Hi guys, I have an 04 F-150, you can see details on it in my signature. Anyway, My wife has an 05 Jeep Liberty. We are expecting our first child any time now. Well I really thought the Liberty would be fine for 1 child, but I put that car seat in the other day and man I had to move the seat up a lot to get it in the back(when the base is just in it is fine). So, I started thinkin that maybe we should look for something with more room, I can't complain about the Liberty, it has been a great vehicle to us, no problems and my wife loves it, but it is small. Well I found a real nice 04 Eddie Bauer Explorer with 68,000 miles, an 05 Mountaineer with 83,000, and an 06 Mountaineer with 63,000.
Here are my questions I guess: the Explorer has the 4.6 in it which I have heard over in the F-150 threads is a great engine. The Mountaineers both have the 4.0. I don't know anything about the 4.0. So, is the 4.0 just as reliable as the 4.6, or does it have some issues? What do you guys think about buying a Mountaineer since Mercury has been fazed out? Also, the fact that the Mountaineers are built in Mexico kinda bothers me, am I being crazy about that?
I know in the end it is our choice, and we may not even trade, if the baby comes before I get a chance to, we won't have time after. Mostly lookin for any advice from people who have driven these vehicles. Thanks!!

 

We have a '98 Exploder and had a '97 Olds minivan when our kids were babies. The minivan wins hands down. You don't have an Ford options for one, as Windstars are old enough now and have too many problems to rely on for baby duty imo. I'd buy an Honda or Toyota, or go see a Kia and drive it till they can get in and out themselves. jmo. ymmv.

As for the 4.0 vs. 4.6. Our '98 has the 4.0 with the 5 speed auto. The later 4.0s have the cam chain fixed, and the trans has improved. But, it's still noisy and thirsty. Go V8.

Don't worry about where it's made for a used car. Worry about how it was taken care of.

 

For the 1 mpg or so difference in fuel economy, I'd suggest going with the V8 as well. My brother had a '97 with the 4.0L and never had a problem with it. He's good with oil changes, but that's about the only maintenance that engine saw in the 5 or so years he owned it. Now he has a 2003 Explorer Eddie Bauer with the V8 and I have a 2004 Mountaineer Premier with the V8. Neither of us have had engine issues in the 3 years we've had them. I must say I like the dash treatment of his Eddie better than that on my Mountaineer. Other than that they're pretty much identical.

I also have to agree with the above post, if you're looking for something for hauling primarily kids around, and you and your wife are not opposed to it like my wife is, a minivan would be the way to go.

I'm not sure where you heard the Mountaineer was built in Mexico, as far as I know they are built on the same assembly line as the Explorer, in Louisville, Kentucky or St. Louis, Missouri.

-Rod

 

FYI, St Louis production of the Explorer ran from 1995 until the Hazelwood plant closed in March 2006.

 

I just looked it up, they are not made in mexico! I thought a VIN that started with a 4 meant it was made in Mexico, I guess it is one that starts with a 3. My mistake. I do feel better about that.
My wife is adverse to driving a Minivan. She said it will never happen. So that is out of the picture. We haven't gotten to drive any of them yet. The 06 Mountaineer is the highest priced(obviously) and may be a bit too much, doesn't hurt to check what they will do though. I am more comfortable with the 4.6, but that 06 Mountaineer is really nice! I just wish it had the 4.6 instead of the 4.0.
So, I guess the main thing I am looking for is 4.0 VS the 4.6. Thanks to the guys who have given advice, and sorry for my mistake!! Anymore thoughts from guys on 4.6 vs. 4.0?

 

You have a couple of options, the way I see it, keep looking for a V8 powered Explorer or Mountaineer or for a good bit more room and comfort look at the Expeditions and Navigators. You might want to rent one for a few days or a week to see what you like best. There are a lot of improvements in the latest models but the overall comfort and space is what I would be looking at.

