Well, not brand new. lol I'm looking for something used, reliable, and able to tow stuff.

I am not looking to tow a 30' Camper, I have a Kawasaki Ultra 250X jetski and Prairie 300 four-wheeler. When loaded up, the jetski rig probably weighs around 1,600lbs. Thats about the most I'll ever tow. But, during the summer, whatever I get will be pulling the Kawasaki plus alot of camping gear. I want something RELIABLE, safe, preferably SUV, comfortable and good looking.

Today, I went and looked at a 2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition. It was black with tan interior. Heated & Cooled Leather Seats, Rear Entertainment System, Power Folding 3rd Row, 6-CD Changer, 5.3? V-8, pretty much everything but a sunroof. Plus, it was EXTREMELY clean. No tears on leather, driverside leather was not worn at all. No scratches on black paint. It was a very nice ride. It has around 70,000 miles and they are willing to sell it for $12,500. I think that is a little high, considering the mileage. It was pretty tight for a 04 and a Ford. V8 sounded good on start up and everything. It has definitely been taken care of.

What do you guys think?

 

The 5.4 is a pretty good engine. It is, however, a pig on gas. I mean, totally horrendous. If I were you, only pulling a couple thousand pounds and carrying a few hundred pounds of camping gear, I would look more towards an Explorer or a Japanese manufactured vehicle of similar size.

Terry

 

My dad has a Ford F-350 V-10 4X4 and that thing eats through gas like there's no tomorrow. The Expedition said 15 - 19 for EPA ratings. Not that bad, but it's a pretty powerful motor, right?

I wasn't looking for a Expedition, I just went looking today and stumbled upon it. I liked it, but not sure yet. Looking for some opinions...

 

Forgot to mention, I'm keeping my TL too as a daily driver.

 

I had a navigator with the 5.4 and I was averaging about 8-10 mpg...

 

The 5.4 is a very smooth engine and a good performer, but I believe in 04' it made 260 horsepower. The weight of the truck is probably well over 5000 pounds, so it does have a bit of weight to lug around. A few friends have them and absolutely love them except for one thing: The lousy fuel mileage. One friend pulls a boat and trailer, around 4000 pounds, and the things gets around 11-12 miles per gallon.

Terry

 

+1 on the Explorer, you should be able to get a nice one pretty cheap. They're great SUV's for the money.

 

We have a 98 F-150 with the 5.4 and it's great! Only downside is the mileage.

 

Well I have the TL-S and another car to drive as daily drivers. The SUV will be used for towing the jetski to the lake every other weekend during the summer. We will probably use it to go to dinner in every now and then.

 

My mom's friend has a 03 Explorer XLT with the V6 and it has 189,000 miles on it and still runs pretty strong! I drove it the other night and it is still smooth!

 

 

Yeah...I just remember driving around my university looking for a parking spot and seeing 7.2 mpg on the dash...on top of that the damn thing couldn't fit into any spot.

 

look at an explorer...maybe a tahoe or maybe a suburban...

 

I really like the 07+ Tahoe...great looking SUV

 

What about Lincoln Aviators? I really like the interior on the Lincoln SUV's. Its a really nice design. I really want one with the second row captain chairs and I cannot find one...

My other option would be Jeep Commander. What do you guys think about those?

 

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

 

I have an Expedition with a 5.4 and I get around 15-17 mpg.....

 

The only Commander I ever drove had the 4.7 V8 engine and it was struggling to accelerate up hills in VT and there was just 3 people in the car.

I would look at an Explorer. My father has a V8 Eddie Bauer and we use it to tow our boat which is close to 5000 lbs with trailer and it does so with ease. He can also get 21+ mpg on the highway but generally seems to average around 16-17 with mixed driving.

 

The V8 in the Aviator is the same one in the Explorer right?

I'm really leaning towards Aviator more than Explorer. It has a WAY better interior and better exterior styling, IMO.

Comments on Aviators?

 

If the mechanics are the same with the Explorer, reliability should be about the same...Go for a test drive and see if you like it and then take it from there. I like Lincoln interiors too.

 

Aviator is an Explorer with a slightly different exterior and interior. Essentially the same truck.

