2.3L ('02-'11) no engine oil on dipstick when buying used 2002 i4 ranger

[youngbuckwithapickuptruck]

im looking at purchasing a 2002 ranger.
1st owner had it to 160,000mi and i will assume maintained it since there is a carfax report with it, first owner, etc.

no info on 2nd owner but
1. they hackjob the wiring for a third light on a campershell - 3rd owner paid to have that fixed
2. they must have not changed the oil for 20,000mi from 2018 to 2023 becuase mechanic report stated "no oil on dipstick"

is this a red flag for a no good engine?
i hear lack of oil change ruins timingCHAIN.
will "timing-CHAIN job" resolve the issue?
also: third owner had truck for 2 years and only put 2k miles, is that also a red flag on used vehicles? do people sit on a truck then resell it when its a lemon? dude says he didnt use it becuase he just had a kid. also they live on an island.

i know 2001-2003 i4 also has issues with the intake manifold, should i just avoid this truck?

*EDIT* im literally buying this truck to jump my mpg from 25 to 30.
i currently have a 350,000mi 2.5 ranger ...same color, lol
*edited timingbelt to timingCHAIN*

 

[Blmpkn]

Dirty oil can ruin a timing CHAIN, belts are usually dry.


Always go with your initial gut instinct. Yours seems to be telling you to pass on the truck.. and I'd agree.

 

[youngbuckwithapickuptruck]

my instict is telling me that no used truck will be a safe bet and that any 1previous owner grandpa truck will be hawked by resellers way faster than i could ever catch the ad and snag it

also i wouldnt hesistate to throw a refurbished engine in this truck becuase interior and exterior shows lack of abuse as a work truck

 

[pjtoledo]

pull the plugs to see if one is fouled with oil. do not be concerned with oil in the plug wells, it's a gasket fix. just clean it out before removing plugs.
during its later miles my 2.3 duratec lost compression on just 1 cylinder and had massive oil consumption, on that cylinder only.
compression was down to 80, rings were not sealing.
the other 3, and the bearings, cam, were still perfect.

the Duratecs have a good oil return system. even when quite low there is enough in the sump for circulation.
my chains were still factory at 366,000+ miles

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I've never messed with a carfax... ignorance is bliss.

I would say that interval is far less than ideal. On a old truck... if it runs nice and quiet I wouldn't worry so much.

It could be leveraged to help the price.

Yeah, you could buy with with the intent to pop a motor in it... but at that point you could probably find a cheaper truck that actually has a bad motor to start with.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I might be tempted to crawl underneath and drain a little oil and see if it's sparkly...

My wife's Camry is nearly weekly to the point where there's no oil on the dipstick... how that thing still goes fine is beyond me, I shouldn't say anything... I have a parts car with half the miles on it and likely less abuse to steal the engine from just not the time to swap the engine, I'll get to it this winter.

That said, maybe add a quart and see how low it really is if you don't want to see if it's sparkly... those engines are pretty good, I was torn when I went looking for one when I got my '97 but I just know so much more about the Lima's and TIB... Price definitely makes a difference, I was able to look past things when I picked up my '97 for $450...