The Miata is a terrible truck

[bent-grill]

Hi, I just picked up a super tidy 1996 ranger XLT 4x4. Supercab, auto, one owner, 125k miles for a song ($3150). It's my first ranger but my third Ford pickup the others being a 78 f150 with a 390 and a 79 f100 with the 300-6 (god I loved that truck). I sold off my old Volvo wagon that had been acting as my truck for several years and bought a Miata. It really is a great little car but it cant haul anything so i went shopping for a truck and landed on this one. I just kind of fell into it after driving across town to look at a 05 ranger that turned out to have terrible timing chain noise and dents in all the panels. I scrolled CL for a minute and found a ranger close by to go look at. What a creampuff, it was driven occasionally to the dump and on camping trips, meticulously maintained. my plans are maybe a 2" lift, some 31" AT's and maybe a LSD in the rear and a auto locker up front and that's it. It's going to be a light duty farm truck in my orchard and I just don't want to get stuck. If any one wants the fx4 bed rails you can have them.

Enough talk, on to the pics.

 

[Oxxon]

Hello and welcome to TRS!!

 

[bent-grill]

3 months later I have replaced the heater core, found a cracked fuel filler neck, swapped all my drive line fluids and filters, and swapped my non functional automatic hubs for a set of warn manual hubs (never had a 4WD before, this is sick). Next up is a set of falken wildpeak 31" AT's on black steel wheels, skipping the lift and saving for a rear torsen and a lunchbox in the front.
She's been busy though.

New photo · Wednesday, Jan 15, 2020 📸

Tap to view!

photos.app.goo.gl

New video · Wednesday, Jan 15, 2020 🎬

Tap to view!

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[trailmeisterjoe]

Interesting that you had a Miata and now have a Ranger.......I too have both and am in the NW. Love both in their own way. Truck is sooo handy, and the Miata is AWESOME when it is nice out, especially top down cruising. Well put together little cars. Just retired my old '97 Ranger with 335K miles on it and now have a really cool '05 Edge 2wd. Had the last one for over 15 years and never let me down until it suffered a fatal massive heart attack on the freeway a few weeks ago RIP old friend.
Joe

 

[bent-grill]

My little bar of soap

https://imgur.com/a/dcUxqI2

 

[RobbieD]

Nice Ranger. It's good to see these older truck survivors being appreciated and maintained. May it serve you well.

Cool Miata's, too, on both counts.

 

[bent-grill]

Lol, got manual hubs, felt invincible, got stuck. Its the circle of life