Found an 06 explorer with 60k on it. Really clean, but dont know a whole.lot about them (diesel truck guy). Want to by my girlfriend somthing newer, and somthing I can depend on to get her around safe as I spend allot of time on the road with my job. I am looking at toyota 4 runners or explorers. I really like the newer ones, but the price on this 06 is really low. Anyway, is this a reliable truck or should I pass and keep looking.

Note: she has no ability to notice if the car is having a problem. Wore pads through into her calipers on her current car and didnt notoce she had a brake problem....*facepalm*

 

I hope you mean she wore the pads through in to her rotors....

If she's not much for maintenance or listening to the prelude to required service, you're probably better off shopping for a 4 Runner. They will likely be more forgiving of ignored service. But ultimately, any vehicle that is serviced properly has the potential to offer reliable service. Of course the converse is also true. A decent 4 Runner will likely cost a bit more to purchase, and if it does not, you might need to ask yourself "why."

I'm no psychologist, but do you think maybe part of the reason she is not very aware of the need for service and proper maintenance is because she's used to people buying her stuff and maybe she "ignores" noises because she wants something new? I know when I had to purchase my car and pay for my insurance and repairs I was more respectful of how I treated my car.

-Rod

 

I kniw what you are saying avout paying for things...lets just say we have had a few disagreements.....lol

No I mean she drove it until the shoe wore through and the piston got into the rotor. (This was when I first met her a few years ago) I fixed it, and we had a lengthy discussion about cars and wierd noises.

Anyway back to the suv. I have read that the 06 has some issues with the radiator leaking, is this the biggest concern with these trucks? Is there a fix for it, from what I read its a bad oem design, any aftermarket improvments? Hell I may still get it to replace my commute car (01 cvpi with 300 plus on it now).

 

What motor?

4.0--you can read all about those here, just look at any thread similar to yours.
V8, not much worse on gas, better on power, can't be any noisier, maybe quieter.

 

I bought an 04 from the dealer. It has right at 200k on it and runs great. No engine problems. Had to replace front hub and upper and lower ball joints up front and lower and upper on rear pass side. It was first year having rear independent suspension. Other than that, very reliable

 

Wow! I've seen some pretty badly worn rotors due to running the pads way too long, but never anything as bad as what she did!

As for issues with the '06, I don't recall reading much about the radiators being issues. And like a the above comment, I wouldn't be too concerned if the truck you're looking at has the V8. I would suggest though you have the transmission fluid drained (not flushed), filter replaced, and refilled if you opt to purchase. Transmission issues are what I remember reading about most here, but I cannot say specifically if that's still a relatively common complaint with an Explorer as new as 2006.

-Rod

 

5 speed auto is a suspect, requires fluid changes at 30k intervals to keep the fluid clean. Prone to flaring.

6 speed auto reported to be OK.