Buying a used Ranger, NEED ADVICE PLEASE

[peter.meredith]

haha good point. It is pretty obvious that I want the '03. But at the same time I also want the better truck. So I was just looking for some opinions. If everyone said "get the newer truck you twit" or something along those lines, then I might be swayed.
Still unsure on which I'm getting at this point but I think I will know after the weekend.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[darkspork]

I'd probably go for the newer truck if I could afford it. My Ranger is an '03, but it's not and FX4 and doesn't even have the off road package. That being said it has done everything I've asked it to do. It has got me through one of the worst snow falls I've ever seen in which mostly lifted trucks were the only vehicles on the road, a flood, cross country trip, dirt, mud, you name it. I've used it for light towing, it has ALWAYS started even on the coldest days of winter. It is a tough truck that refuses to let me down.

I remember one morning I had to get to work and the damn snowplow pushed a few feet of snow into my driveway. The snow past the top of the bumper. All of my neighbors woke up early because they couldn't get their car out to get to work. I put it in 4low and backed right out.

As far as I know the FX4 offers a few advantages. The huge one is a limited slip differential. It also has twin sticks (one for the transfer case, one for the transmission), and skid plates. I'm not sure on the last two, but I know somebody will correct me if I'm wrong.

I'd go for the newer Ranger because it's an extremely similar, but newer truck with less miles.

 

[peter.meredith]

Well I'm glad your Ranger has worked well for you in the winter. That's one of the main reason I insist on getting a 4X4. I don't think we get as cold a winter out on the east coast as you do there, but we sure do get a ton of snow.
Yeah I have been trying to compare between Fx4 and Sport. You are correct about the slip differential. Not sure about the twin sticks. And I am pretty sure that the '07 Sport also has front mid and rear skid plates.
Still waiting to hear the status of the '07 and the condition of the '03 though so my decision is still wide open.

 

[darkspork]

Well I'm glad your Ranger has worked well for you in the winter. That's one of the main reason I insist on getting a 4X4. I don't think we get as cold a winter out on the east coast as you do there, but we sure do get a ton of snow.
Yeah I have been trying to compare between Fx4 and Sport. You are correct about the slip differential. Not sure about the twin sticks. And I am pretty sure that the '07 Sport also has front mid and rear skid plates.
Still waiting to hear the status of the '07 and the condition of the '03 though so my decision is still wide open.

Like I said, my 4x4 Ranger is a beast in the snow. The only thing that can stop it is driver error. I don't have LSD but it does fine.

 

[Hopman]

Well I'm glad your Ranger has worked well for you in the winter. That's one of the main reason I insist on getting a 4X4. I don't think we get as cold a winter out on the east coast as you do there, but we sure do get a ton of snow.
Yeah I have been trying to compare between Fx4 and Sport. You are correct about the slip differential. Not sure about the twin sticks. And I am pretty sure that the '07 Sport also has front mid and rear skid plates.
Still waiting to hear the status of the '07 and the condition of the '03 though so my decision is still wide open.

What we mean by "twin sticks" is in addition to the shifter, you have a positive, physical connection (the lever) to tour transfer case. The twin sticks are better because not having an electric t-case motor (controlled by two buttons (like my '94) or a knob on the dash is just one less thing to go wrong. Given the fact that you're out off the beaten path looking at rocks, that is a factor to be considered.

At this point, go with the '03 FX4.

 

[feellnfroggy]

I gotta agree with him^^^^^^

Go ahead you know you want it........ 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03

 

[colby450xc]

Yeah, the FX4 is pretty nice. They look really nice and have the manual transfer case and all. Id love my 95 to have the manual t-case but Im pretty happy that it came with the limited slip dif. Miles arent a huge concern really. These trucks will run forever with decent maintenance done to them. That is one of the reasons I didn't think it was worth the extra coin to buy a Tacoma. They are freakishly over priced used.

 

[JimJa1943]

I went through a similar mental routine when buying my '05 two years ago. Everyone has "must haves" and in my case I only compromised on one item - the transmission. I did that because the truck looked and drove like it just came off the showroom. The original owner was obviously very fussy. It also had a 2-year extended warranty that just ended last month.

As was said, you seem to be almost wetting yourself for the '03. Should you buy the '07, six months later you will have forgotten about the '03...count on it.

We all say we are going to keep the next vehicle we buy "forever," or "until the wheels fall off," but in truth will we? Be honest. That means at some point in the future we will sell it and we'll want the most we can get when that time comes. During my search I discovered there are a number of "options" that don't resell well. A used Ranger with them can be had for several thousand less than it otherwise would. They are:

- Sport box. Nice looking, but very limited in carrying large loads. An ATV for example. Won't fit. It will fit in a slab side. More than anything else this seemed to affect used pricing.
- "Short" Cab. With a pick-up there is less secure storage than a car. An extended cab makes a lot of that problem go away. Interestingly, in California 90% of the super cabs are only 2-door, in the mid-west 90% are 4-door.
- Manual transmission. I wanted the auto, but everything else was there so I sucked it up. A lot of people must feel similar as the value of manuals is less than an auto. Most reading this forum are younger and like the manual, but it limits your resale audience.

Most everything else didn't seem to make too much difference in price and should be looked at from a "do I really need it" point of view. Many times we cloud our decision because we think we need something. Do we really? If the answer is yes, then go for it.

 

[feellnfroggy]

I went through a similar mental routine when buying my '05 two years ago. Everyone has "must haves" and in my case I only compromised on one item - the transmission. I did that because the truck looked and drove like it just came off the showroom. The original owner was obviously very fussy. It also had a 2-year extended warranty that just ended last month.

As was said, you seem to be almost wetting yourself for the '03. Should you buy the '07, six months later you will have forgotten about the '03...count on it.

We all say we are going to keep the next vehicle we buy "forever," or "until the wheels fall off," but in truth will we? Be honest. That means at some point in the future we will sell it and we'll want the most we can get when that time comes. During my search I discovered there are a number of "options" that don't resell well. A used Ranger with them can be had for several thousand less than it otherwise would. They are:

- Sport box. Nice looking, but very limited in carrying large loads. An ATV for example. Won't fit. It will fit in a slab side. More than anything else this seemed to affect used pricing.
- "Short" Cab. With a pick-up there is less secure storage than a car. An extended cab makes a lot of that problem go away. Interestingly, in California 90% of the super cabs are only 2-door, in the mid-west 90% are 4-door.
- Manual transmission. I wanted the auto, but everything else was there so I sucked it up. A lot of people must feel similar as the value of manuals is less than an auto. Most reading this forum are younger and like the manual, but it limits your resale audience.

Most everything else didn't seem to make too much difference in price and should be looked at from a "do I really need it" point of view. Many times we cloud our decision because we think we need something. Do we really? If the answer is yes, then go for it.

I had the oppurtunity to get another vehicle if i had let go of the ranger, my aunt was gonna buy one, but my uncle wouldnt let her do it since I wasnt letting go of the ranger. He said too expensive having two cars defeats the prupose of helping me out. Either way, I drove the ranger and the wheel fell off, lol. So jsut because everyone says they will drive it till the wheels fall off doesnt mean we are all full of shyat, LOL.