i have had experiences with 4 different explorers over the past few years. first was my step brothers 95 XLT. he bought it used from a friend of the family and within 6 months the 4 wheel-drive was shot. it would grind on engagement and disengagement prectically required a trip to the dealer. we traded it in for a 4runner. my uncle drive a 99 eddie bauer 4.0. he had a problem with his check engine light not extinguishing and it resulted in him blowing the engine. my mother rented a 2002 Sport and did not like its handling, ride, or ergonomics at all. she actually had my brother drive it and took back her 97 LT blazer for the week. she was very happy to have her land rover back. finally, we rented a 2004 eddie bauer for a road trip. it drove very nicely and had great features. alot can be customized to fit you, but it gave us some concerns as well. it was hard to start on 2 occasions and at one point blew sand through the a/c... but we were in nevada. all this from a car with 2000 miles on it. i like explorers, but i feel the lower models (XLS and XLT) are somewhat overpriced considering their feature content. explorers can be great cars, but be very careful when buying one. especially with all the rental explorers out there. buy the explorer after careful consideration and caution. or go with a chevy blazer. the 4.3s run forever. my mom put 260,000 on the 4.3 she had in her 89 blazer. biggest fix she ever had done was a new transmission. no engine work. not even a head gasket. look around, be open-minded.
