I am looking into purchase a truck for the occasional need to lug big things around as well as a way to transport my motorcycle to the track.

I was wondering what I should look out for in regards to this truck and year. Can someone assist me in what key things I need to check for this truck? Here are the details of the truck:

Mileage: 149,000
Engine: 4-Cyl, 2.5 Liter
Transmission: Manual, 5-Spd
Drivetrain: 2WD

The exterior and interior look decent. The current owner changed the belt a few years ago. He is willing to let it go for $1,500.

WIL

 

does it shift lol

 

I didn't see a shifter so I may be out of luck! haha.

The owner did mention that it still has the original clutch so I guess I would just need to test drive it to make sure it is not beaten. The guy has his own landscape reconditioning business so I doubt he wants to sell me a bad item and have me tell all his customers on the website that he is a dishonest person.

 

do a search on manual transmissions "hard to shift"
You'd be surprised how many rangers suffer from "hard to shift" slave goes bad, or somehow air gets trapped in the master cyl... ya.. shifting's a *****.
aka... you are sitting at the light. tranny in neutral, clutch out. now u put the clutch in... can you stick it in gear? If yes good. Mine... couldn't. Grrrrr. Out came the tranny, and bench bled the master. now its driveable.

 

Good info! Thanks!

Keep it coming guys!

 

So, I took a look at the truck this past weekend and the engine seems to run strong. I test drove it and then let it idle for some time while we talked and it was not hesitating at any point. He did mention some issues that were not presented in the for sale listing. Those are:

- Rear gate is very tough to lock up (does not seem like a very difficult thing to fix)
- Dash lights do not come on so it may not show whether or not the engine light is on or if it will pass inspection next year (it did pass just this September...but not sure if he had some hookup somewhere)
- Some rust here and there
- Tough to get into 4th gear...had to disengage and reengage clutch to make it catch.

Overall the truck drove decent. I was pleasantly surprised by the strength and condition of the engine. The only thing that worries me is the shifter. I also wonder how much rust is really bad. I took a look at the under carriage and there was rust but not the type of rust that starts completely eating out the pipes...at least that's what I remember.

What do you guys think? For $1,500...is it worth it?

 

what did the bottom of the doors look like...all ford trucks rust there

 

I do not remember. If I remember correctly, there was some rust around both bumpers and the gas lid and the under carriage...but nothing to the point of the rust creating holes in the body...at least I cannot remember seeing any.

 

Well, I ended up purchase a 1999 Ford Ranger. Has some stuff I need to fix but it will be a good learning experience either way...lets just hope it doesn't stress me out to the point I pull what's left of hair out from my head.

Can someone tell me what I am missing in the front bumper. Is it just the front bumper pad? I am looking on Ebay and there is this thing called the front bumper pad for $100. I think that's what my truck needs right now.

 

nice looking truck, But now i'm glad i did not paint the center caps on my rims.

 

valance..

 

Hahaha, I actually love the look. I am going to repaint it black since some of the paint is peeling off.