Ford Explorer (1995 - 2001) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The appearance of the 1999 Ford Explorer is awesome. It looks nice, drives nice and has a few options that make driving it fun. and comfortable. In addition, the build quality is bar none for a truck like this in its class. The gas mileage, maintenance and repair costs are very fair for a truck like this. As for performance, Im not sure where to start. Reliable starts even after being parked for a while. The acceleration, braking and handling are excellent. I was able to pull my 2700lb boat with this truck with ease and piece of mind. Apr 30, 2015

I have the entire stereo system redone with chest pounding bass from Ficaraudio and Rockford Fosgate. The car has never had any major problems. The paint still looks brand new, and the engine has still been doing me well. Anything that has gone wrong with this car has been an easy self fix. Absolutely love this car, will hate to see it go.Mar 24, 2013

Performance: Average acceleration, braking and handling. Build Quality: No major repairs @ 175,000. Sunroof leaks some. Rear hatch rattles over large bumps. Appearance: Good. Clean and simple inside and out. Cost of Ownership: Gas mileage not great, 16-17mpg average. Maintenance cost are not bad. Fun Factor: Really?? Its fun in the snow, lol.Apr 24, 2012

Performance- Stock V6 is kinda ho' hum on acceleration, but then again a SUV is not a racing car. I am eventually gonna do a superchip, cold air intake, and exhaust to get another 20hp or so. Build Quality- The used 97 I got is pretty damn good overall. I need to do a couple minor things for the interior, but those I can find at the junk yard pretty cheap. As far as squeaks and rattles, just the normal on suspension, road noise is OK, but not really loud, and handling is pretty good for regular driving. I haven't done any off roading on it yet. Appearance- I would say the interior of the used 97 I got is a 9 out of 10. There are a couple of little things I need to do, but for a car that is over 10 years old it's very clean. Cost of Ownership- When I bought the car I knew I would have to put some money on top of what I paid for it. So far nothing unusual. It needed new brakes, Rea Sway Bar work, and some new lower ball joins. I have to point out that this rig has 122K on it, so over all not bad. Just normal wear and needing to replace a few things. Main thing is the eninge and transmission is still in tip top shape, running and idling like new. Cost of Ownership- I just got it, but I can allready say that gas milleage isn't that great. Maybe 14-15 city, around 20 hwy. Then again it's an SUV and a heavy rig to boot. So I didn't buy the rig expecting to get 20-30 mpg. Fun Factor- Car is awesome to drive. It handles well for city driving as long as you don't treat it like a wannabe race car, and I can't wait to see how it does with a bit of off roading when I stiffin up the suspension, and chasi next year. Aug 26, 2010

This is a great truck. I bought mine in the picture for $995 and it was a steal, especially when 4x4 aren't cheap. It handles really nice and actually has the shortest turn radius that I've ever experienced, and that is really nice. Can turn on a dime. It's a smooth ride for the most part and it has a strong build. It's a little slow on acceleration if you hold the pedal steady going up a big hill, but floor it and it'll go anywhere. It brakes really well, too and have no trouble with that. I've had to fix the power steering because there was a leak where the metal corroded, but that wasn't a big deal. Almost all V-6 motors made by Ford like this one have a small leak in the engine, but you will never notice or have a problem with it the whole time that the truck is alive. The dashboard is a little squeaky on chatter bumps, but I have no idea what mine went through before I got it, so it really depends. I think that the Sport is a very attractive. I like a lot more than the four door Explorers. It's short enough that you won't bottom out or hit your bumpers on the ground as easily when going over big bumps or ditches. They do get a little rusty, or at least the ones in Michigan do, but that is because of our harsh winters. Mine is only rusty on the rocker panels and a spot on the tailgate. The inside is very nice. The back seats fold down and is level with the back cargo space, and you could easily fit a full size mattress in there with the back seats down. The steering wheel is a little in your face if you have short legs like me, but other than that it is roomy. Gas mileage can get costly. I get about 15 mpg, but in the winter I get less because of letting the car warm up. With gas prices at $2.60 like now, I probably fill it up for about $45 and I get about 250 miles on a tank. That is the biggest con, I think. This truck is very fun to drive and with a nice set of tires, it will take you anywhere. My boyfriend's dad hates Fords and took mine for a spin the other day (and there's 3 feet of snow on the ground at the moment) and he was ecstatic at the fact that it gets around better in 2WD than his S10 does in 4WD, so it's amazing in 4WD, too, obviously. Dec 13, 2009

