Buying my first truck

[bwaynep]

Hey everyone. New member here from California. I've been re-prioritizing some things as of late, and I've decided that selling my 02 WRX for a small truck one thing that needs to happen soon.

I'm looking to purchase a 2wd 4cly Ranger with a manual transmission. I haven't done a search yet so don't bash me if wanting the Duratec motor is a bad choice.

Mainly, I'm looking for something with acceptable gas mileage (for a truck), that can make light runs to Home Depot, haul camping gear and wood, and won't leave me stranded.

Ok, that's all for now. I'm off to see if I can find some more info on these trucks.

Cheers

 

[Mark_88]

Welcome to TRS...

Sounds like a Ranger would do what you want it to do...so just a matter of what year, how much you want to spend and if you have a rich girlfriend...for the mods, should the fever hit you...

Overall, if you don't want a new one, I'd suggest a 93-97 since they're sort of the best of both worlds...new enough that they should serve you well and old enough that parts are plentiful in the junkyard should you need to change/fix something...

But you can get some pretty sweet deals on low mileage vehicles...especially if you have the cash...

 

[RangerBoy94]

You should get a wheeler and go wheeling with us.

 

[bwaynep]

I'm looking to spend between 4-6 grand once all is said and done. Only mods would be a shell and/or rack, maybe a slight lift, and possibly an exhaust.

As for the rich girlfriend thing, I'm not sure my wife would be too keen on that ;-)

Any advantage suspension/engine wise for the old(er) trucks, aside from the mentioned ease of finding parts?

How's the safety compare between the pre-98 and post-98?

Forgot to mention that ideally it'd be an extended cab version.

 

[RangerBoy94]

Get a 93-97 4x4. You can get one cheap and use the money saved to put mods into it.

 

[bwaynep]

Get a 93-97 4x4. You can get one cheap and use the money saved to put mods into it.

Appreciate the input, any chance you could address some of my questions above? Also, I'm not looking for a ton of mods, and the 2wd model is mainly to save gas as I'm not going to be anywhere that I need a lot of off road ability.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Well if your looking to save on gas a 4 cylinder may not be your best option. I have found that a 3.0L v6 2wd can get very close to if not better mileage then a 4 cylinder especially if you happen to do alot of towing and hauling stuff around.

My friend regularly gets up to 27mpg in the summer time on the highway and usualy between 22 - 25 city with his 94 3.0L 2wd. I have been able to get almost 27 if I was extremely careful with my 4x4 3.0L and followed semis and stuff.

But if you only plan to do it once in a while you probably would be better off with a 4 cyl.

As for reliablility... most people will agree with the fact that 93 - 97 was the most reliable... (for 4x4's) because they still had the TTB axles and the availability of manual hubs and t cases. For a 2wd I see no difference in reliability the pre 98 ones had TBI basically the TTB without the actual axle and the post 98 has IFS with coilspring front suspension. Both are easily modable for much cheaper then their 4x4 counterparts. The post 98 has more safety features I think? but anything fron 95+ will be OBDII for scanners, they will all have the same transmission if you go manual (M5OD), the engines are practically identical minus a few small changes and tweaks, body wise many parts are swappable, and they have the same interior.

One thing I HIGHLY reccomend though is the 4 door option, It makes the extended cab so much more accessable!

 

[bwaynep]

^Good info about the v6, I didn't think you could get that sort of mileage out of them.

Looks like I need to brush up on my acronyms. Any stickies for all the shorthand?

 

[Original_Ranger84]

TTB - Twin Traction Beam, its a mix between a solid axle and an independent system.

TBI - Twin I Beam (might not be the right acronym), is the same as a TTB without the axle for the 2wd trucks.

IFS - Independent Front Suspension also known as SLA I guess, but independent on the front with seperate a arms for either wheel, 2wd's have coil springs and 4x4's have torsen bars.

Couldn't find a pic but its basically like any car or modern truck suspension.

 

[bwaynep]

Awesome, thanks for the help! I think I'm going to stick with a 2wd model, just seems simpler. I did notice that there are a few of the 2wd models that use tortion beams in front rather than coil springs, thought that was a little interesting.

Unless I can find a 1996 2.3l 4x4 with the extended cab and extra doors I think I'm going to be looking at a 2001+ 2wd truck, still undecided about which engine though.

Thanks again!

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Awesome, thanks for the help! I think I'm going to stick with a 2wd model, just seems simpler. I did notice that there are a few of the 2wd models that use tortion beams in front rather than coil springs, thought that was a little interesting.

Unless I can find a 1996 2.3l 4x4 with the extended cab and extra doors I think I'm going to be looking at a 2001+ 2wd truck, still undecided about which engine though.

Thanks again!

Yeah the Edge model trucks got 4x4 suspension even if they were only 2wd so they sat higher.

Well you might as well look for the 98+ 2wd because the 2.3L 4x4's are hard enough to find and I don't think they ever made them in extended cab because of the weight let alone 4 door as that didn't comeout till 98.

Any engine will probably serve you well, I was looking for a 4.0L truck and I found myself a 3.0L and just love it.

 

[mattpresley]

Hey everyone. New member here from California. I've been re-prioritizing some things as of late, and I've decided that selling my 02 WRX for a small truck one thing that needs to happen soon.

I'm looking to purchase a 2wd 4cly Ranger with a manual transmission. I haven't done a search yet so don't bash me if wanting the Duratec motor is a bad choice.

Mainly, I'm looking for something with acceptable gas mileage (for a truck), that can make light runs to Home Depot, haul camping gear and wood, and won't leave me stranded.

Ok, that's all for now. I'm off to see if I can find some more info on these trucks.

Cheers

Duratech motor is a fantastic 4 cyl engine. Its like driving a lot of v6 trucks and has a lot more get up and go than a 97 3.0 at least. If you end up finding a deal on a different type of truck, do not buy a chevy colorado/gmc canyon. trust me on that. My 4 banger rangers have pulled large trailers and have had beds full of cement. I promise if you get a 4 banger rangers it can handle anything you throw at it.

 

[Mark_88]

I'd add another $0.02 worth...

Even if you do not want 4x4 to go wheeling, if you find one that is reasonable it might be a good investment simply for the times when you might really need it...I've driven a 4x4 Zuki for the past 6 years and used the 4x4 about 6 times...the rest of the time it was rear wheel drive with little or no reduction on fuel economy due to the front wheels being free wheeling...

The times when I actually needed 4x4 it was really, really, really nice to have it there...my current 2wd Ranger is OK for most things but I've been thinking I should have gotten the 4x4 version just in case I needed it...we never know...and it's better to have it and not need it than to not have it and find yourself in that one in a million situation where hat shippens...

If you know for sure you will not need it then you've got a wider selection as far as 2wd vehicles go...such as the 2.3 Lima or Duratech engines (newer Rangers 2000 and up I believe, have the more powerful Duratech 2.3 @ 134 HP stock...older have the Lima 2.3 or 2.5 (same engine essentially) engine that is about 100 HP or less stock)...