Hi there - my 2002 (125K ) Ford Explorer has been acting up for some time now and we're at the stage where I'm afraid it is just going to quit on me. Yesterday I found out that it needs 1K worth of work and then this AM on the way back from dropping the kids off at school the back window lift broke so that's an additional $300. I've performed ALL scheduled maintenance and I really thought I would get more than 125K out of the car....
To be honest with you I would be MUCH more comfortable if it was something that went (even if it was bigger/more $$) get it fixed and move on. What we have now is all sorts of little things, as well as when I turn on the car sometimes the electrical/lights (radio station numbers/time/mileage information) doesn't come on until I've driven it for a while. It's paid for and we could probably get 4-5K for it in a trade in.
So my question is two fold:
1) does anyone have a 2002 V8 Ford Explorer and are you having these same issues ? I've done things like power steering, wheel bearings, springs, timing belt, the CD play no longer works, etc. etc.
2) Do any of you have a Toyota Highlander Hybrid? How has it been re: issues/repairs? Is 8oK a lot of miles on this type of engine - or do they typically go to 200K???
I'm VERY interested in Hybrid's b/c we keep our cars for a long time and I need much better gas mileage than the 14MPG I've been getting. I know that Toyotas are meant to last forever but this 2008 has 80K miles on it - which scares me a bit - I was thinking 50K miles is a good milage for a used car.
The dealer is asking 25.9K ... that seems a bit high for 80K but maybe it is that $$ b/c it's a hybrid?? There are NOT a lot of highlander hybrids on the used mkt. so it isn't super easy to compare $$. It's 'loaded' and I drive about 12K miles a year.
I don't know about hybrids, but the regular Highlanders can run forever with proper maintenance. We bought our 2007 with 43K on it, and were told by various mechanics etc that we didn't even need to "think about it" until well over 150K-it's basically like new. I LOVE it so much too. 80K is lot, but if it's got no accidents etc research the hybrid aspect-it may comparable to very low miles in other cars.
I don't know that much about Hybrids, so I can't comment on price. But on a regular car, you are to average between 12K-15K a year. The car is almost 5 years old, if it was used all through 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. So doing the math it should have 60K-75K on it, so it is a little over the highest number. Toyotas do last forever, but do Hybrids last longer than regular cars? Are Hybrids more expensive to maintain? Are Hybrids really cost effective for your type of driving. Hybrids are most effective on longer drives. Short and go driving and driving running errands still take a lot of gas, as least they do in my husband's Toyota Camy Hybrid. He gets great gas mileage, but he does a lot of highway driving. His is a 2008, and has 85K miles on it and it runs like a dream. My husband's car is a company car so we don't do repairs and we didn't buy it. I got a 2008 GMC Acadia, seven passenger, with 15K miles on it for 30K. Just to give you a cost comparison on a regular SUV of similar size. It's not a Hybrid, but in my short drives around town, I usually get around 20 miles per gallon, and I've gotten close to 30 miles per gallon on highway driving.
Can't help you with the Ford Explorer question, never owned one, but I do see a lot of them for sale on Craigslist. As far as miles I look at average miles per year, normally it's 10 to 15,000 per year. So 80,000 is double the average. But it seems like people are racking up crazy miles on their cars. We were looking for a newer (used) vehicle and have noticed that. I also hear that Toyotas, along with Hondas run forever though, so..... Just make sure to shop around and check the kbb value to make sure you're getting a good deal. It seems like you could get something with less miles for 25K but who knows with the car market these days. We're not even looking anymore. Good luck!
80K miles is a lot for it's age (15K per year is what 'they' say is normal) but not by THAT much.
I don't know a lot about Hybrids but the price doesn't sound THAT unreasonable....
I guess my main question would be what does the dealer warranty look like?
