Wait, I can explain...
- jacob.bowerman1
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Just a heads up, this post will largely be me rambling on about a vehicle.
When deciding what to do about purchasing a vehicle, the general advice given to new missionaries in Honduras is that there are three options. Option 1: Buy a brand new vehicle in country. This recommendation stems from the used vehicle market in Honduras being made up largely of vehicles that were totaled in the the US. They're then shipped down and patched back up to be made to look like they are in good shape but underneath they're still a totaled out vehicle. So the only way to know you are really getting a good vehicle is to purchase new. Option 2: Purchase a used vehicle but only from another missionary. This is certainly a viable option but much less exciting than the next option. Option 3: Buy a vehicle in the USA and then drive it down and import it into the country. You get the benefits of buying in the USA, and the ensuing road trip!
So I set about looking for vehicles in the USA that might fit this bill. Most people stick with Toyotas of some sort due to their ubiquity in Honduras, and the resulting familiarity of the local mechanics with them. Since I'll be doing our vehicle maintenance this was less of an issue for us. So the main criteria was parts availability and vehicle durability in off-road conditions.
After narrowing down options to a select few, one in particular surfaced to the top. I have to admit probably comes with a certain amount of nostalgia attached to it. I have had a 1994 Ford Explorer since high school. It currently has 267k miles on it and still runs and drives, albeit, not very well. Ford launched the Ford Explorer in 1991, the first generation (1991-1994) was basically a Ford Ranger drive train, but built to haul passengers. This vehicle would go on to largely define the beginning of the SUV market that we know of today.
I had been searching facebook marketplace trying to find one of these first generation Ford Explorers. Back here in Indiana, our love of throwing salt on the roads (and pretty much everything for that matter) has caused most of the now 31 years old and older Explorers to suffer from a terrible case of rust bucket syndrome. Out West this isn't really an issue, and thankfully the Lord provides. While Christy and I were out in Denver for Launch week with WorldVenture, I came across a '94 Explorer that fit all of the requirements for us. We checked it out and while it needed work it was all very minor work, so we purchased it, cancelled our plane tickets and drove it home.
Since this has spent its life out West it is almost entirely rust free (or by midwest standards it is rust free). However that doesn't mean it isn't without issues. The dry climate had long taken its toll on the suspension. Most of the rubber bushings were dried out and crumbling, both rear quarter windows were leaking water inside when it rained, and there were several issues with various interior components. Most of these problems I had already repaired once on the other Explorer so none of this was very new. Below are some pictures showing some of the work done to fix it up.
The above photos all have to do with the suspension system of the front axle. It was a somewhat unusual design from Ford called the "Twin-traction beam." Its kind of a hybrid between a solid axle and independent suspension. Retrospectively, I think it gets a lot of negative reviews simply because of a lack of understanding of the design.
So at the end of the day we have an Exploder that is going to serve us well down in Honduras. With the added bonus of it being a vehicle I'm already very familiar with when it comes to maintenance.
Keep after it!
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