Hi,

I am looking for a Ranger or something along those lines as a secondary vehicle and at times to tow a 13' boat.

A few months ago a friend/coworker bought a slightly used 11 or '12 (whatever the last year was) Ranger to replace his '93. At first he was going to keep it as a backup but knew I was looking and offered to sell it to me today.

The bad : It has about 230k on the truck. He said the only major problem was the transmission (5sp) started whining a few years ago and he had to have it rebuilt. No major engine issues. It has normal wear but he is the type that takes care of things and changed the oil constantly. The ac still works but he said once the freon is gone it will need to be converted .

It is a '93 standard cab with a 2.3 4cylinder and he wants 1500 for the truck. I will see it in a day or two but last time I saw it it looked pretty good for it's age least on the outside.

If it matters he said the first 70k was highway driving (for previous job) and then mixed after that.

My ? is this too many miles for this engine even if he took good care of it which I believe he did knowing him like I do. . If it is , I will have to wait awhile to get something newer but will do it if I am asking for problems.

Thanks!

 

I wouldn't be afraid of a 4 banger with 230k on the clock. Everything I've read about them has been largely positive and the general consensus seems to be that they're pretty reliable engines. From what I've read about the trans seems to be pretty hit or miss, they're either great or totally suck. Personally I've never had an issue with one. I would ask him about when the timing belt was last changed and about the clutch. Maybe he replaced it when the trans was overhauled?
Give it a good look over and take it for a drive. Maybe you can knock him down on the price a bit. I recently paid 2k for a '96 ranger with I4 and 5 spd with 74k miles on it. I'm sure some more experienced ranger fans will chime in here...
Good luck!

 

With that vintage and mileage it all depends on how the truck was cared for. It sounds like you know and respect the person selling it, that would go a long way in my book. I sold my '94 2.3l manual recently with 225,000. It was still running really well and I had no concerns driving it anywhere. The price was $1,200 but it had a leaky windshield and loud exhaust which effected the price. $1,500 does not seem at all out of line. I agree timing belt and clutch are good things to ask about and I generally replaced both each 100,000 miles. Some other things, if you are in a rust prone area, are to check the bottom of the core support where it mounts to the frame and the leaf spring shackles.

 

My 98 3.0 has 262,900 miles and I wouldn't dream of selling it.

 

Thanks..hopefully I will see it Monday...but I am still going to look around to see if I can find something newer for not much more $$. There are a lot of Rangers around here but they are not that cheap ether. thanks again.

 

Oh and he did change out the clutch when he did the transmission a few years ago so that is good, but he did say timing would need changing. How much does that run aprox?

As far as rust, I will look thanks...esp since I will be towing a boat.

I normally would not consider one this high of miles, but I do know the guys takes care of his stuff ..kind geeky about if you know what i mean.

Thanks...

 

I would guess a timing belt change at a shop would run 400-500. They aren't overly difficult to change yourself if you've got the tools and there is a lot of info on here/web on how to do it.