[GuyFromRI]

Well, you have some cons that definitely out-weigh the pros. For instance, to buy a nice SUV like that is great but the insurance on SUV's is outrageous compared to cars. Being a teenager with barely any driving record is going to make that much worse.

That being said, I'm not a pesimist and I admire that a young person can take the drive to save that much money for a vehicle. Jeep vs Explorer...in my eyes...Jeep all day. Better on gas, safer and for some reason, you can get an 00-02 Limited(with extensive research) for a much better deal than a ford.

WARNING: I sold Jeeps brand new. The one issue with them is the front brakes. They have to be replaced every 10k miles. Certain Jeeps do fall under the class action law suit filed against Chrysler so you CAN have them fixed for free each time but thats a lot of time sitting in the service waiting area at your local dealer. There is an upgrade that is meant to remedy this issue, sold at AutoZone, which I have heard good thing about(no personal experience with this).

JEEP: The power is amazing in the V8's, the 4X4 is second to none (literally), the ride quality is amazing and the history is there.

FORD: Power(not impressive until you get into the 04+ models with V8), options also not that impressive, 4X4(I'd have to check but I believe some of the older explorers(not EB) had manual locking hubs..if thats the case, HEAD FOR HIGH GROUND!!), MPG -- Not quite sure but if it is anything like what Ford normally puts out, eek.

Lol...I guess you can't really call me unbaised about the situation but that's my stance. Good luck! Definitely do your homework!