Hello all. This will be my first official post on Ford Ranger forums. Yippee?

I'll try to be brief, but I am known for making long winded posts, so bear with me. :D I currently own a 2003 Ford Escape. It's been a great car, no problems whatsoever. But, I've always wanted a small truck. And I've come to conclusion I can no longer afford the 15 MPG I average in my Escape, hoping to get better with a Ranger.

My dad has always used Ranger's in his swimming pool maintenance business (He's recently been buying Tacoma's instead, as he's had a lot of problems with the last few Ranger's he has bought), and recently the first truck he ever bought for his business, he has taken out of service. It's a 1999 Ranger XL, 4 cyl 5 spd. Most basic Ranger you can buy, which is the way he (and I) like it.

For the past few months, it's been sitting around our house doing nothing. He doesn't have any plans for it, and since I've been looking around for one, he has offered to sell it to me for $800.

That may sound like a deal for a '99, but there's reasons it is no longer in service in his business. Let me give a list:

- The A/C, heater, nor the fan for those works. At all.
- The interior is completely trashed, driver's seat very worn, roof lining coming off, shifter ball held on by duct tape, etc.
- Electrical problems (e.g, blinkers don't always work correctly, windshield wipers activate randomly, other stuff I'm sure)
- Stereo barely works, speakers are OK but the buttons don't always work correctly, it's missing buttons, the volume likes to adjust itself, that kind of thing.
- The driver's side door does not open from the outside, because while it was in service one of my dad's employee's completely tore out the lock after locking his keys in it.
- The bed is in pretty bad shape after carrying corrosive chemicals in it for 10 years. It still holds things, but it's not something you'd trust with a full load.
- The suspension squeaks a lot. I'm not entirely sure what this means, but I know it has to mean something needs to be done with it.

There we go. And, to top it all off it's got 227,000 miles on it. No engine rebuild or anything of that sort.

So, does that sound like a deal to y'all? I'm hoping to use some of the money from selling my Escape to fix it up a bit if I do decide to take my Dad's offer. I could get the stereo replaced, the door fixed, maybe fix the A/C and the interior if I can.

But, my main issue is; how long will this thing last? I know a car will last as long as you're willing to throw money at it, but if it's going to need something big soon that's going to cost me, I think it would be better to pass this up and keep on looking. The only reason I'm even considering it is, one, it's cheap, and two, I know my Dad has taken very good care of it maintenance wise - as well as he possibly could. I've driven it a bit in the recent past, the engine still runs like a champ. I'm just not sure about everything else. :/

Can someone help me with this? How much life is left in this ol' beat up girl? Thanks for your time

- Derek

 

Derek, you might want to look at any local craigstlist ads. Here in KC, there are usually lots of rangers being parted out.
Beds from '93 onward will fit your truck.
Your roof may be able to be fixed with a rattle can of adhesive....pull the old stuff off, spray the adhesive down, re-apply. there are a few threads in the interior section.
Seats, junkyards and craigslist will help. I'm guessing you have a regular cab, so you'll need to find a regular cab donor or grind the rivits holding the track and seats together to use supercab/explorer seats.
Suspension parts may get expensive...but rockauto is the best way to get parts if you can do it yourself. If your local auto parts uses online orders with coupons...I've had good success with that (Advance Auto Parts).

The AC/heat thing and your door lock...you might just need to rip into it.

 

yikes. sounds like a mess.
I paid 400$ for a ranger with 255k, was wrecked, but was driveable, but needed a few exterior things.
main intentions were to fix it and sell it, but I decided I was better to part it out and maybe make some money, but also keep things for my self that I really needed.

anyways, what I'm getting at is, to be honest, thats not a great deal. I mean, if it runs and gets you from point A to point B, then I guess it could be to you. spend a few hundred more and I'm sure you might be able to find one without that many problems.

but, you get what you pay for.. junkyards, u-pull it, and craigslist are your friends.

as to how long will it last? I'm pretty sure theres people on the forums going on 300,000 miles. I know theres quite a few in the 190-250k range. maintenance, keep up on it, and you should be alright.

heres an idea on what you can get rangers around here for.. depends on what you were to spend if you kept looking.

1994 Ford Ranger Super Cab
1993 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab
1995 Ford Ranger

^ I can find rangers all day under 2k that aren't bad.

 

what engine is in it cause 15mpg is about what i get

 

Main reason I'm looking to get a ranger is to save fuel. My Escape has a 3.0 V6 in it, and 15 MPG doesn't cut it. I can find a lot of Ranger's on craigslist, but it's hard to find one with just the I4, and the 5 speed manual. They're mostly V6 auto's around here, and both of those I just can't accept. When I do find one with what I'm looking for, it's just as beaten up as the one my dad has. :/ So I figure I might as well buy from someone I trust completely. I'm going to keep looking for a better deal, but I'm just asking for opinions on this one.

