Ford Explorer

Here is a picture of the newest member of our family! A 2000 Ford Explorer XLT.

Jeff's Taurus had been having issues for a while, and when he took it to Brandon Call to have him charge the A/C before a long work trip, he said the A/C compressor what about shot, and once that goes out, everything on the serpentine belt starts going out... which includes some major engine parts.  He basically said don't drive it long distances, and get rid of it before it dies...  

We were fortunate in the fact that we had just barely decided to buy Jeff's Aunt Kay Lynne and Uncle Don's Ford Explorer.  They were leaving on a mission to go back to the Madrid Temple at the beginning of June and were selling their Explorer for $2000.  We offered them $1800, and when Jeff went to pay them for it they would only accept $1500, in case it needed some repairs.  

(Which it did, so that was really helpful!  We had to fix the back rear door handle/latch right off the bat, the door wouldn't open at all a few days after we got it.  We also got it tuned up and the A/C checked, since it doesn't stay charged more than a few weeks.  It also had a lingering cigarette smoke smell from previous owners so we got it odor bombed and the interior detailed a few weeks later.)

We picked the Explorer up in Pleasant Grove on June 8th. Tanner had just sold his little beater Honda and had been driving his friend's car since his Jetta was in the shop and was going to be for the next week or two after we got the Explorer.  So we let him drive the Taurus during the time.  The Taurus' compressor died just the day before Tanner got his car back!  Definitely a little tender mercy that we were all able to get where we needed to, didn't get stranded, and that the Taurus didn't die any sooner.  And we were still able to sell the Taurus for $550 since it had been running fine, just needed a new compressor.

The Explorer still needs a few things, like the blinker doesn't stop blinking when you turn, A/C still hasn't been totally fixed, rear window wiper doesn't work, driver's seat needs padding on one side and the seat upholstery on all seats needs to be re-sewn and/or just need seat covers, but we have LOVED having a bigger car that can actually haul things!  Makes getting groceries, moving bikes and furniture, etc that much easier.  And it has a ball hitch on the back bumper.  Plus Jeff let me splurge and get a remote entry which I have loved after having to manually unlock all 4 doors in the Honda since we bought it.  (Which wasn't a huge deal till we had a kid, and I was not excited about doing it with 2 kids!)  

Here's to hoping the Explorer lives a long time!