Bought a GREAT truck!!! Oh no wait... Nevermind... It's junk.

[moogvo]

A couple of months ago, I sold my B2 project... but not before spending a small fortune in parts and making it run GREAT. I am STILL kicking myself over it. Impulsive move number 31,092... Onto impulsive move number 31, 093...

BEHOLD!!! My '01 Explorer Sport! (insert fanfare trumpets and confetti here)

Afterall... It is LIKE a Bronco II, is it not? well... kind of anyway...

INTERIOR SHOT!!! (More fanfare and confetti here)

This thing has every option (Less leather, which I HATE anyway), is a one-owner and it is CUH-LEEEEN! It looks like it has never been driven! (save for the small wear spot in the console top and the pop tart icing my daughter added to the passenger's seat...)

I got it home and 3 days later, discover it has a BLOWN HEAD GASKET! now, I did the head job on the B2, but I am not looking to do it again... and of COURSE the dealer said that I bought it "As is" and he is not going to help me out at ALL...

... or... IS he?

I started making noise on the Internet and registered complaints with... blah blah blah... THEN! I discovered during a short chat with a DMV inspector that the vehicle had not passed an inspection, which is a REQUIREMENT in NC BEFORE a dealer is allowed to offer a vehicle for sale. The inspector told me that the dealer would gleefully be fixing my Explorer, else he shall feel her wrath... Ok... that was highly paraphrased, but you get the idea.

I got "Johnny Car Dealer Guy" to sign a contract with me to replace the existing 4.0L SOHC with one from an '07 -'10 Mustang. He agreed and picked up an '07 engine with 30k on the clock yesterday. I also added a 90 day warranty on the vehicle into the contract (which he signed).

When the work is completed (he says Sunday, but I doubt that) I have the right to have it inspected by a mechanic of my choosing before accepting it. If I have ANY problems for 90 days after that, I retain the right to drive into his office, park on his desk and demand my money back. (Again, paraphrased), but you get the idea.

I STILL DO miss the B2, however.

 

[backroad101]

Good investigative work. Hopefully they look over the used motor very well before installing it.
.

 

[moogvo]

I'm sure they will, since the contract I made him sign gives me a 90 day warranty. I am SURE he doesn't want to pay for another one to be installed. My understanding is the they got to hear it run before buying it.

 

[BDAB]

wow...... to get around that, Cambell Ford pencil whipped the 140 point inspection and cleared the codes on my Blazer since no state inspection is required.

 

[wizkid00104]

That was one of the best worded posts I have ever read. I was actually laughing at my desk. Best of luck with that souped up Exploder :icon_cheers:

 

[moogvo]

That was one of the best worded posts I have ever read. I was actually laughing at my desk. Best of luck with that souped up Exploder :icon_cheers:

Thank you! I was trying to give it a "lighter feel". Either way, I am excited to get my exploder back. I think I will test it out by doing donuts on his front lawn.

 

[06RangerXLT]

GET EM! good job man. I love knowing sales rules. cant tell you how many times they have helped me!

Take it to a ford dealer on his expense. Have them do a FULL check. since its part of the "requirements"

Any issues have fixed by HIM. screwing the screwed dealer is the only way to do it!

 

[jhammel85]

Good Job on that! A lot of people would of just cried and moved on at their own expense. Good luck with it!

 

[moogvo]

Absolutely! I wrote in the contract that I get to take to the shop and tech of MY choice to have it checked out BEFORE I take delivery of it. It is going to be to spec or I will NOT accept it. I don't want this to be some hacked up POS that I have to work on every time I turn around!

I was MOST DEFINITELY pining about it mid week... Especially when I found out that NOBODY wanted to touch it for less then $2400.00. I was getting ready to pour every dime I had into it to get it fixed... and then it would still have an engine with 131k on it.

I made SURE that he understood CLEARLY that I was NOT going to accept any hack work. I think that he is crystal clear on what the requirements are at this point.

Yes, stop the presses! I finally got a car dealer to do the right thing!

(And really, what I am asking for is fair). He had the option to either fix the engine it had or replace it. He found it to be more cost effective to replace it, considering what his mechanic MIGHT have found inside the engine.

 

[adsm08]

He found it to be more cost effective to replace it, considering what his mechanic MIGHT have found inside the engine.

Doesn't help that the engine has to come out to do head gaskets on the SOHC.

The early ones had issues with the head gaskets. There are aftermarket ones that last better.

 

[moogvo]

Johnny car dealer called me today and said that my Explorer will have a 2007 Mustang engine with 30k miles on it by 10 am tomorrow. He told me that it would have been done today but that they had to get a part that is a dealer only part. We'll see...

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

They called you on a Sunday!?!?!
WOW!

 

[moogvo]

Yeah... That's what I thought... Apparently, it is a REALLY big deal for a car dealer in NC to sell an un inspectable vehicle. my buddy says that this guy wants to make me happy and get me out of his life as soon as possible. Good for me! I don't think at this point that he has the balls to "rig" it up.

I am getting that new car xcitement all over again...we'll see...

 

[backroad101]

Prob a good lesson to anyone buying a used car that if it craps out right after you buy to check to see if it passed inspection before it was placed for sale.

 

[4.0B2]

'scribed...

its clean for sure.

 

[moogvo]

Ok. The Mustang engine is in and running GREAT! No check engine lights and the engine only has 30k on it. If you have an Explorer that needs freshening up, THIS is AWESOME! This project can be done for less than what I paid to do the heads on my B2! the engine was $700.00. On the B2, I paid almost HALF that for just the heads... and I STILL had an engine with 140k on it when I was done!

I am back to being happy with the X.

 

[backroad101]

How is the Mustang engine different than the Explorer one? Is it just an age / mileage thing?

.

 

[moogvo]

Primarily, it is an age/mileage thing. There is talk that the timing chain guide problem was also addressed in these engines. the BIG part of it, though is that it is really easy to find them with LOW miles and they are CHEAP. Maybe a smaller cool factor for some is being able to say that you have a Mustang engine in your Explorer...

Otherwise, they are nearly identical.