Used Cars: which car to get?, bells and whistles, ford explorers

Question
QUESTION: I'm in a dilemma about which car to buy.  I'm looking at Ford Explorers.  I saw a 2006 Ford Explorer XLT.  The carfax report is good.  But it has 60,000 miles on it.  Is that equivalent to buying a 5 year old car?  It has a lot of bells and whistles like a moon roof, heated seats, leather trim, a third row of seats etc.  They're asking for $10,000 (before tax and no warranty)

The other one I saw is a year older.  It's 2005 with only 30,000 miles.  There are no bells and whistles on this car.  But the price is a LOT more, maybe because of the low mileage.  The carfax report is good.  They're asking for $15,800 which includes tax and an extended warranty.  That's quite a stretch for my budget but I could do it if I had to.  

Which one is the better buy? At what point do cars start having trouble?  Is 60,000 miles pushing the envelope and would it be a bad idea to get it?  Please answer as soon as possible.

THANKS!


ANSWER: Hi Tracy

Yes 60K for an 06 is on the high side, the 05 looks like the better deal with tax and a warranty, but what kind of warranty is it, a P/T... I don't know your location, perhaps you can provide a link for me to check out for red flags ?

Whatever car you may consider there are some steps I would like for you to follow.

(1) go to this page on my website  http://www.usedcartips.org/TESTDRI.html  
(2)  http://www.usedcartips.org/MECHANI.html  
(3) http://www.usedcartips.org/negotiate.html  

Tracy, if something is not clear or you don't fully understand feel free to get back to me

Ray


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,
I wanted to give you a FIRST class rating but when I came back to your answer, the rating button was Gone!  I tried to refresh and restart my browser but no luck.  Perhaps if you reply to this it will appear again.

Answer
Thanks Tracy, I just happen to be on as you send this mail, funny stuff happens, don't worry about the rating, but thanks, that must mean you picked up some pointers on how to get valid value for your bucks ?

As a matter of interest and to help me understand the visiters to my site more, was the info provided in understanding detail or did it leave you with some confusion ?

Tracy,,, is there some area's on the website that needs more detail ?,,, hey the shoe is on the other foot now, it's me asking the Q's, lol

If you decide to reply, check the make private box if you don't want your reply to go public.

Have a great day

  Ray