Andy, there are horror stories about all kinds of vehicles, so I would not
judge them all by driving one that was obviously not prepped correctly. I
had a similiar experience driving a new Mercury Mountaineer V8 over the xmas
holidays. In fact, I drove 3 of them, and two had the same problem, and one
a different problem. I currently drive a V8 Grand Cherokee, 4wd, and have
been unhappy with vibrations in the drive train. All of them have it, and
no adverse problems have ocurred in the 58000 miles I have driven it. But
it does in fact lack ample space and the Explorer/Mountaineer seemed like a
reasonable alternative. However, the drive train vibration in all three new
Mountaineers with less than 100 miles was as bad as my Jeep, one of them
worse. (Rear view mirror vibrating enough to distort view through rear
glass)
The Durango(s) I have driven (3) certainly appeared to be the most
comfortable for me, however, not the most comfortable for my bank account.
Even though the Exp/Mtneer lists for nearly the same as the Durango, the
Fords can be purchased for much less than the Durango. Dodge dealers are
apparantly selling as many Durangos as they can get, and simply refuse to
offer decent discounts. However, the pulling power of the Durango, 5.2 and
5.9, exceeds that of the 5.0 offered in the Fords, IMHO. Of course, the
Durango(s) I drove were equipped with towing package and 3.92 gears, while
the Fords had 3.7 gears....
All my opinion
Phil O.
>
>So, it looks like an Explorer since it seems to be the best
>combination of storage space, towing capacity, and reliability.
>
>Thanks again for all the responses.
>
>-Andy McKee
>
>
>
>
>
|