I'm going to go look at this rig this weekend for my son. 2001 ford ranger w/ hard cover
He turns 16 in Dec. and wants a Ford Ranger. I have looked at the 4 cyl. but not really the 6 cyl. until now. I owned a 89 4 cyl 5 speed years ago and it was a turd when it comes to power. Does the 6 cyl. have a substantial amount of power over the 4 cyl?
Also, the 4 cyl. has a timing belt I assume because its inline so the 6 cyl doesn't have this timing belt? Pardon my ignorance here, I have owned nothing but Powerstrokes the last 10 years.
Also is this price in line?

 

The 3.0 is an iron V6 pushrod motor. No timing chain or belt issues. Not a firebreather, but a bit better than the 2.9. Should be just right for a new driver imo.

Ford Vulcan engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The 4 cyl is a 2.9 CI? I thought it was a 2.3?

 

2.9 is the older V6, sorry. The 4 is a 2.3, and the 3.0 has a lot more beans than the 4.

 

Here's a link to plug in information/miles/etc. and zip code to get pricing information. In general looks pretty clean. Only thing I from pics is what looks to be some rust issues on bottom of tailgate. Would suggest you get it checked out in advance for any mechanical issues before purchase unless you are able to do the repairs( or identify issues and barter a price reduction)

New & Used Trucks Prices & Values - NADAguides

 

Yeah I saw something there on the tailgate. Can't make out what that is but I'm going to look at it tomorrow evening.

 

Looks like a dent from a tailgate/trailer hitch "interface" or similar incident.

My '86 had an "interface" of that nature....

 

Think you are right. Does look like more of a dent. Might want to give a look see for any headgasket failure issues (overheating) which seem to remember reading about here with the 3.0. Auto trans ( shift solenoids/valve body issues) can be another potential problem area.

 

Well I bought it. Runs nice, price was right ($3800) and its really pretty clean with the exception of the tailgate dent. That can be fixed easy enough. It seems mechanically sound. He towed a boat 50 miles on weekends.

 

Sounds like you did good.

 

I have a 98 with a 3.0. It has 248000 miles on it and still gets 24 MPG and burns no oil.

 

Thats encouraging to hear. My son will be driving 2 miles to school, 1 mile to work after school and then 3 miles home. That will be 90% of his driving so this truck with 138k miles will not see 200k any time soon. I'm going to show him how to service the tranny this weekend as well as change the oil and filter. then rotate the tires and check out the brakes at the same time. He's going to get his hands dirty!