help me decide on a truck

[cody93]

its been a few months since i started looking for another ranger, so far no luck. mainly checking fayettevile AR and springfield MO craigslist and area around me, which is Harrison AR. 2 months ago i saw a few rangers on CL that were 6-700$ and at the time i thought were not worth the trouble, now i cant find anyting at all thats resonally priced or starts or has a tittle. what should i do? well, i guess i'll tell you what type i want and you give me your opinions.
1st gen 83-88
2wd, Regular cab, Short bed
4cyl or V6, 5 spd, either 2.3,2.8,2.9
A/C, PW, PL, Cruise, or AM/FM/CD is not needed altho im having second thoughts on having A/C
any color interior except whorehouse red or that dark shade of blue, i think i would like tan best.

anything i should know about this configuration? my last truck was a blue 88 2.9, 2wd, auto ,ex cab and i liked almost everything on it.

on a side note 84-90 B2s and 89-92 rangers seem more common around here. how hard would it be to swap dash+front clip from a 1st gen onto a 2nd gen if i decide to get a gen 2? i realy love the 1st gen look and functionallity.

 

[rockin86ranger]

Just wait for the right truck to show up, there are great deals on 1st gens that pop up in that area all time, i browse that area of craigslist from time to time since i have a friend in springfield

 

[RangerBoy94]

How bout a 94 super cab 4X4 4.0 M5Od???

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

How about a 85 with a 302 for $3500?

 

[cody93]

im poor, 750$ my max budget im willing to spend on a truck itself, rest will go towards insurance/parts/registration. its gona be a daily driver/working truck, i dont think id need a 5.0 or 4x4 with what im doing, heck i rather have cassette deck over cd, and cheap steel rims. ima wait a little while longer for that perfect gen1, but incase i cant wait any more, how hard is it to do a gen 2 to gen 1 dash/front clip swap? im also living in a rental house at the moment and im not allowed to have non running cars on here, heck, im the only one on the street without a non running car in thier yard

 

[rockin86ranger]

theres a 1st gen for 550 by my house, but they just took off the street and parked it by there house so idk if theyre gonna sell it, but if it goes by the street again im gonna check it out. cant have enough 1st gens

ive owned 3 rbs one them more than once and all have been gen 1s, so this could be a nice addition

 

[cody93]

well good news, i found a first gen not only in NW arkansas, but in the same county! http://fayar.craigslist.org/cto/2499408371.html ima call in on it tomorow, altho 900 is a little much more than i want to spend, dose this one look good?

 

[rockin86ranger]

from what i can see looks like a really good truck, just look over EVERYTHING, there are subtle things that will let you know something is off. Check the tires to make sure theyre wearing evenly (uneven wear could mean it just needs an alignment but could also mean bent frame...), make sure the steering wheel has the right feel to it (not to loose of feel.), if the engine bay looks clean check over everything to make sure its ok. a clean engine bay usually means a leak somewhere but not always. Also when you test drive it make sure to get it up to operating temp and drive it awhile to make sure there are no problems and run it up to decent speed to make sure there arent any shakes or driveline problem, i'd say 65ish should do. Check to make sure the paint isnt off on different panels, a lighter shade on a door than a fender or bedside might mean its been wrecked same thing applies for the orange peel in the paint if its different textures its a hint. Also when you get back from a test drive recheck all the fluids to make sure theyre at the same level as they where, and also restart it after you get back from a test drive (some problems only show up when hot)

But also remember this is an old truck so chances are its gonna need some work

 

[straycat]

Not much to buy for under $1,000 that is gonna be a great running truck. Anything for that price is gonna require some or a lot of work and expence to get it where you would like it. Better just wait until you got $2-3,000 and then get what you want...or take out a loan and enjoy the ride, Bro!!!

 

[cody93]

i knew it was too good to be true, aparently it wont stay running, he says it will start and bog down and die... so what may cause this? fuel pressure being to low? he said he replaced the pumps and filter to no avail. i dont think its an inertia switch as it can prime the fuel rail i believe. could it be ignition related? its an 87 2.3, i think they still had distributors instead of coil packs until 89. think it could be the fuel pressure regulator? IACV? throttle position sensor? MAP?

 

[mp3deviant721]

If you keep your foot on the throttle and it stays running with your foot down, chances are it's the IAC. And even if the fuel pressure was too low, it would have a pretty hard time starting even if it could start.

 

[adsm08]

IAC is the best bet.

 

[rockin86ranger]

Not much to buy for under $1,000 that is gonna be a great running truck. Anything for that price is gonna require some or a lot of work and expence to get it where you would like it. Better just wait until you got $2-3,000 and then get what you want...or take out a loan and enjoy the ride, Bro!!!

the most ive ever given for a vehcile was $900 and i very rarely ever have problems. Just depends on how smart you are with what you buy

 

[straycat]

the most ive ever given for a vehcile was $900 and i very rarely ever have problems. Just depends on how smart you are with what you buy

And....how much did you have to put in it? Got a lift kit and 33's on it and it has a nice V6? Right? I can always buy a clean V6 4x4 with lift kit, nice great shape 33's with a great paint job and straight body and a nice clean interior and low miles for under $3,000. That is worth the prcie to get what you will already thinking about when you buy an old clunker for $900 and want to add a lift and tires, winch...etc.. I see $900 trucks all the time and they are only good for parts that you need to upgrade your ride.

 

[rockin86ranger]

Well the 96 F150 Eddie bauer i bought with a failing slave cylinder and drove it until i listed it for sale at which point the slave cylinder finally failed.

The 86 ranger i drove with nothing, after a few months i did a tune up on it

The 88 i drove for a long time and the only problem i ever had was the lower radiator hose came off and i had to replace it

the 91 dodge van was fine until the pickup coil in the distributor went out and would die when driving under power lines, this actually the vehicle i gave the most for at 900

the 88 bronco ii i bought with a bad trans and i did put a lot of money into it but i was still under 900 in the end

the 97 escort i traded the van for and all i did to it was put new wheel studs in it after i got tired of driving with 2 lug nuts on the wheels for 4 months

There are deals out there if you look and are smart with your buying, just cause you cant see anything doesnt mean it isnt there

Oh and i fogot about the 96 corsica (the only vehicle i got from someone i knew) i got for 100 and beat the piss out of trying to kill it and the dang thing wouldnt die, only problem i had was the muffler fell off once and when we took it fishing we managed to knock the heater core around enough to make it leak so we had to bypass it