Having owned a Montero of those years and after spending considerable time in my buddy's Explorer of the same vintage I would definitely stick with Mitsubishi or Isuzu. They all hold about the same amount of stuff, get crappy gas mileage and can take you to the mountains, but that's where the similarities end. A 95/96 Exploper really isn't cut out for anything wilder than a snow covered road. The Montero and Trooper on the other hand, are very capable off-road vehicles bone stock or with minimal modification. Sure the Explorer may corner a little flatter but with its ancient engines and leaf spring rear suspension it really doesn't offer any significant handling advantages.

While parts are cheaper and easier to find for Fords, and Explorers can be perfectly reliable vehicles, they simply aren't constructed to the same level of quality as Monteros and Troopers - something to consider when looking at higher mileage rigs. Even if you never ventured off-road, just knowing that you owned a truly capable and unique vehicle with superior build quality makes the choice easy to me. If I had to make the same decision I'd probably look for a Montero SR. It's DOCH 3.5L V6 is a little complicated but makes great power, it has the most advanced 4wd system, and it's loaded with just about every feature you can think of - including a nice little locking differential in the rear end.