Longevity of the Ranger...?
 

Now that the insurance claims and court appearances are wrapped up following my collision, I'm looking forward to getting my Ranger back on the road and have been putting together a list of things I wanted to do in addition to having the bed repaired/replaced (rims & tires, body lift, audio upgrade, maybe a grill insert and having the paint on the front end redone, etc).

But last night I decided to fire it up and take it on a little walk around the block and, once it got over its cold (from neglect and abandonment issues these last 2 months), I noticed some sounds in the front suspension and then another noise coming from what sounded like between the engine & tranny (I couldn't really hear it from the engine bay with the hood up, and I couldn't really hear it from underneath by the tranny, but inside the cab I can and it's coming like from somewhere down around my feet).

Anyway, it got me thinking, with (248k now) miles - even though the engine is a replacement with only 100k'ish - is it worth putting any more money into? Or am I going to start running into other issues related to having a quarter of a million miles and will feel obligated to keep pumping money into it after having spent a few grand on beautification mods? Should I just get driveable again and run it until the wheels fall off, saving my money to put towards the kitchen renovation I'm also planning (or the next truck)?

Is 250k considered 'end of the line' for these Rangers, or is there a whole lot of life left in it? We only had our last Ranger (98 Sport, my wife bought new when we were dating) for 5 years/90k miles before trading it in for a second vehicle that would accomodate car seats, so I never really got all I could out of that one to know what to experience.

With that many miles you are probably pushing your luck with any car or truck, its bound to have issues and problems coming down the road.

To me it would all depend on how much I like it, if I am financially ready to get a new ride or if I would rather not have a car payment.

I completely agree. In my experience, high mileage vehicles are money pits. It seems no matter what you have done to it something else always goes wrong. I had a 1990 Ranger with only 100,000 that turned in to a money pit, which is exactly why I got rid of it. My Ranger now has also been a money pit, but by choice.

My 99 ranger has 247K with no check engine lights and I have never had to repair anything mechanical on it so far. These things can go 300K+ miles if they are properly maintained. I expect 300K out of mine but with any vehicle with that high of miles you just never know. Could turn into a money pit at any time but I love the truck and if something goes wrong with it I am just going to fix it. Don't plan to get rid of it. It's a personal choice. Good luck in your decision!

My ranger has 180,000, it ticks, starts right up every day, replaced exhaust, shocks, spring bucket, add a leafs, runs great, good mileage, bought it for $220.00, put $250,00 into it, some minor repairs, good for another 100,000 mi. Any vehicle can last over 200, or break under 100, but what are the options? buy a higher mileage vehicle for almost nothing, sink a little money into it, or buy a new vehicle for an average of $20k +, have payments and more in debt, and there is no guarantee the new vehicle will not break down or have problems. Keep what you have, Fords last over 200,000mi easy if maintained.

If I sit at home on the weekends and only drive to-and-from work, I'll rack up 25k miles a year. Add in weekend trips to town, the occasional trip out of town, etc, and I'm looking more like 30-32k, so I'll be rolling the 300k mark around mid '12 (this is an '04 with 247,312).

I *do* love the truck, that's the problem. I fear that if I continue to put money into it, knowing that it could have a limited life span remaining, then when it *does* reach breaking point, it'll suck more. Like... waiting until your grandpa is 97 to get to know him.

I *don't* want another payment, though, I do know that. When my last vehicle went (I kept trying to milk it, too, and it ended up leaving me on the side of the road twice in a short span. I couldn't figure out what was wrong so I spent more money having pros look at it, but they couldn't figure out, so it just kept costing me more and more money, when I should have let it go months prior) I let my wife talk me into buying a new Escape. It was a great vehicle, for what it was (28MPG in mixed driving from a V6 SUV - all gas, no hybrid - amazing cabin space, amazing 2nd row space, Ford Sync f'in rocks, etc), but it just wasn't me and I hated having that payment hang over my head. When she moved out, I let her take it (and the payment) with her.

Thanks for some insight, fellas.

I'm hoping (*hoping...*) to have my kitchen done by the end of October, so maybe I'll just get it road worthy again and drive it for the time being. Then, if all seems well, maybe I can go ahead and make some of the upgrades around Christmas. I could forgo the grill and custom paint, I suppose, and maybe just look into options that could transfer to another vehicle when/if that time comes.

I figure it this way. A newer truck payment every month would run about $300-400 a month and take years to pay off when if a need to dump a grand into my truck, that is like 3 months of a car payment but then after that it's done lol. I would rather dump a couple grand into it even because I know if I do it will be fixed and I still won't have a payment. If my motor goes, I have priced them out and its about $500-600 for a lower mileage 3.0 around here and I have a buddy I worked with that is a mechanic and he said he would put it in for $300. To me it is well worth $800-900 for a newer engine and no payments lol. But at 247K I am at now on my 99 3.0 I am hoping for 300K. I do maintain the engine well. I say if you like the truck keep it. There is no sense dumping it for a newer truck that will just lose all of its value extremely fast because of how many miles you are racking up on your vehicles so fast. If you keep trading in every few years it will be way more expensive than keeping what you have. Just my opinion

Well ive got an 87 ranger with the 2.3 and 5-speed tranny my engine was rebuilt 20k miles ago and the trans had seals changed and new fluid. The trans has 740k miles on it the engine is original numbers matching ect so is the trans. The engine was only rebuilt to bring back the power because well is was worn out LOL. The transmission still shifts great the rear end clunks a little but other than that all is well.
Also i had an 83 ranger with the 2.0 and a 4 speed tranny it had 530k miles on it when i sold it. Slower then **** smoked a little but still ran great!
I think you should be just fine dont beat the **** out of your truck keep the fluids changed and you will get another 200k out of her. Good luck man,

Wow, so you have 740k on the clock? Do you have any pictures of this truck (don't see any albums in your profile)? I'd just like to see what it looks like after such a long life (how the paint held up, etc).

That's the way I kind of look at it, too. I actually keep a spreadsheet (because I'm a number lover) that tracks the total cost of ownership of vehicles (minus gas and standard oil changes, because these are a characteristic of any vehicle; but I have included oil changes and routine maintenance in previous versions/vehicles) and breaks it down to cost/month (real-time, based on a calculation to figure the length of ownership from purchase date to today). I love looking at it and seeing numbers like $82/mo (takes several years of ownership to get down to that level).

Sure i have some pic's it's dressed in primer as of now though the paint was still in pretty good shape but im going for a color change.

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The rest of the paint looked just like it does here in the bed not bad but not good at the same time.

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