is amazing.

It has very low miles for its year, and I love the acceleration.

I can honestly say I will never sell my Ford. I've had no problems with it.

It looks sharp with the red and gold two-tone with stock chrome wheels, and with the black headlight and tail light covers.

I'm so obsessed with it, I took off the black V8 all wheel drive sticker and put the 5.0L Mustang emblem on.

I don't really like the stock grille, so I'm thinking on getting the billet type.

I also have installed 4 new speakers, because they were crappy and the sub was blown, so I had to bypass it. I also have installed an Alpine head unit as well.

I love this truck. I'll have it until it craps on me. Haha. :)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th October, 2009

1997 Ford Explorer XLT 8 cylinder

Summary:

Best vehicle I've ever owned

Faults:

Something wrong in the steering column at 5 years.

Some outside air vent doesn't open, so I can't regulate the temp of the heater. It's either off or hot. This also keeps air conditioning from working. Dealer said they'd have to take the dashboard apart to fix it, so I didn't get it fixed.

General Comments:

This SUV is phenomenal. I've only had one tune up and one brake job (just had them checked) in 186,000 miles.

Interior and exterior both still look like new (except carpets.)

I've never had to replace starter or fuel pump.

I just have the oil changed every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.

Car runs like it's still new.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th April, 2008

5th Jul 2012, 19:48

Half of ALL Explorer heater/AC's do this... NAPA has a $15 repair kit. It works every time! Takes about 45 minutes.

You do not have to take apart the dashboard. I just popped off the flat "controller" that sits on top of the HVAC unit behind the glove compartment. Here's the trick: you must use a hacksaw blade to cut away at the HVAC unit... it becomes a bit of a mess. Then you replace the "air-door" with the foam rubber around the sides. This is one of the 3 parts that comes in the NAPA kit. Once you can slip out the old air-door, you then slip in the new one. Then you clip the controller back into place (it may now only have 2 or 3 of the 4 clips left, but it's OK, it will work fine).

Last; you cover over the hole with something. I used duct tape on one... and just an old towel stuffed in behind the glove compartment on my other Explorer. It's tricky, but it works every time! (the old broken air-door always has a broken top... it's the part that fits into the stem that comes out of the controller).

It's a $15 fix that works every time. Just don't worry about cutting into the HVAC box. You will have the automatic temp control working again, no problem. Have fun!

1997 Ford Explorer limited 5.0

Summary:

Awesome

Faults:

Drivers seat is worn to drivers door, which is normal wear, not really a complaint though.

General Comments:

I personally was always a chevy person, but since owning my explorer, Ill never go back. Its all about the maintenance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th December, 2007

1997 Ford Explorer Limited 4.0 SOHC

Summary:

Good SUV for the cash

Faults:

ABS is kind of funny; it acts up going very slowly over small bumps. Not a big deal, but I will get it fixed.

The motor has a light ticking sound to it under load... Research leads me to believe that sticky/wearing lifters are making the noise. I seafoamed the motor; it's much less noisy... I think it's just carbon build-up, but who knows.

A/C isn't working... As far as I understand, this has something to do with a blend door rather than the A/C system. Not sure yet.

The previous owner had some work done to the front end, has been great for me.

General Comments:

Well I didn't have very much money, but needed a vehicle suitable for Canadian industry so I bought one at $8K. I think that's a decent price for an SUV in good condition in 2007... It's not a brand new Escalade or anything, but it's still a nice truck.

The leather interior is very comfortable and has every option you could ask for. Everything in the interior still works perfectly fine. Very spacious...

Performance wise, well it does pretty well too. The 4.0 has enough power to do whatever you need to do, and is a pretty smooth engine. Some have described tranny problems; I dunno, mine is still flawless knock on wood.

The brakes are decent, and the truck is generally rather quiet. The 4WD system is pretty sweet, I've never had another 4x4 but this thing is hard to get stuck. I was off road recently and thought for sure I was in trouble at the bottom of this ridiculous hill, but got up without breaking a sweat. Looking forward to a Northern Alberta winter...

Other users have reported a rough ride, and being able to feel small bumps in the road. This is somewhat true, over some roads I do notice the bumps and sometimes vibration. It's not harsh or anything, but noticeable. I think it's a fair trade-off though compared to its 4x4 abilities...

Anyway I'm happy thus far, but I've only driven 15k and the mileage is pretty low. We'll see from here, but so far, considering the price, I would recommend a late 90's Explorer.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th November, 2007