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BrunchWizard
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2022
- Messages
- 3
- City
- Chico, CA
- Vehicle Year
- 2010
- Engine
- 2.3 (4 Cylinder)
- Transmission
- Manual
- Tire Size
- 235/75/R15
So I used to own a 2000 Honda CR-V a couple years back and wanted a truck for camping/snowboarding/basic hauling/I don't have to give people rides reasons. My brother had a pretty sweet '96 3.4l 4x4 5 speed Tacoma when I was in high school, so at first I gravitated towards used Tacomas... But these days people in California seem to want $10k for Tacomas with 300+ miles and multiple owners who keep saying "it's a Toyota" when you haggle? The demand is so high for them regardless... Still a machine IMO, no matter how well engineered it is 
Eventually I looked into Rangers and read the 2.3l Duratec is very reliable. I've had this 2010 2.3l 2WD manual Ranger for a year and a half and I've been really happy with this very basic, utilitarian truck. It was a fleet truck with 133k miles, I just hit 170k the other day. I've used this forum to research certain issues so I figured I'd join up and post my story so maybe someone else can learn from my used truck buying experience.
First of all, I'd say I overpaid for it in retrospect. I'm no mechanical genius, I do my own basic maintenance but I consult my mechanical engineer brother for advise on more complicated issues, and if I lived near him he probably could have gotten me a much fairer price. I got it for $6,500. In hindsight the seller just bluebooked like 20 of these things before some major maintenance items were coming up. I had been searching for a decent used truck for months and months so I was just excited to seize upon this golden opportunity to choose amongst a whole bunch of Rangers. The slave cylinder failed like 5,000 miles after I got it, and I guess the slave cylinder is in an unusual location on this truck... Unusual that you have to drop the transmission to access it, I guess? My mechanic did the clutch (which looked like it was on its last leg) and master cylinder while they were at it. I had gear/differential fluids done not much later after that event and it shifts like butter now. The starter needed to be replaced, so I did that when I put new tires on. I also had the serpentine belt replaced, with a couple other fluid maintenance items.
The most recent issue I had was the mass air flow sensor. My check engine light kept coming on, though nothing seemed amiss. My mechanic diagnosed it, and replaced that sensor, which resolved the check engine light. I'm told this is a somewhat common issue with Ford's.
Other than that, I made some custom modifications... I replaced the old plastic bed liner with a Rhino liner. There were some dents in the body, I found a pretty fair PDR guy to fix a lot of those. I have access to a wholesale tire/rim account so I got pretty good deals on a decent set of all terrain tires. I got sick of the stock radio, and put an Alpine stereo in with a microphone, and replaced the stock speakers with a pair of Alpine door speakers. The seats and center armrest were ripping, so I got some custom leather seat covers off eBay and I've been really happy with those, they're like brand new seats. I managed to get my hands on a used $250 camper shell, that came off some 2000 Ranger and sat in someone's yard for years. The shell leaks a little but nothing too serious, and needed some TLC. The emblems on the tailgate were all jacked up so I replaced those too. Other little random things like a crummy rear view mirror and oxidized headlights were also replaced, amazing that you can get brand new headlights for this truck for only $60 a pair. The front bumper is super faded if I don't keep it detailed, I plan on painting it this spring.
At this point I'm pretty happy with it, and I just change the oil/filter every so often, and the spark plugs/wires. I hope to have it for a really long time.
Eventually I looked into Rangers and read the 2.3l Duratec is very reliable. I've had this 2010 2.3l 2WD manual Ranger for a year and a half and I've been really happy with this very basic, utilitarian truck. It was a fleet truck with 133k miles, I just hit 170k the other day. I've used this forum to research certain issues so I figured I'd join up and post my story so maybe someone else can learn from my used truck buying experience.
First of all, I'd say I overpaid for it in retrospect. I'm no mechanical genius, I do my own basic maintenance but I consult my mechanical engineer brother for advise on more complicated issues, and if I lived near him he probably could have gotten me a much fairer price. I got it for $6,500. In hindsight the seller just bluebooked like 20 of these things before some major maintenance items were coming up. I had been searching for a decent used truck for months and months so I was just excited to seize upon this golden opportunity to choose amongst a whole bunch of Rangers. The slave cylinder failed like 5,000 miles after I got it, and I guess the slave cylinder is in an unusual location on this truck... Unusual that you have to drop the transmission to access it, I guess? My mechanic did the clutch (which looked like it was on its last leg) and master cylinder while they were at it. I had gear/differential fluids done not much later after that event and it shifts like butter now. The starter needed to be replaced, so I did that when I put new tires on. I also had the serpentine belt replaced, with a couple other fluid maintenance items.
The most recent issue I had was the mass air flow sensor. My check engine light kept coming on, though nothing seemed amiss. My mechanic diagnosed it, and replaced that sensor, which resolved the check engine light. I'm told this is a somewhat common issue with Ford's.
Other than that, I made some custom modifications... I replaced the old plastic bed liner with a Rhino liner. There were some dents in the body, I found a pretty fair PDR guy to fix a lot of those. I have access to a wholesale tire/rim account so I got pretty good deals on a decent set of all terrain tires. I got sick of the stock radio, and put an Alpine stereo in with a microphone, and replaced the stock speakers with a pair of Alpine door speakers. The seats and center armrest were ripping, so I got some custom leather seat covers off eBay and I've been really happy with those, they're like brand new seats. I managed to get my hands on a used $250 camper shell, that came off some 2000 Ranger and sat in someone's yard for years. The shell leaks a little but nothing too serious, and needed some TLC. The emblems on the tailgate were all jacked up so I replaced those too. Other little random things like a crummy rear view mirror and oxidized headlights were also replaced, amazing that you can get brand new headlights for this truck for only $60 a pair. The front bumper is super faded if I don't keep it detailed, I plan on painting it this spring.
At this point I'm pretty happy with it, and I just change the oil/filter every so often, and the spark plugs/wires. I hope to have it for a really long time.
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