Ford Ranger thoughts - I is buying!

[Turin39789]

Anyone have any special hatred/love for this little truck? I'm seriously considering picking up a local craigslist truck, 2006 with 40k miles, regular cab XLT with 40k miles for $8k.

I was originally looking for a high mpg car, but there are many times where the truck would be convenient and we haven't had it. We have a scion xa 35mpg+ runner for long trips, and I have a motorycle I ride most of the year(when I keep it going).


As near as I can tell it is an old design that hasn't been updated much, but the engine looks to be a solid mazda timing chain engine. I'd prefer a extended cab but I think I can live with the reg cab and this is the near the top of the budget I was considering and I'm not finding any others like it.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Rangers and their engines are pretty bulletproof. I'd personally take one of those over any Frontier, Colorado, Canyon, etc. etc.

 

[Vette73]

Well I rather have the Colorado or Canyon myself. But as long as you know the 4cyl model will not be some tow/haul monster then it should be ok. If you do plan on towing and/or hauling a good deal of weight then if it has a auto trans look into a trans cooler. Helper springs will help with control of weight but will not add anything to the payload rating.

I have a 1994 Mazda "Ranger" B4000. You are right they have done little to update them but for what they are they are fine. Mine has over 150k on it and has a rebuilt trans but the rest looks factory. I did have do a major workup on mine when I got it and I push mine kinda hard so it already has the trans cooler but i did add helper springs to the rear.

 

[Turin39789]

It's a manual transmission, and it won't be beaten/abused too much.

Mostly daily driver, occasionally hauling a motorcycle in the bed or on a trailer, occasional loads of mulch, occasional homeowner duty. Probably throw 200+lbs of dog in the bed on a warm day.

 

[EvilYoda]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
It's a manual transmission, and it won't be beaten/abused too much.

Mostly daily driver, occasionally hauling a motorcycle in the bed or on a trailer, occasional loads of mulch, occasional homeowner duty. Probably throw 200+lbs of dog in the bed on a warm day.

*me pictures OP doing a clean & jerk and then throwing giant 200lb dog into truck*

 

[Drako]

I've got a 2001 Ranger, with the 2.3 liter I4. It's a good little truck.

I have 80K miles on it so far, with no repairs other than regualar oil changes, wipers, tires, and just replaced the battery.

I'm getting 24 to 27 MPG which is mostly commute traffic to work.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda

Originally posted by: Turin39789
It's a manual transmission, and it won't be beaten/abused too much.

Mostly daily driver, occasionally hauling a motorcycle in the bed or on a trailer, occasional loads of mulch, occasional homeowner duty. Probably throw 200+lbs of dog in the bed on a warm day.

*me pictures OP doing a clean & jerk and then throwing giant 200lb dog into truck*

Sorry, one 160, one 50, and a little 8 lber too though she will probably be in the cab

 

[Pacfanweb]

Maybe I need to brush up on my Rangers, but I'm pretty sure they don't have Mazda engines. They are the Ford 2.3's.

I'm pretty sure they've never been available with anything other than a Ford engine.

Unless something changed, they came with the 2.3 I-4, the 3.0 V-6 and the 4.0 V-6.

The Mazda trucks are just rebadged Rangers, as the Tributes are rebadged Escapes.

edit: I wouldn't worry about it, though....the 2.3 is as solid an engine as has ever been put in a truck.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Good find, I kept trying to find that exact truck when I was looking for a car a year ago. They are scarce. Most of the XLT models have the fuel sucking 3.0 in them.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Maybe I need to brush up on my Rangers, but I'm pretty sure they don't have Mazda engines. They are the Ford 2.3's.

I'm pretty sure they've never been available with anything other than a Ford engine.

Unless something changed, they came with the 2.3 I-4, the 3.0 V-6 and the 4.0 V-6.

The Mazda trucks are just rebadged Rangers, as the Tributes are rebadged Escapes.

edit: I wouldn't worry about it, though....the 2.3 is as solid an engine as has ever been put in a truck.

I think the new one is a mazda, but I'm just getting my info from wiki-

The ranger had the old 2.3, then in 98 it picked up a 2.5 4 cylinder, that was dropped for a new 2.3 in mid 2001 , a Duratec I-4.

"The Duratec 23 is a 2.3 L (140 CID; 2261 cc)[2] variant of the Mazda MZR 2.3 L engine. Bore is 3.44 inches (87.5 mm) and stroke is 3.70 inches (94 mm).[2] It has an aluminum engine block with cast-in iron cylinder liners and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads. It uses SFI fuel injection, has 4 valves per cylinder and features fracture-split forged powder metal connecting rods and a one-piece cast crankshaft.
Applications:


23NS ? RWD
2005-2008 Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute
Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series

The 23NS is built in Dearborn, Michigan for the Ford Ranger and North American market Mazda B-Series. These engines are tuned for torque-bias making them suitable for light-truck use and are not equipped with VVT or VICS. Output is 143 hp (107 kW) at 5250 rpm with 154 ft·lbf (209 N·m) of torque at 3750 rpm.

