Around the middle of 2004, Justin and I began talking about purchasing a new vehicle for me. We looked at Honda Elements, Toyota Highlanders, and Ford Escapes. We both liked the Element, but it just wasn't cutting it for us. I think it was too bare (I'm not sure if Honda has changed this, but at the time, Elements didn't have carpet - the floor was vinyl or rubber or something like that).
We went to a Toyota dealership and drove the Highlander. Justin and I both took an immediate dislike to the salesman. He was pretty pushy and arrogant about the Toyota brand. I'm not knocking Toyota, but please don't tell me how all other car brands are inferior to your brand and how the brakes on GM vehicles will fail (he actually said this!) and how I'd be so unhappy with a Honda. When I test drive a vehicle, I want to drive it where I drive on a daily basis. At the time, I was driving on the interstate a lot. He insisted on dictating where I was to drive. I don't drive on little tiny country roads with lots of stops. I want to see how it handles on the interstate. When I did get on the interstate, he kept insisting I "get on it". He was basically telling me to get going really fast. The speed limit at the time in that area was 65 mph. I was going nearly 80 mph and he was telling me to go faster. I think Justin turned around and looked at him like he had lost his mind. This stretch of interstate was notorious for being patrolled heavily by the GSP and local sheriff's department. Needless to say, we immediately left that dealership and never went back.
We dropped by the local Ford dealership to look at the Escape. We were looking at small SUVs because they were in our price range. I would have loved an Expedition, but it wasn't in the budget. When we were talking with the salesman, he asked why we were looking at the Escapes and not the Explorers and we said it was because we could afford the Escape. He showed us that due to current specials, the Explorer was actually cheaper than the Escape. We drove an Escape and Explorer and both loved the Explorer. We did a little research and purchased my new vehicle soon after the test drive.
The photos below were taken in 2007 when we were in the process of selling the Explorer.
I loved the Explorer! I can't explain it, but it was a fun vehicle to drive. I felt like I was on top of the world in it. I did sit up higher than in a car, but I wasn't as high as larger SUVs and big trucks. I still thought of myself as the Queen of the Road. She served me well until November 2006 when the transmission died. You can read more about that here. We got her repaired, but I was still so afraid of being stranded on the side of the road. This was especially scary since I was driving on the interstate so much and the area where I was driving was a construction zone with no emergency lanes. If something had happened, I had no where to go.
I drove the Explorer for a few more months before we decided to replace it. It didn't give us any trouble, but I whined about the transmission a lot. Gas was also becoming a big issue. My average gas bill was about $500 per month. This wasn't me joyriding. I went to work and came home. It was obvious I needed something more efficient. We listed the Explorer in several area newspapers and eventually got a buyer. We were very upfront about the transmission and suggested the new buyers have it checked out, but they were comfortable buying it as-is.
I was so sad to see the Explorer go and get a little envious when I see one that looks like mine. The buyer only kept the Explorer for a few months before selling it. I'm not sure what the deal was, but they obviously didn't love her like I did. I saw it parked in a mall parking lot several times. I'm guessing the new owner works there (or has a serious shopping addiction). The reason I know it was mine is because of the scratch on the side. See the photo below:
Shortly after I bought the Explorer, it was scratched with a rock or keyed (the rock has my vote). It was parked outside the gift shop where I worked and a disgruntled employee of a nearby business scratched all the vehicles parked in the ally with mine. No one saw him do it, but it was obvious it was him. I never got it repaired because it was going to be expensive and would probably be hit by a car door or something like that in another parking lot.
Shortly after I bought the Explorer, it was scratched with a rock or keyed (the rock has my vote). It was parked outside the gift shop where I worked and a disgruntled employee of a nearby business scratched all the vehicles parked in the ally with mine. No one saw him do it, but it was obvious it was him. I never got it repaired because it was going to be expensive and would probably be hit by a car door or something like that in another parking lot.
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