Hi , first post so.....
I need a truck. I've been leaning strongly towards a Ranger. I'm wanting a 4wd, 6 cyl, automatic. Maybe about a 95~98 with less than 75K miles. The truck will be used lightly, i.e. haul mulch for the wife in summer, fill with wood and drive to the other side of the house to toss it in, and in winter use it for an 80 mile commute in lousy weather.
Are these trucks reliable/easy to fix? I'm a decent wrench and can repair things but like most really get fouled up with the CEL. Are the A/C's on these OK? Is there an especially bad year/bad engine/bad tranny I should avoid? Is the 4WD system reliable and strong? I've owned in the past an 85 S10, and 88 Jeep Comanche, a few old F-100's, but I've not had a truck for a couple of years now. How does the Ranger/B-Series stack up to the Tacoma? How's gas mileage? Would a 150 be a better choice? There's really not a lot of good trucks to choose from, Dodge is junk, Chevy has sort of a bad rep for repair work, Jeep doesn't make a truck anymore.
And YES, I am a maintenance freak and do care for my cars. ALL my other vehicles are over 200K, with one diesel getting ready to hit 300.
Thanks for any advise. Hope to become a valued contributor as I gain some experience.

 

welcome to FTE!
i think you would be very happy with a ranger! there are basically 2 different 4wd rangers to choose from, the 3.0 or the 4.0, the 4.0 is a way better engine all around cuz it has more power and it can haul quite a bit, and as far as easyness to fix, well this site will help you a TON on that, but your ability to do the work is as much of the "hardness" of the job, there are always certain things that will be hard to fix.
as far as the 4wd systems go, the auto hubs arent really as realiable as most ford owners would like, but you cna easily upgrade those hubs to manual hubs for around 70-80 dollars. hope this helps on your decision of getting a ford ranger!

 

Welcome to FTE!
It is said that the 96 & 97 Rangers are the most reliable. My 97 has been great so far.
Happy truck shopping!
AL.

 

If you believe Consumer Reports, Tacoma would be a better choice than the Ranger. The only Ranger rated by Consumers Reports is the 2wd, which seems to be pretty good. I don't know why the 4wd is not rated, but I presume it's because they have more problems. I think you will find used Tacomas a lot more difficult to find whereas Ford Rangers seem to be all over. I would guess you would also pay more for a Tacoma. But if you like to do your own repair work, you will get plenty of chances with your Ranger and help from this website. So in the long run, by doing your own repair work you will probably have more confindence in your vehicle. What ever you choose, good luck.

 

There is a thread here with "how many miles on your Ranger". I have 40,000 on my 01 with no problems except for one smog sensor.

 

I bought a 99 Ranger 2wd 3.0 with 8400 miles on it in November of last year. I've found that for a small truck the ranger has a fairly soft ride. I didn't find the Nissan or Toyota to be quite as comfortable. The only problems I've had is the sealed grease fitting covers have cracked and they want $1k to fix them. I'm just going to wait until they give me a problem and replace them thru Bubba's Auto Repair. I also have experienced a rough idle after the vehicle gets warmed up. I'm in the process of running this down.

I have yet to run into anyone that doesn't like their Ranger truck. Even more interesting is how many miles guys put on these things. My cousin is running over 300k on his 4spd 4 cyl 1986. Dang thing just won't die! Good Luck! JJ

 

I went from a 1990 1Ton duely extended cab with a 460/auto to a '01 Ranger extended cab 4.0/auto 2/wd and I was concerned about the room and ride that this little truck would give me, well I am still in awe of the power and ride. I've got 45,000 and no maint problems, after the first 3,000 miles I went to Amsoil oils and filters. As you can see I am well pleased with my Ranger.
John