 

[chorb]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Good find, I kept trying to find that exact truck when I was looking for a car a year ago. They are scarce. Most of the XLT models have the fuel sucking 3.0 in them.

I have one of those 3.0 fuel sucking ones (2002 xlt, manual); 18city/24hwy. Not THAT bad. I've never had any mechanical problems, so far so good at ~57,000 miles.

 

[Turin39789]

Planning to pick it up this week, the craigslist ranger was a little scratched up in the bed but still ok, but I found one on a lot for a similar price and talked them down, had more options too.

06 Ford Ranger XLT with 40k miles, air, cd, manual doors/windows, but adds on a plastic bedliner(being removed for a spray in) and a tool chest, plus cruise control. $8000 + ttl

here

Buying a tow bar for my VW beetle tonight so I can drive out to pick it up, then tow the beetle home behind the ranger.

Still waiting to hear on my loan application with penfed, being reconsidered with a cosigner for their 4.75% rate, shady salesman wanted me to go ahead and fill out their loan paperwork just in case/leave them a check and take the truck home saturday. I told them I'd wait, calling now to confirm that I want it and make sure they hold it and see if they can get their logo off the truck to save me the trouble.

 

[Vette73]

Keep the plastic bedliner. I did the roll on bedliner then put the plastic one back in. Easier to slide things on the plastic then the spray/roll on one.

 

[drum]

I put about 65K on my 88 ranger through high school and college. I've put 74K so far on my 94 xlt 4.0 and still going at 168k, and my 2007 4.0 xlt has 10.5k
over the summer i replaced the starter, a return radiator hose, and the radiator a couple years ago.

 

[HannibalX]

I have the 4.0L V6 in my Explorer which does 19 around town and 22/23 on the highway. It does have the 5-speed auto as well, not sure if you get that with the Ranger and the 4.0L. It's a very gutsy engine. Pulls good too.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
Planning to pick it up this week, the craigslist ranger was a little scratched up in the bed but still ok, but I found one on a lot for a similar price and talked them down, had more options too.

06 Ford Ranger XLT with 40k miles, air, cd, manual doors/windows, but adds on a plastic bedliner(being removed for a spray in) and a tool chest, plus cruise control. $8000 + ttl

here

Buying a tow bar for my VW beetle tonight so I can drive out to pick it up, then tow the beetle home behind the ranger.

Still waiting to hear on my loan application with penfed, being reconsidered with a cosigner for their 4.75% rate, shady salesman wanted me to go ahead and fill out their loan paperwork just in case/leave them a check and take the truck home saturday. I told them I'd wait, calling now to confirm that I want it and make sure they hold it and see if they can get their logo off the truck to save me the trouble.

Sales people suck. I never deal with the stealership financing people. I always walk in with a blank check from my bank who has already approved my financing.

 

[Turin39789]

Soooo..... After worrying about shady sales guy I went in today to pick up the truck. Got my financing through penfed, took a few extra days because I was originally denied, then added wife as cosigner and they approved it last night. 4.75 percent. Took my checkbook to pay TTL, because we had only had a short conversation and they had "already marked it down from 12k" showed me their sheet that showed what they paid for all their vehicles and had it listed at 9150. I had gotten them to 8 and called it a day(same price on craigslist for less loaded truck.

Apparently it was 8k out the door, including TTL. Turned down their etch antitheft program and extended warranty, hooked my VW up to the hitch and drove both vehicles home.

Got a better deal than I thought. Truck is in great shape, bank blue booked it at 11k.

 

[Bignate603]

Congrats. I was looking for a good ranger about 6 months ago but didn't find one. Looks like you got a good deal.

For the most part it seems that car companies are forgetting that many people just need a SMALL truck.

 

[AmigaMan]

Congrats on the new truck. My dad has a 93 Ranger with the I4 and it's still going "strong" at over 300K miles. My brother and I learned how to stick shift in that truck and everything still works. A/C, tranny, heat, everything. The interior has held up remarkably well too. I wish Ford built all of their vehicles with the same quality. Their 99 Exploder barely got to 2006 before things just fell apart in it. All sort of electrical problems, A/C problems, and the interior was crap after 5 years.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Bignate603
Congrats. I was looking for a good ranger about 6 months ago but didn't find one. Looks like you got a good deal.

For the most part it seems that car companies are forgetting that many people just need a SMALL truck.

I agree, I was always intrigued by the tiny underpowered vw rabbit diesel pickup truck, great mpg, utility when you needed, just slower than a snail. We saw the successors to it (small vw pickup) while on vacation in argentina. All I can hope is with the gas/oil situation these will become more common here, then a few years later we can start to pick them up used.


Final price came out to around 7150, taxes and license made it up to 8k. And now I'm hounding them about an internet coupon that they just started running a few days ago offering a $100 gas card on any purchase. Think I'm going to get it too.