Posted: 10/10/2005 5:54:09 PM EDT
| I was looking around for a new truck. It would be a commuter, and an off-road/towing (light trailer or fishing boat. What I was wondering was, should I get a 2001 Ford Expedition or a 2002 Ford Explorer and why? |
Neither gets great gas mileage, I bet you can pick up a nice used one for a great price right now though. If you are like me who only average less than 500 miles a month then who cares about gas prices. I would go with the explorer anyway because I prefer smaller vehicles (have a toyota tacoma 4x4 right now). |
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I wouldnt touch an Explorer. I dont like the way they ride or drive. They feel too unstable, float around, just dont like'm. I have an Expedition. Its like a damned rock on the road. Doesnt float, tracks well, obviously doesnt cut corners like a Corvette but I much prefer it to the Explorers. If you do get the Expedition, GET THE 5.4!! Let me repeat. GET THE 5.4! These are big vehicles and the 4.6 is a gutless wonder. I have the 5.4 and I like it. Its snappy and gets around nicely. Granted, you pay for it at the pump but mines not a daily driver so i rightly dont give a fuck.  The Expedition is roomier (I have 3 kids), holds more cargo (For those kids), I can pull the third seat out and fold down the second and fit a sheet of plywood, or open the back window and put it in there to hang out the back if its too long. Expedition hands down. I'll warn you upfront. Its got a 30+ gallon gas tank. If you run it to the fuel light, your gonna go "whoa" first time you fill it. Also, they just issued a recall on them for the speed safety switch. If you do get one either ask if the recall work has been performed or arrange a time to get it fixed if it hasnt. |
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Of those two choices I picked the Expedition, but it wouldn't really be what I would buy. I'd rather have an F-350 Crew Cab dually. If an Explorer was to be considered, it would be the Sport Trak. I hunt as often as I can, so I prefer to have a pickup for hauling bloody critters. I had a BroncoII that I hauled a deer in, and blood got into the carpet and pad in the back. The next day, which was pretty warm, I gagged the whole time I was in there from the smell. I had to rip out the carpet and scrub the metal. Never again!! |
I did that once in my old Jeep Cherokee. But the day before I layed 3 layers of plastic down.
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What year do you have? |
99. No problems other then a recall and a little tranny shudder, but the tranny problem wasnt anything to do with the Ford itself but rather....ahh...."User abuse" 
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Just bought an '03 Expedition. I like it pretty well so far. I haven't driven an Explorer lately, but it's based on the Ranger, which I've driven a few times. They always felt cheesy and a little unstable to me. I don't plan on towing anything, but I do need interior space and decent off-road capability. I have the 5.4, and it's listed as having a 26 gallon gas tank. I haven't filled it up yet, but I'm sure I'll wince when I do.  FWIW, it apparently has the same mileage rating as the 4.6, at least in this model year.More importantly, I can now get my Mustang fixed up properly. |
Everyone has "experience". I can tell you about the failures my family has had with Fords. We're Ford people. I can tell you about the failures my other side of the family has had with Chevy's. Their Chevy people. I can tell you about the failures my uncle has had with Dodge. Hes a Mopar man. I can tell you about the failures of all brands from our neighbors. Theres not an American truck on the road that has not had a history of problems of some type or another. if I could build my perfect truck, I'd take a Dodge diesel (Cummins) with Chevy tranny (Allison) and Ford styling. |
Ahmen brother. The only reason I said Fords is because I don't care to much for chevy SUVs and I don't like the Durango much either. I'm not brand loyal, but I tend to lean toward fords. |
| Go drive the LTZ and you'll forget about the whole "Ford" idea. The only Ford truck I would buy would be the Ranger over the S-10. I know all brands have problems. Of course they do. Nothing is perfect. The question is...who has the most? Who has more power? Who has better gas mileage? What is more ergonomic? |
Chevys, they are pretty cool, but the newer ones feel really......plasticy. 
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We have a 2003 Explorer Sport, a 2002 Expedition, and a 2003 4x4 F150. (all the same color) If you are towing, get the Expedition. I also suggest the 5.4. Ours does not have the slightest problem pulling a 24 ft cuddy cabin.(6600 Lbs) It's incredibly comfortable for long trips with the boat. The Explorer pulls the second boat, (15 ft flats boat. Just over 1200 lbs)) but you can tell it's not the best use. (You won't even notice it behind the bigger trucks) That said, we drive the Explorer the most by far. It's just that handy to use. |