I purchased my 1998 Ford Explorer this past April. It has a manual transmission and at the time of purchase it had just over 100,000 miles on it. It needed to have some parts replaced, but after the needed repairs were done, and a new set of tires were put on it, I paid less than $4500 total for the vehicle. I like the look of the vehicle, and the gas mileage I get is not as bad as I had anticipated. This is possibly due to the manual transmission. I feel safe in this vehicle, and that is very important to me. I would prefer that it were an automatic, however. When I bought it I didn't know how to drive a stick shift, so I had to learn. I don't drive very often so I still don't feel completely comfortable with it in that regard. The quality, however, is quite good, especially for a car that is fifteen years old. It is mechanically sound, and aside from a dent on the roof which is hardly noticeable, it looks great. Most people are surprised to learn how little I spent on it. I anticipate this vehicle lasting for at least another 100,000 miles. Hopefully it will still drive five or even ten years from now.