What to check when looking at aRanger to buy?

[rdsrds123]

Hi, getting nervous here. Saturday, unless something intervenes, I am going to look at a Ranger in Northern Virginia to purchase. I would like to know from experienced owners what I might look for when deciding if I want to buy.

The Ranger is a 2002 2.3 automatic. XLT regular cab. 160000 miles. I did a Carfax and all seems mostly good. One minor accident in 2009. But around the same time there was some odometer discrepancy, and title is TMU. Looking at the history, it seems like a clerical mistake and mileage is good. I see where it was serviced along the way, but I am sure more service has been done that Carfax has not recorded.

It looks vg-excellent condition. Got to check on rust. What areas in particular? It did spend 5 years in Indiana but the remainder in NVA.

I want to hook up a scanner. What transmission codes would be bad and disqualify this vehicle? First time using a scanner. This is a big concern, as this is my first automatic ever in a car that I spent more than $400 on. And I am 70(not mph.) How to test the tranny?

I am supposed to be starting it with a cold engine on Saturday morning. What noises should I not want to hear from the engine? I am going to do a chemical test for headgasket.

Basically, and tips or points I should consider when I inspect it? Tires look pretty new. It has had 9 owners, and I would be the tenth, so I do not expect to see service records. I expect to do all the maintenance and repairs it needs to start a fresh service history. I think this is a good condition vehicle and don't be expecting any problems that a thorough shakedown can't find. Thanks

 

[Brain75]

couple things come to mind
A) the articles and resources has a specific on this one - worth a read.

1983-2011 Ford Ranger's Buyers Guide - The Ranger Station

Looking to buy a used Ford Ranger? Due to the popularity of the Ford Ranger and the fact that Ford produced over 7-million of them, there are plenty of good used Rangers out there. When choosing a Ford Ranger, you’ll … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

B) several "magazine" companies (either still doing paper or now just online) - like car and driver, hotrod, etc have excellent writeups. here is the one I went by when helping my mom pick out her new (to her) ranger.

Best and worst Ford Ranger years — which to avoid | REREV

Explore the Ford Ranger years to stay away from, learning about common issues and problems with specific model years to make an informed buying decision.

rerev.com

I'd probably also look to see if vehicle sale places (like autotrader) have writeups too.

Knowing now what I know, I would have steered her to a 2005 (no PATS, it was a gap year between PATS 1 and PATS 2), and avoided 2006 (first year of TPMS), but other than that the 98+ are generally very solid... the best year (arguably) is 2010/2011 - Ford had all the bugs worked out and made excellent, tried and true, well tested by then - heck even the notorious 5R55E was starting to behave better by then (though they still left the "repair". Too bad 2011 was all fleet vehicles (the final one went to Orkin) and they killed what by that time was the best design.

 

[Brain75]

another way to tackle it now that I think of it... since you are going to go look at a 2002 you said, pull up carcomplaints.com and look at the 2002 model specifically.

2002 Ford Ranger problems

The 2002 Ford Ranger has 506 problems & defects reported by Ranger owners. The worst complaints are transmission, engine, and accessories - interior problems.

www.carcomplaints.com

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Look at the frame in the rear wheelwells and check it well for rust. Use a flashlight and look at night if necessary to get a better view. Look up and down at as much of the frame as you can see on both sides. Get under the rear of the truck and look some more at the frame, frame crossmembers, and underside of the bed for rust and overall condition.

Frame perforation by rust is not only a reason to reject this truck, but will also make it flunk a Virginia state safety inspection.

Ask the owner the last time the coolant and ATF were changed. If he starts drooling and looking stupid, that's a good sign neither was ever done.

 

[rdsrds123]

Look at the frame in the rear wheelwells and check it well for rust. Use a flashlight and look at night if necessary to get a better view. Look up and down at as much of the frame as you can see on both sides. Get under the rear of the truck and look some more at the frame, frame crossmembers, and underside of the bed for rust and overall condition.

Frame perforation by rust is not only a reason to reject this truck, but will also make it flunk a Virginia state safety inspection.

Ask the owner the last time the coolant and ATF were changed. If he starts drooling and looking stupid, that's a good sign neither was ever done.

Thanks.9 owners total. The last few owners each did not own this truck for long. Current owner bought it in Dec 2024. Some of these sales appear to be flips. Early on, owners kept this truck many years but one moved to Indiana with it for five years. VA has periodic safety to inspections, and all show up passing. VA has rust and Indiana has more. Will being a sheet of cardboard and flashlight.

 

[sgtsandman]

Always assume you are looking at someone's problem they are looking to unload and that it has been neglected, unless they can prove otherwise. The recommendations above are very good ones to look at. The 2.3 engine is a pretty rock solid engine with no known big problems.

Check the dipstick for the transmission not only for fluid level but condition of the fluid. Is it bright red and pretty clear? Is it brown and smells burnt?

Remove the radiator cap. What is the fluid level? What does the coolant look like? For that engine, it should be a bright green but yellow is fine. How do the coolant and heater hoses look?

Pull the dip stick for the oil. What is the level and what does the oil look like? Is it a light, clear color? is it dark? Is it foamy like there there might be coolant in it? Does it smell like gas?

It is almost a guarantee that the brake fluid has been neglected. So look at the level and make sure it isn't too low. Be pleasantly surprised if it is anything other than black. Look at what you can of the brake lines. Are they pretty rusty or in decent shape?

Look at the power steering fluid. It uses transmission fluid like the transmission does. It is light red or dark? The power steering fluid is often neglected. Thankfully, the pumps and rack are pretty resilient. So not a deal breaker if it is dark. Also look at the lines on the front of the rack. Are they pretty rusty, especially toward the driver's side where they tend to rust through and leak?

Checking the differential fluid isn't really something you can easily check. So, assume it's never been changed.

How do the u-joints on the driveshaft look? Is there a lot of play when you try to spin it by hand?

How does the exhaust look? Does it look like you still have some time on it or is it about to rust through and require replacement pretty soon?

How does the suspension look? Are the shocks rusty as all get out? Are any of them leaking fluid? How do the rear shackles look? Those are an area that rust out and can be quite a job to change. How do the springs look? What about the sway bar end links? Are the bushings still there?

What about the clutch fan? There should be resistance to spinning by hand before starting the engine but should spin pretty easily after about a minute or two of running the engine. What about when the engine is up to operating temperature? Does it have resistance to spinning again? It should have it.

How does the engine and starter sound at start up? What about after it has been running for a bit? Has the timing belt ever been changed? If you can inspect it, does it have cracks and checks in the rubber? Speaking of belts, how does the accessory belt look? It should have no cracks or checking in it either.

How do the tires look, including the spare? The spare is often neglected. So the rim might be a solid mass of rust. The tire might have a lot of dry rot checking in the rubber as well.

Of course you are going to want to drive it. Preferably with a window down to listen to how the engine and drivetrain sounds as well as the suspension. How does the transmission shift? Is the truck trying to pull to one side or another?

These are all things you want to look at as well as the rust to the body and frame in order to decide if you want the truck and if the asking price is reasonable.