Looking for opinions....98 Bravada or 01 Escape?

[groomerdriver]

Buying a 3rd vehicle for the family and am looking for any feedback out there on these two finalists:

1998 Olds Bravada 4.3 engine with fulltime 4WD 144000 miles clean inside and out - no rust

2001 Ford Escape 3.0 engine 4X4 174000 miles clean inside and out - no rust

Either vehicle will be checked by a mechanic before purchase. I wish we could afford something newer and with lower miles, but as the old saying goes "it is what it is".

Anybody have any pro's or con's? Vehicle will be used mainly by my 16 year old to take his brothers to and from school, so we won't put a ton of miles on it. We must have a 4X4 for winters.

 

[98panther]

I've had both those engines, but not exactly in the same vehicles.
But for me the 4.3 was a better. Both had issues but the 4.3 ran alot longer.

 

[yamaholic]

I have 178k on a 95 4.3 motor (Blazer) still runs strong can't go wrong.

 

[ezra]

the 4.3 is a great motor but on that truck you will most likely have some fuel pump issues and that will require dropping the tank ask if the pump has been replaced.the ford is also a good truck my bud bought the Mazda that is the same as the ford now his kid is driving it with like 212k with no big issues

 

[j57snow]

I would say go with the Escape good vehicle overall,the Bravada is ok but with the full time 4x4 they tend have a lumbering drag feel & fuel economy is not the greatest,front ends generally need the ball joints idler arms the 4.3 engine is good if ck engine lite comes on its usually EGR or gas cap nothing major. The Escape i believe the 3.0 is same as what is used in the Taurus its been good engine for ford,the 4x4 set up if 4 whl auto has less of a dragging feel and has a tighter handling response little more choppy ride,Oldsmobile will be smoother Not giving a brand preference because i don't have one all the makes have there quirks none are perfect if they were there wouldn't be chain parts stores on every corner just my impressions from having driven numerous makes/ models over the past 25 yrs in the car business bottom line is which checks out better with your mechanic & how much price difference between the two.

 

[elf]

We had a 98 Bravada and finally got rid of it at about 140,000 miles. It was great. The full time 4wd is awesome, you cannot make that thing spin or slide and I tried! Fuel economy on it is not great, we got 16-17 with it but it is a very sure footed safe vehicle. It was my wifes vehicle and we only got rid of it because she changed jobs and her commute got much longer. Had no trouble with it other than the "check engine" light came on once and it was as somebody else said, forgot to put the gas cap on.

 

[djhupnorth]

Had a 4.3 liter in a full size 1994 K-10. Got 200k out of it. Sounds like a bus, not that fast, but it was a great motor!

 

[peter]

have 97 blazer with 4.3 160000 miles or so still running strong. No major problems.

 

[lenny]

ever considered a 2000 explorer AWD 5.0, fantastic vehicle, lots of em out there and can be found cheep, mpg would be close to the 4.3 and lots more motor

 

[smokin440]

Im a Chevy guy so Im gonna say the Blazer. You shouldnt have any problem seeing 200-300K out of it if you keep up with the maintenance. The 4.3L is a strong engine, but doesnt really have the best MPG.
Common issues youll see are;
Oil cooler lines leak(all GMs from the 90s do this)
Transmission(sunshell breaks and youll loose 3/4 and reverse)
Fuel pump- easy fix once you get the tank down
Ball joints
Intake gaskets due to the ingenious idea from GM of DexCool. More labor then anything to do this job. And flush the system VERY good and put good ole Green antifreeze/coolant back in.
I can do the gaskets on my 97 K1500 in just over an hour and a half start to finish. Done them a few times and have done quite a few side jobs of them.

 

[ezra]

ever considered a 2000 explorer AWD 5.0, fantastic vehicle, lots of em out there and can be found cheep, mpg would be close to the 4.3 and lots more motor

I have the 2001 mountaineer 5.0 got it for the wifes winter car like 18mo ago with 89k on it full leather ectect for 5grand.great truck gets 15.5mpg on the computer screen thing she drives it more than her spider likes it better now only drives the spider when it is not to hot not to cold not to cloudy she likes the mobil storage unit/dog crate.oh and it pulles my 2place coverd triton 2 sleds weekend gear and dogs no prob