At $5,500, Does This 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac's Price Track?

While nan modular Ford Explorer served nan needs of shot moms and dads nationwide, today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Sport Trac fulfilled nan domiciled of nan "cool uncle who's ever going connected adventures." Let's spot if nan motortruck and its value are still arsenic cool.

While possibly surviving successful nan protector of its large artifact Hemi-head brethren, Mopar's 318 CID V8 has still been vaunted arsenic an motor that punches good supra its weight class. First introduced for nan 1968 exemplary year, nan 318 enjoyed a agelong accumulation run, yet being retired from action astatine nan extremity of 1991. Along nan way, it powered nan 1977 Plymouth Volare position wagon we considered connected Wednesday. That car besides had four-on-the-floor and immoderate cool in-the-family alloy wheels. Unfortunately, it besides had a patina that couldn't beryllium called people-pleasing, and an interior that was little than inviting. All that, and nan Volare's estimation for being a craptacular car, soured immoderate liking successful paying nan seller's $7,100 asking price. The advertisement called that "negotiable," but nan 82% "No Dice" ballot showed fewer of you were willing successful that parlay.

Quick question: what's nan astir absorbing pickup motortruck connected nan marketplace today? Yeah, that's a reliable one, isn't it? The Ford F-Series whitethorn beryllium nan best-selling conveyance successful nan country, and nan title from GM and Ram whitethorn not beryllium acold behind, but loin-stirring? I deliberation not. Smaller trucks aren't overmuch much exciting, though Ford's unibody Maverick is possibly nan astir intriguing of nan bunch.

What if, however, you wanted a less-than-gargantuan motortruck that offered ocular interest, a bully spot of elastic utility, and immoderate coagulated off-road capabilities? I know, truthful galore questions this morning!

I'm going to propose that this 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac hits each those beats, and while it's unsmooth and tumble, it's beautiful good equipped, truthful it shouldn't beryllium excessively difficult to unrecorded pinch connected nan day-to-day.

We've already discussed nan Sport Trac astatine length, noting that these first-generation trucks were a operation of parts, sharing nan afloat beforehand clip pinch nan three-door Explorer, its beforehand doors pinch nan four-door wagon, nan tailgate from nan F-150, and its framework and drivetrain pinch nan Ranger. Let's past get into nan specifications connected this peculiar machine.

With its tonneau apical and lockable tail gate, nan Sport Trac could beryllium considered 1 of nan world's beefiest three-box sedans rocking nan biggest and astir elastic trunk imaginable. In summation to that, it has 4 doors, 5 seats, and a powerfulness rear model that tin beryllium lowered to aerial retired nan cab.

Standard powerfulness for nan Sport Trac came from Ford's SOHC 4.0-liter Cologne V6. The past loop of that motor for nan U.S. market, it produced a coagulated 210 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. These engines person a estimation for eating their timing concatenation guides, but pinch 140,000 miles connected nan timepiece and nan assurance of having been well-maintained complete nan years, that's astir apt little of a interest here. Behind nan V6 is Ford's five-speed automatic, file shifted contempt nan freely console betwixt nan 2 beforehand bucket seats. Push-button 4WD pinch a coagulated rear axle and independent beforehand suspension completes nan picture. According to nan ad, nan motortruck "runs, drives, and shifts great."

As acold arsenic looks go, buyers could do acold worse than this black-over-gray leather edition. The bodywork appears cleanable pinch nary evident issues successful nan overgarment aliases underlying metal. The only discrepancy is simply a mini crease successful nan integrative headdress of nan rear bumper, conscionable beneath nan tail lamp. Another oddity is nan mounting bracket for a tow barroom that is noticeably jutting retired of nan beforehand bumper. Were galore of nan Sport Trac's miles racked up towed down a motorhome? On nan positive side, there's a tile rack connected apical of nan cab, thing uncommon successful a mini motortruck these days. There's besides Ford's superb SecuriCode keypad for keyless introduction connected nan driver's door.

Opening that doorway reveals an interior that's some well-optioned and successful amazingly bully shape. The leather upholstery remarkably doesn't show its age, while nan plastics person likewise stayed successful nan game. Yes, Ford wasn't firing connected each cylinders successful nan early aughts erstwhile it came to dashboard creation aliases worldly choices, but this each looks perfectly livable. It's besides beautiful posh, pinch manual/electric spot controls, powerfulness windows, locks, and mirrors, a tilt instrumentality pinch cruise control, and a moonroof. Additions look to see a double-DIN stereo caput portion pinch a touchscreen and an odd, conspicuously ample toggle move protruding from nan retention area successful nan halfway console. Call maine compulsive, but I really want to flip that and spot what it does.

Per nan ad, nan motortruck has a cleanable title and is free of "foul odors aliases stains," apt acknowledgment to that Breezeway rear window. This whitethorn not beryllium nan champion prime for frugal substance users successful today's property of crazy state prices, but prevention for nan Maverick Hybrid, which isn't going very acold off-road, it won't beryllium overmuch worse than astir different modern trucks.

And dissimilar each different modern trucks, this Sport Trac comes pinch a four-figure value tag that apt won't origin tears nan measurement filling a vessel of state connected darn-near thing does these days. That asking value is $5,500, which puts it correct smack-dab successful nan mediate of nan existent Sport Trac market. There are rather a fewer of these for waste astatine nan moment, but this 1 is astir nan nicest you could find.

What's your return connected this Sport Trac astatine that $5,500 value tag? Does that consciousness for illustration a woody to get into a versatile and nosy compact motortruck that stands retired from nan crowd? Or is that excessively overmuch for a motortruck pinch possibly excessively compact a bed?

You decide!

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T to Don R. for nan hookup!

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