Rangers no longer made: What used Ranger to buy?

[cpy911]

I am planning on buying a Ranger (2WD, Automatic with Extended Cab) sometime down the road.

I was wondering what engine I should be looking for (4.0, 3.0, 2.3) in order to be able to keep it on the road and finding spare parts for it?

In other words, what is the most likely drivetrain and chassis that I should be looking for that I would be able to support, maintain and service years later? Will Ford be supporting these trucks with repair parts or the aftermarket or ???.

Would like to know your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[merace19]

Any year and motor is good. There are a lot of them on the road and will be piles of them in junk yards. parts for engines are easy to find. Its not like you are wanting a rare car. Even if you could not find something for it, there is always a alternative.

 

[shane96ranger]

Save yourself some regret in the future. Buy a 4.0 to begin with.

 

[kicsibors]

I recommend against the 4 cylinder models. I have one and have trouble maintaining highway speeds with the darn thing on slight inclines.
Once this engine blows, I'm planning on swapping in a 5.0.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hoosier1104]

I had a 3.0 and it served well until I could not pull a bush stump out of flower bed. I now have a 5.0 and love every minute of it. It all depends on what it is going to be used for really. I do not recommend a 4 cylinder unless you have flat roads and do a lot of highway driving. The 3.0 is a good combination of fuel economy and power but the 4.0 has more power and you lose some fuel economy.

 

[doorgunner]

I have herd that Ford made some great 3-0-two's & xmsn's that can be maintained for the next 100-200 years.....

(i have also herd that once you go 302..... )

........as soon as my free tree-fiddy wears out--I'm going straight---to a 3 02 )

 

[cpy911]

302

Is the 302 a crate motor? EFI?
These come out of Mustangs?

I have herd that Ford made some great 3-0-two's & xmsn's that can be maintained for the next 100-200 years.....

(i have also herd that once you go 302..... )

........as soon as my free tree-fiddy wears out--I'm going straight---to a 3 02 )

 

[DFracing]

the most commom motors are the 4 cyl, and the 3.0. the 4.0 is found in only 10% of rangers, BUT it makes up for it by the amount of them in explorers and mustangs. id stay away from the auto transmission no matter what route you go. all the motors are good and bad in their own aspect. all the parts are abundant, i have a wrecking yard 5 miles from my house dedicated to explorers and rangers. so no matter what route you go you hae options, you just have to know what to look for

 

[cpy911]

AT

I am leaning towards the 3.0 with Automatic. Why Automatic? I live in a hilly area with lots of traffic. I had an old 93 Ranger 2WD 5 speed and shifting gears and dealing with constant stop and go traffic flared up a bad knee with all the clutch action. Had to sell it.

So, for automatic transmissions, are there any to avoid, are they all bad in Rangers??? I do like manual transmissions, for their simplicity and power, but once you dealt with what I dealt with, AT is a necessary evil.

the most commom motors are the 4 cyl, and the 3.0. the 4.0 is found in only 10% of rangers, BUT it makes up for it by the amount of them in explorers and mustangs. id stay away from the auto transmission no matter what route you go. all the motors are good and bad in their own aspect. all the parts are abundant, i have a wrecking yard 5 miles from my house dedicated to explorers and rangers. so no matter what route you go you hae options, you just have to know what to look for

 

[DFracing]

I am leaning towards the 3.0 with Automatic. Why Automatic? I live in a hilly area with lots of traffic. I had an old 93 Ranger 2WD 5 speed and shifting gears and dealing with constant stop and go traffic flared up a bad knee with all the clutch action. Had to sell it.

So, for automatic transmissions, are there any to avoid, are they all bad in Rangers??? I do like manual transmissions, for their simplicity and power, but once you dealt with what I dealt with, AT is a necessary evil.

The 5r55e is not the best transmision ford ever produced, usually doesnt last much longer than 130 or 150k at best. 1st gear has a tendency to blow up under heavy use, and 3rd gear is 2nd gear and over drive put together. but i put mine through some good abuse and it never blew up on me. if your doing alot of highway driving you should be more then fine

 

[fix_or_repair_daily]

I have a '93 4.0 auto 2wd ext cab Ranger that I inherited when my uncle died. Even though it has 3.08 gears, it runs really good and is decent on gas if I drive it easy. I've been getting 19-21 mpg. I had an '84 2wd std cab 2.3 auto, and it was a total pig. It had absolutely no power, and got about the same (sometimes less) mileage as the 4.0. I've never had a Ranger with a 3.0 so I can't comment on them. If it were me, I'd go with the 4.0.

 

[cpy911]

Looks like 4.0, how about the Trannies on those?

I do like the 4.0L motors, what kind of trannies do they couple with those?

Also, does anyone know what years they started putting 15" rims on the 2wd trucks?

Could I upgrade the tires to 235/75/R15 if the 2WD comes with stock 15" rims? Would I mess up the transmission shift points and speedometer with the bigger tire? I may do a body lift of 3" for the 4X4 style higher ride as well.

 

[PanamaExpat]

The best answer to your question: Buy the one you like. It all comes down to what you are looking for. Gas mileage isn't so hot with the 4.0 but if you ever need to move something heavy or tow with it you will appreciate it. Manual shift is great if you know how to drive one. I am not sure what an automatic in a Ranger is like as the Ranger I had in Costa Rica and the B4000 I have here are both 5 speeds.

 

[shane96ranger]

the 4.0 is found in only 10% of rangers

Where'd you come up with that figure?

At least around here, that is very inaccurate.

 

[cpy911]

4l vs 3l

Where'd you come up with that figure?

At least around here, that is very inaccurate.

I thought there were more 4.0 vs 3.0s?