Can someone school me on the Ranger?

[PrecisionX]

I am in need of a new daily driver/fun car. I have about $3500 cash to spend and would like help on what to look for.

I had an Explorer and had trans problems at only 115000. It was bad off road too, besides that I liked it. I can't afford to have these significant issues with my next set of wheels and I was wondering if a Ranger in this budget will do it and if so what are the best years and models?

 

[cody93]

depends what you plan on using it for and what extras you want.
things to avoid are the 86-88 2.9L V6 cause of the weak heads, the A4LD automatic transmission is not the most reliable and the dana 28 front ends on pre 89 rangers/BIIs are not the strongest.. other than that, i cant complain. will this be a street truck or an off roader?

 

[Sunk]

Get a truck with a manual trans and that'll help avoid most transmission issues. You could probably pick up a 98 or so truck for that much, but if you're looking to go off-road with it get a 97 or older. The front suspension was changed in 98 and the older TTB setup is much more off-road friendly.

 

[PrecisionX]

It will be a daily driver, I'm in the northeast so the only off roading it will see is mud, fields, hills, trails etc. no rock crawling or anything heavy. I want something newer, I like the 97 style I think they
Look cool but I drove the previous gen 4wd 5 speed and it handled so poorly I thought I was gonna die driving it. Im assuming I'd want a 4.0 5 speed? Extended cab for sure.

 

[tbirdsps]

Most automatics will last the life of the vehicle but they do require regular service. Heat is the enemy so off roading should require another cooler. On the street 30,000 max miles and change ALL the fluid and filter.

 

[fyre82]

Not all of the first gens w/2.9 are trash. If you take care of your rig, likely you won't have issues.

They are vintage FORD, almost. So when you find one that is in good condition, tell me so I can scoop it up for parts or a DD depending on what it is.

I have two '88's w/2.9 manual 4x4, sweet driving, easy to work on,(for me), look reasonably good. Fuel economy, not so much, although my supercab w/4:10's gets better mileage than the custom w/3.73's on the highway. They haul loads, transport in crappy weather, provide thrills and chills off road. Great truck to have.

With that said, I'm old, set in my ways and happen to like the 1st gen.
I try not to be snobby, but see above .

In reality, a newer generation would probably be good for you and I would mirror Sunk. Definitely manual everything, 4.0 and go from there with toys.
Grab a super cab . . . yeah, I love the one I have, makes my reg cab small.



Rich

 

[straycat]

You can get a nice truck or a BII in that price range. If you don't know anything about maintaining a vehical you need to take it somewhere you trust. Have a buddy go over the truck befoer you buy it. Finding a one owner is the best. I have had both automatic and standard trans and never had any trouble with them. Never had any head issues with my 2.8 or 2.9 motors either. I do regular service on all my rides. Look on Craigslist in your area and look at the Autotrader in your area.

 

[jcd302]

I don't understand why the Rangers are bullet proof, but the Explorer had problems.

I had a 94 2wd 4.0L auto and got 18-21mpg. Got rid of it at 197k. 3 years later, the guy is still driving it.

 

[cody93]

im not saying the 2.9 is a bad motor, is just that i would avoid it unless your for sure it was taken care off, i keep hearing people who get good deals only to find the 2.9 has a cracked head...

+1 on manual everything, less to go wrong, although, if you must have auto, a larger trans fluid cooler would be a good investment.

 

[03ranger30]

Get a 3.0 with the 5 speed, I love mine and have had no problems in the last 10k that I have owned it (knock on wood)

 

[jcd302]

Personal preferance on the 3.0L vs. 4.0L
My daughter has the 3.0 in her Tempo and it is great, the one in my brothers Taurus needs mid grade or it spark knocks, same with my B3000. Both were FFV though.

 

[4.0B2]

personally i NEVER had issues w/ a 2.9 or a4ld. i loved them both.. the 4.0 is superior in the power/torque area no doubt.

the a4ld has NEVER let me down. and i'm a fan of it personally.

the explorers are good to, if you had issues it was probably from not being taken care of w/ maintenance or something wrong just happened.

regardless, 4.0, ttb, md05(is you want a stick), 8.8, d35 is where you probably want to be for the most "bulletproof" setup from stock. oh and 4.10's would be a MAJOR plus.. also ext cab would to!

 

[4.0B2]

also check out http://www.autotempest.com/ great place when looking for a vehicle. it searches craigslist, ebay, autotrader, cars.com, and so on...all in one search.

 

[adsm08]

Look cool but I drove the previous gen (Gen 2) 4wd 5 speed and it handled so poorly I thought I was gonna die driving it.

Then you were doing something all sorts of wrong. I have an 87 4x4 (same chassis as the one you drove) drive that think like it's a Formula 1 car, and don't have any handling issues.

It's all about the left foot man.

 

[jcd302]

the explorers are good to, if you had issues it was probably from not being taken care of w/ maintenance or something wrong just happened.

That is why I am ticked about ours. I bought it from my uncle, who is retired military and maintains his vehicles as such. 110k on it and he has changed the tranny fluid at least 3 times. He even buys extra aluminum rims so the spare is uniform to the rest of the car (tire as well). His vehicles always look showroom and mine look like we just went mudding. He lives 1/4 mile from me on dirt roads.