Guys,

This topic may have been discussed already in the forum, I apologize if this is overkill... but I want to get an SUV for my wife; I am a Bronco fan and owner but parking space issues keep us from getting a second full-size... We have narrowed down to a 1997-98 A/T Explorer or a Cherokee or a S-10 Blazer (my wife's favorite for its looks), which cost about the same down here... Of course, I'm a Ford fan, and thus an Explorer would be the way to go, yet I want to make the best choice for her driving needs, and convince her on what truck would be best out of the 3 choices. Reliability and mileage are our priority over off-road capability, performance and like considerations... Any thoughts?. Thanks in advance!.
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1994 Bronco 302, 3.08, E4OD, Bi-fuel/Compressed Natural Gas (c. 2008)
1992 Bronco 300 BB6, 3.08, C-6, cARBED & 2WD stock (2001-2005)

 

The Cherokee, esp the box version, of 97 vintage will likely have rust issues even if you're not in the salt belt. Stay away from the 2.8 V6 if you opt for the Blazer, the 4.3 is a far superior motor (basically a sb chevy with a pair of cylinders lopped off), blazer will probably have rust, xfr case and front suspension issues too.

I vote for the Explorer...reliable, more comfortable than chevy or jeep, great parts availability and the nicest ride of the three. Not sure but I think the fuel economy would be at the lower end of the 3 but none are really fuel sippers.

Sorry, just realized you're in Bogota...I guess rust won't be an issue at all there.

 

I agree, both the Explorer and the Jeep are better than the Blazer. Blazers have a horrible and unsafe suspension (look at a per capta list of deaths versus vehicle type). the Jeep uses a rugged simplicity approach, and the Explorer is reliable and comfortable.

 

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My choices in order:

First choice - 5.0 Explorer
Second choice - Cherokee
Never in a million years - Blazer

I am not a Chevy hater... I own a Suburban and love the thing, but the Blazer is a poor choice for a safe, dependable vehicle.

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well 97-98 blazers didnt offer the 2.8 and yes that motor was a piece of crap. i have owned all three and the exploder is the worst as far as i can say. junk! the cherokee is a nice machince however the can get expenxive to fix. the grand cherokee has that on board computer with the screen. stay away. if one of those goes out $$$$$$$$$. if its for your wife and your looking at a two wheel drive or even a four wheel drive s10 is the way to go. those years were the 4.3 vortecks. best motor chevy ever built. all the power in the world and very dependable. i would have never gotten rid of mine but i rolled it. and as far as the "unsafe suspention" i have no clue what he is talking about. plus, when a s10 does break down, the junk yard has a lot of the parts you need. there pretty much interchageable through the years, not many changes.

 

IMHO, the motor does not define the vehicle. Yes a motor is important, and yes, the Blazer has an excellent motor that is highly serviceable. However, the Blazer has developed a safety reputation. Thy like to roll in high speed collisions, and when they do, they kill people. The 2 door version is worse, since the 4 door has structural components that make them more stable. The problem lies in the high centered vehicle with the combination is flexible frame and mushy suspension. At high speeds, something as meaningless as a tire blowout cause the vehicle to spring past its COG. From that point, its all in God's hands.

The Explorer is reliable, comfortable, and importantly safe. Its earlier years had rollover issues too, but Ford improved the suspension over the years. Mechanical wise, the 4.0L, 5.0L, and 4.6L are all great engines. The transmissions are pretty good, Blazer transmissions seem to go out just as often. The Explorer is just a well engineered machine. Not that I have anything against the Chevy, but it seem like a half hearted effort to quickly put a small SUV on the market, and they never really finished it.

The Jeep has an awesome selection of engines, and with a standard trans is great. The Automatics are ok, probably not as reliable as the Ford or Chevy, but still should have a good service life. The Jeep is easy to work on, and takes the simple approach. They ride firmer, but the suspension design is strong, and in the event that they do roll, they protect the occupants very well. I would rather have the Jeep than a Blazer, it is better thought out and has a more dedicated purpose as an offroad vehicle with passenger and cargo capacity. The Blazer is essentially an onroad SUV and to me approaches offroad use as an occasional thing, but that it is not built to excel at anything.

 

sounds like a ford reputation to me. the exploder is called the exploder for a reason. i have blow a lot of tires on my s10's and never came close to a roll over. the exploder sits around the same height as the blazer. any vehicle you roll you have a good chance of dying. as for the two door vs 4 door the four doors are not really any different in the wheel base. all little but not a lot. if they were prone to roll over by just a flat tire they would have stopped making them back in the early 90's.

 

Have a '98 Explorer 4dr xlt 4x4. Had a '95 Cherokee 4 dr 4x2.

The Cherokee was a base model. Drove fine, good power, easy to work on. Sold it, and it has been to Guatemala and back, and now resides in Mexico--trouble free since I sold it. (I replaced the water pump while I had it)

The Explorer is much more solid, quiet, comfortable etc. It has had many issues and is not particularly easy to work on compared to a Cherokee with the inline 4.0 six.

