Just wanted to update anyone who was wondering, friends/family came together to find me an opportunity to purchase a well maintained older, 1998 Ford Explorer.
Since it’s 1998 I won’t need to worry about getting inspection :). I’ve been told it has some roof leaks but friends are saying they have plans to fix that for us so thankfully I should be able to travel to the datacenter as early as Wednesday as I am going to pickup the explorer tomorrow.
Thank you everyone that helped with this, I appreciate you all so much.
-Kirstyn
Comments
I had a 1988
explorer that I drove until it reached the point where the cost of the repairs it needed greatly exceeded the book value of the car. I think that engine would still be going if the rest of the vehicle had held up. If it's two wheel drive you'll want some weight in the back end in winter. I kept a pair of fifty pound bags of dog food over the wheels. I rotated them so the dog had fresh food and if you do get stuck dry dog food is as good as sand for traction.
Minnie Mouse Themed?
She’s 4WD with brand new, good tires. Has a solid frame, some body rust and the sunroof and back windows leak and 146K original mileage. But she’s ours now.
Sunroofs have a tendency to leak……
Especially on older vehicles as most people don’t maintain the gaskets properly. The rubber in the gaskets will dry out and decay if not kept properly maintained, which leads to them leaking. The same is true with the gaskets around doors and windows.
It is a good idea to treat the gaskets every time your car is washed - if not more often, depending on how often you wash your car. For someone like me, who washes my car pretty much every other week while the weather is good (and runs it through a car wash weekly during the winter), doing it when I wash the car is easily often enough.
In order to maintain them properly, clean them regularly as dirt and sand get on them and will abrade them over time through simple vibration from the car running. Once that is done, you should treat the gaskets with either a preservative like ArmorAll, or with a light weight machine oil. Just put the preservative or the oil on a rag and wipe down all of the gaskets once they are clean. You should leave a slight sheen on the gasket from coating them with the oil; this will prevent dry rot, keep the gaskets flexible providing a good seal, and make them last much longer. It should also be done for any silicone gaskets, like the seal at the fuel filler cap; for many cars, if that seal fails you will have an issue with the engine sensors as it is part and parcel of the emissions controls.
It is something that the vast majority of people ignore but should not. It takes a few minutes out of your day to do it periodically, but it pays off in the long run. For anyone who has spent time on a Navy ship, or even more so a submarine, maintaining the gaskets as well as the door edges on watertight doors is a regular and very important task. Worn out gaskets or nicks to the knife edge on the doors (commonly referred to as knee-knockers) can result in a poor watertight seal should the door need to be sealed.
Good luck with your “new” ride! Hopefully it will serve you well.
D. Eden
“Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.”
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Used Cars
I'm happy that you're fixed up.
For future reference we found that a good source of cheap vehicles was a funeral service. Although it's many years ago now, we bought a 1929 Railton hearse for 10 pounds sterling, then a 1935 Packard for 30 pounds and lastly a 1953 Humber Super Snipe for 60 pounds (cost shared between six flatmates). Funeral services keep their vehicles in good condition and the mileages are low.
Spacious as well?
But perhaps not that many places for sitting passengers.
Depends on how bad the client
Depends on how bad the client's back was. You might need a logging chain to hold them flat.
Hearses make fantastic 'travel the country' cars, because the back is always long and flat enough for sleeping. Weirdly enough the ride is very smooth as well, so I understand. Not like the corpse would feel being bounced around enough to turn over, and they lock or nail the coffin shut...
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Seating
We could squeeze three-four in the front and two -three in back. Cushions were needed in back (cost of cushions extra!) but most of our journeys were across London so reasonably short. Also plenty of room for luggage!
Where I live at present Explorer is
75 proof and very popular.
In future, you could look at
In future, you could look at Pontiac Vibe or Toyota Matrix. Even with huge amounts of miles, they tend to just keep running reliably, with minimal repairs.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Vibe or Matrix
I drive a 2009 Toyota Corolla, purchased new in October 2008, and assembled at NUMMI in Fremont, California. Mechanically it is the same car as the Vibe and Matrix of the same year. So far it has been a very satisfactory car, with about 130K miles on it. I have been retired since October 1, 2013, so I don't drive as much as I used to when I commuted. I am hoping that it will be the last car I have to buy,
Sturdy body, but needs care
I have seen tests of cars against hitting or being hit by something. Ford Explorer was among the sturdiest, it matches even some trucks. Can be lifesaving in a bad situation - good choice!
There are lists on Internet about what to check after buying a second-hand car, and what to take care of. Most important things are:
The engine needs good maintenance (and nice driving) to achieve anywhere near decent mileage per gallon. Unless you are positive that oil has been changed recently, change it now, together with the oil filter. Look at its level, add some if needed (buy oil that is meant for adding). Stir a drop between your fingers - should be smooth and oily. If it feels or looks like having something in it, start the engine and take a look at the cooling liquid reservoir. If you see bubbles of gas in it, that's bad news, you have communication between coolant and oil and / or cylinders, likely the engine head gasket needs replacing.
Take a look at the spark plugs and their cables, they can be the culprit for gas guzzling. Replace plugs and cables that aren't good. Tune the spark plugs gaps to the specification. Wipe well the cables with a cloth with some gasoline on it and wait until they are completely dry before putting them back and driving, that makes the sparks better, the fuel burn cleaner and economies on fuel.
Don't wait with the body rust. Find all places it has started, including what is under paint (look for places with characteristically bumpy paint). If you are handy enough, take off plastic parts and look at the metal under them too. Remove every speck of rust, to the shining metal. Treat the places with good metal protector first (leave it to dry completely), and then with paint over it. Otherwise it will eat the metal rather quickly.
There are bitumen-based anti-corrosion mixes that are good for the car underside and aren't very costly. Use them now, during the summer, after a long period of dry weather. You can do it yourself. Put it on the car underside, everywhere except on the exhaust pipe (it can become too hot). There are plenty of howtos for that in YouTube etc.
Look at the brake liquid. Top it if needed. If it appears to have stuff in it, replace it. Make sure to remove all the air from the brake system after that, or else you are gambling on your life.
Take off the wheels and look at the brakes and their discs. Brakes should have enough in them, otherwise replace them. Disks should not be thinner than a certain thickness, measure them and check in Internet their specs. If they are too thin, replace them, despite the cost. If you can't do it, ask someone, even if that means paying. Better poor than dead.
If money-strapped, don't hurry up with leaking rooftops and windows. These are unpleasant, but not deadly, unlike brakes and some engine problems.