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Daily driver, endless project?


Mette

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
11
I'm looking for a truck. For the last seven years or so, I've been driving a 1990 Civic hatchback. It got better than 30 MPG, was decent to work out of (hauled 600 sq ft of laminate flooring from NC to MD, no problem), and was reliable despite my neglecting it.

I used to drive the company 1988 Ranger making deliveries. It sat most of the time but always started and ran like a top. Good little truck, in my experience.

Anyhow, I'm practically broke and the timing belt busted on the Civic, but the home renovation project continues. So I've been looking at 4x2 Rangers under $2000 to haul stuff, run errands, and maybe commute in in the future. However, beyond oil changes and spark plugs type work, I can't do much fixing on them.

Should I be looking for the newest Ranger I can afford? Are there particular engines/configurations which are especially cheap/easy to keep on the road? I like the first and second generations especially, but I don't need a ongoing repair project or another hobby right now -- what makes for a good daily driver Ranger?

Thanks for reading.
 
Pricewise, I'd suggest looking for a 93-97 with a 2.3 4 cylinder and an extended cab. They're pretty economical and easy to maintain without going into a higher price range or paying too much for insurance.

I have an 88 that I've been rebuilding for the last four years and I wouldn't recommend buying anything that old because unless the owner has been keeping up with maintenance you're bound to run into needed repairs. If you do the work yourself it's usually way better costwise, but if you're not too mechanically inclinded it may be too much for you. But if you can find an older one with the 2.3 with low miles you could most likely get one for less than $1,000...
 
A mid-90's 2.3 4cyl Ranger would be a good choice mostly because finding used parts for them is fairly easy. Then again you've gotta remember that there is a reason that they call the 3 liter v6 engine a "cockroach". I would suggest looking at local ebay motors auctions and seeing what you can find local or in surrounding states. Sometimes you'll find something decent in the parts car section that needs stupid little things and it will end up selling for a ridiculously low price.
 
Pricewise, I'd suggest looking for a 93-97 with a 2.3 4 cylinder and an extended cab. They're pretty economical and easy to maintain without going into a higher price range or paying too much for insurance.

I have an 88 that I've been rebuilding for the last four years and I wouldn't recommend buying anything that old because unless the owner has been keeping up with maintenance you're bound to run into needed repairs. If you do the work yourself it's usually way better costwise, but if you're not too mechanically inclinded it may be too much for you. But if you can find an older one with the 2.3 with low miles you could most likely get one for less than $1,000...
Thanks, Mark. That's the sort of reply I'm looking for. I'll read up on the 2.3 L. Insurance cost is not a major concern down here in NC -- I paid about $150/year to keep my death trap of a hatchback on the road. Also, I don't mind spending some time and money here and there, I just want to make sure I don't buy myself a truck that only a mechanic could keep on the road -- I need to drive sooner than 4 years from now.

Hey, Barrie -- I've got family in Peterborough.
 
I would have to recomend a '93-'97 2wd. If you want higher gas mileage, get the 2.3L 4cyl. But, if you want an indestructable motor, get the 3.0L, with slightly lower mileage. I like the saying I've heard on here before "if you manage to blow up a 3.0L that has coolant and oil, you should not be able to operate anything more complex than a refrigerator".

I'm not positive what mileage the motors get, but I'm pretty sure the 2.3L is upper 20's, and the 3.0L is lower 20's. Both good engines overall.
 
A mid-90's 2.3 4cyl Ranger would be a good choice mostly because finding used parts for them is fairly easy. Then again you've gotta remember that there is a reason that they call the 3 liter v6 engine a "cockroach".

I would have to recomend a '93-'97 2wd. If you want higher gas mileage, get the 2.3L 4cyl. But, if you want an indestructable motor, get the 3.0L, with slightly lower mileage. I like the saying I've heard on here before "if you manage to blow up a 3.0L that has coolant and oil, you should not be able to operate anything more complex than a refrigerator".
More votes for the 2.3 L. -- and this is the 3.0 L Vulcan we're talking about, right? There's a 1992 3.0 L for sale nearby. If I can operate the fridge fine but not the stove, am I qualified?

Aside from the engine, are there other powertrain components, etc. I should look for/avoid? Thanks for all the good advice so far.
 
Thanks, Mark. That's the sort of reply I'm looking for. I'll read up on the 2.3 L. Insurance cost is not a major concern down here in NC -- I paid about $150/year to keep my death trap of a hatchback on the road. Also, I don't mind spending some time and money here and there, I just want to make sure I don't buy myself a truck that only a mechanic could keep on the road -- I need to drive sooner than 4 years from now.

Hey, Barrie -- I've got family in Peterborough.

Hope it helps...Peterborough is only a few hours from here...nice place, but I have a friend in the area looking for work and she says it's pretty sparce...in her line of work, anyways...

Up until last year I had a niece in SC but she retreated to her roots in Canada after not being able to find work down there...she worked on the side for one guy and he treated her pretty good...for an illegal that is...she got her working papers (green card?) just before she left though...

You can also use the resources on TRS to help with any maintenance or repairs if you should go that route...it's been a valuable source of infor for my rebuild...
 
FYI ... the 2.3L SOHC is easy as hell to work on, parts are cheap, etc. Christ, you can replace the timing belt on the shoulder with basic hand tools.
 
FYI ... the 2.3L SOHC is easy as hell to work on, parts are cheap, etc. Christ, you can replace the timing belt on the shoulder with basic hand tools.
This same engine went in the first three generations, right?
 
This same engine went in the first three generations, right?

Went from dizzy to DIS, and then to EDIS at a certain point. Also changed journal sizes at some point. Other than that though, yes ... same engine.
 
You can neglect the 2.3 belt just the same as you did the Civic belt and kill it just as dead. The 3.0 is better in that regard. I would rather have distributorless.
 
You can neglect the 2.3 belt just the same as you did the Civic belt and kill it just as dead. The 3.0 is better in that regard. I would rather have distributorless.

The 2.3 is not an interferance engine, so just drag it back home, retime it and stick another one on.

timing-belt-ford.jpg


Keep in mind, even the 93-97 trucks are old enough to be abused.
 
I would defiinitely recomend a 93-97 with a 2.3. Easy to work on (other than the spark plugs on the intake manifold side of the engine), rediculously reliable, and decently peppy for a 4-banger. But, yes, they can be pretty beat up over their lifetime, but they are practically unstoppable.
 
Any 1993+ I4 or 3.0 would be good. It doesn't matter if you break the timing belt on a Lima, just throw a new one on. My parents broke the timing belt at least twice on their '86 2.3 and it was never off the road for more than a day in its life.

I would look for a company selling fleet trucks. You can get 2001-2003 XLs for $3000 or so around here if you buy them off a company with a fleet of trucks. Sun Drop sells nice XLT 3.0s for about $3000 when they get done with them.
 
Thanks to everyone who's posted their advice -- all very helpful.

The 1992 3.0L I was looking at got bought up. Should'v moved a little quicker on that one. So I went to check out a 1990 2.3L instead. It cranked fine and had good power, but once I got it up to 5th gear the check engine light came on and it started running real rough -- missing and stalling. I got off the highway and cut the engine. It turned over again just fine but the idle was all over the place and it kept stalling. I start heading back to the seller's house and now it's running a little better but LOUD. Like a can of rocks, and it speeds up with the tach. Anyhow, the truck made it back and I skedaddled.

What do ya'll think is going on with this truck?
 

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