Longevity of the engine more than anything. Mine's over 70,000 miles and the only things I really need to do is replace two rubber hoses that have started to rot. Other than that it still runs great.

 

didnt really know much about the rangers when i bought my truck. i just really liked the looks of it and it ran mint. the 5 speed is so simple to shift for a truck, you dont have to jam it into gear. the 3.0 will last a while and im used to engines lasting long since i previously owned older volvos.

people bust on 3.0s but i love it. when it needs to haul ***, its got *****. it gets good mileage for a truck and you can always have stuff in the bed. thats why i got my 3.0, plus it was cheap!

 

availability and cost...

 

I forgot to mention in my post but my 3.0 has a little over 130,000 miles on it with the first motor and tranny. The previous owner neglected the cooling system and my water pump went out at about 125,000 miles. I work my truck alot pulling trailers and pulling my friends out of mud holes which sometimes I feel like I own a towing service cause it seems like when someone gets stuck i'm alway's the first person they call.

 

Have you considered the weight difference between the single cab 2.3 and the extended cab 3.0 as being a factor in this?

 

When I bought mine new in 02, I fought tooth and nail to get a 4.0 in it, but Ford simply did not make a 4.0/5-speed/regular cab/4x4 combo, so 3.0 it was. My dealer (brother-in-law at the time) looked high and low, and we actually had to wait for this one to roll off the assembly line. Apparently no one likes regular cabs and 5-speeds any more.

 

the engine was the last thing that i cared about when i got my truck. all that mattered was that it ran and drove really nice. and it looked cool. i didn't buy a ranger to go fast. a ranger is the last thing i would buy to make into a race car. sure a 4.0 would be nice w/ the extra power but i dont really need it. its just my daily driver, i dont street race or anything, and with the money im not spending on the ranger im building a car that will stomp any 4.0

 

cuz it was between the ranger a civic or chevy reg. cab...

 

i bought my 3.0 cause i was contacted by my aunt who has a dealership saying hey this guy wants to sell his truck ( i knew i wanted a truck) and it just so happend i got a 2000 trailhead 3.0 truck for 5,500 and ive put about say 2k into it (only cause i just bought tires) but i still think its worth it, and it gets pretty darn good gas mileage

[edit] ohh almost forgot my engine has 90500 miles on it and still runnin like a champ

 

x2!

 

I bought the 3.0 because all of the rangers with the 4.0 were out of my price range at the time. I can't say that I'm dissapointed with the smaller engine because if I wanted a truck with more power I would have bought one with a v8.

 

+1

 

Got mine cuz it only had 41,000 miles on it, ran like a top and looked great! Plus I got a screamin' deal on it.

 

Because it's what came in the truck I bought....I actually wanted a 4.0, but I couldn't find one in a regular cab shortbed.

 

the ext cab shouldnt be that much heavier also since the 3.0 has more hp and more torque than it should be a faster feeling truck then.

 

It is that much heavier. The few 3.0 single cab Rangers I've seen at the track can keep up with a 4.0 extended cab. Weight is huge when it comes to acceleration. We are talking 50HP between 3.0 and 4.0.

 

when i bought my truck i bought it for what it was,i realy never thought about the motor,hmmmm,it ran great and served it's purpose.

 

my 1999 ford ranger 4x4 xlt has no power in fifth gear why is that? do i need a bigger engine or a engine swap to a 350 chevy small block? i helpped my friend on his 87 ranger we put in a 350 in his so does anyone think it will work on mine?

 

Remember the Chevy advertisement, "Like a Rock" ? It sits in your yard, and moss grows on it!!

So, if you want your truck to run, use any other manufacturer engine besides GM!!!

 

didnt kno much bout rangers when i got mine, had enough power for me at the time.. was a badass little enigne.. it went through hell and back through mud,water,sand etc plus pushing 35's with stock 4.10's...w 73k on it ran the hell outta that truck.. never had a problem with it

 

i dont know muck about the 3.0's but how can people say they last longer than the 4.0 SOHC? the 4.0 only been out for about 5 years....

 

^^^^^Thats why in my post I put (don't know how long they last) about the 4.0. The 3.0 has been around for 20+ years and as I said, it will go 300,000+ when properly maintained... I hope my 4.0 goes that long, but 200,000+ is good too...

 

I was looking for a Ranger for a great price and I found mine on a Website for 11,000 with 11,000 miles on it. Well it turns out the price was really 17,000 and I got it for 11,000 because they marked the mileage as the price so I got a huge discount because I called and bought it right away.


Its like it was meant to be!

 

the 4.0 in general has been around a long time in rangers as well...

 

what i was told was that the OHC and SOHC 4.0's are totaly different engines... i know the prefore like night and day