Hey guys,

I'm new here. I'm cross-shopping the first gen Dakota and Ranger. For the record, I know absolutely nothing about either of these trucks other than I really like the aesthetics and size of both trucks.

This would be a 2nd vehicle, (the first being a 16 Challenger R/T), used for occasional Ikea runs, camping trips and hauling tubes and people from one end of a river to another.

My budget for the truck is $2500 max. What do I need to know about the first gen Ranger? Trouble spots? Best configurations? Please flood me with your knowledge.

 

I have a 1995 ranger 2.3 and I love it, she's pretty easy to get a wrench on and parts are cheap. I always recommend ford over dodge, but that's just my preference. I have replaced most of her bearings and about to do the synchros and clutch and so far, I haven't ran into any overly difficult spots. My background is in jet engine maintenance and I'll say that aside from having some metric heads, it is all pretty strait forward compared to a C130(the dodge is like a bird who got her wings clipped IME). Most of the work I've done on my pickup was either preventative maintenance or because I was bored.

 

Oh, and I paid $650 for my truck and put another $200 or so to make her interstate worthy. I live in Colorado Springs.

 

When you say, 1st Generation Ranger, do you mean, built between '83-'88?

As I understand it, those would be First Gen Rangers.
2nd Gen are '89-92.
3rd Gen are 93-97.
4th Gen are '98-'00.
5th Gen are '01-'12.

I've owned a 3rd Gen Ranger ('94 XLT), I bought with 110K miles, added nearly another 200K miles when I sold it road worthy yet. My current 5th Gen Ranger ('06 XLT ) currently has 129K miles and is a fine daily driver for me. They were standard cab, XLT models, with the the 2.3L, 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed transmission.

As Mick.longacre indicated, general preventative maintenance and anticipated repairs ( over `10+yrs = I changed lubes/filters, coolant, bled the brakes, changed brake pads/shoes/drums, brake lines, front wheel bearings, muffler, hoses, timing belt, idler pulley, radiator, alternator and the clutch disc & PP at 220K miles) kept my '94 servicing me well. We went home only once on the back of a hook truck - it was at night and the serpentine belt idler pulley seized up and tossed the belt, so I pulled over at a service station and called for help.

Although I preferred the twin-I beam front end of '94, this '06 has been a great little truck and does all I expect it to do yet today.

Considering what your intended work tasks are for your little truck should be no problem for a 1st Gen Ranger.

Let us know what you decide!

BarnieTrk