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.

Enjoyed owning this truck. AWD rocks.

i think it's a nice vehicle overall. but due to a high profile and narrow stance, it does like to lean on fast turns. it has a decent-sized 4.0 v6 which is pretty good on acceleration for a truck but requires quite a push going up steep hills. the interior has well placed switches and a good display of gauges.

When I first bought this back in 2006, I purchased it with the intention of it being a short-lived solution for how I could get around until the end of high school. It turned out to be a love affair; throughout the years I have grown to love this Explorer so much that I dread the day where I must get rid of it. Sporting the legendary 5.0 liter V8, my Explorer, while not especially fast, does exhibit the typical torque grunt of an eight cylinder engine. The build quality I have found is not typical of what most people think of when they think Explorer; it has held up superbly over the years, even during my abusive teen phase. The best thing about it? Its great to drive. The steering is light and uncommunicative, the brakes suck, the drivetrain is coarse and jittery. But I don't care. I love driving my Explorer.

I've had the pleasure of driving this vehicle for the past 2 years, and while it doesn't accelerate very fast or set new speed records, it handles quite well and carries a whole lot of stuff. A lot of people hate the Explorer, and I can't see why. It's a great car for the money, and very reliable.