Thanks for the suggestions, if I do end up taking this deal those will help a lot. :)

 

Pretty sure it's the 2.3 I4, it might be the 2.5 but I really doubt it. My dad tells me most of his rangers get around 20 MPG, which is what I'm looking for.

EDIT: Strike that, I just went out and checked, it is the 2.5

 

I seem to see a lot of fleet trucks which are 4cyl 5sp on craigslist.

yeah, my 3.0 gets about 11

epa estimates are bull****. gas mileage also depends on the driver though.

edit: with the 2.5, 18-25 I've read.

 

That would work for me, better then what I've got anyway.

 

With my 99 ranger rocking the 2.5l 5spd i got 25-30 in the summer mostly highway. Since winter started its gone down to 22mpg and since adding bigger tires (30x9.5x15) i'm averaging about 20mpg.

 

Don't go looking for MPG in a ranger.....that's what honda's are for. lol

 

That's pretty darn good, I'd be more than satisfied with that.
True, but I figure if you're looking for MPG in a truck, a Ranger is probably the best option, no? It's the only true compact truck left on the market, which is a real shame (competition is a good thing) but I would imagine they get better mileage then the midsize Tacoma, Colorado, etc.

Though when put in comparison with compact trucks of the past, I'm not entirely sure how well they would hold up. I've been told Tacoma's, back before they were upsized, got surprisingly good mileage. And in all honesty, I've always been partial to Toyota more then any other vehicle manufacturer, but they're just too darn expensive for what you get, compared to the American makers. My dad's family has always been Ford people, and I do agree they make some pretty decent stuff. :)

Crap, did I just do my rambling thing again? Sorry.

 

No, I'm being serious. The 4cyl get pretty decent gas mileage, but I don't consider it very good. The 6cyl are even worse.

 

I see what you're saying. I'm not looking for stellar mileage or anything, I'm buying a truck, I know they aren't the best at fuel economy. I'm just looking for a small truck better that gets mileage then I'm currently getting in my Escape (15 MPG), and a Ranger seems to be the best option there.

 

right but he still wants the utility of a truck so a ranger or s10 are his best bet. I was in the same boat as he is when i was looking for my ranger. I needed the versatility of a truck but wanted the mpg's of a mid-size car. And its not like i can buy a Holden UTE so the ranger is the next best thing.

ps for those who don't know what a UTE is, here she is in all her glory.

 

Took the little 'ol thing for a drive today, and the "check engine" light came on. I know that usually doesn't mean impending doom, but it doesn't sound like a good sign either haha.

 

yeah check the codes, my CEL came on and it was a simple issue that the gasket over the IAC valve was shot and letting to much air in at idle.

 

Hmm, what are these "codes" you speak of?

 

The codes that your engine creates when the CEL comes on. Jiffy lube can pull the codes for you (they aren't supposed to but if the guys aren't busy they usually don't mind) or have the truck checked out by a mechanic (buy the dude a case of beer if you know him) and he can tell you what the code is, and if he doesn't know what it means you can google it to find out.

 

Ah, good to know. I'm gonna have a mechanic look at it when I get a chance - problem is, it's out of inspection, has no insurance, and I can't justify paying for those when I'm not sure if it'll even be in good enough condition to be my daily driver. And since it's still my Dad's, he won't let me drive it anywhere without those things. Hmm, issues...

 

Could you not get a temp permit for the truck, and insure it for the day you need to drive it to the mechanics?

 

could also uhaul it to the shop for inspection...might be less of a hassle. I trailered mine in for an inspection..

 

now that's a great idea.

 

ive got a 4.0sohc im averaging 19-20 mpg. id go for it, sell the escape and build yourself a danger ranger.

 

Indeed, that may just be the thing to do. Thanks guys! :)

 

Well, a quick update to end this thread; I was on my way to my bank to get the money for the truck, and I just happened to be looking down a sidestreet I was passing, and something caught my eye; a "for sale" sign on an older Ranger 'bout halfway down. I turned around and went and looked at it. Owner came outside and let me take it for a drive. I looked it over real good afterwards, thought everything was ship shape. Bought it for $1700 that day :)



1988 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab. 2.0 l4, 5 spd manual. Some little issues (Fuel gauge does not work, speedo inaccurate, no stereo, some rattling noise in the engine bay, etc.) But I absolutely adore it. :)