considering- a 2006.

[racsan]

A guy at work has been trying to sell me his ranger, has high miles (200K) but looks to be in decent shape, frame is in much better condition than mine. Its a reg cab longbed, 2wd 4cyl manual. Have no idea on rear end but since it would be the duratech 4 (or non-lima as I like to call it) id guess its 3.73 , im not sure how many miles the “non-lima’s” run for. I guess this weekend he’s taking a trip to w. va to look at a 2020 ranger for 20K with 5,000 miles. He is hoping to get 2,000 in trade for it, said he’d sell it to me for that, im considering offing him 1,500 if he doesnt end up with the 2020 he goes to look at. If nothing else this could be a good chassis start for a V8 swap.

 

[Mightyfordranger]

I fully support your decision. You have my blessings.

 

[Dirtman]

Rear is 3.73 or 4.10, I'm pretty sure those were the only options behind the duratec.

 

[racsan]

I test drove a black shortbed 06 a few years back, was very clean and only 10K miles. I wasnt all that impressed, I took a picture of the door tag to look up later and it had 3.73’s, Id prefer 4.10’s , in fact Id probably swap axles out with my 94 if I end up with it. I do wish I had 7K right now, found a supercab stepside V6 4x4 with 120K on it, automatic but very clean, so many ads ive seen make me wonder how bad do they really want to sell or are they just slobs that cant remove their mcdonald’s trash & go through a car wash before snapping pictures & posting a ad.

 

[Dirtman]

My 2.3 duratec with 4.10s aint a race car by any means, but it never feels under powered. Blue book prices on all the rangers is insane right now but the 2004+ trucks seem especially pricey lately.

I'd probably blow 2 grand on another 2.3 truck with 200k as long as it wasn't a rust bucket. Blue book on mine is like 7-8k and its basically a fleet truck.

 

[racsan]

It seems to be in good shape, looked at the frame around rear axle & the spring hanger brackets and its clean as can be, spring hangers look more beefy then on my 94. Im unsure of the trim level but it does have a/c but also has a black grille. wheels are a factory silver spoke wheel, no chrome skin, 225/70/15’s. Seems like everything else Ive found is a rust bucket, high miles, beat to death and sky-high on price.

 

[Dirtman]

I don't believe you could get them without AC at that point. My truck is a bare bones fleet XL trim. The only "upgrades" were the automatic trans and bedliner. Everything else is base model crap and it has AC. No power anything, rubber floors, basic am/fm radio with no cassette or cd player...

 

[Dirtman]

Good god, tell them to knock $1,000 off the price just for having those hubcaps on it!

On a serious note, on a duratec with that many miles take a flashlight and a mirror and look at the rear of the cylinder head/block by the firewall, there are 2 coolant lines back there. They aren't necessarily prone to leaking but when they do, the transmission has to be removed to fix them. So if you see any signs of coolant there or at the back of the engine near the bellhousing you may wanna factor that repair into whether it's still worth it. They are solid engines though.

 

[racsan]

I know, those hubcaps are hideous! the factory small caps that cover the lugs are under those hubcaps, the tires are crap, just armour-all’ed. rears are firestone winterforce snows and the fronts are a cheap ntb tire, not much tread either but wear is even, nothing showing ball joint or alignment issues. Has a temporary spare underneath, once again not a issue (Id put the spare in the bed normally, but Id consider keeping it underneath since this is a shortbed) I was pretty surprised about the rear axle cover, either they dont look over stuff good or they just dont think anyone else will. It is indeed a 7.5/3.73 , I was hoping for a 8.8/4.10 ( I thought 7.5’s disappeared by ‘01-guess not) It seems strange to have step bars on a 2wd. the worst rust seems to be the back bumper, bottom door seams and tailgate seam are good. I like the vynil floor.
Great tip about the coolant lines, I didnt know that. From what Ive read the “mazda” 2.3’s are better on fuel then the “lima’s”, my 94 gets about 20 at best , from what Ive read the “mazda” 2.3 could get low 30’s.

 

[Dirtman]

7.5 inch rears stayed in the 2.3 trucks all the way to the end in 2011.

As for MPG's mine will get around 26mpg on long highway trips with an automatic and 4.10's. With 3.73's and manual trans it will probably get a tad better so yea, close to 30mpg. Alot more power than the older 2.3's as well.

 

[stmitch]

From what Ive read the “mazda” 2.3’s are better on fuel then the “lima’s”, my 94 gets about 20 at best , from what Ive read the “mazda” 2.3 could get low 30’s.

The 3.73s are a big reason that they can tickle 30mpgs. All manual Duratecs came with 3.73s, while Automatic equipped trucks came with 4.10s. The manuals can hit 30mpg. The Autos all seem stuck in the 24-26mpg range. If you're planning on regearing to 4.10s, be prepared to sacrifice some fuel economy.

 

[pjtoledo]

if you get it definitely replace the thermostat. my 2005 ran a little cold and I just kept driving it for work, I think that caused premature ring wear.
they will easily get 28 mpg highway while loaded with 400 lbs.
the "Mazda" is an aluminum block & head, makes it light and quite nimble for a truck.
the front brakes are 11.25", work great but too big for 14" wheels.

my 2005 is now over 365,500 miles, haven't had to open up the engine yet,,,, but it does use a lot of oil now.

 

[racsan]

If I do end up with one, I will have to see how it does towing with 3.73s I mostly use the escape anymore when I do tow so I may just leave it be and get the better fuel mileage. I may keep the 94 around for awhile. Good to hear from you pjtoledo , I knew you had a high-mileage “Mazda” 2.3 that was still humming along.
Black paint hides things well, can’t tell from the picture but there’s a good sized dent in bed behind drivers side rear tire & the drivers side door has some touch-up in scratches you can’t see in the picture. hows the front suspension (to work on) in these newer non- I beam trucks? At 200K I’m sure that ball joints would need changed if they’ve not been already. Maybe these get new arm/ball-joint assemblies. I’ve not driven either truck yet, the guy with the red one did tell me it would need front end work soon but it does have new rear shackles/hangers. The red one has had a running issue lately, probably minor, I’m willing to deal with that. Who knows, he may of traded it today anyhow for that 2020 he heard about.
Good to know I could get 100K more out of it, I know the 94 doesn’t have that kind of life left in it (and it “only” has 160K on the clock)

 

[racsan]

leaning hard towards the red longbed. Its in better overall shape, has cruise control and a rear slider, better tires (That I will most likely change out anyways) Plus I can use the ‘glass cap I already have. I do have a shortbed tonueu cover I bought last year at a yard sale for $10, never been a fan of them but it was cheap enough. I was browsing fleabay and found front lift spindles, so thats a plus. Only reason Ive not grabbed it yet is we just started the loan process for the house weve been renting the last 2 years, I might need that 1500/2000. But it is tempting.

 

[racsan]

Well the black shortbed sold rather quickly to some kid, and I just saw where he has it on fakebook marketplace for $3800, still has those hideous hub caps on it, I probably should have snagged it when I could of then based on what I’ve been seeing lately with mileage and pricing, the red one is still around but no longer for sale, it’s a “backup” and that guy will probably need it since he’s driving a newer crew cab 1/2 ton dodge.