Hilux vs Explorer

[smallzoo]

This is a just a question to those who may have experience in both the 3.0Hilux ( around 96-98) and the 4.0V6 Petrol Ford Explorer ( around 96-98 )

Any comments on how the explorer stacks up against the hilux in terms of on and off road ability, reliability and maintenance

Cheers

[BUSHWHACKER]

The Explorer will be 'off the road' more than the Surf will be.

[gwh200]

Ahh...the exploder. Pretty poor engine, mix of cast and ally bits...and explosion is also an option.

[Albannach]

Yep, there's a perfectly valid reason for Exploders being so cheap.

[slobodan]

I had an Explorer, lovely big comfortable truck.
The timing chain went all rattly at 80,000 miles.
about 20 mpg if I remember.
I never took it off road although I did take it to Driselyland Paris.

[smallzoo]

explorer

Interesting that because all I hear is positive reviews on the explorer.. past owners all say what a great truck they are and I have not heard anything particularly bad about the engines..

I guess explorer owners would quote the cylinder head problems that all surfs suffer from..

yes I could get a 98 4.0 explorer for under £1000.. is that necessarily a bad thing ?

[BUSHWHACKER]

Interesting that because all I hear is positive reviews on the explorer.. past owners all say what a great truck they are and I have not heard anything particularly bad about the engines..

I guess explorer owners would quote the cylinder head problems that all surfs suffer from..

yes I could get a 98 4.0 explorer for under £1000.. is that necessarily a bad thing ?

Rear through all the above posts again. It's not because we are biased (this being a Toyota forum and all that) , but the Explorers really are shite!

[Sancho]

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar...7/?section=bad

[smallzoo]

Hilux

Fair point about this being a surf forum..

I am still a surf fan but I guess with around £1500ish to spend I am asking for trouble with an old surf unless its had the head 'fixed' !

[JD_975]

I worked for Ford during the Explorers hey day, In fairness not a bad truck to drive, big comfy armchairs, nice auto box, lazy 4l power.

They were something of a stop gap truck brought over from America when the luxury 4x4 craze set in over here, to compete with the landcruisers, troopers etc etc, the Maverick could hardly be classed as luxury so Ford had a gap in their market. They were never a big seller hence the various limited editions to try and shift numbers, build quality was typical American i.e. very poor. Ford along with most western manufacturers dropped the luxury 4x4 market around 2000 when they realised they could not compete with the Japanese.

Today the prices of them compared to the market they were up against speak volumes, price up a similar year landcruiser for yourself. Parts are hard come by and expensive, American electronics are starting to suffer, they eat brake discs and front ball joints, absolutely hopeless off road (picture a large dog on a tiled floor).

In a nut shell if someone offered me a nice one really cheap then yes I would have it because they are good to drive however.... they are now part of that breed of vehicle that is just waiting for something to go wrong so it can be scrapped. Oh yeah and the past owners who loved them, sold them before something terminal happened

[Koi]

Ahh the explorer

For those that were there at Devils pit a few years ago

Approx a dozen Surfs met up in the bumpy muddy car park on the site lined up. An explorer starts its way in he car park to suddenly stop with the left front wheel pointing the opposite way to the other wheel. Closer inspection revealed the steering rod snapped ( its was a thick a fag I kid you not)
due to his breakdown not covering him on an off road site, Hormygollop kindly loaded it on his trailer and took it off the site up the road so it could be recovered.
For a 4x4 with alledgedly off road capabilities it was shocking the steering components were made from sticky back plastic and cardboard

[Pete The Tart]

They do appear to have circled the problem.....