Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.
Ford Ranger
I am looking very seriously at a Ford Ranger XLT
King Cab 4x4 with the 4.0 engine with auto trans.
I have had trouble finding anyone who has
purchased a similar vehicle the last year or two.
I would appreciate any comments, pro or con that
anyone may have. Also how anyone who has one feels
about the automatic trans. I currently have two
other 4x4s with five speeds. How does the
automatic 4 wheel drive handle snow and ice?
Bruce
King Cab 4x4 with the 4.0 engine with auto trans.
I have had trouble finding anyone who has
purchased a similar vehicle the last year or two.
I would appreciate any comments, pro or con that
anyone may have. Also how anyone who has one feels
about the automatic trans. I currently have two
other 4x4s with five speeds. How does the
automatic 4 wheel drive handle snow and ice?
Bruce
Tagged:
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I don't see any listing for something called a "King Cab" in the Ranger line.
If, however, you meant the "SuperCab," then we have plenty of information available right here if you're willing to make a few mouse clicks.
While you're waiting for others here to provide you with their feedback, why not take a moment to look at ours. Here's how:
At the "Town Hall" entry page, look at the upper right hand corner. Click on "NEW TRUCKS" and follow the hot links to "Ford" and choose the make and model you're interested in. There, you will also find such other info as:
- What's New For 1998
- Pros & Cons
- Edmund's Review
- Competing Models
- Warranties
- Specifications & Safety Features
- Insurance Cost
- Vehicle Prices (MSRP & Dealer Invoice)
- Standard Equipment
- Optional Equipment (Descriptions & Prices)
- Financing Information
And there's even a link to help you find a low-price dealer near you.
Then, come on back here and see what others have to add from their personal experience.
Good luck!
Motormouth
Would appreciate any other feedback concerning this purchase. I've had a Ranger for 16 years and had no major problems at all.
Thanks for any help.
The only "extra" is 7 feet (not 6 feet) bed (I am big boy).
Where do I look for good price? Leasing conditions?
I have a 98 Ranger XLT with the 2.5 L engine and 5 spd. manual. The truck has plenty of power for basic transportation and for pulling a small boat. The power curve drops noticeably with the A/C on though. I traded out of an 85 Toyota Xtra cab that had 100,000+ miles. The few times that I had to buy repair parts from the Toyota dealer, it cost me dearly. An ignitor module without a coil was $314 + tax. In other words, the import was worth the purchase price; however, you will pay big bucks for the repair parts that you cannot get from an auto parts store.
5 spd. Two things: first there is a drone with a slight vibration once I shift into 5th gear I have no idea what might cause this or if it is a normal sound of the truck. Number two the mileage I got on the first tank was 20 MPG (mostly highway) I am hoping this is just because the truck is new and needs to break in. I would appreciate any thoughts you all might have.
My new 98 regular cab 4 cyl. 5-speed Ranger XLT is getting between 26-28 mpg with the a/c running. This is mostly hiway mileage. It has 2,000 miles now and I haven't noticed a change in the mpg. I also have a slight vibration if I shift into 5th gear below 50 mph. Over 55 the vibration is gone. The vibration is probably from the additional strain on the small engine.
I just found this topic so I'm jumping in a little late. I owned a 1995 Ranger XL SuperCab 3.0L for 3 years. Overall a nice vehicle, but the engine never ran right. Computers were replaced, dealers squirmed, voices were raised, but the problem was never solved. If I ran 89 or lower it would knock like crazy under any load (acceleration, hills), and if I ran 92 or higher it wouldn't start. It would crank over 15 times before catching. I ran 89 with 5% ethanol for the best results. It still didn't like warm days or hills but it was the best I could do. I think it was the emission system leaning out my fuel mixture to acheive better pollution/mileage numbers, but I wasn't able to change it.
Other than the engine, I really liked the seats and the ride quality. It handled well, except for bumps of course, and looked great.
-R
I'm 5'10" and I tested the middle of the front split-bench and the jump seats in our 2-door. Either could be useable for a short while. I think a 3-door with single jump seat would be the best compromise in a compact pickup for both access and a rear passenger.
The only thing I would like to see different, is the way the jump seats are stored. In my old '96, the seats folded into the sidewall. Now, they kinda fold back against the back wall, but still eat up a lot of cargo space.
