Some of Ford’s advertising referred to the new Explorer as a “Compact Utility” rather than a Sports Utility Vehicle. Whatever it was or still is, at the time it was somewhat revolutionary. This 1994 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition can be found posted here on craigslist in beautiful, warm, dry, should-have-moved-there-after-high-school Palm Desert, California, and they’re asking $5,600 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
The seller says this is “mainly” a one-owner vehicle, but I’m not quite sure what that means. Maybe it was one-owner until recently? We don’t know, but one thing we do know about it, by looking at the photos, this is one nice-looking “compact utility” vehicle. Ford brochures also referred to the new first-generation Explorer (made from 1990 for the 1991 model year until 1994) as aerodynamic. Is that because of the integral headlights? Otherwise, it sure doesn’t look aerodynamic to me. This one has the “Luxury Cast Aluminum Wheels,” one of four options for this rig.
Sadly, the seller is low on photos, even though they’ve included 18 photos in their listing. There isn’t one photo showing the rear cargo area at all, not even a glimpse. I’m sure they’d send a photo to any serious parties, but dang. Click, hey, the hatch is open, let’s take a quick photo! 10 seconds later, you’re done. Oh well. Eddie Bauer was the top trim level, and they came in several colors: Raven Black, Oxford White, Electric Red, Caymen Green, Deep Forest Green, Deep Emerald Green, Dark Blue, or Dark Cranberry, as seen here. And they were always two-tone in the Eddie Bauer trim level. These things actually came in a two-door model as well, very, very cool. Make mine a forest green four-door, or this one would do nicely, too.
I expected to see tan leather inside, but this one is fitted with classic 1990s tan (“Mocha”) velour seats. They do look nice, both front and rear. Meant as a replacement for the smaller and somewhat antiquated Bronco II, the Explorer became the “it” vehicle of the 1990s. Then it became a bit of a nightmare due to the infamous Firestone tire failures and rollovers, and the subsequent lawsuits. This rig is wearing Michelin tires, which the seller says are new, so that’s good news. There is a dash cover shown in the photos, and hopefully, that’s to protect a nice dash rather than covering up any issues. Palm Desert gets hot, and I mean HOT, so we don’t know for sure. I don’t see a transfer case floor shift, so I’m guessing this one has the two-speed Borg Warner 13-54 electric-shift touch-drive transfer case. Edit: this is likely a rear-wheel drive model; my mistake. Thanks for catching that, Todd Z!
The missing engine photo is also another unfortunate, 10-second piece of the missing puzzle here. The back seat looks great, though! Cough. The first-gen Explorers came with one engine, Ford’s Cologne 4.0-liter OHV V6 with 160 horsepower and 220 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a four-speed automatic sending power to all four wheels as needed, this looks like an outstanding example of a first-generation Explorer. Have any of you owned an early Explorer?
I remember when these early Explorers were EVERYWHERE!!! I worked with someone who had one and got a ride in it and I liked it a lot. ( I’m trying very hard not to keep saying I wanted one…… I’m doing that waaaayyyy too much as of late!!!) This one is very nicely kept. Remember, these were treated like commuter cars and station wagons back then, and not collectibles. They would get used up and then sent on down the line. Hope it goes to a good new home.
They were everywhere. And there’d be a lot more of them around if they wouldn’t have been crushed by something called Cash for Clunkers. Remember?
I just looked at the Wikipedia article, and yes, the Ford Explorer 4WD was the most “traded-in” vehicle. The lengthy article includes summaries of several post-mortems, which come to different conclusions as to whether the program did what it intended. I remember being on a large dealer’s lot and seeing rows of traded-in vehicles, many of which seemed to be in decent to good shape.
I remember, Big C! It was another great idea from the worst president we have ever had! We lost a lot of good cars to that terrible idea!
Defining when a vehicle is a particularly significant establisher of a new category, or is a particularly important trendsetter, or was a clear leader in its segment, can be difficult (and/or, can result in fun discussions among enthusiasts). I think the 90’s Explorer, specifically in Eddie Bauer trim, fits at least one of the above. It was a very important offering in the developing midsize/ compact four-door luxury-oriented SUV segment.
Look what has happened since. Almost every manufacturer offers many SUV’s, including midsize, usually attractively trimmed and equipped. Beyond pickups, they are the center of the market. And Ford still sells lots of Explorers, including many high-end versions (ST).
So back to this Explorer. As Scotty notes, it was an “it” vehicle in its day. And as Driveinstile notes, they were huge sellers, including the Eddie Bauer models. Which were particularly attractive with the two-tone paint and the matching tan interiors. I really liked them then, and still do. Good to see one which has survived.
I experienced a Front L tire blowout on those at hwy speeds… was lucky.
I’m really surprised that it’s not sold already.These were
really good,usable rigs.I think these,and older American vans
in good shape will be the next big thing to take off in price,at
least the ones in great shape.
Cash for clunkers claimed a bunch of these.
Scotty – you don’t see any transfer case shifter, or even any buttons to shift, because this is a 2WD vehicle. Not all the Explorers were 4WD.
Oh man, ouch. Sorry about that, Todd, thanks for catching that bonehead mistake.
Bought one new for my wife (2wd) and traded it for a new 4wd jeep grand cherokee the next year. The ride was too choppy for us and the jeep was way better.