So on Tuesday (11/26/13) i get a call from a family friend. His co-worker has a '00 explorer with 125k miles and he went to trade it in and they only offered $300. Being insulted he told them no and kept it, my family friend knowing my love for explorers called me right away and with the limited info i had gave me his info.

we made a deal over the phone for $1,500 without me even looking at it, i head over at lunch time and much to my surprise i find a very clean limited explorer!

the down and dirty:

2000 Limited, 4x4, 4.0 SOHC, Air ride, 125k miles, ONE owner, very clean inside/out. it had the timing chains done under warranty and a transmission replaced 2 years ago with all the service records since new. He has used full Synthetic oil since 30k miles.

I'm NOT a fan of the 4.0 SOHC at all, but since this one has had the timing chains done and the fact i was able to start and drive it cold (10F outside) and the motor was nice and quite NO rattles i feel OK with that.

My plan was to sell it for a profit but i'm kinda falling for it...as much as i dont want it. it does seem to have a few leaks that need to be looked at and i think needs a tune up but thus far i have not found anything worth much concern yet.

pics below, as i bought it no cleaning yet!








unknown how this one will turn out...

 

Hell, The Fuzzy Dice are worth the $1500! ROR

 

Yeah! He said "i'll even throw in the dice" i was like who could say no?! LOL

 

I called a small dealership about trading in my 95 for an AWD MPV they had there, and they offered me $245. Not even scrap value for a running driving vehicle.
I don't understand why they lowball like that, any pricing guide gives a value of $1700-$2200 for fair condition, and it's not like Explorers are unpopular.
That is a nice looking vehicle, though. Good score at that price.

 

what a steal.

 

messed around with it today a little more.

noticed a small antifreeze leak, turns out there is a T with a cap on it going to the heater core hoses..not sure why. but that is where the leak was coming from. cleaned up the T and cut the ends of the hose a little shorter and tightened it back up...no more leak!

when the transmission was replaced i believe it was way over filled. it shows well above the full mark on the dip stick and when you get the transmission warm it sends fluid out the vent. plan is to open a cooler line and drain some until it reads correctly. clean the underside well and drive it to make sure that's the issue. i was scared it was a front seal but the fluid is not coming from that area looks like its coming right from the dipstick /vent area.

trying to find some decent used tires as these are BALD and its not safe to be driven on the winter roads. checking craigslist daily for a good deal.

i'm thinking brake pads,spart plugs, clean the MAF and IAC, new air filter (unknown condition of all these) pinion seal on the front diff. clean it up real well and maybe throw a new windshield in it then put it up on craigslist and see what i can fetch for it. Private party value is at $4350 as of the other day.

i'll update as i go along.

 

That's an old school way to flush the cooling system. The T fitting is the correct size for a garden hose to connect directly to.

More modern flush systems (as of about 15 years ago) recycle the coolant and typically connect in series with the upper radiator hose. Considering how buried some upper radiator hoses are these days, I'm not sure if they still connect that way.

-Rod

 

I'm jealous. No fair. Do you know how long I've been looking to find a decent example? Months.

Most in my area are way overpriced - they come nowhere near the excellent condition as described by Kelley Blue Book but the sellers price them over excellent condition. And the sellers that seem to price about right (i.e., not more than KBB excellent) don't respond to my emails or phone calls even though their Explorer is still listed for a week or more after I tried to contact them. Others that were priced about right spent 10 or more years in the rust belt and had some body rust and/or the underside looked horrible.

Congrats on your big score.

 

My insurance paid me just under $5k for my '98 XLT 4.0 SOHC 4x4 110xx?) miles.......

$300 on trade? sons-a-b's......

 

yeah i was stunned when he told me what they offered him for it. he was buying a brand new escape.

I would like to drive this thing some more to get a real good feel for it but with bald tires its just flat out dangerous i'm going to pickup some used snow tires off craigslist and get a better feel for it.

still cant decide if i want to hold on to it for awhile or make a few bucks....if i keep it i gotta put a remote start in it!

 

Alright so there is a exhaust leak, easy fix and front pinion seal. found some tires i gotta pick up of CL and get mounted up. then i think a really good detailing plus brake pads and little crap and i'll throw it out on the market and see what i can fetch.

finding time to mess with it has been hard though...as she sits tonight with my dads '99 limited V8 awd w/35k miles behind it

 

i'm loosing it! if it keeps up i wont be able to see it haha

 

Hibernating until Spring.

 

yeah i'm going to have to clean it off and put it in the garage to thaw out. have not had time to mess with it just yet...

 

mid 70's here for the next few days. I'll be thinking of you guys while I drive my EX with the window down wearing shorts and a T-shirt.