03 Explorer vs 03 Jeep Cherokee vs ??

[XF460]

Here’s the deal. My wife’s TE50 (T2) is going to be sold to make way for a family truckster. It needs to comfortably transport 2 adults, one baby and one large German Sheppard. The car will see regular 5 hours trips to the country to visit the in-laws, but very little off-road action (bit of camping only). Obviously the pre 2002 Explorers have very mixed reputations so I don’t need a bunch of people telling me they are “exploders” etc. I have under $30k to spend so most new cars are out. Any and all suggestions are welcome. My wife actually likes the Toyota Kluger interior and ride height but they don’t have enough personality for me…….. Does anybody own an escape? Again lacks personality but at least it’s a Ford.

[Steffo]

$30k? Second hand Territory!

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars...25&sort_type=2

Plenty of good second hand ones in that price range. Wouldn't look at anything else personally.

[RUQ1KA]

The Explorers are a good car

My dad has the UX V8 XLT, and if fuel prices weren't so high i would probably have bought one instead of the VX

has alot of power (gives the VX a run for its money), and is a pretty comfortable 4X4

[BLDNUT01]

i got a 2000 pajero NL model on gas which is pretty good on room to get my clan around if i didn,t get that i would have looked at the prado aswell but look into parts pricing a mate has an escape and the door lock thing as he explains i think actuator is going to cost him 1200 to fix

[Ringo]

For $30k here are my picks for your needs and why....my 2 cents worth.

Toyota Prado - Great car, bit thristy, ultra reliable, inexpensive to maintain, market leading resale values, diesel are rare but even better resale and fuel economy, perfect service records are a MUST (Toyotas engines are brilliant but die quickly without clean oil)....check for serious 4x4ing. 120L fuel tank is handy sometimes. Tyres pricey - shop around

Territory - Same as Prado, resale might not be as strong because there is a few about but purchase price and running costs won't be as high, Quality might not be as good (I'm wearing a flame suit), long service intervals are handy, actually now that I think about it they will be dirt cheap to maintain. Easy to drive - women love 'em. Under the heading of 'if you don't need it, don't carry it with you' the lack of transfer case could be a plus for you. Also these have rear vents - not sure about other cars but is a big plus for a famiy truckster to have 'em.

Pajero - great car, get a diesel (3.2 if you can) and drive forever between fills. Economy isn't bad on petrol either. Feels car like (Or Territory like) to drive which women love. Service records are a must again and resale is pretty good. Limited of road ability but this means that few are bought by 4x4 nutters and taken off road in the first place !

Klugers are nice......they are just a little boring. Engine is silky silky smooth but needs a rev to get up and moving....lack torque at take off which gets annoying.

Also consider Subaru Outback - comfy, ultra reliable, strong resale, service costs are justifyable, quality is top notch. Tyres are half price compared to big 4x4's and fuel economy will be 11's instead of 14's and parking will be a breeze....

Explorers - If you can get one.....these are expensive to maintain - all imported parts and not many around! Could be an issue when you go to sell it / trade it. Failures have been $$$$....How much sleep will you get have one of these time bombs in your driveway...me? not much!..... *cough Prado *cough

Landcruiser - too expensive on fuel and maintenance without a strong resale to justify why it is better pick than the Prado.

Anything JEEP/Chrysler - Makes German prestige cars look cheap to maintain - You just have to check out the prices for parts and service on these things - its astronomical and unjustifyable !!! Resale is poor because they are bought as niche style statement vehicle by yuppies, second hand demand isn't strong. Vehicle dynamics (steering, susp, brakes...the whole mechanical package really) is derived from 1980's technology....road manners are not great. Much better value cars around....yeah bottom on the list for me...can't work out why people buy 'em except to show off to their friends

Discoverys - Give Jeep/Chryslers a run for their money for the most expensive car to maintain...depends on exchange rate I guess! Lots of electronics to go bung that your local mechanic WON"T be able to diagnose or fix. Michelin tyres cost as much as small African state's GDP.

Short answer - Territory, Prado, Outback.....different but all excellent value for money for the purpose you listed PLUS strong resale

Have fun hunting...

[Green X]

Depends what you want to do with it mate.

Basically for 4WD ability the early model explorers are better not anything special but better than the pre 2001 ones, Rework the suspension and you have a car that isn’t half bad off-road.

Like>

The 2002+ explores are IFS/ IRS suspension= 0 wheel travel, my uncle took his to Fraser island, biggest problem he had was bellying out as they are slung low.

If you want it for manly Hwy and verry Light track work then I would go a 02+ Explorer V8 limited very nice to on-road plenty of room, cruising you will get good fuel economy.

Down side is for shaft you something stupid on parts prices, one of my favourites was $375 for a set of leads LMAO.

[XR Martin]

A Patrol is another option. The GUs are a nice vehicle but the diesels are gutless. Not sure how the 4.8 Petrol goes, but it would be pretty bad on fuel I imagine.

[Green X]

yeah good option if the intended use was mostly 4WDing and Ya, not going to pick up a 03 patrol for under $30,000 and if you do it will have stupid Mileage on the odometer, A Patrol is not really a good option for black top cruising IMO.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by Green X

yeah good option if the intended use was mostly 4WDing and Ya, not going to pick up a 03 patrol for under $30,000 and if you do it will have stupid Mileage on the odometer, A Patrol is not really a good option for black top cruising IMO.

