Choosing a first vehicle, Ranger vs Samurai vs .....

[LearjetMinako]

My first vehicle was the Ranger. A 96' Ranger XLT, 2wd, 2.3L, Manual. A really good choice of Rangers for off-roading would be a 95~97 4.0L 4x4 with a short cab and short box. Plenty of power, easy to work on, short wheelbase will make it like a Jeep in the woods. For a little bit more comfort on the road, get a ext. cab. I would try to avoid the 99~00 years, front locking hubs are costly. But in 01 or 02, Ford did away with them and made them live axles (always connected, always ready for 4x4).

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm seconding the Bronco II choice. Really short wheel base and narrow.I've got 31" baja claws on mine w/ rear rust removal and minor rubbing in front and back. Enclosed cargo space is 50/50, I like cause it keeps the water out but dislike cause it limits cargo hauling for long stuff and/or dirty stuff.
Richard

 

[88Turbo]

I'm a firm believer that children under 19 should be limited to vehicles no more powerful than a Yugo with one spark plug pulled.

I've seen too many stupid kids doing stupid things with cars and trucks.

Haha, then Im a dead man walking!! Im 16, still waiting another 2 months to get my full and I traded my 3 wheeler for a 1988 turbo ranger!! Very capable of buring the speedo

 

[LearjetMinako]

Haha, then Im a dead man walking!! Im 16, still waiting another 2 months to get my full and I traded my 3 wheeler for a 1988 turbo ranger!! Very capable of buring the speedo

The speedo only goes up to 85mph. My 4-banger can do that too. Just not do it as quickly thou (accleration).

 

[ThatGuy]

Going against the grain here, I'd go with the zuk.


Prolly because I used to co-own a shop that built them and at one time I had 9 of them myself.
Depending on where you live and how you plan to drive it would determine what I'd tell you to do to it. They are fun as hell to drive and everyone always asks questions about them.
Best all around set up would be a convertible hardtop, 1.6L 16 valve, 6 to 1 transfer case, spring over lift with 31 or 32 inch tires. With that setup you can run with any traffic even give the civics a run for their money. Wheel with anyone and have a lower crawl ratio than anyone. Plus still get 21+mpg.

 

[Grunizzle]

Maybe a 1st gen exploder sport

 

[4byranger2000xlt]

Cherokee would probably never be an option for me, the whole unibody thing bothers me too much. I would probaly lean towards an RBV of some sort. I owned a couple zukis in the past, and while they do get great gas mileage and are very reliable, they are no fun on the road. Gutless and very cramped inside. My ranger cruises 75 all day long, gets pretty decent MPG's, and is lifted on 32's. I can tow a small trailer, fill the bed up with stufff, and still fit 4 people.

 

[adsm08]

I'm with Grunz and Floored and a couple others here. I'm gonna steer you towards and RBV, but not your buddy's old truck. I have my 87 x-cab, and I love it, very happy with it, but I need something with more interior space (you really shoulda heard me whine this morning about having to make a 2-hour trip in the wife's reg cab chevy b/c she wanted the A/C).

For what I'm seeing in terms of what you want, I'm gonna say go with a Bronco II or an early Explorer Sport if you can find one. An actual Ranger should probably be your 3rd choice.

 

[disciplerocks]

I am not going to flame on the Samurai because I know nothing about them, I can tell you this, its gonna be hard as hell to find parts for it.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

I hate being biased but I am not... I think a BII would fit you perfectly like the other guys said... Its a Ranger in a Samerai sized package, all of the pros of a Ranger and all the pros of a Samerai and you can swap in a 4.0L from an explorer and have the power of a Jeep.

Definately don't get your buddies truck especially an 83 unless you plan on a motor swap. The 2.8L is a good motor but with all of the emissions stuff on it, it probably won't start up after 2 years, you'll have to duraspark it and all. I would look for a vehicle that got run daily or gets used oftern something thats been sitting around is going to need some work...

 

[98RedRanger]

Well me being 16 and ive got my first truck right now and ive had it for about 2-3 months and im really happy with it. Ive got a 1998 xlt 4x4 flairside ranger and the thing is a beast for what it is offroad. I went mudding with a couple of buddys that have f150's and bronco's and while they were getting stuck the things so light that it just floats over everything. It's great on the highway but isn't even close to any speed demon but I run 75mph all day and get 20+ mpg. Personally I don't think that you'll be the slightest bit dissapointed with a 4x4 ranger.

 

[OilPatch197]

It's my opinion everyone's first vehicle should be a stick, with a underpowered motor.

Then after you beat the hell out of it, get a auto.

 

[twonole]

It's my opinion everyone's first vehicle should be a stick, with a underpowered motor.

Then after you beat the hell out of it, get a auto.

That sounds like my brother's 97 kia sportage lol

 

[strvger]

i currently own a Geo tracker (Sidekick) and my ranger pu. the tracker has done double duty as trail rig and dd for 3 years till i got the pu. with the 1.6 motor and 31 inch tires, i got an honest 32mpg @ 65mph out of it. it was great on the trails, and on the road i pulled #1600+ trailer @ 60mph with no problems. mine has 5.13 gears and a 5 spd tranny. the only problem i see is the short wheel base handling can be tricky with an inexperienced driver. that's it. if you get the sammy, throw in one of the 1.6 motors, the lower gears from a trackick (sammy has 3.73's), bit of a lift and you'll be good to go. there are tons of parts out there and not too expensive to maintain.
love my ranger and the utility it brings with it. not as cheap on gas, but way bigger payload/towing capacity. i'm needing the versatility of the pu now more than the fun af the tracker.
either will suit your needs, just decide what your needs are before you commit to one or the other. just my $.02.

 

[derekj]

The first thing you should decide is what kind of wheeling do you want to do and how many friends are you going to bring along. My first truck was a Sidekick - took it thru the Rubicon so they are capable trucks. Not a lot of storage space but decent fuel mileage as strvger said. Highway trips got to be pretty tiring pretty quick. My truck had the hard top on as well which kept the noise level down compared to a soft top. Next I got a B2, which was like the Sidekick but had room for 4 and gear, was more comfortable on road, but still good in the tight trails. Not a lot of money needs to be spent to fit 31 or 32" tires on a B2 either. Sidekick needs a good 5" of lift to fit 32's(that's what mine had). Now my wheeler is a 92 regular cab long box on 35's. The first thing I noticed about this truck is how much more stable it is off road compared to my Sidekick. I can drive up stuff that makes TJ's almost flip over backwards. Sure I have a harder time squeezing thru some trees but that doesn't bother me. Plus I have a 7 foot box to put all my stuff in. And it is nice to drive on the highway, just put over 600 miles on it in the last week and I can get a consistent 21 mpg on the highway. And the TTB front end is really strong and works great on fast logging roads and in the dunes and desert.

Hope this helps,
Derek