I have a 2003 Ranger and it need some work this week. The power steering lines were leaking so I took it in to a shop for the repairs. The mechanic said I needed a new rack and pinion unit, tie rod ends, lower ball joints, an alignment, new PS lines, and my rear shackles were broke, and needed to be replaced.

He quoted me around $1,500 to get it all done, I agreed and he had it finished in two days.

My truck now drives like a new truck and handles great, the bed is noticeably higher than it was. Doing the work myself wasn't an option. To get a new Chevy Colorado would cost much more, they list out at $24,000. A good used truck would cost me $10-15,000. So putting $1,500 into my 2003 seems like a bargain as I should be able to get at least five more years out of it. The rest of the truck is in very good condition and it only has 55,000 miles on it.

I'm glad I didn't lose control while driving and get into an accident. Now it feels much safer to drive.

 

An 03 with 55k is definitely worth it to put some maintenance bucks into as far as I'm concerned, I recently had some of those same things done on my 97 and just hit 150k the other day.

Although dog-tracking with the broken shackles was kind of fun until I realized what was going on

 

Ya I like the low truck look, but once I heard the shackles were broken, I became concerned about safety. If the rear end would have dropped further while I was on the freeway, I could have swerved right into an accident.

I'm very happy with how the truck handles now. It's like driving a brand new truck.

A friend of mine who also had a Ranger, had a similar problem with the shackles breaking. So I guess it's a common thing with Rangers.

 

That's actually not that bad of a price either for what all he had to replace and the labor involved in doing it. Glad it drives like a brand new truck for you.

 

Well as far as price goes, I was quoted $800+ just for the ball joints at another mechanic. This guy only charged me $275 for the lower ball joints, he said I didn't need uppers. There was a lot of work done, and it was done right and right away. He didn't stall me off or make me wait at all like some mechanics. I think he charged me $350 for the rear shackles, $90 bucks for the alignment, and four something for the rack and pinion and tie rod ends. I don't have the exact figures, but I thought it was a fair deal, and it has made a world of difference on how my truck handles.

This mechanic is our basic family mechanic so we know him well and have had many good experiences with him. So we trust him and his work.

About a month ago, he rebuilt my rear brakes and main brake line for $450, that included new cylinders, pads, turning.....another mechanic would have charged me $600 for the same work.