Keep this beater truck or upgrade to a newer one?

[mephiska]

So I have a bit of a dilemma. This is probably a question many of you have pondered in the past - do I keep spending money on my truck or do I sell it and get something newer and more reliable?

TL;DR - I've dumped a bunch into a 1994 Ranger - do I keep going or sell it now and spend more on a newer truck?

At this point I've dropped couple thousand into maintaining and upgrading my 1994 Mazda B3000 w/160k miles. I bought it about three years ago for $2400. Right off the bat I had to put new tires on it, replace the front brake pads, passenger side wheel bearing and put new monroe sensa-trac load sensing shocks on it. That fixed the awful steering wheel shake I was getting at freeway speeds and made it drive pretty nice for a nearly 20 year old truck. It now rides quite nice on the freeway.

Since then, mechanically speaking, I've had the rear brakes redone, rear bearing, A/C repaired (leaking valves, works great now), transmission flushed and filter replaced, fuel filler hose replaced to pass smog, coolant system flushed, and that's about it. I still have a problem with the coolant sensor not registering correct temperature, or the truck isn't heating up to the right temp under operation. I haven't figured this one out yet.

Lastly, on a recent trip, at the worst possible time (July 4th), the front seal blew on the A4LD and I had to get towed. Luckilly I found a transmission shop that was open and they fixed it the next day, also replacing the torque converter with a rebuild since that was worn out.

As you can see I've done a lot to this thing. Outside of mechanical stuff it was filthy on the inside, so I took my Bissel steam cleaner to the interior, which made a dramatic improvement (brown seats turned grey, yeck!). It's clean inside, comfortable, the A/C works and after a basic radio swap it works with my iPhone. It's the extended cab model with the long bed, 2WD, and pretty much suits my needs.

I figure at this point, outside of something catastrophic with the motor, everything on this truck should be pretty solid for a while.

Now that said, I've priced new/newer trucks. They're not cheap. The cheapest small truck on the market in the US looks to be a Nissan Fronteir at around $20k+. Used trucks aren't much better with mid-high mileage models from 2-4 years old selling for $16-$18k. Hell, look at this 2011 Ranger for $20k!

I could go lower but my impression of the used truck market is there's basically a baseline price for a working truck. And I know once I start going down that scale I'm going to have many new problems and ultimately end up right where I am now, with a truck that needs an unknown amount of work. And at this point I've already spent the time, money & effort to get this one up to proper running condition.

So, what do you fine folks here think? Would I be better off biting the bullet, selling this one and getting something newer, spending the cash upfront or keep this one that I've already put effort into?

 

[Ranger-rick]

If you can financially afford something newer then upgrade if you want to. I would, but I cant afford the price of a newer truck anymore, I downgraded because I had a nice newer FX4 F150 super crew and with separating from the Military and entering school full time my finances aren't where they used to be, so the truck went and I bought a 94 Ranger cash for 1500 bucks. It runs great and I fixed the front end, ball joints, u joints and brakes and I think it should be good to go for awhile.

That said, once I can afford a newer truck again im going to buy one. I love this old Ranger but it surely isn't a new body style 1/2 ton F-150 either. After im done with my engineering degree and we have bought a house I will get a Diesel. Until then ill enjoy having no car payment and drive around my Ranger since its bullet proof!

If you can afford it then do it, if you are having any doubts in whether you can or can not afford it then dont do it.

And whatever you do, dont get a Nissan......

 

[mephiska]

If you can financially afford something newer then upgrade if you want to. I would, but I cant afford the price of a newer truck anymore, I downgraded because I had a nice newer FX4 F150 super crew and with separating from the Military and entering school full time my finances aren't where they used to be, so the truck went and I bought a 94 Ranger cash for 1500 bucks. It runs great and I fixed the front end, ball joints, u joints and brakes and I think it should be good to go for awhile.

That said, once I can afford a newer truck again im going to buy one. I love this old Ranger but it surely isn't a new body style 1/2 ton F-150 either. After im done with my engineering degree and we have bought a house I will get a Diesel. Until then ill enjoy having no car payment and drive around my Ranger since its bullet proof!

If you can afford it then do it, if you are having any doubts in whether you can or can not afford it then dont do it.

