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Hi, Folks.
I'm here because I'm looking for information on a possible Ranger purchase in the not-too-distant future (late this year or early next year.)
Here's my situation: Currently I work in downtown Denver and because I live near the light rail, and my employer pays for my rail pass, I can get to work pretty cheaply. In fact, on nice days when I don't have anything planned after work, I walk a mile to the light rail station, then ride the train to my office.
However, next year, my employer is locating to the suburbs, Lakewood to be precise, and my commute will then be about 12 - 15 miles each way, which works out to ~150 miles/week minimum.
My current 4 wheeled vehicle is a 1999 Toyota 4runner, 4x4, with a locking rear diff, V6 and auto. It's a great vehicle and I definitely plan on keeping it. Problem is: the MPG absolutely sucks. In heavy traffic I rarely break 15 mpg. It's really bad, for a vehicle of that size.
So, the wheels started turning in my head, and because I miss having a truck anyway, I figured for less than $3k I could pick up an older Ranger with a 4 banger and a 5 speed and make that my DD. Not only would I save money on gas, I'd keep from putting too many miles on the 4runner. Plus, like I said, I miss having a pickup. Pickups really come in handy a lot of the time!
I should point out that the reason I focus on Rangers and not on other trucks is that I've owned a Ranger before. From 1999 to 2003 I owned a 99 2wd XLT Extra cab truck. It was a great vehicle, and was absolutely the best "road trip" vehicle I've ever owned. I loved driving that thing! It had the flex-fuel V-6 (3.0) and a 5 speed. Being a 2wd it kind of sucked in the snow and ice (I lived in Laramie, WY from 2000 to 2005) but in nice weather it was great.
Scanning the classifieds (CL) I see plenty of Rangers and Mazda B-trucks in my price range.
First off, I'm only looking at the 2nd and 3rd generation body styles (93 and up.) Is there any reason to prefer the 1st gen (83-92) models?
Second, I'm definitely not going to get: A 4wd, an extended cab, anything with an automatic, or anything with a 4.0l V-6. The whole point of this is for me to have an economical daily driver - it wouldn't make sense for me to get a truck that only gets 18mpg, I'm hoping to find something that will give me 22-25 mpg on a regular basis (my 99 V-6/5 speed got about 19 in the city and 23-26 on the highway so I figure with a regular cab and a 4 I should be able to beat that pretty easily.)
So my questions for the group are this:
1. Assuming that I'm looking for a reg cab/2wd/4 cyl/5 speed combo, are there any years that are better than any other years? Known problems, etc?
2. What year did the AC switch from the old refrigerant to the new? AC is a requirement for me, I lived too long without it!
3. I know the big difference between the 2nd gen (93-97) and the 3rd (98 - up) is the suspension, the 93 - 97 had the twin I-beam, the 98 - up have the A-arm or double wishbone. Is there any reason to prefer one over the other? From a looks perspective I actually like the 93-97's a little more and of course being older they tend to cost less.
4. Given my price range (<$3k) most likely anything I'm looking at will have between 100k and 150k miles. Are there any known wear factors I should look for? How long do clutches last on 4 cyl trucks? Are the transmissions probably needing service or replacement at that time?
5. Are the standard bed sizes the same between the 93-97 and the 98-up trucks? Reason I ask is that I would most likely be shopping for a topper or shell and it would be nice to know if a topper from a 99 would fit on a 95.
Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm here because I'm looking for information on a possible Ranger purchase in the not-too-distant future (late this year or early next year.)
Here's my situation: Currently I work in downtown Denver and because I live near the light rail, and my employer pays for my rail pass, I can get to work pretty cheaply. In fact, on nice days when I don't have anything planned after work, I walk a mile to the light rail station, then ride the train to my office.
However, next year, my employer is locating to the suburbs, Lakewood to be precise, and my commute will then be about 12 - 15 miles each way, which works out to ~150 miles/week minimum.
My current 4 wheeled vehicle is a 1999 Toyota 4runner, 4x4, with a locking rear diff, V6 and auto. It's a great vehicle and I definitely plan on keeping it. Problem is: the MPG absolutely sucks. In heavy traffic I rarely break 15 mpg. It's really bad, for a vehicle of that size.
So, the wheels started turning in my head, and because I miss having a truck anyway, I figured for less than $3k I could pick up an older Ranger with a 4 banger and a 5 speed and make that my DD. Not only would I save money on gas, I'd keep from putting too many miles on the 4runner. Plus, like I said, I miss having a pickup. Pickups really come in handy a lot of the time!
I should point out that the reason I focus on Rangers and not on other trucks is that I've owned a Ranger before. From 1999 to 2003 I owned a 99 2wd XLT Extra cab truck. It was a great vehicle, and was absolutely the best "road trip" vehicle I've ever owned. I loved driving that thing! It had the flex-fuel V-6 (3.0) and a 5 speed. Being a 2wd it kind of sucked in the snow and ice (I lived in Laramie, WY from 2000 to 2005) but in nice weather it was great.
Scanning the classifieds (CL) I see plenty of Rangers and Mazda B-trucks in my price range.
First off, I'm only looking at the 2nd and 3rd generation body styles (93 and up.) Is there any reason to prefer the 1st gen (83-92) models?
Second, I'm definitely not going to get: A 4wd, an extended cab, anything with an automatic, or anything with a 4.0l V-6. The whole point of this is for me to have an economical daily driver - it wouldn't make sense for me to get a truck that only gets 18mpg, I'm hoping to find something that will give me 22-25 mpg on a regular basis (my 99 V-6/5 speed got about 19 in the city and 23-26 on the highway so I figure with a regular cab and a 4 I should be able to beat that pretty easily.)
So my questions for the group are this:
1. Assuming that I'm looking for a reg cab/2wd/4 cyl/5 speed combo, are there any years that are better than any other years? Known problems, etc?
2. What year did the AC switch from the old refrigerant to the new? AC is a requirement for me, I lived too long without it!
3. I know the big difference between the 2nd gen (93-97) and the 3rd (98 - up) is the suspension, the 93 - 97 had the twin I-beam, the 98 - up have the A-arm or double wishbone. Is there any reason to prefer one over the other? From a looks perspective I actually like the 93-97's a little more and of course being older they tend to cost less.
4. Given my price range (<$3k) most likely anything I'm looking at will have between 100k and 150k miles. Are there any known wear factors I should look for? How long do clutches last on 4 cyl trucks? Are the transmissions probably needing service or replacement at that time?
5. Are the standard bed sizes the same between the 93-97 and the 98-up trucks? Reason I ask is that I would most likely be shopping for a topper or shell and it would be nice to know if a topper from a 99 would fit on a 95.
Thanks in advance for any help!
. I'd buy one in a hearbeat if I could find one in not too bad of shape to fix up.
