Howdy folks,

I'm a new poster here so please excuse me if this thread would be more appropriate elsewhere.

I'm the current owner of a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer that I have had since December of '09. It has been a hell of a vehicle, but as it is knocking on the door of 200k miles, and in need of new tires and a few small minor fixes, I feel like it may be time to move on. To be completely honest, I have been a Chevy fan my entire life - even made those lame F.O.R.D. jokes. That being said, I have started to look at used, small (they don't make these anymore, do they? ) affordable trucks that will be reliable and long lasting. I have found that the Ford Ranger perfectly fits the description of what I am looking for.

The truck - https://www.bryaneaslertoyota.com/in...yr10u16pa84640

2006 Ford Ranger Sport, regular cab, 2WD. V6 3.0

38K miles - seriously.

Clean title, 2 owners, clean CarFax.

Brand new Good Year tires.

Very clean, excellent condition. Only a few minor scuffs and scrapes.

$9,999.

The question - is this a good buy?

I took it for a test drive today and enjoyed it. One minor issue I noticed was that it seemed pretty slow for a 6 cylinder, but perhaps that is because I am used to a 4.2l? Should that be a red flag? With the low mileage, should I be worried that there could be some engine trouble because of that?

I do not need 4WD, so that is not an issue. $9,999 doesn't seem too bad for the mileage and condition, but this is a 13 year old vehicle. What would be a good deal? Seems like I could get them down closer to 9k. I'm assuming the sport is base model since it does not have power windows or doors, which is not a big deal to me - just less stuff to mess up :)

Thoughts?

 

With only 38k, it probably was a city vehicle with short runs, so could be carboned up.
Listen for pinging when you do test drive. (the 3 litres were pingy engines)
Noisy lifters also develop if the oil hasn't been changed on a short run truck, but not too bad to change, requiring the removal of the upper and lower intake manifold.

Eventually at the 150 to 200K mark it will require a new oil pan and front timing cover gasket.
The engine pretty much has to be removed to change out the oil pan gasket _ the front timing cover gasket should be done too.

Water flows through the timing cover and they have a tendency to leak at the 150k mark,
It depends if the coolant has been changed.
Bad old coolant allows corrosion of the aluminum timing cover and that's when it fails.

The cam shaft synchronizer can get noisy, but it's an easy fix.

The 3 liter V6 (Vulcan) is actually an engine that was designed for cars, it needs to be revved to around 3200 RPM before it gets to its best torque curve.
Don't know what rpm the auto is shifting it.
Of all the engines though, it's the simplest and most reliable, the next one from that is the 2.3 with the timing belt.

Look for rust at the rear where the rear shackles are, a common failure place.

Also look at the drivers door pillar, it may take 225/70r15's.
Most run 235/75's, so that adds to the lack of power some what.
Tires may be too big.

I have a standard, so if I want to pass someone, I drop into fourth.
It's not the quickest when in over drive.
To get up to highway speed in a short merge lane, I have to rev mine to around 4000 through the gears.

 

Yea the 3.0 is not a powerful machine. Reliable if maintenance is upkept tho. Dont expect amazing gas mileage either (18 if your lucky)

I dunno im leery of low mile for the year vehicles that are mysteriously clean especially from dealers - bastards like to polish turds. Either 1000 short trips which is bad for everything or its sat long periods - not as bad but expect brake problems.

Also NADA super clean retail for your area is $8500 so dont pay over what its worth. Not like its rare or collector. Tell em $8700 out the door and youll do the deal today and see what happens ($200 is fees and crap) can always inch up in price but not down. If they balk at it stand up with your hand outstretched to shake and tell them well I'll see what else is out there but you got my number - call me if you change your mind and physically walk out and leave. Usually they will call back. If not there are a buncha other vehicles out there.

 

great advice from Dngr Rngr. my opinion, (maybe doesn't matter to you?) a regular cab model is a big big drawback, and worth less money. Reg. cab would be a deal breaker for me no matter what the price...

 

yea i went from a regular cab 95 s10 to a reg cab 01 ranger and the ranger seems smaller for some reason. You + a tool box and the cab is full. God help you if you have you + another person + anything....If its a reg cab id highly suggest a topper at least or at min a watertight tool box for the bed for the usual crap that ends up in trucks.

A few tips to see how really worn out a vehicle is is really pay attention to the saggyness of the door hinge. Trucks with low miles but all city miles means the person was getting in and out of it alot and the door jjust kinda floats or saggs - open the door about a foot or two and lift up on the door - should not feel much play in the hinges. Pay attention to how worn out the left buttcheek area of the seat is and where elbows rest on the center console and window edge. Look at how worn the radio buttons and door buttons are. Also look and see how worn the brake and clutch pedals look. If they look like it should be in a 150K mile truck run far away.