Yeah so right now I'm not in the situation where it makes sense. My wife and I are very lucky and were in a good position to buy a vacation property while loan rates & house prices were what they were, so while things aren't tight for us, we also don't want to take on any unnecessary debt right now. That's why I lean toward keeping this truck for now.

But if the experience of others on these forums suggest it'll be a money sink then we'll consider upgrading it. That's why I'm asking, am I being a moron for dumping money in this thing or is it worthwhile to keep it maintained?

The other big advantage of a newer truck is safety. I shudder every time I think about getting into an accident in this thing, no airbags, seatbelts that stick, etc.... If anything that alone would push the "Wife Acceptance Factor" into positive territory.

And whatever you do, dont get a Nissan......

Well if Subaru made trucks (Brat excluded), I'd buy one of those. Subaru's are the most rock solid cars I've ever owned, and I've had four of them from a 1980 1600GL all the way to my 2013 STI wagon. But this sounds like a flame-war troll bait comment, so yeah, I'd probably avoid the Nissan anyway and get a Tacoma instead . I don't want a full size and I'm sad that Ford stopped making the Ranger, otherwise I'd seriously consider a new one, it's a great truck.

edit: and major props for doing what it takes to get through school. I struggled with finishing college myself, and eventually when I focused on it I transferred to a top tier school, finished my degree and got a great job in a career I enjoy. If you do what interests you you'll succeed, just stick it out, you'll be glad you did.

 

[Ranger-rick]

Dont you dare talk crap about the Subaru brat! lol.

AS for the safety factor though, newer trucks are night and day no question about it safer. Money pits? Yeah.....I guessss. But replacing parts on your old Ranger are a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing parts on a new truck. I paid 15 bucks for a caliper. You know how much a rear caliper was for my 04 when it seized? Right around 100 bucks if I remember correctly.

Tires for my FX4 where, hold your breathe, 1200 bucks....for a cheap set. YIKES!

I had to replace a U joint in the drive shaft so I went to the parts store to buy one. Nope, its a ford only part, the U joint cost 115 bucks from the dealer! And had special clips that take a special tool to remove. So instead of replacing a 20 dollar u joint in a few hours it would have cost 300 bucks but me and a buddy who is a Ford tech ended up doing it on a saturday. If it were not for that the bill would have been probably 300+, just for a U joint. I needed a wheel bearing too and its a sealed hub assembly, I paid 150 bucks at the parts store for it. Thats a far cry from re packing a 6 dollar wheel bearing.

I love new trucks. But when things break it gets expensive QUICK. Even things like tires are crazy expensive. The plus though, no question about it they are 100 times safer, better riding, quieter ride, more reliable, etc, etc.

 

[Surrey]

If you just did major work on the transmission, it sounds like you should be in the clear for a while with any luck. The rest of the things you list are pretty much general maintenance one would expect to have to do at some point or another.

I would just stick with the truck you got.

That said, if you really want to upgrade, I would be looking for something with a similar age, maybe a few years newer, but with low miles. You can probably find a 1996 with low miles for cheaper than a 2006 with high miles. Probably not as easy to find, but they are out there.

 

[hank857]

it depends on how the truck is overall. Is it a daily driver death trap all rusted out? DOnt know where you are but the newer trucks really are not all that much better. Oh they may have airbags and stuff but it seems as a result the metal is thinner and designed to crush. If your body/frame are good then it will be stouter over all I think. My 94 has 300000+ on it and remains a daily driver. Good overall maintenance is required for everything to last. Tires are fiar wear and tear items, brakes and trans wear also. I have rebuilt the trans 2x already on mine once as result of prev owner letting it run out of fluid, 2 when od went out (manual trans). everything you list is normal maintenance, and it sounds as if maybe the prev owner didn't! anyhow as noted above you seem to have gotten to the root of most of the major items. oil changes lub jobs overal maint is what will determine what goes out, and yes I also have R&Rd the AC system but as I said its just normal maint activity and yours has over 160K on it so its done something right. I have updated mine with power seats, mirrors, windows all from explorers. Makes a world of difference overall, just had new window tint installed this weekend. Eddie baurer explorers had 2 elec seats and a nice consol, maybe if you worked on doing some small upgrades you might feel better about it. But no matter if you have the newer is better bug, well...........

Actually only you can answer your question, we can only give opinions on what some options are.

