Montero vs Trooper vs Explorer-buying used

[mcompton1973]

I will post this here, and in the Montero and Explorer forums as well...

I am looking to buy a used SUV. I am thinking about something in the 95/96 age range because that seems to be what fits my budget.

I have started to look, and the 3 that I seem to like the most are the Montero, the Trooper, and the Explorer. I dont like the Explorer as much because it is so generic, but right now I need to be somewhat practical, so that is not as big of a concern It seems that Ford trannys are known to be a little week...and I am not sure that I can rack up the kind of miles that I want on an explorer.

Here is my situation. I drive about 130 miles a day to and from work. I have a taurus right now, and it is decent on miliage, but too small for my job, plus Nebraska winters can be a little rough, and I can not NOT go into work because of snow.

I am looking for something that I can load thousands of miles on fairly trouble free. I dont mind doing the maint work myself. everything that I am looking at already has over 100k...so I need something that can take 150-200k without being too much trouble. I also thought about a 4 runner, or pathfinder....but do not know if that is as smart of a choice or not, they seem a little too small.

I realize that MPG will suck no matter what. my main concern is for good reliable running truck that wont leave me stuck in snow or mud.

Any ideas, tips, personal experiance etc would be great. Thanks.

[pans39]

I have to say that I think your best bet would be to go with the trooper but make sure its a little newer than a 96 due to the fact that the 96's have the 3.2 liter as apposed to the 3.5 liter in the newer ones. I could be wrong but I think the 97's have the 3.5's in them. I have the 3.2 in my 96 with 125k mi and it runs great and gets me in and out of the mud when needed but only down side is the engine size.

The Trooper is Roomy and the Safari Sunroof you just can't beat. It's Huge!

[rodeo02]

An exploder would be the cheapest to purchase, if your needs are just a hywy cruiser, parts are plentiful, easy to get fixed. The montero would *probably* be your most reliable & expensive, a 1996-1997 trooper would be a good buy & a nice large, off-road worthy truck, but I'm not sure I'd buy a trooper for huge amounts of straight hywy travel (gasoline $$). IMHO- the 1996-97 are good years for the trooper. The 1998-2000 3.5's can have issues.
G/luck
Joel

[dash14251]

i looked at both also before i got my trooper. i have a 97, the last year with the 3.2L. the newer 3.5 is, from what ive heard, just the original 3.2 bored out. an explorer will be easy to find parts for but its not a truck frame. weak frame and i know too many people with problems with theirs. monteros are not offroad capable. the mid-90s montero was one of the first, following the explorer, mall-cruiser soccer mom suvs. isuzu started in 98 with their first 2wd trooper...anyway, if anyone lives on a dirt road and owns a 97 or older trooper they will know the trooper is a truck. stiff suspension as far as absorbing bumps. the trooper is probably not as on road capable as the others because of its top-heaviness creates lots of body roll in corners. gas mileage is not super either. i liked the trooper because of the interior volume. i sleep in the back of mine all the time and have plenty of room to sit up and move around (6'3")
if i could change anything about it i would give it a newer more powerful and more gas-economical engine. maybe a locking front/rear differential...

[werks2much]

Out of the three you mentioned go with the Trooper. They are more comfortable and more capable trucks though they are hard on gas. I have 2001 and really like it. The Troopers are really taking a beating on resale value so now is the time to pick up a 2000 or newer Trooper. The 98 & 99's had some problems with oil consumption which I just found on the forum here. (I almost bought 98 identical to my '01 cause my wife gets the Trooper and won't let me have it.) Mine has the LSD rear end so it nice in the snow.

Now if you aren't opposed to trucks I have a 95 Nissan Hardbody 4x4 that I absolutely love. These trucks are great and are phenominal in the snow. Bought mine in 2002 for $5900 bucks and has 4WD, V6 & A/C. On the V6 models check the Timing belts otherwise you could get the 4 cyl and get better gas milage. All the guys with the 4 cyl engines love them and routinely get 200,000 miles out of them.

I have topper on the back of my truck so I have dry storage during inclement weather....I also sleep back there when camping. I love my Nissan and my Trooper.

You will pay too much for a Toyota with too many miles on it.

[StateTrooper]

I would be a little more inclined to go with the Trooper. I have a '92 w/3.2L it has over 140k on it never had any trouble. It's very comfortable and incredible on/off road, dry or snow. We will never part with it.

[2eyefishclaw]

I have a 96 Troooper I had to replace the engine when I bought it but it endured 265,000 hwy. miles before finally giving out and the reason it did die is because it overheated due to radiator problems and the cust did not stop untill the engine stopped
not to knock Ford because I belive they have the best P/U on the market but their explorer suv is very highly overrated and overpriced, it is harder to work on and does not have the torque h/p or the roopm that the trooper has

[greengy1]

Of the 3 you mentioned...everyone has been right on:

Montero
Over priced. Went from Trooper competition to Luxury mobile

Trooper
- Gives you plenty of headroom and like others said, ROOM, you don't feel so cramped or trapped.
- My 3 year old son loves my truck because, no tinted windows and he sits so high up in car seat
- Don't know if this is on the other trucks but the fresh air vents on the outside vents sure help on a long drive (especially if you don't want windows open at highway speeds)

Explorer
- eh...Don't lose it at the mall with all the others...
- Cramped
- Explorer + Firestone Tires = Not Good...Who knows if it was Firestone?

Well of course you will get a little bias here on the Trooper forum, but honestly, the Trooper is a very underated truck and it is too bad Isuzu doesn't make them any more.

I don't envy your commute, but good luck on your purchase.

-Greeny

[werks2much]

So Compton what did you decide on?

[mcompton1973]

as of right now, still looking. I like the trooper the most, but have not been able to find one that is affordable to me. I am in Omaha, NE and there are VERY VERY few used ones around here. very small precentage of forieng SUVs compared to Domestic models here.