I'm thinking of picking up a late 90's Ford Ranger

[jeep-N-montero]

Now that my 97 is going on 35's it will not be as fun for just going camping and fishing, so I have been thinking about what would make a good vehicle for it and the Ranger came to mind. The more I thought about it the more it made sense, my brother had one in high school and then another after college before upgrading to an F150 for work and he never had a single issue with them, and whenever I go to the salvage yard I rarely see a Ranger there unless it was wrecked. The 4.0 models seem to have good power and I can set it up with a Flippac for sleeping with plenty of room in the bed for the dogs and supplies. A manual transmission would cut down on any reliability issues and get better mpg, plus it will tow a small boat in the future.

What do you guys think?

 

[STAG]

Ya ya could, although it makes more economically sense to me to just make your ZJ into what you want. You could spend the extra time to make a ZJ that most people would be jealous of and I think it'd meet your needs as well/better than a ranger? Also, I didnt know 35's on a ZJ made camping and fishing any less fun?

 

[Kevin B.]

The 4.0 models seem to have good power and I can set it up with a Flippac for sleeping with plenty of room in the bed for the dogs and supplies.

I've got the 4.0 SOHC in my '00 Explorer. It makes good power, even in front of an automatic, and has been real reliable for us.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Ya ya could, although it makes more economically sense to me to just make your ZJ into what you want. You could spend the extra time to make a ZJ that most people would be jealous of and I think it'd meet your needs as well/better than a ranger? Also, I didnt know 35's on a ZJ made camping and fishing any less fun?

So you think it makes more sense to drive a 15 mpg vehicle with less gear room and a harsher ride if someone can afford to buy a small truck that will be more beneficial and keep the miles off the Jeep? I'm not putting my ZJ on 35's to make people jealous, and a small pickup would be much easier and efficient to take fishing and camping.

 

[DaveB]

I wouldn't do it if gas cost is the main issue. A 99-2000 4x4 Ranger will cost about $5000-6000 and if it gets 20 MPG and you drive it for 10,000 miles per year you will save 166 gallons of gas. At $3.50/gallon you would save about $500 a year paying the truck off in 10-12 years not including the insurance, registration and taxes on another vehicle which eats up most of the gas savings. If you do get it make sure you get an extended cab in case any little black_ZJs come along.

 

[Silly Willy]

If you do get it make sure you get an extended cab in case any little black_ZJs come along.

It will also help with future resell. (more people want the extended cab rather than the single cab)

 

[iamsparticus]

I had a 1997 ranger for 2 years no problems ever. Mybuddy has one still, his has 300,000 miles with no issues, has the 4.0 V6 and manual trans. He pulls a boat for the lake, goes dirt biking with it, camps with it and gets about 22 mpgs everywhere he goes except for towing. Ford has spent alot of time and development on the ranger making them bullet proof and reliable. Im a ford certified mechanic and have been under some of the people that have dealt with the service end of Ford and they all said that they almost never had calls on the rangers they are great. Plus if yoiu ever want make it a serious wheeler they are the easiest SAS in the book!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I wouldn't do it if gas cost is the main issue. A 99-2000 4x4 Ranger will cost about $5000-6000 and if it gets 20 MPG and you drive it for 10,000 miles per year you will save 166 gallons of gas. At $3.50/gallon you would save about $500 a year paying the truck off in 10-12 years not including the insurance, registration and taxes on another vehicle which eats up most of the gas savings. If you do get it make sure you get an extended cab in case any little black_ZJs come along.

It wouldn't be just for the gas savings, that's an added bonus. But it would be nice to have a small truck with a Flippac that doesn't beat you up driving down dirt roads to go camping and fishing, plus the many other uses pickups provide. And the 4.0 models do hold their value it seems.

I had a 1997 ranger for 2 years no problems ever. Mybuddy has one still, his has 300,000 miles with no issues, has the 4.0 V6 and manual trans. He pulls a boat for the lake, goes dirt biking with it, camps with it and gets about 22 mpgs everywhere he goes except for towing. Ford has spent alot of time and development on the ranger making them bullet proof and reliable. Im a ford certified mechanic and have been under some of the people that have dealt with the service end of Ford and they all said that they almost never had calls on the rangers they are great. Plus if yoiu ever want make it a serious wheeler they are the easiest SAS in the book!

They are reliable and the 2 my brother had treated him well even after repeated abuse in his business as a contractor. You can run 31's on them stock and that's all I would do to it if I buy one.

 

[JL Rockies]

This thread is complicated.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I've totally been there before. I love how much gear you can fit into a pickup, vs having to share that storage space with your passengers.

I agree with getting an x-cab. If it were me, I'd go for an automatic. I know your intention isn't to crawl with it, but an auto really lets you finesse things a bit more when you need to. But I don't know the first thing about fords, so a 5-speed may be more reliable than an auto. I do think a ranger with a flippac would be a killer weekend rig.

Until you're getting out camping at least once a month, I don't think a second rig is worth the expense (and even then it may not be worth it). Another thing that happens to me when I get two rigs is I end up driving one all the time and neglecting the other one. Then I say to myself " i haven't touched that other rig for a month, I must not really need it." But I have a sickness and I admit that I'm nowhere near the norm. Do you have time to rockcrawl AND go camping all the time, or will each rig only get used about 5 weekends out of the year?

