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.
This one is rear wheel drive. No auto locking hubs protruding through the center caps of the front wheels and it has the faux vent slats next to the center hvac vent where the electronic transfer case buttons would be on a 4×4 Explorer.
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.
Oh man, does this resonate with my experience! I took over my dad’s ’92, and the ride was positively bone jarring. Way worse than any of the pickups Ive owned over the years. (Even worse than my ’79 Scout II, if you can wrap your head around that!) Also there was this maddening, intense engine vibration at any speed over 50mph. Tried chasing the cause for quite a while, though all the threads at the time on the issue said that it was just a thing for many of them. Too bad, as I love the look, the size, and the potential utility of them.
My stepdad was the second owner of a very similar ’94 Explorer although his was a XLT and not the Eddie Bauer edition. The first owner had bought it to pull behind his motorhome to New Mexico every winter. Metallic tan with a tan cloth interior and also 2wd like this one. “Last of the ’94s” was written in paint marker on the radiator support and firewall. Bulletproof and reliable as the day is long, he got over 250k out of it before it was finally hauled off to the junkyard.
Some people called them Expoders. I got one real cheap, and it was far from an exploder, we couldn’t’ kill it and I am embarrassed to say it wasn’t because of lack of effort.
I had the first Eddie Bauer 2 door model in the Seattle area and it was great. Drove it and drove it and drove it. Dark blue, 4 WD, great vehicle.
I bought the 1st year Explorer 4- door 2 wheel drive new back in N.J.and drove it to Phoenix in92′ when we moved.It had the front bench seat.
Lots of “hate” for a fairly cheap and reliable 4×4 that was surprisingly roomy and dependable. I was stationed in AK and had one and the vehicle performed well in the frigid temperatures with virtually no issues. That said never knew they made a 4×2!
When the second kid came along, wifey said we gotta get something bigger than the Mustang GT, so I specced out an Explorer the way I wanted it. Five speed, 3.55 Traction-Lok, roof rack delete, powered sport seats, and sunroof. Bigger stabilizer bars, custom chrome wheels, tinted windows, and almost done. Trucklet was white with a gray interior, misfit that I am, I wanted to paint the bottom silver and call it an Eddie Haskell Edition.
Too bad it doesn’t have the 5.0
I owned a 1992 Explorer Eddie Bauer just like this one. Same color combination, but 4wd and leather seats. Loved the truck. So much more comfortable than the 2000 Explorer I traded it in on.
Only issue I had was the modulator valve failed on my auto transmission. $120 fixed. The transmission shop said Ford actually used the same transmission as a Pinto, but they were surprised they were actually pretty reliable.
A4LD AT. Had a bad experience with this transmission. Failed 3x in a ’94 Ranger