I would go with either the Explorer or Cherokee, depending on your local level of support--which can you service the easiest? That might bring the Chev into the mix--if it's hard to find parts for the other two and easy to get parts for the Chev.

Condition of what you buy is very important, but you knew that.

Good luck with your search.

 

i have been service tech at full service shop for 15+yrs.
blazers are very high maint. very poor design. very hard on ball joints and other steering components,oil cooler lines that constantly leak and blow apart causing engine to lose oil and lock up.trans weak, badly designed intake manifold gaskets,fuel pumps go out ,water pumps go out frequently.4wd components t-case motors and modules go bad.very high maint.

jeeps are better.inline 6 very good motor. trans is weak, so is t-case.also has issuses with front &rear diffs.known for a/c issuses.very bad on crank sensors causing no starts. seat frames are very weak. radiators dont seem to last very long.

explorers are fairly decent. but not without issuses. trans are weak. radiator issuses.4.0ohc motor bad for timing chain problems.very exspensive to fix. harder on tires than other 2.have ball joint problems. occasional fuel pumps.

in order of preference
explorer
jeep
blazer only if couldnt get other 2

 

I have had 2 Explorer's,,,1st was a 91',,locking hubs,,transfer case shifter,,,never had any problem,,for the time I had it,,,Now I have an 04',4.6 v-8,,42 k miles,,it has a couple little quirks,,,engine excellent, tire where is great,,overall dependable.

Mom has a 99' Grand Cherokee,,4.0, auto,,about 85k on it now,,,has been a good rig,,like the transfer case (its an actual shifter and has a true neutral,,if need to tow it) had a couple issues so far,,CV boots,,waterpump,,brakes make weird noise,,kinda groan almost,,,,My bro inlaw has had 2 Cherokees,,,5 spds,,,got like 250k on the clutchs,,,he likes them.

One of my bro-in-laws had a 97 Explorer,,,had 250k on it,,,only problem was a transfer case issue,,sold it for $3 k with 250k miles on it !!!

My friends are kinda GM guys,,,,,,one has a 98 or so Blazer,,,is on his 3rd 4.3 v-6,,,,I said whats wrong,,,thought the 4.3 was a Good motor,,,he just shrugged his shoulders,,,,,,ofcorse a GM guy wont bad mouth there precious GM Junk !

My other buddy has had 2 of them,,,and has had OK luck with them,,,I have ridden in Blazer's,,,,,,Nothing I would Buy !

If I purchased another small suv,,,I would seriously look at the Jeep myself !!

 

Not one of the newer Jeeps though, I like that I6, that new 3.7L is underpowered. I wouldn't want the V8, guzzles too much. You can have just as much fun with the 4.0L

 

any motor can be bad if they dont maintain it. i had a 2000 s10 pickup. i put a 6 inch suspention lift and ran 33 boggers under it. i ran that poor truck through a pond that "wasnt that deep" as i was told. hydro locked the motor as soon as it hit. pulled the plugs out and cranked it a few times. put the plugs back in fired right up! the 4.3 is one of the best v6 chevy ever built. they used it in everything, the asto vans, 1500 trucks, s10, monte carlos, ect. all it is is a chevy 350 with two cylinders cut off. as for the hard to work on. i could fix almost anything on that truck from home. yes ball joints will go bad in them, however, most of the people that have that problem is because they put aftermarket wheels on it. the s10's need 7 inch backspacing. 3.5 like a normal wheel puts a lot of stress on the truck. so keep that in mind. as for the trannies i cant speak about the autos because never had one. but a lot of people run the 5 speed trannies in there drag trucks. ive seen them bolted up to a 454 and taking all the abuse and asking for more.

 

The Chevy 4.3 was a good engine in the 1st gen. of S-10 Blazers The 95-04 had piston slap problems. We have a 97 Blazer, like the truck, but with 123,000 miles on the second engine with the third coming up because of piston slapping problems. See Chevy in all their wisdom decided that cutting out most of the piston skirting would save weight & cause less friction, adding fuel mileage. Their 6.0L gas have the same trouble. Unless you want to build a fresh 4.3 & install it, I would go with the Explorer or Jeep. The Explorer was bullet proof until the 5sp autos. Then look for a good scatter shield. Where they got the name (EXPLODER)
The 4.0 Jeep is a great motor & the Jeeps since Chrysler has owned them have been good trucks.
I also have owned all 3. We own a 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9 & a 97 Blazer 4x4 at present. The 98 Jeep is by far the best 4x4 I have owned. I have owned 4x4s since the 70s.

 

What do you mean, that 5 speed was the best thing that ever happened to them. The 5R55e is a great transmission. Yes it has some issues, but thy are highly fixable. The Explorer got the nickname because its convenient, and its fun and easy to rag on Fords.

 

Well I am pretty sure my Buddy with the 98' (or so) Blazer that is on his 3rd engine is up on the maintenance ,,,He is a owner/operator, with a tri-axle dump truck(he likes the older trucks,,say he can work on them) maintained by himself,,and here in CT.,,DOT will get you if your truck is lacking in maintenance. So on his Blazer it's something else.