towing, power, appointments,

gas guzzler and now expensive brake work!

pretty good. the tires lasted to 45000 miles. when i went to replace i asked that the brakes be inspected. i walked out w an additional $630 taken from my wallet. seems they say all four rotors had to be replaced, cld not be turened down. this was explained as they have gone european style, softer rotors for better braking. anybody agree no way to re use rotors for this or maybe also on eddie bauer explorer?

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ford explorer XLS, Ford taurus

Styling, gadgets, comfortable interior, powerful (V8)

Poor interior fit. Many rattles & squeeks.

Lured by the "Family Price", looks (all black) and gadgets (sat radio, auto this and that, etc.), and an attempt to buy American I traded my 2003 Nissan Pathfinder for a Mountaineer Premier. Big mistake. This heap is riddled with rattles and squeaks and they are iincreasing almost daily. Took it back to the dealer to fix a particularly annoying one but there are too many to tackle and I know it will be a losing battle to correct. I feel that this situation is indicative of American auto manufacturers poor guality and does not bode well in their efforts to regain market share. Never again!

Great size, fit and finish, tight tuning circle for a vehicle this size. I love the backup warning divice.

ROUGH RIDE, hard seats, gas milage

Bought 2002 Mountaineer with 28000 miles on it at a great price. I like everything about the vehicle except the extremely rough ride. Even modest bumps seem to be magnified. I find that I am getting motion sick and headaches at times. I am hoping that someone has had the same problem and has found a way to correct it. I really want to like this vehicle.

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1997 Nissan Pathfinder

For the size SUV it is the gas mileage was great. 18-20 MPG. Loved the dual air/heat, compass, temperature gauge, rear stereo fitted for headphones for the kids. The autolamp feature was great too. Controls easy to see and understand.

The service department at my dealership!!!

Bought my used 1999 Mercury Mountaineer January '03. Had it less than a week when it wouldn't start. Fuel line and fuel pump were leaking really bad. Got that fixed. April '03 wouldn't start again. Bad starter. May '03 the overdrive light would flash. Called dealership. Said they couldn't get me in for 2 1/2 weeks, but don't drive it. Don't drive it? Was my only vehicle and they wouldn't give me a loaner until I brought it in 2 1/2 weeks later. When I got it in the light was no longer flashing. Computer wouldn't pick up any codes so they could fix it. Oct '03. Sounded like engine was going to fall out going up hills. Totally embarrassing! Nov '03 traded it in on an '04 Escape. Hate the Escape. No luxury items and the gas milage really sucks. I can't even get 17 miles per gallon. My Mountaineer got 18-20. Now the dealership is using my old Mountaineer as a courtesy vehicle. Funny how they seemed to be able to fix it for themselves. Now I have a much higher payment, higher insurance and my gas bills run me $31-$38 a week. Mountaineer ran me $25 tops. Although I had problems with the Mountaineer I still loved it. I believe the all of the problems were with the service department. Saw my Mountaineer on a major highway the other day doing 80 MPH. My Escape could barely catch it. I couldn't get it to go that fast without it sounding like it was falling apart, but the guy from the dealership who was driving didn't seem to have any problems. Did some investigation - turns out it needed a new transmission, something that was covered under warranty. It's warranty was better than my brand new one's. Just needed to vent. Want my Mountaineer back. If I had it to do over I would hound the service department until I got what I wanted. Instead they got what they wanted - me to buy a new vehicle. The price for my new Escape is highway robbery. For another $5K I could have gotten a new Mountaineer, but I had to eat over $8K because they wouldn't give me enough for my old one.

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2004 Escape

Enterior and Interior finish. Handling, cornering, acceleration,and down right goor looks.

Seating adjustments were a little too weak, Would have appreciated if the seating would have been more adjustable. what saved me was the fact that the pedals were all adjustable. Never thought that would have made a difference. But. I still sat way too high for my liking.

Well folks.......I did it last night. I left a deposit on the 2004 Mountaineer, after taking a test drive. Loved the way it handled, and accelerated. The exterior "fit and finish" was terrific, so was the interior. I opted for the burl wood interior that totally made the interior look like a super luxury SUV. Orderd this one with the AWD & V8. Couldn't believe how many options were standard on this vehicle. The bootm line was the 0% financing for 5 years, along with the various other incentives that Mercury offered. And to think i was jsut about to buy the new SRX from Cadillac.

