I used to have this car. Note the "used to" part. It was sold for a much nicer Honda Accord. The first thing you notice while test driving the '97 Explorer is how bumpy the ride is. The shocks are a little too hard, even for an SUV. Going over speedbumps at 5mph feels like driving over a boulder in any other car.

After about 3 days of normal driving, you'll have to fill up the gas tank. And probably by that time you'll need an oxygen mask while you drive. The pollution from this thing is tremendous, typical of any wonderful Ford. It's barely within our State's legal limits, even brand new. The gas mileage is advertised to be between 15-16 for a V8, but it doesn't achieve even that. I found that under normal driving conditions, I could get maybe 12 miles to a gallon... if I was lucky. Normally I got 10 or 11 on the average. Pretty terrible, yes.

The suspension on this Explorer was horrendous. Every time you brake, the suspension creaks and groans under the stress. I tried to have it fixed while under warranty, but nothing could be done. Even replacing the entire suspension system did no help. Plus, the driver's side seatbel

Amount Paid (US$): 33,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1997
Model and Options: XLT, V8, AWD