The seller has this one-owner, 40,000-mile first-generation Explorer listed as an Eddie Bauer edition, but is it an XLT rather than an Eddie Bauer edition? You can see some faded paint on the tops of the front fender flares, but this is one nice-looking early SUV. And by “early,” I know that the Suburban, Willys, and others were available decades earlier. The seller has this 1991 Ford Explorer posted here on craigslist in Bellevue, Washington, and they’re asking $16,000. Here is the original listing.
We could spend a week talking about the infamous Firestone/Ford rollover nightmare in the early 1990s here. There were many contributing factors that caused a few hundred deaths, including low recommended tire pressure and heat, as hot climates seemed to be particularly prone to trouble. The tire design itself came under fire, which caused Firestone to close the Illinois plant where the tires were made, and there were others. I owned a commercial cleaning service in this era, and we cleaned a bunch of Firestone stores. That was a very interesting time, to say the least.
That being said, this beautiful one-owner survivor appears to have led a very pampered life. I’m surprised to see some faded paint due to the sun; we typically don’t see that in vehicles from the Pacific Northwest. Otherwise, this looks like a jewel, and the Eddie Bauer trim was the top one in this era – although there are no Eddie Bauer markings or badges, and there’s an XLT badge on the rear liftgate. Thanks to Bob_in_TN for bringing that to my attention before this hit the airwaves. Ford made the first-generation Explorer from 1990 for the 1991 model year until the end of 1994. Here is a 1991 Ford Explorer brochure to check out.
The Explorer was somewhat rushed to market, and it had a big role in creating the SUV phase that’s still hot today. In case you haven’t noticed, most of the vehicles on the road today seem to be SUVs, although market share is still less than 50%. Even Ford itself, creator of the Explorer, only offers one “car” today: the Mustang. Everything else is a truck, SUV, van, etc. You can see that the interior here looks almost like new, if not exactly like a new Explorer in 1991 would have looked. The cool, gradiant/graduated (not like Jethro Bodine graduating from the sixth grade, but as in a varied tone from dark to light) seats truly appear in excellent condition both front and rear, as does the rear cargo area.
The engine is the only one offered this year, Ford’s 4.0-liter OHV V6, which was rated at 155 horsepower and 220 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by an A4LD four-speed automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels as needed, the seller says everything works perfectly, and it runs and drives “excellent.” Have any of you owned a first-generation Explorer? Is it an Eddie Bauer or an XLT model?
It seems like yesterday when these came out. And man were they popular. I had a few rides in the first generation ones like this one here, I remember how roomy the back seat was for 3 of us riding. This kind of ties in with the Mazda pickup Scotty wrote up. Anyone remember the Mazda Navajo which was a 2 door Explorer? I also remember the Firestone situation as well. I believe Harvey Firestone was friends with Henry Ford, along with Thomas Edison too. Henry used Firestone tires for his early vehicles, but this situation which I think may have had to do with ride quality if memory serves me right. I’m more of inflate it as much as I can kind of guys and wonder if just some more air pressure would’ve eliminated that issue. This one looks very nice. Very well preserved.
Also, correct me if I’m wrong but, I think you could get an early Explorer with a stick too. That would be an incredibly rare find.
Friend had a 2 door stick, with a small snowplow ❄️ Manual hubs. Lever T-Case. Really cool 4wd.
I’ve said it for a while now – I think that these,& full sized
American vans in really nice shape will only go up in value,as
most of them got used hard,& put away wet.
My ’60 Chevey Apache 30 (in my signature picture) was
the same way.It had 5100 miles on it when I bought it,& was kept
in covered storage almost all of it’s life.
I’ve always wondered if that ’60 is yours. Very very nice!!!
I consider these first-generation Explorers to be very important and influential vehicles. They nailed the emerging market of the midsize four-door SUV, with their clean styling, attractive interior, nice trim, available options, decent performance, and reasonable price. The public noticed; production was over 400,000 for several years.
And as SG notes, consider the huge variety of SUV’s in today’s new car market.
Decades later, the Explorer has changed and evolved, but is still a core offering in Ford’s lineup.
I too think that clean, low-mileage examples will become more collectible.
Thanks SG.
Buddy of mine was a Ford family. He had a 90 Ranger STX with the extended cab, and his folks had this Explorer in a different color. We drove their Explorer from central WI to Steamboat Springs, CO. They were roomy and comfortable. But that engine was not for going fast (hard to deal with as a 19-20 yo back in 91). Getting your doors blown off by a Corsica sorta sucks.
Pricey, even if perfect. The seller may want $16,000, but it’s hard to believe someone would dig into their wallet to pay that amount.
Steve R