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Anyone have a Ford Ranger?

olds

olds

Elite Member
Sold my F150 (13 mpg) but I still might want a truck. We still camp and we carry a lot of gear. But it will also be my work commute vehicle when it's raining.

Looking at late 90/early 2000 models. They seem to get between 14 and 21 mpg.

Which model/engine/transmission do you have and what are you getting for mpg?
 
fueleconomy.gov gives much better than your F150 to the ranger, you can pick from the various sub models there for a specific EPA estimate.
 
Doppel said:
fueleconomy.gov gives much better than your F150 to the ranger, you can pick from the various sub models there for a specific EPA estimate.
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That's where I got the 14 to 21. I wanted some real life numbers.
 
Not that I would imagine it would matter to your circumstance, but I am given to understand that the Ranger is not looked upon at all favourably in 4WDing circles. I also find them mildly, but inoffensively, ugly and plastic-y, but otherwise, I know nothing else about them 😉

Do you get the 2.5 and 3 litre diesels we get?

I think Ford killed the Courier for the Ranger, iirc? But they still share a platform with Mazda's BT50?
 
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dug777 said:
Not that I would imagine it would matter to your circumstance, but I am given to understand that the Ranger is not looked upon at all favourably in 4WDing circles. I also find them mildly, but inoffensively, ugly and plastic-y, but otherwise, I know nothing else about them 😉

Do you get the 2.5 and 3 litre diesels we get?

I think Ford killed the Courier for the Ranger, iirc? But they still share a platform with Mazda's BT50?
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We don't get many diesels here. We still live in the stone age and think that they are dirty.
 
I've known a few people with rangers. For the most part everyone thought they were cheap to buy, cheap to keep running, and overall good little trucks.
 
I have a 97 4.0L 5 speed sipercab and it gets 16 city 20 hwy. Theres a fuel economy wall at around 75mph... stay below it and 20-22 is easy. Good truck, had mine 14 years now...


Recommended mods: limited slip rear dif and fabtech leveling coils. They make a completely noticeable difference in 2wd off-road performance.
 
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My father in law drives a 99 four cylinder auto ranger 2wd. He gets 20 mpg city and 23 hwy with 90k miles.

edit: he does drive like a grandma, however.
 
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I have a 98 with the 'lima' motor and love it.

If you plan to tow or are driving this a lot I'd get the 4.0 v6. If you don't care about power the 4cyl is fine and will last forever.

Everything is extremely easy to work on, except sparkplugs on the 4cyl


Extended bed is really nice, mine has a 7ft bed.. I 'gave up' extended cab for this but in hindsight I'd rather have a bit of extra space inside.
 
dug777 said:
Not that I would imagine it would matter to your circumstance, but I am given to understand that the Ranger is not looked upon at all favourably in 4WDing circles. I also find them mildly, but inoffensively, ugly and plastic-y, but otherwise, I know nothing else about them 😉

Do you get the 2.5 and 3 litre diesels we get?

I think Ford killed the Courier for the Ranger, iirc? But they still share a platform with Mazda's BT50?
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Most of these 'circles' in the US consists of kids who were handed down a ranger and then proceed to add $5k in aftermarket parts since their parents won't let them sell it and buy a real 4wd.


Basically, the ranger is a good 2nd car/truck for around the house type stuff. I've put a pallet of sod in the back of mine (well over weight limit) and have hauled fully loaded with dirt etc etc with no problems. I've towed 1 bike in the bed and 4 bikes on a trailer again, no problems for short distances.



If I was planning on a 4wd platform the ranger is not where I'd look. If I needed a true workhouse towing platform the ranger is not where I'd look.




Basically, it's a truck for getting shit done - not making you feel good inside with leather interior or playing in some mud field on rocks or whatever.
 
SpatiallyAware said:
Most of these 'circles' in the US consists of kids who were handed down a ranger and then proceed to add $5k in aftermarket parts since their parents won't let them sell it and buy a real 4wd.


Basically, the ranger is a good 2nd car/truck for around the house type stuff. I've put a pallet of sod in the back of mine (well over weight limit) and have hauled fully loaded with dirt etc etc with no problems. I've towed 1 bike in the bed and 4 bikes on a trailer again, no problems for short distances.



If I was planning on a 4wd platform the ranger is not where I'd look. If I needed a true workhouse towing platform the ranger is not where I'd look.




