Hello, first post, perhaps my last. But I am calling upon the ranger people of the internet. I often found myself on this site for information and appreciated its existence.

I am selling my 2006 Ford Ranger. 120,000 miles, 2.3, Standard Transmission. Runs pretty great. I brought it into a local dealer today. I must sell it to a dealer, for personal reasons.

Bad news. He told me he would give me 1,000. I pushed it to 1,200. I was asking 2,500 at first, then subtracted 500 due to rust on the fender. Was asking for 2,000. It's a Northeastern, Adirondack vehicle that is now over ten years old.. I knew about the rust and such.. but I hadn't noticed what last winter and the more recent salting has done to the bottom of my truck... everything is covered in salt, and everything is completely rusted over. Even the lines look bad. Many chips fall off just running your hand over the metal.

I am afraid that if I keep this truck any longer, I'll never be able to sell it. I realize that the rust is... going to take this truck out in two or three years, most likely. But 1,200? That really hurts... I've been to other dealers and they weren't even interested after I mentioned the rust damage.

Is this dealer being fair? Part of me thinks he is actually being quite generous.. but I see the good in people often... even if it's false. So I am branching out. The truck, mechanically, runs great- shifts well, too. Cruise control, AC, CD player... all works fine. But none of that really matters if your seat falls through the floor, eh?

Just looking for other opinions- attached is a youtube video.


If additional photos are needed, just let me know.

Thanks so much for your time, I enjoyed learning about my ranger, fixing it up when needed, oil change, etc., but I did not enjoy learning about the Northeast's affect on my vehicle.

 

That doesn't look that bad really. Most of it looks confined to the bed, which is easily replaced (not that a dealer is gonna do that). What do the cab floor pans look like?


As far as the trade in value, that does seem kind of low. Of course, price depends on area (also on condition, options, miles, year, etc.) but you're always gonna get screwed when selling to a dealer.

I don't know what ranger go for in your area, but around here at least, you could get your 2-2500 if you sold it private party.

 

I thought it was really low, but wasn't sure exactly how much rust is too much rust.. I think I'll keep his offer of 1,200 in mind.. but ask for 2,000 privately..

I thought I needed to sell to a dealer, because my title has a lienholder, and I need the money from the purchase to pay off my loan... but I think I'll just try and find someone willing to wait around for a week or two after purchasing for the lien to be released.

Life is like a big puzzle sometimes, eh?

2,000 is a great price for this vehicle, in my opinion.. I think perhaps someone wouldn't mind the wait given such a low price.

Thanks for your reply and thoughts.

 

I would try a metal brush to take off big things. Be gentile. The spray paint it with this.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rust-Oleu...namel/17011221

Works good. Really cheap. If you are selling it. Just do it once. After it is dry you will be good. I keep one of these in my house all the time. Hitting the truck when you see rust. It works good. If you get enough off before painting it will last long between sprays.

I think of it as bug spray. Sometimes when you go out you need it. All jokes aside you will be pleased. That is after the first sanding and spraying.

If you use a wire brush on a drill. Really power sand it till shiny metal is all over under there. Then do a good job on the spray job. Also do a second coat. It will look like you had it professionally done.

 

In my opinion, if nothing is rotting through then you're fine.

Wire brush the under side, use primer and some high performance enamel. Kills the rust, and gives a nice new look. Sounds expensive, but in reality I paid 20 bucks for two cans of primer, and two cans of the enamel. Goes a long way.

Pic of what I bought and a result you can expect to see.



The truck should last longer, and you should get a bit more for it as well.


EDIT: Also, don't paint the tailpipe. Use high heat paint for that. Also cheap and goes quite far too.