1999 or 2001 Ranger

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Jul 7, 2003 | 07:30 PM

Fropa

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From: Wisconsin

1999 or 2001 Ranger

I am going to trade my 88 Bronco XLT and am looking at a 99 or a 01 Ranger. Both are XLT V6 automatics and 4X4. I have been reading reviews and some people have had major problems with their Rangers. Wanted to get the opinions of you owners on if you would buy another Ranger, and if there are specific things I should look for when I test drive potentials. Any good or bad points to the 99 or 01?

Thanks for the help.

Jul 8, 2003 | 01:23 AM

cow_boy104

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From: Paso Robles, CA (Central Coast)

1999 or 2001 Ranger

Right now I have a '03 Ranger XLT, and I love it, because it has the 4.0L in it, compared to my old one which was a '00 XLT with the 3.0. There was also a sterring problem in my '00, and it took several trips to ford to be fixed. My neighbor had a "01, and around 20,000 miles, his tranny started acting up, and then went out.
I liked the looks of the 98-00 Ranger, and the front ends as in the grill and stuff is better made then the 01-03 models. I've also noticed that the mirror plastic molding protudes out at the top due to the rubber seal. but in all, they were both good trucks. Its whatever suits you best.

Jul 8, 2003 | 08:20 AM

rayner601

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1999 or 2001 Ranger

This may be too late, but I have an '01 with a 5 speed manual and 3.0L. Have had the truck 2 years now and I have put 138,231 miles on it. The only thing I have done to the truck is replace the clutch assy. (pilot bearing self destructed, so I went ahead and replaced the rest of the stuff). I have had no trouble out of the truck period. My biggest gripe is the seats suck.

Jul 8, 2003 | 08:29 AM

Rockledge

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Joined: Jan 2003

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From: Connecticut

1999 or 2001 Ranger

There is not a whole lot of difference between the Rangers that you are looking at. Like cow_boy said, there is a little bit of cosmetic changes in the front end b/t the '99 and the '01.

The biggest difference between the model years is in the 4WD system. The '99 has the Pulse Vacuum Hubs (PVH) system, while the '01 has a "Constant Engagement" system which is much different.

Read here:

'98-'00 4x4 Pulse Vacuum Hub System

Manual Hubs For 2002 Ranger?

Jul 8, 2003 | 09:31 AM

WXboy

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From: Central KY

1999 or 2001 Ranger

Of course, the '01 will have the SOHC 4.0, and the '99 has the OHV 4.0. Both tow the same, but on the open road the SOHC 4.0 makes 40 more peak HP so it should feel a little stronger. I test drove one, and compared to my OHV 4.0 I was not impressed at all...but that's just my opinion. I haven't heard of anyone having "major" trouble out of a Ranger yet...so don't let that discourage you from buying one. There are a lot of little things that will drive you nuts, like the "door ajar" light on the dash not working properly, but overall they are solid trucks that if maintained properly will last a long time. Personally, I'd go for the '01 model. The '99s do look better, but the '01 4x4 system is less likely to give you problems down the road I would say.

Jul 9, 2003 | 09:13 PM

Fropa

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From: Wisconsin

1999 or 2001 Ranger

Thanks for the advice. I ended up buying the 2001. Only had 22k and over a year of warrenty left on it. Wish they would have put a bedliner in because there is some wear in the bed, but otherwise it looks new. Dealer only offered me $200 for my 88 so I kept it. What web sites or catalogs would you recommend for step bars and accessories?

Thanks again