After having my '96 for 5 years, it and it being my first vehicle and all, i had quite the hard time leaving it but this has been a pretty great replacement. Bought it with 92k miles. Since then I have put on new tires, new sway bar links, new tensioner pulley, new belt, new spark plugs and wires and that has been about it. It came with a 4.10 rear axle with no limited slip however a quick run to the junk yard and a days worth of work and i had myself a 4.10 limited slip. Its not great for gas mileage (19 at best on highway) but it really puts every ounce of power the truck has got down to the pavement and it will haul our 4 place enclosed snowmobile trailer loaded up and everything at 70 mph. ( I also added air shocks in the rear as well so that helps a lot with load leveling and such) Other than that, it sits well on the road, I keep er' cleaned up all the time and she looks sharp, have been EXTREMELY happy with both my Explorer's! Been bullet proof for me!Oct 15, 2009

Unbelievable value. Purchased new in early 2000 and have averaged ~18k miles per year. Repairs...minimal. Standard maintenance, two brake jobs, one suspension job, and purchased tires once. (ok, i'm cheating on this one..Ford replaced the original Firestone's at 38k miles). SUV has all the bells and whistles and is still a joy to drive. Great V8 performance, yet averages ~23 mpg on the highway and ~18 mpg overall. I got lucky on this one...this has been the my absolute best vehicle experience and value!Dec 16, 2008

I enjoy my Explorer. It has helped me and my wife move 4 different times. the gas mielage is horrible but thats to be expected. The V6 Engine has plenty of power for this car to take it off road. This car is a bit boring to drive on the road (Bad cornering and sloppy acceleration) But it is way fun to take off road. It has supprised me many times on what it can handel.Sep 07, 2008

This car is perfect for me! I'm an all around versatile guy who does a little bit of everything. this vehicle performs wonderfully whether i'm hauling my guitar equipment around or pulling a fishing boat. on it's own, it has great power for a 4000lb SUV, 0-60 in around 8 seconds. the suspension is a little loose but i lowered mine a few inches, with no cost for parts, and now it handles great, although the ride is slightly rougher. had the vehicle for 2 years with no major problems, this SUV is the PERFECT balance between Sporty and Utility, getting the best of both worlds. it's very fun to drive and the interior has everything i could ever need.Aug 06, 2008

This SUV was truly one of a kind. This 4-door Explorer was built with a manual 5-speed transmission instead of the standard automatic. "Now wait!!" you might say... "There are other Explorers with manual transmission." You would be absolutely correct. But there are very few that are actually 4-door. If you check, most manual transmission Explorers are the 2-door Sport Editions. Because it was a manual, I could take that truck almost anywhere. It was not 4WD, unfortunately. Though it's probably better for the truck's sake, because had it been 4WD, it would have gone more places it shouldn't than it already did. The only reason I sold it (and even after selling it, I almost went back on my word so I could keep this fun and rare vehicle), was because I got such a great deal on my Mustang, and the insurance for both would have broken the bank. So I had to give it up. The interior was in decent shape. There were a few stains in the carpet, and thanks to my Uncle using it as a work vehicle, has some rips in the headliner. Other than that the interior was in pretty good condition. There were power windows and locks with a keyless entry/alarm system that I installed. It also had an Alpine head unit with Ipod cable run to the glove compartment. It had a 12" Rockford HE2 sub with Rockford Power 350 amp, but that came out when I sold it. I couldn't part with those relics!! The exterior of the truck was in really good condition. The paint was factory and still pretty good. There were a couple small spots, probably from tree sap on the hood and roof, but not highly noticeable. There was a small dent on the passenger side rear quarter panel, that could only really be seen if I pointed it out. I had to have a few things replaced while I owned it, but were relatively minor seeing as how the truck is 13 years old. May 17, 2008

I bought this truck with 84k miles on it. Great shape! Its an XLT but comes with every option the Eddie Bauer pkg. has except the sunroof. The seats are very comfortable, and it has very tight and surprisingly nimble steering for an older/used vehicle. Short and tight turning radius! Acceleration is not all that impressive but given a good stretch of highway, i've seen 106mph on the highway. I've owned it for 4 years now, it has a 147k miles now. Never had one ounce of trouble with it. For personal gratification though, i put new Continental Sportiva AT tires all round 31 x 10.5 x 15. Rough country shocks up front and air shocks in the rear for load leveling when pulling 4 place snowmobile trailer. Changed spark plugs at 100k just because. Never broke down or had the check engine light come on. Truly impressed for an almost 12 yr. old SUV. I love it.Dec 26, 2007

Love the ride and looks of it, have had it a couple of years. After $2000 worth of front end work, $2700 rebuilt transmission, several hundred dollars trying to have electrical malfunctions tracked down & fixed, if one more major component gives out, it's going to be pushed off a cliff. This is my first Ford...and will be my last! Just too unreliable and expensive for me. Nov 29, 2007