Basically, it's a truck for getting shit done - not making you feel good inside with leather interior or playing in some mud field on rocks or whatever.
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Pretty much what I understood 🙂
 
mines a loaded XLT 1999 4.0L extended cab and 6' box. auto with O/D and 'on the fly' 4x4. its been raised about 2". i average overall about 17.5mpg it seems. i bought this truck with 127k miles on it, and now it has 211k. the motor still runs like new, although im already fixing the exhaust for the 3rd time now, and the body is finally starting to rust out. the suspension has been tricky to keep tight (this truck was kinda beat when i got it), but otherwise its been a rock solid truck from day one. never left me stranded, the motor always runs perfect.

the new f150's get the same or better then the rangers though. and thats not even the new ecoboost models, which get 25+ mpg in a full size truck.
 
Get a new f150. Mine gets 17 mpg average 60/40 highway city while outweighing a ford ranger by about 2,000 pounds. The new 5.0 motor is great.

I had a chevy colorado I traded in for the f150. The colorado got according to epa 18/24mpg. I never calculated it myself though. The four banger was pretty strong. I towed my motorcycle just fine, some appliances, etc.. It got the job done. It also is alot more roomy than the ranger. I wouldn't recommend any small pickup though. They don't get much better mileage than their big brothers while being half the size and half the horsepower.
0b84a0a1.jpg
 
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I had a 2002 v6 manual 3.0L for 6 years.

Never had any breakdowns and was getting ~19 mpg city, 23 hwy

great little truck
 
wirednuts said:
mines a loaded XLT 1999 4.0L extended cab and 6' box. auto with O/D and 'on the fly' 4x4. its been raised about 2". i average overall about 17.5mpg it seems. i bought this truck with 127k miles on it, and now it has 211k. the motor still runs like new, although im already fixing the exhaust for the 3rd time now, and the body is finally starting to rust out. the suspension has been tricky to keep tight (this truck was kinda beat when i got it), but otherwise its been a rock solid truck from day one. never left me stranded, the motor always runs perfect.

the new f150's get the same or better then the rangers though. and thats not even the new ecoboost models, which get 25+ mpg in a full size truck.
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I started at a ford dealer, we used to sell a lot of 4.0 L rangers. Customers loved them, I'm not surprised your engine is still going strong at 211k.
 
there's a reason the ranger has been pretty unchanged for over a decade. it's a solid, reliable little truck.

however, if you properly analyze the above comment, you realize a) it's tiny and b) the design was already ancient in 2001.

i agree with those that said it's a good choice if you want the 2wd/4cyl/5spd- it's about as cheap and reliable as you get, and fuel economy is pretty decent. just don't expect to use it as much more than a car with lots of storage that can hold really tall things. not an offroading/towing/hauling type vehicle.
 
Bignate603 said:
He's looking at roughly 10 year old cars and you suggest a brand new one? I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that maybe, just maybe, he doesn't want to spend the cost of a brand new truck.
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Ya, not looking for a new truck.
The truck will sit for weeks on end while I ride my bike. I need a vehicle for rainy days/camping and the occasional hauling of bulk beef.
 
We had a late '90's Ranger with the 3.0L V-6. Most worthless POS we've ever owned....almost.

Engine was horribly underpowered. Rough, unyielding ride. Loud, uncomfortable, and got rid of it as soon as the residual value was more than what we owed on it.

Bought another "horrible" vehicle in its place, our '02 Blazer, but the difference was night and day. I don't wish a Ranger on anyone, enemy or friend.
 
I have the '94 4.0L v6, get about 21 mpg. Runs super quiet, I've owned it for 2 years miles 113k-125k and no major issues
 
I had a 94 Mazda Ranger b4000. Got in the high teens to low 20's. I also took bery good care of it. So when I bought all new filters, new o2 sensors, etc...

But the 4cyl is a good engine and I think would work best for you for what you want out of it.

Got a Nissan titan thats rated at 14mpg in the city.
 
Own a 2002 Ford Ranger 4.0 loaded all the way with posi track, 2WD, Extended Cab, etc. Bought it new. Virtually no problems. I wanted the 4.0 and glad it did. Very powerful. I've overloaded the towing on it (being careful) and it does great. Mobil 1 from day 1. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Worse gas mileage is about 16 MPG if I am in a big hurry. Best is about 22-23 if I'm feathering the gas.
 
I had a 2003 Frontier 2wd 4cyl 5 speed.

On the highway I could get right around 30mpg, in town around 23-24mpg. I think I was lucky though.

Put 140,000 on the truck and it still ran like new. Can't go wrong with one of them IMHO.
 
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