 

[wildbill23c]

I've been in the same situation, actually kind of in the same situation with my 84 Bronco 2. I'd like to sell it, but at the same time I'd lose a lot of money because to look at it, it looks like crap, but what people don't understand is it gets me from point a to point b a lot cheaper than my full size truck, and is 4WD and quite capable bone stock for a hunting rig or weekend get a way truck, its bone stock, not full of electronics, manual everything except power steering...etc.etc. its paid for, and to tell you the truth I haven't done much to it, other than the head gaskets and at some point putting a new rear main seal in. Head gaskets were done at my local high school, trying to hold out and maybe get them to do the rear main seal for me this fall. I'd like to fix it up, and somewhat restore and repaint it, but that's tens of thousands of dollars which I don't make that much in a year even, so it just gets driven and abused, and unfortunately neglected considering I know what it needs but can't afford to do. No one wants a 30 year old vehicle they want something new full of electronics power windows, power locks, etc. Nevermind this 30 year old truck has been beat up by the previous number of owners and still runs and drives just looks like crap.

I'd personally keep the truck, keep in mind the B-series and the Rangers are no longer made. I'd keep working on my truck just because what would I get out of selling it? Not enough to get what I'd really like to have (A polaris Ranger).

 

[Mark_88]

I'd keep the old one and dump what you'd pay monthly (if financed) into a slush fund as if you were driving a new one...the truck won't know the difference and it can pretend to be new for a few years...

 

[wildbill23c]

I like Mark's idea. Regardless of what you would do you would most likely end up having a truck payment, I'd rather stick with what's paid off, I hate vehicle payments and the thought of if something happens and I lose my job how am I going to make the car payment. Its paid off keep it.

 

[shane96ranger]

I've all but decided that when the vehicles I have a payment on are paid for, I'm not financing another vehicle. Pretty frickin' tired of paying on vehicles right now. I will just fix what I've got, and keep them sea worthy.

Probably going to outgrow the Escape in the next year or two, and I am thinking of just getting a 95-01 Explorer or Mounty to replace it. SIDE NOTE: Why the hell didn't Ford put a 3rd row in them? Bastards.


In other words.... if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.

 

[Andy D]

The Rat is the newest car I've ever had. It isn't a daily driver. That said, it is a beat to shit 600$ truck with 1200 $ worth of parts and a couple hundred hours of my toil. It runs fine and passes the annual safety inspection. Parts are cheap. The rear brake hose and the MC are original. The rest is new.

 

[90longbed]

I personally hate all the new gizmos they are putting on new rigs.....too much stuff to go wrong with it....with the economy being what it is( and not alot of money coming in) I am staying with the rigs I have(81 k5 blazer, 90 ranger) because both are paid for....I can also work on them myself without spendy special tools to fix certain stuff.... even if you did get another rig, nothing wrong with a beater truck for hauling garbage to the dump or yard debris.... gravel, bark dust what ever... it also seems whenever I have tried to keep a rig nice, stuff happens to it(vandalism, theft or careless idiot running a cart into it or smashing their door into the side of it etc etc) I have pretty much went to driving ratty looking rigs or ones that can be touched up with spray paint....the k5 is my rat wheeler and the ranger is my rat rod...lol

 

[tmcalavy]

Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, do without...the solid credo of those who survived the Great Depression, and generally a good philosophy to live by. You can't finance prosperity...drive it into the ground and bank some bucks so you can afford what you want without a payment when your beater dies on the roadside...just be sure to shoot it in the block before you walk away or someone fresh across the river will swarm it, put it back in service and kill someone with it and then run off into the bushes.

 

[97RangerXLT]

yep, keep it and drive it. if it is still looking good, it sounds like you have fixed most of the problems with it. And as mentioned, put a car payment away in the bank each month. Who knows, when this truck finally dies you may be able to go buy a brand new F150 outright with the money you have saved.

AJ

 

[mephiska]

Thanks for all the input guys. General consensus is to just run it into the ground, drive it till she's dead. But then I wonder at what point is that? When do I give it up? What if the motor gives out, do I try and source a cheap rebuild, get it installed and keep going?

Overall the body is in good shape. There's a little bit of rust starting at the bottom of the doors, I guess I should address that sometime. Here is the truck in question:

The overcast lighting makes it look a lot better. When you get up close you can see the clearcoat peeling and paint chips that have started to rust a little on the hood. But no major dents.