I need information on the 2000 Ford Explorer equipped with the ?All Wheel Drive? (AWD) option. I have located a low mileage used Explorer that I am very interested in purchasing. After test-driving several used Explorers, this is the one my wife and I really like. But I am concerned about one issue. All of the explorers I have test-driven previous to this truck were the 6 cylinder models and all had the standard 4-wheel drive option with the 4-wheel drive selector control on the dashboard. This Explorer is equipped with the 5.0 liter V-8, and has no 4-wheel drive control on the dash. The dealer who took the truck in on trade (a General Motors dealership) tells me the truck is equipped with the ?All Wheel Drive? (AWD) option and is NOT manually switched, but rather the computer detects when the rear wheels are loosing traction, and automatically engages the front wheels at this point, essentially providing ?as needed? 4-wheel drive traction. This sounds fine and good to me, but how can I tell for sure the truck is actually equipped with this option. (I am not interested in a 2-wheel drive truck). There are no badges on the fenders indicating either ?4-wheel drive? or ?AWD?. (They simply indicate ?V-8?). I don?t see any indicators on the instrument panel indicating the truck has an ?AWD? option. Can this be checked through the VIN number? And if so, where do I find this information. The owner?s manual simply states ?5.0 liter V-8?s may be equipped with the AWD option?. The manual goes into great detail about the standard 4-wheel drive option, but gives no real information on the computer-assisted AWD option. I am scheduled to meet with the dealer tomorrow, and my wife really wants to buy the truck. But I need to know if it is in fact equipped with the ?All Wheel Drive? option. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated, as I am new to Ford Explorers. (Scott)

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 17-Mar-02 AT 02:45 PM (EST)]Try putting you VIN in [link:www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/vin_tools/vinlookup.asp|here], I don't know if it works for explorers or not, but its worth a shot.

Tell him to proove it. How can you trust a GM salesman telling you what a FORD truck comes equipped with without proof?