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Mercedes Benz "M" series SUV. Ford Bronco

Powerful V-8 engine, sharp looking, and one thing i thought might be a concern was off road. This SUV is fantastic on the beach, and I dont mean Daytona where cars go. Clearance isn't great, but it glides over just about the deepest sand.

Clearance is low, but I knew that, and hasnt caused any trouble. Gas mileage is around 16mpg, but i knew what i was getting into. It's worth it. Nearly double the mpg of my last 2 trucks. You want a truck, a 5.0 v-8, you're gonna have a gas bill, no way out of it

Great SUV. Looks good, runs good, fast, comfortable, stereo is great as well as the interior. Premier package has just about every option available.

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1996 full size Bronco, f-250 sd - f250 4x4

Extra package is good. Leather interior is comfortable.

Spark Knock that no one can fix Not a quiet ride Not a smooth ride

Car is an average car with its ups and downs. I would not mind the rough ride if I could fix the damn spark knock..HAHA

Effortless steering! Tires run great in heavy rain. V8 power. Dual-zone air-conditioning, power leather seats w/memory, power adjustable pedals w/memory, premium sound w/in-dash 6 CD (good bass), third row seating (and access), and steering wheel buttons for air/sound/cruise. Passengers love the rear overhead A/C controls. The V8 has plenty of power for hills and passing. Auto-dimming mirror is great. Wife loves the handy entry assist handle and running boards to get in! I also like the larger rear-hatch window, which we use more than the lift-gate.

Only one major one, really, although not unexpected: the V8's gas mileage. Averaging 15.8-18.8. Expected a little better since I don't consider myself heavy footed on the gas. Transmission clunks when putting it in gear, but the book warns you about that (learning mode). Brake pedal is a little spongy, although braking is good. I wish the antenna was power so I wouldn't have to remove it at automatic car washes. Also, it puzzles me why we are charged $60 extra for the roof rack cross members. Why would you have just the roof rack rails w/o the cross members anyway?

I bought the Luxury Pkg and I am really enjoying it! Third vehicle I bought from this dealer, plus rebates, got me a great price. Had a tough time choosing between the Explorer Eddie Bauer and Mountaineer. But, the styling and third-row seating helped sway me. To me, the styling is better, more refined, than the Explorer. Fit and finish are outstanding. It is fairly quiet, with little wind or engine noise (except while accelerating). The V8 has plenty of power for hills and passing. Visibility is excellent forward, but when backing up it is harder to see. I've had no reliability problems although I have put only 2500 miles on it so far. I really like the dual-zone A/C, since I like it cooler than my wife, when I'm driving. It drives really well, and the new suspension is very smooth. Much better than the older Explorers and Mountaineers. Braking is good, and you don't get that feeling that it's hard to stop, but the pedal is a little spongy. OK, as a pilot, I really like the message center, which gives me gas mileage, miles to empty, trip OD, systems status (fuel, low fuel warning, oil pressure, oil change due warning, electrical, engine temperature), and has a compass! Very comfortable 2nd row seating. Your family will love you for driving them it!

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'98 Explorer Eddie Bauer, '01 Mazda Tribute (I enjoyed the Tribute, but found the cargo space was too small, and it was noisy).

Everything. Simply put...this is a fantastic car. VERY comfortable, attention to detail in everything. Great power for towing the boat without that "truck" feeling that's common in many SUVs this size. Reliable, excellent A/C, roomy (I fit a full size mattress in the back), and safe.

Addictive!

I've always loved the look of the 1998/99 Mountaineer, so this year I sold my old Porsche 968 and bought a used Mountaineer. I've never been happier! This car is 10 times more comfortable than the Porsche and 1,000 times more practicle.

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Jeep Grand Cherokee

Love the power of the V8 engine, the leather interior, and the radio is nice. Ample room for all who rode with me.

The radio went out the first week I owned it, the gas mileage is terrible, 02 sensors have all gone out at sometime or another even after having them replaced, now there are problems with the c-converter and the 02 sensor again. Spent more time in the repair shop then I have on the road so far this year, the back windshield wiper works when it wants to and there is a vibration that can be felt while driving. I'll never buy another one!

My experience with this vehicle has been luke-warm. Some days I'm pleased with it and other days I'm not. When it's running fine it's all good, but when there is a problem, the problems aren't small ones they are major. I'd never want to own another one, besides that, I can't seem to get rid of it. Boy did I waste my money.