It's like Kurt always says: a lot of people buy gear with the rationale that better gear will help them get out more. In reality, gear won't make you camp more, it'll just make it more comfortable when you do get out. Even when I didn't have my sleeping setup in my rig, I still went camping monthly. Now it's a lot more convenient and loading up takes me 5 min vs 45 min, but I don't get out more than I did before. And my wife actually prefers sleeping in a tent over the back of my truck. Go figure.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I've totally been there before. I love how much gear you can fit into a pickup, vs having to share that storage space with your passengers.

I agree with getting an x-cab. If it were me, I'd go for an automatic. I know your intention isn't to crawl with it, but an auto really lets you finesse things a bit more when you need to. But I don't know the first thing about fords, so a 5-speed may be more reliable than an auto. I do think a ranger with a flippac would be a killer weekend rig.

Until you're getting out camping at least once a month, I don't think a second rig is worth the expense (and even then it may not be worth it). Another thing that happens to me when I get two rigs is I end up driving one all the time and neglecting the other one. Then I say to myself " i haven't touched that other rig for a month, I must not really need it." But I have a sickness and I admit that I'm nowhere near the norm. Do you have time to rockcrawl AND go camping all the time, or will each rig only get used about 5 weekends out of the year?

It's like Kurt always says: a lot of people buy gear with the rationale that better gear will help them get out more. In reality, gear won't make you camp more, it'll just make it more comfortable when you do get out. Even when I didn't have my sleeping setup in my rig, I still went camping monthly. Now it's a lot more convenient and loading up takes me 5 min vs 45 min, but I don't get out more than I did before. And my wife actually prefers sleeping in a tent over the back of my truck. Go figure.

Steve, right now we have 4 vehicles; the 2 Jeeps, the Miata, and a Mazda 3. So needless to say the Ranger would be replacing one of the Jeeps. We go camping a lot, especially since I got back into fishing last year and picking up hunting this year so the benefits are justifiable. As for gear I could literally fill an 8x8 shed 5 feet deep with all the crap I have, but am going to be selling a lot of it off soon. But we will see how buying a Ranger plays out with the tax return and other projects on the house that are more important.

 

[sixstringsteve]

what years are the best years for rangers?

 

[jeep-N-montero]

what years are the best years for rangers?

I'm not sure if there was a "bad year" range for them but I will likely look at a 98 or newer model because of the true IFS.

 

[iamsparticus]

if you go with a 97 the auto tranny that came behinde the 4.0V6 is a great tranny and for what you aer suing it for it would be the better option. Get a extended cab 97 4.0v6 auto and some 31's maybe a rear locker and your doen great camping and hauling rig

 

[TRD270]

I had basically this exact same thought process about a month and a half ago, I ended up picking up a 87 toyota turbo pickup. I wanted something I could just throw the dirt bike in vs pulling the trailers, go camping etc etc... My goal was to turn it into a expedition rig.

However now having bought said pickup i'm having buyers remorse and wishing I would have just stuck with what we have. Now i'm stuck with a truck i'm having a hard time selling.

Sit on it, think about before you pull the trigger I wish I had, having 5 cars in the driveway is a pain in the ass

 

[phatfoto]

what years are the best years for rangers?

If you want 4x4, then anything built after 11/89. Reason being, they switched from the Dana 28 front diff to the Dana 35. As much as us Jeep guys bash on the D35 rear axle, it shines as a front axle. Even with the odd Twin Traction Beam layout. In 97 Ford dropped the TTB for IFS. If you are willing to lose a little performance, consider a 2.3 4 banger. My 90 Ranger was getting 28 MPG with 4.10s, 5 speed and 31" tires. But don't expect a pavement ripper or speed machine. Great around town and on the trails. But only available in regular cab.

 

[glockman]

I have had 5 Rangers of all flavours. I love them. I am currently DDing a 98 2 door explorer that I got when I sold my 2001 2wd ex cab ranger. The TTB was in the 97 and older. The 4.0 went from an OHV to a SOHC around 2000 or 01 in the Rangers. I would stay away from them in the early years. They had lots of timing chain issues that are very expensive to repair. However the 05 and newer mustangs share the SOHC V6 and can be swapped in very easily (my ex has an 05 stang motor in it now). The auto tranmission in the 2001 and up are a 5 speed which is always nice. My last Ranger has the suicide doors on the ex cab and that was very nice. I would look for it if I buy another one. My first was a 89 4 banger that had over 300K miles on it. I have had 2 since that went over 300K. They are great trucks for the money. Sad they are no longer made.

 

[Raleigh]

I had a '97 Ranger, loved it!

The TTB while odd flexes much better than the IFS with control arms, FYI...

If it were me I would get a 95-97 extended cab 4.0 5 speed manual. A properly aligned TTB rides great and does great off road.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I had a '97 Ranger, loved it!

The TTB while odd flexes much better than the IFS with control arms, FYI...

If it were me I would get a 95-97 extended cab 4.0 5 speed manual. A properly aligned TTB rides great and does great off road.

But which suspension setup will be smoother going down a washboard road at 50-60? This will be used more for scenic trails and will only be running 31in tires.

 

[Raleigh]

But which suspension setup will be smoother going down a washboard road at 50-60? This will be used more for scenic trails and will only be running 31in tires.

Well lets put it this way, a LOT of pre runners run TTB, they actually switch to a TTB suspension.
This is a Bronco with Bilstein shocks, but you get the idea
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