Ford Ranger

[OHIO]

I am thinking about selling my 3000gt and getting a 1998 Ford Ranger with 51,000 miles on it.

Does anyone have any experience with Rangers?

Are they reliable? Is it worth buying?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Bassn Blvd]

Never had any real issues with the Ford trucks I've had (4).  The mileage is low.  Have it checked out.  If it's accident free and checks out mechanically then It's probably fine.  How much?

[OHIO]

It's $5,550 which is a pretty good deal in my eyes for a truck with such low miles.

[GTrombly]

I had to drive one for my landscaping company, it was alright but i dont fit very well in it.

[OHIO]

I had to drive one for my landscaping company, it was alright but i dont fit very well in it.

I thought about that, but it is probably bigger than my Mitsubishi.

[Bassn Blvd]

My dad had a  late 80's Ford Ranger.  It towed our 17' Tracker with no problems but it was too small inside for my likings, it wasn't the king cab.   

[KU_Bassmaster.]

My first vehicle was a 91 Ranger.  Can't say that I was overly impressed with it, but never had any mechanical problems.  Sold it to a friend to use as a paint truck and it's still going with 200k+ mile on it last time I checked.

[Tin]

I would never buy another Ranger, mine along with 3 friends have all had our frames crack for no apparant reason, all in the back driver side. Just FYI it seems like all the head gaskets in the 4.0 model and trannys go around 80k, then 130k, then 180k, lol.

[bwell]

I am thinking about selling my 3000gt and getting a 1998 Ford Ranger with 51,000 miles on it.

Does anyone have any experience with Rangers?

Are they reliable? Is it worth buying?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

4 or 6 cylinder?  The 4 bangers suck, but the 6's have some decent power for what it is...  My buddy had a Ranger with a 4 in it and it could hardly pull the the truck itself lol.

[Shane J]

$5500 isn't a good deal on a '98 Ranger, even if it had 20k on it.

[Uncle Leo]

I had one in the early 90's drove it for 185,000 miles and only had to do general maintenance. Was very reliable for me. Believe it or not went through only 2 sets of brakes and tires before I traded it in, which I found amazing for a truck. I might add though it was terrible in the snow as it was not 4 wheel drive.

[J Francho]

That truck is worth about $1500 to $2000.

[Uncle Leo]

Here is a bit on the value of the truck in question, J may be right a bit high priced.

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/overview.aspx?year=1998&make=Ford&model=Ranger&icid=search_ecard_blurb

[Baker06]

I had a 97 ranger with the 4 banger and drove it till it had 120,000 or 130,000 on it and never had a problem with it I just traded up to a F150. I am currently driving a 02 ranger with a 6 cylinder with 130,000 on it. I bought it with 50,000 on it and only had to replace the brakes at 110,000. If it is a 98 model it is priced high even with the low miles but they are dependable trucks.

[J Francho]

My wife is a title insurer at a local car auction.  Trucks like that go for auction for about $750.  Mileage doesn't matter, its a 13 year old vehicle.

[OHIO]

There is definitely no way anyone is going to sell a truck that is in perfect condition for $750.

I agree that the price could be a bit lower, but it is worth more than $2,000.

[Fishing Rhino]

My wife is a title insurer at a local car auction. Trucks like that go for auction for about $750. Mileage doesn't matter, its a 13 year old vehicle.

In fact, the low mileage may make it worse.  Most of the damage to an engine takes place when it is started.  Short jaunts to the corner store or down the street cause more wear and tear on an engine than driving it fifty or sixty miles.

[J Francho]

There is definitely no way anyone is going to sell a truck that is in perfect condition for $750.

I agree that the price could be a bit lower, but it is worth more than $2,000.

If it goes in on trade, they probably did. That's what its worth wholesale. I bought a perfect condition '76 ford sedan with 26K miles on it. The little old lady said it was never in the rain. The first day it rained, the car was full of water. A rear window clip was installed from the factory incorrectly, and it leaked. I payed $700 for that car in 1997. Drove it for three years, and sold it for $700. It wasn't worth anymore than that.  Decent car, that was reliable until I started messing with it to try and get some more juice out of the Windsor 351.

Unless there is something VERY special about an older vehicle, they simply aren't worth much. For $5K you can do a lot better. But if you really want it, get it. I'm sure it will serve you well. If you do get it, I recommend you drive it into the ground, because you'll never get any resale value back out of it.

One question, does it have the "Splash" graphics option? ;D

[FishingBuds]

I've had two of them, one a 4 banger and the other a 6 banger. They all performed well, but the 6 banger drank gas like it was a V8 and thats why and the only reason why I got rid of it!

[OHIO]

There is definitely no way anyone is going to sell a truck that is in perfect condition for $750.

I agree that the price could be a bit lower, but it is worth more than $2,000.

If it goes in on trade, they probably did. That's what its worth wholesale. I bought a perfect condition '76 ford sedan with 26K miles on it. The little old lady said it was never in the rain. The first day it rained, the car was full of water. A rear window clip was installed from the factory incorrectly, and it leaked. I payed $700 for that car in 1997. Drove it for three years, and sold it for $700. It wasn't worth anymore than that. Decent car, that was reliable until I started messing with it to try and get some more juice out of the Windsor 351.

Unless there is something VERY special about an older vehicle, they simply aren't worth much. For $5K you can do a lot better. But if you really want it, get it. I'm sure it will serve you well. If you do get it, I recommend you drive it into the ground, because you'll never get any resale value back out of it.

One question, does it have the "Splash" graphics option? ;D

Haha, it does not have the Splash package or whatever it is. It's the best deal I have found around here, so if it isn't sold by the weekend I will probably buy it.

I am thinking I can talk the seller down at least $1,000, but who knows.

I plan on running it until the motor goes and they will mostly be highway miles, so I think it will be pretty reliable.

[OHIO]

I am thinking about selling my 3000gt and getting a 1998 Ford Ranger with 51,000 miles on it.

Does anyone have any experience with Rangers?

Are they reliable? Is it worth buying?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

4 or 6 cylinder? The 4 bangers suck, but the 6's have some decent power for what it is... My buddy had a Ranger with a 4 in it and it could hardly pull the the truck itself lol.

It's the six cylinder, but I'm not sure if it's the 3.0 or the 4.0.

I hope it's the 3.0 because I'm not buying it for speed and I'll get a little better gas mileage.

[J Francho]

I don't know if displacement is directly related to gas mileage on that truck. I know I get better fuel economy with my 6.2 than many get with the standard 4.6, despite EPA ratings.

Get the best deal you can. Good luck.

[OHIO]

The Blue Book value is about $4,000, so I am going to ask for that.

He probably won't go $1,500 less than asking price, but we shall see.  8-)

[FishingBuds]

I am thinking about selling my 3000gt and getting a 1998 Ford Ranger with 51,000 miles on it.

Does anyone have any experience with Rangers?

Are they reliable? Is it worth buying?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

4 or 6 cylinder? The 4 bangers suck, but the 6's have some decent power for what it is... My buddy had a Ranger with a 4 in it and it could hardly pull the the truck itself lol.

It's the six cylinder, but I'm not sure if it's the 3.0 or the 4.0.

I hope it's the 3.0 because I'm not buying it for speed and I'll get a little better gas mileage.

Mine was the 3.0, maybe if it was the 4.0 it would have been better because of more horse, but on the ranger site the guys complained about them gassen it up like a V8 too, it was a sweet truck i liked it but man it ate the gas

[OHIO]

It probably won't get great gas mileage, but it can't be much worse than what I am getting now.