 

i say Aviator. ive always liked them and they look much better than the explorer

 

I have a 2005 Lincoln navigator and a 2001 f-250 both with the 5.4 liter engine. As other said... Absolutly pitiful on gas. My Navigator gets 9-10MPG doing local driving and up to 12MPG on the highway. The f250 is even worse. If Im not mistaking the Aviator comes with the Ford 4.6 Liter engine I thought?

Although I love my Navigator I would shy away from the Aviator based on everything I have read about it. A couple of the lincoln forums I visit have quite a few dissapointed Aviator owners...tons of problems. Consumer reports also listed the Aviator as below average reliability Which seems to be accurate based on the forums. Everything from transmission problems to lots of electrical problems.

I Will not own my Navigator once my Extended warranty runs out!

 

Oh man, they had a 05 Navigator there. It was in a beautiful white color. It was fully loaded with Navi and everything. I'm a sucker for options, and the power operated running boards tripped me out! I loved it! I kept opening and closing the door just to watch the running board go in and out! lol

Didn't know that about Aviator's. Might have to look into that a little more. My dad has a Ford F-350 6.8L V-10 and it is a clean truck! Really held together nicely. He has never had a problem with it.

 

I'm going tomorrow to look at an Aviator Ultimate.

Its an 04 with 62,XXX miles. They are selling it for $12,000. Fair deal?

It's very clean, Silver, Grey Leather, THX-Certified 6-CD Changer, Sunroof, Heated & Cooled Seats, Heated Mirrors, Rear Entertainment System, Trailer Tow, 4.6L V8, 5A Trans, 2WD, Quad Bucket Seats, 3rd Row, Roof Rack, Running Boards, HID Headlamps, Foglights, Reverse Sonar System, everything but a Navigation.

Like I said, very clean. Minimal wear on driver side seat. Leather in good condition, headliner clean, tires good. Appears to be a good deal if I can get it for around 10.3-9K.

 

Just now getting around to updating this thread. I went and drove it, it was exactly what I expected. I loved it.

Toyota dealership didn't do exactly the best job detailing it. It was smooth, and very nice. Second row legroom was kind of tight. But, I'm 6'3" and would never sit back there anyways. I was surprised at how fast it felt around town. It would surprise a few people. The only thing that got me was the MPG. It never got over 14.4. We were driving through the city, and I was applying a little more gas than necessary. Overall, it was a nice truck and I could see myself driving one.

The MPG and reliability scared me a little though. And while I was there I found a 2001 Toyota Highlander Limited V6. It had 76,000 miles on it and they were selling it for $11,000. A little high, but it was EXTREMELY clean. Seriously, the previous owner must have weighed nothing. Because seats were in mint condition. Interior was flawless. Outside was too. I never really liked them that much, too plain. But it had side bar steps, roof rack, rear spoiler, sunroof deflector, window deflector and hood deflector and it didn't look that bad. It was loaded, with leather, sunroof, 6-cd, etc. The inside was the only thing I wasn't crazy about. I like the console between the two front seats. It didn't have that. Plus, I don't know if it has enough power to haul everything plus jetski around.

 

I still say go for the Explorer. Look for an Eddie Bauer or Limited Edition as those are nicely equipped and aren't as plain looking.

 

Saturday, I went and test drove the Highlander. They said there has been alot of interest in it, mostly young families. Blah, blah, blah. It was actually a friend of one of the salesmen. I liked it, it was smoother than what I thought it was going to be. It turned out to be the 3.0L V6 with the 4A trans. Transmission shifted smooth and engine was plenty peppy for around town. Don't know how it would hold up with +2,000 lbs of luggage on board though. I always thought Highlanders were kind of small, but after driving it I think its just the right size. I'll try to get a picture of it up.

 

I would not, EVER, buy an Explorer.

There are much better SUVs out there.

 

^^ i agree

 

Pre-owned Toyota 4-Runner. My neighbor traded in his Jeep for that when they got a boat and he loves it. Great truck...

 

Okay, here is the Highlander. It doesn't have the window visors like I thought it did.

Anyways, look at the pictures and tell me what you think. I also got a CarFax on it which appears to be clear. It is indeed a one owner. Bought on 8/31/2001 and traded in on 2/3/2009. Service records are kind of scattered, most didn't get reported. All CarFax is good for is seeing how many different owners it had...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

 

Looks nice, as long as it serves your needs you should go for it. Check up the value on edmunds.com so you don't overpay though.