 

We have owned 2 4.0 Explorers, a '91 and an '01 plus an '06 4.0 Ranger. Other than normal maintenance never had a problem with any of them. The '91 was over 300.000 miles when the trans gave up and it was decided to park it. The '01 has 150,000 on it and we just recently bought it so its not "tested" yet if it runs that long well drive it till it dies........The '06 Ranger was purchased new and we put about 36,000 on it and it never missed a beat. We just sold it because it didnt meet our needs anymore. Personnaly I wouldnt hesitate on a 4.0........................I do maintain my stuff religiously, I'm a mechanic by trade and feel that proper maintenance is the key to keeping things running for a long time. Grease and oil are always cheaper than parts. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I just didn't really know anything about the 4.0. I have the 5.4 in my truck, and apart from the spark plug issue I have been happy with it, and I have heard many in the F-150 forums sing the praises of the 4.6, but like I said hadn't heard much about the 4.0. I know the mileage is not any better with it, but as long as it is reliable and got enough pep, that's great. We shouldn't be towing anything with it, at least not anything heavy, I got my truck for that. The carfax report on the 04 Explorer said it was owned by the Illinois Department of Motor vehicles, I guess one of their vehicles. Should I run from that? I have only seen the pics and it looks very clean, paint looks good, and only 68,000. I just worry if it wasn't owned by an individual. The 06 Mountaineer was owned by one person, on a lease in Michigan, then bought at auction. Here are the links: Explorer is first.

2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, $13,990 - Cars.com

2006 Mercury Mountaineer Luxury, $15,990 - Cars.com

 

Id bet that a fleet vehicle has been maintained better than most of the private vehicles. But then thats just a guess and my opinion. I am a heavy equipmemt fleet mechanic and I know how I take care of the equipment Im responsible for but can't really speak for anyone else. On our '01 I found a sticker that indicated it had been a state of Alabama vehicle at one time. I bought it from a private individual that bought it from another private individual that had had a fender bender in it. There was also a sticker on the rear from a used car lot in Alabama. So I dont really know the history on all of it but Id bet that the state of Alabama got rid of it when it was a couple of years old or when it reached 100,000 miles but who knows??? The "magic" of the used car market and auction houses at work........

 

We have an 03 mountaineer with the 4.6 in it and love it. We used to have a 94 exploder with the 4.0 and we drove that for 294k before we sold it and never replaced anything on the engine.In our mountaineer I pulled a 6500 lb trailer from Az to NY without any problems. We also have 2 f-150's with the 5.4 and I honestly think the 4.6 in the mountaineer is just about as strong as the 5.4.The mountaineer just turned over 105k and we have replaced the tranny, and both front wheel bearings and the plugs. It does have a little rearend whine but other than that it has been trouble free. Good luck with the hunt!

 

Although I like the V8 power my son has the V6 in his Mountaineer and it is a great running car. Pick the one you like best and offer them about $2000 less than the asking price. Play them off of each other and let them know that you are comparing cars and the price is very important to you. The dealers always have some wriggle room in the asking price. Both trucks look real good, the state car was probably used by a middle manager to have the luxo treatment and the V8 engine.

 

thanks for all the advice and for letting me know about the 4.0. Good to hear that it is a nice reliable engine with good (at least "good enough") power. I would be looking to trade the liberty in if we do something. Don't worry, I always take whatever their first offer is on difference and start about 2500 to 3000 less on my first offer. I always get a game plan in mind before I go in too, I'll know where I want to end up. And, I will def. let each dealer know about the other truck I am looking at, They wil get nervous and not want me to walk away. They know if you walk away, there is a real strong chance you aint coming back. We will see how it goes. I came to the realization that the baby seat can be put in the middle(duh!) and that makes the front seats be able to be all the way back. Still don't change the fact that the Jeep is pretty small. We wont be able to go anywhere till thursday at the earliest, then you got Christmas and everything. And, like I said, my wife could go any day now, so if she has the baby, she ain't gonna be able to get anywhere away from that baby to look at new rigs for quite a while. That said, I really like that Mountaineer, it is nice, if I could get the right deal on it that would be a low mileage nice rig. The Explorer is real nice too, just 2 years older you know.

 

This IS the best time of the year to strike a deal as car sales are always down from Thanksgiving til after the new year. The dealers get pretty desperate about now and if you make them a really low ball offer you just might have the best deal ever. In any case good luck with your new baby and have a Merry Christmas.

 

Thanks a lot Moto Mel. We will see how everything goes. timing is going to determine a lot of it, like the timing of when the baby comes, but I agree now is the time to deal if you can. Merry Christmas to you as well.