Hello all,
My 76 F100 is on its last legs but has served me well over the past twenty years that I've owned it.
With gas prices the way they are i am considering a used Ranger for my daily ride. I have never driven one much less owned one but I'm a Ford guy I could get used to a small truck.

I thought I'd post here to get some feed back on what to look for, what to avoid. I have around $10k to spend if I have to but would like to spend less. The age of the truck is less important to me than the condition/mileage, unless of course certain years or drive trains are to be avoided because of known reliability issues.
I want a 4 door, must be manual transmission, 4wd would be nice to have but i think it would impact mileage? What engine size is most common or preferred? I can't imagine a 4 cylinder hauling much on the hiway so maybe the 3.0 or 4.0 V6 is the way to go? It will never see extreme loads, I have another truck for serious hauling but simple general use with confidence to use the passing lane once in a while would do just fine.

Any input would be great, I plan to head out and do some test drives in the next couple of days to get a feel for the trucks that are out there.


thnx,
Frank

 

I understand where you are coming from. I have 2 77 Fords that don't serve as good daily drivers.

I would recommend the 4.0L, preferably after 02 to avoid the timing chain issues.

I get about 20-21 hwy with mine and its a 4x4.

 

I think you've made a great decision to go with a Ranger,

I would get the most recent model in the price range you're looking for.

Get one with low mileage, or one with proven, as in written, maintenance,

I would go with the 3.0L but not necessarily the Flex Fuel version engine.

A 2wd will get a solid 21 mpg, a 4x4 will get a few less due to the weight.

 

Well its still built ford tough, but iwhen you go to look at a used one Make sher the tranny is is good shape because there known for going out easly, and if you get a 4x4 and plan on really using it then dont be surprised if one of the hubs brake, But other then that, there pretty nice and handle a LOT better, iv driven full sized pick ups my hole life so when i got my ranger it was so different but in a good way, I traded my 95 f150 for a 94 ranger 4x4 and the only things iv had wrong with it was, ball joints went out, broke the auto hub(i was being hard on it thow) and it shifted ruff but that because the last owner never changed the oil, But over all there just like the other Ford but just smaller and better handling, Ow youll probly want the power of the 4.0, I know i like my 4.0

 

I have an '03 FX4. I bought it new at it's up to 110,000 mi. It's a 4.0/Automatic. I have no complaints with the 4.0 engine. It's reliable with plenty of passing power. The side doors for getting behind the front seats are great. I get between 19-21 mpg with it. Aside from normal wear and tear items, the ball joints were the only major repairs I've had to make. My previous Ranger was a '98 Ranger FWD. It had the 3.0/5 speed. It was a nice reliable truck also but I felt the 3.0 was light on power. Although I like the '03 better, both Rangers were great trucks

 

I had an '05' 4x4 4.0L with manual and could get almost 22 mpg in good weather. Never a problem with it, wish it did have the extra doors. Had about 55K miles on it when I sold it, wish I hadn't. But did replace it with a four door 4x2 Ranger.
Dave

 

I have a 2004 FX4 level II that I absolutely love. I get about 17mpg on average, but most of my driving is back and forth to work, 8 km each way so the engine doesn't always get as warm as it should.

If you do a lot of highway driving, and if you feel like you NEED plenty of passing power, I'd shoot for the 4.0L SOHC. Be warned, when you make the 4.0 work really hard, it drinks like a fish. Otherwise, the 3.0L would give you better mileage.

As somebody alluded to above, the early 4.0 SOHC (01 and 02) had some timing chain problems that were expensive fixes. Ford has made the 3.0L for a long time with very few changes, and there have been very few reported issues with it, although I have heard of PCM problems and limited parts availability for the flex fuel models.

Parts for the ranger are incredibly easy to get, and are fairly cheap. Also, if you are handy, most of them are really quite easy to work on compared to other vehicles (cough Tacoma cough).

 

Thanks for all the input, I'm looking forward to shopping around to see what a few dollars will get me.
Glad to hear these Rangers are easy to work on. I have a friend with a '97 f150 and it's a great truck to drive, not so great to work on. I do all my own repairs, usually successfully .

Just looking at the local adds I see that manual transmissions are not as common as the automatics and 4x4 is at least 30% more than rwd for a similar truck. You can't tell everything from an ad.
What exactly is a "level II" ranger? I've seen one advertised locally but it is beyond my price range.

Thnx again for the insights.
and Grandmas77 , you can check my gallery for pic's of my '77 F250, it gets 12 mpg in bumper to bumper traffic with no load and it gets 12mpg going down the hiway with 4000lbs on it..... if it's running it's drinkin fuel regardless of what ask it to do.

frank

 

There were/are two "premium" 4x4 off road packages... FX4 and FX4 Level II. FX4 added things like skid plates, Bilstein/Rancho shocks (depending on year), and some premium "comfort" options like power windows/locks and cruise. FX4 Level II (also called "Off Road" depending on model year) added a Torsen 4.10 rear end and some more interior options. The Level II was also only available with a manual trans.

I wasn't looking for an off road truck, and I don't use my 4x4 for anything except snow and launching a boat, so I can't speak too much as to the effectiveness of the FX4 add ons. It just so happened that this one popped up on craigslist for a good deal.

I'm pretty sure I saw somewhere that Ford made less than 20,000 of the Level II's between their inception in 2002 and 2008, which may be why they hold their value a bit better than others.

 

An even rarer level 2 is the twin stick version.

Geez. My F150 only gets 7 mpg's

 

I am also wanting to park my 76 F100 in favor of a ranger. I am looking to go with the 4 cylinder for light hauling and better MPG.

 

Double check that, i've seen plenty of automatic Level II's.

As far as Rangers go, don't go for the automatic unless you can get documentation that the trans has been serviced well. They key to longevity with a Ranger Automatic is frequent fluid changes. If not, trans failure is likely. They have been known to have a few valve body issues, but not until higher mileage.

As for engines, go for the 4.0, especially if you want 4x4. The 3.0 is quite sluggish on hilly terrain and highways/interstates, it's not much better than the 2.3/2.5.

Other than that, Rangers are pretty good little trucks. I've had two now, and i've been extremely pleased with both of them.

Good luck.

 

I really like my 2WD Ranger with the 2.3L but it is not a pocket rocket by any means.
Like you I have a big truck (see sig) for any real hauling I need to do.

If you want a 4 door I believe you will have to go with the 6 cylinder. The same is true if you want a 4x4 I believe. From what i have seen on this forum the 4.0 gets just about as good gas mileage as the 3.0 and has quite a bit more pep. Neither will get near as good mileage as my 2.3L (25 - 26 MPG average)

Good luck with your hunt!

 

I stand corrected. I had been under the impression that the FX4-II was only available with a manual. Just looked it up, and you are most definitely correct.

 

I bought a 97 ranger 3.0-auto-1 owner-500,000 miles on it
it was a real nice truck but the gas mileage really sucked
I was lucky to get 15 mpg out of it.I was told that to get
good gas mileage out of one it had to be at least a 2000 or newer
i sold mine & bought a 2001 chevy silverado king cab & i am
geting 17 mpg -I still have my 51 ford f1 & I am keeping that