I am planning to purchase a 1998 Ford Ranger XLT
Super Cab 2WD. I currently own a 1986 Chevy
Blazer S-10. I would like to some input on the history of the Ford Ranger. I would like to know is it a good truck, is it dependable, what type of
problems develop after years of use, and what are your personal experiences with this particular truck.
I would also like to know would it be wise to trade in my sport utility.
#1 of 1: ricks2 (ricks2) Fri 14 Aug '98 (11:35 AM)
I just got my '98 XLT last week (traded in the '96
version). I had zero problems with the '96. The
truck was absolutely perfect. The only reason I
traded it in was because I wanted the new 4door
version.
gave out after 2 weeks and the display/tuning on his stereo was screwed up from day one. He put up with this after one trip to the dealer for each problem failed to provide a permanent fix (don't ask me why.) The big problem came when the head
gasket went after 113,000 miles of 3000 mi. oil changes and 40,000K coolant changes. He gave the car to charity and bought a base Dakota (he's not made of money.)
My research into Fords, conducted because we really like the Windstar, reveals stories of dealer incompetence and almost Soviet-style
customer relations (ever wonder where the "Voice of the Customer" went after a few short months...
they didn't want customer feedback but answers to
pre-determined questions and I think they got more than they bargained for.) In the end we bought a Mercury Villager( because Sussex County Nissan, Stanhope NJ wasted our time), since they seem to be more reliable than other FoMoCo and Chrysler
minivans and more affordable than Honda or Toyota
minivans.
God help us if we have problems, because I agree that Ford customer service will probably SUCK after the warranty runs out.
which peeled after two years. The engine was a 2.9 V-6, FYI.
As a sidenot, I've been very happy with my '93 F350. If it wasn't for the redesign, I wouldn't be selling it even now.
I looked at the Toyota Prerunner before purchasing a new Ranger XLT 2wd. I really like the Toyota, but it was $5K more than the Ford and didn't come with the back doors.
. I have 2K miles so far an have had absolutely no problems. (I had a '96 Ranger, too, also with no problems.)
I have a friend that has an 88 ford ranger ext cab
with a 4 cyl engine and 5spd tranny combo. other
than some body damage the truck supposedly runs
good. Is this a good truck as far as engine
tranny combo?
#1 of 2: hubcap (hubcap) Thu 03 Sep '98 (01:56 AM)
It depends on what you want to do with the truck?
For comuting purposes this would probably be fine
but to tow anything or off road your best bet would be the v6. my brother-n-law has an 86 ranger with the v6 automatic and it is a nice truck. Faster than my S-10! It also has a touchy throttle as it will smoke the tires if your not carefull. I hope this has helped.
I bought an '88 V6 automatic Ranger new, which was a fairly good truck - while it lasted. The only problems it had were two cracked exhaust manifolds and a bad catalytic converter that were covered under warranty. Unfortunately, in spite of my 3,000 mile oil changes, the engine was worn out at 74,000 miles. The dealer wanted $4,000 to rebuild it! So I traded it in on a new '93 F150 V8 (351) automatic.
That truck was the worst lemon I ever owned. The engine blew up at only 7,000 miles. It was replaced under warranty - after 2 weeks in the shop. The paint faded at 9 months old (Ford refused to repaint it). I had a myriad of other problems with it, which made taking it to the shop my second career. I finally traded it (after only 12,000 miles) for a new Chevy truck that I've been very happy with (3 years and 30,000 miles later).
My advice: DON'T BUY A FORD!!!
--Will I be disappointed with the less powerful engine?
--Is it worth it to jump to the 4.0L Ranger or B4000?
--Is 25hp that big of a deal?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sandy
In my opinion, the 4.0 liter is worth the extra bucks, and it only gets 1 mph less gas mileage than the 3.0. They also couple it with the 5-speed automatic. The 4 cyl is too wimpy, the 3.0 is OK, but it's hard to beat the extra power of the 4.0 if you need it.
You also might want to consider the 4-door version of the extended cab. A fantastic idea, I think. Ford (and Mazda) have the extended cab world by the horns for small pickups. The others will have to play catch-up. These are really convenient!
just curious as to why you ruled out the nissans
and GMC trucks, they both have a better track record of reliability than the ford.
Maybe Nissan and Toyota rates better than Ford in the reliablility of their compact trucks, but certainly not GM! They are near the bottom of almost every consumer survey and magazine report for reliability. GM's full sized trucks rate much better than the compact S10/Sonoma.