1996 2.3 I4 4×4

[J_J_DePre]

I just purchased a 1996 Ford Ranger XL Regular Cab with a 2.3 I4 mated to a 5-speed, manual transmission and a 4×4 with a manual-transfer case and manual-locking hubs. I know they are exceptionally rare, as I was only able to locate four examples in a search query factoring a 500-mile radius. I am interested to know who may own one, what is the overall reliability, and what are the idiosyncrasies relative to other Rangers.

 

[Shran]

These are definitely NOT rare. Uncommon, yes, but I'm guessing many, many thousands of them were made. You're not seeing many for sale because people hold onto them...they are good trucks.

That said, your truck is probably #1 or #2 on my personal list of desirable trucks. I think '95-97 trucks were by far some of the best made, and most reliable and I just happen to like single cab short boxes in the 4x4 flavor.

 

[Ranger850]

I have a "2001 Oxford white single cab 2wd Edge". by the numbers, I think they made 1% of the trucks that year in this configuration. You would think that was RARE, but when you look around almost every other Ranger is a white single cab 2wd truck. lol

 

[Shran]

Probably just the Edge package that constitutes that 1%. Everybody was using 2wd single cabs for delivery trucks for a while... O'Reilly and NAPA here in town still have several of them.

 

[Ranger850]

Probably just the Edge package that constitutes that 1%. Everybody was using 2wd single cabs for delivery trucks for a while... O'Reilly and NAPA here in town still have several of them.

that was my point. it seems rare, but it's not at all.

 

[turbo91xlt]

I can tell you they are exceptionally rare. My Marti report for my old 1992 2.3 4wd states that there were only 2,431 regular cabs built with the 2.3/4wd m5od combo. Just so happens ALL 2.3 4wds that year are regular cabs with m5ods so the 2431 is the total production for for 1992. If you think of the billions of rangers they made, 2400 units is nothing.

 

[Shran]

I would like to see production numbers for every year. Perhaps there were only 2,431 built in 1992 but lots more in 1994 or 1989. One production year is not enough of a sample to determine how rare something is.

My stepside Ranger only had a total production number of 20... I would call that "exceptionally rare."

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Ive noticed 91/92 Rangers are kinda uncommon. 89/90/93/94s are everywhere though.

Kinda the same with Fseries, im wondering if pickup sales tanked in those years? Somethin to do with the gulf war and oil supply concerns? I dont know

 

[Shran]

Yeah... Just in terms of what I've seen... 1986, 88, 96, 98, 99 seem to be more common around here than other years. Just my own observation, not scientific of course.

 

[thecause17]

I've seen two that I knew were 2.3 4x4s, because I drove them both. One was sitting next to two other Rangers I came to look at on a lot back in the early 2000s. One was a 3.0 Ext cab auto, one was a 4.0 Reg cab long bed auto, and one a 2.3 Reg cab short bed 5-speed, all 4x4. I drove away in the 4.0. The other one belonged to the dad of a girl I dated in high school. I drove it a few times running errands.