He asked for all suggestions. I just put it out there as one.

Id rather a Patrol over a Explorer, Disco or Cherokee. Regardless of the intended function. That includes peak hour traffic.
Patrol will happily eat up the miles, in the latter three's case the miles will eat up them, including his wallet :

Another good option is a Diesel Merc ML270. 2000 model will fetch around $30k with average kms.

[XF460]

Hmmmm PLENTY of Monday morning info to consider over my coffee.
Thanks heaps to all.

[XF460]

Originally Posted by Green X

Down side is for shaft you something stupid on parts prices, one of my favourites was $375 for a set of leads LMAO.

For the record, a genuine ford set of leads for the TE50 set me back $560!!! No “imported vehicle” excuse there!
So $375 doesn’t actually sound that bad.

[Ringo]

Yeah...I forgot about Patrol.

4.8 is a ripper but try 18.0L/100 km on for size...funny enough 3/4 of the 4.8's I see are dual fuel.

4.2 oiler is a trusty workhorse that will run forever.

3.0l is a great motor in Series III, economy and usability....steer clear of Series II or Series I unless it had had the motor changed....Series I and II had a habit of going bang under high stress conditions due to a minor design fault - consult 4x4 forums for more details.

$560 for leads?.....WTF?

[Brent]

"American build quality".

Be careful. Those three words can haunt you to your grave. As much as I'd like to say that a Jeep or Explorer would fit the bill, I just can't bring myself to recommend them. At the risk of offence, the Yanks just don't quite get it when it comes to build quality. Try as they might, on average, more bits rattle, fall off or self destruct on American cars than they tend to do on Japanese cars, or even Aussie built cars.

I'm not talking off road ability here. For instance, the Jeeps are good. Live axles, long travel springs and Quadra Trac 4WD system etc. Much better than the Explorer. Explorer is too low, and has low-slung suspension components which are liable to be damaged in harsher off road environments. However, the trade off is that fit, finish and refinement in the Jeeps is, um, 'variable' to be kind.

Maybe boring as batsh*t but you'd be better off going for a Kluger, Prado or even a Patrol. Pajero's are good but won't hold a candle to a Jeep offroad. That said, I noticed that you said that offroading is minimal, so the Pajero could be a goodie...the suspension setup is ideally suited to gravel roads, sand, snow etc. Just don't try too much rockhopping as again, the suspension design isn't made for heavy offroad work.

Brent.

[Tote]

I'd disagree with Ringos summation of the Landrover Disco, have a look at one and you might be impressed. I've got a 2000 diesel that I bought new that now has 140,000 Ks on it. You can't take it to any mechanic but there are reputable Landrover repairers in most capital cities. As for tyres they are o more expensive than any other brand, I don't run the Michelins though.
A bloke I work with picked up a diesel 2000 model with 7 seats for $17,500 the other day and it seems like a pretty good vehicle.
All 4 wheel drives are expensive to maintain though. Instead of $130 for a service you are looking at $400 or so but as long as you factor this into your calculations it's not a problem. My diesel does 11l per 100Km so fuel costs are pretty reasonable.

Regards,
Tote

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Steffo

$30k? Second hand Territory!

BINGO!

It's a Ford

It's locally made and relatively cheap to service

It's has more style than a Kluger

It rides/handles better than the more hard-core offroaders

It'll be as reliable as a taxi cab as it has the same driveline

You can participate on the Territory section of the forum

[xdc351]

4WD = High running costs. Its as simple as that! The petrol models will chew through as much fuel as your T series but won't give you anywhere near the thrill per dollar! Tyres are expensive as well, though they do tend to get fairly good mileage.

Parking is hard but not impossible. Running over children then stay behind the truck is a real danger (happened to my cousin... no-one's fault and he was OK, but certainly can happen).

Unless towing or off roading, I'd go a H6 Outback over any 4wd.

[XF460]

While many of the Ford Escapes are fairly basic, the limited models have colour coded bumpers and leather interior as standard and you can pick up a decent 2004 or even 2005 model in the mid 20’s. It’s probably the cheapest of all options discussed above and MUCH newer too! So what are the negatives? Expensive parts?

[XF460]

Doesn't take much to get them looking good either. Some tint and a set or rims.

[Spotty]

Have owned a few jeeps and in my opinion they are more of an enthusiasts vehicle especially the 4 litre in line 6 models (XJ Cherokee & TJ Wranglers). The KJ cherokees are a great car, handle well, good performance but small interior. The grands are fantastic however as there name suggests they can cost over a grand for each regular servicing. Parts are expensive but you can source them quite cheap from OS or through non jeep suppliers. Most people could not be bothered with this....as I said they are more of an enthusiasts vehicle, resale is not great however you can pick up a bargain once they are 5.+ years old. A 2000 cherokee xj limited sold new for around $45k now you can pick a good example up for around $10k!! but they are thirsty.

For trouble free good value I'd go for a Prado.

[Ringo]

Tote - I take on board your comments, your an owner operator of a TD5 - the pick of the bunch for the Disco's.

Its an imported luxury brand 4x4 from England though and the cost of parts is insane.

How much have a new set of brakes cost you? $380-400? $220 parts $160 labour?...this is assuming no new discs are required.

Still stand by my recommendation given earlier and have slept like a baby since giving it.