Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Ford Ranger II
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Good luck all you folks with these trucks. I think Ford has cheapened the Ranger product line at a certain point. They know it is a low-tech engine that needs to be replaced - sell the vehicle very competively and it is OK. (The new F-series took a lot of money to bring to market). So, they tried to drop engineering dollars until the new Ranger arrives - also, using what other higher tech components that will fit from the much more well-financed Explorer (aka: new 5 speed automatic).
But, Ford is a good manufacturer. I expect that they have put a few more dollars back into this design to fix at least a few problems before the Ranger's next revamp. Would expect the next year or two to possibly be quite reliable vehicles. It all comes down to dollars, revenues, stock prices, other competition, etc.? A real tough business that Ford in many ways is leading the way.
I have 2100 miles and so far run great. Good luck with yours.
I paid $13,391 plus T&L; that is $3,221 BELOW invoice and $5124 below MSRP.There are plenty of Rangers in Seattle with discounts of between $5195 and $5795 of MSRP.Did I pay too much? This was an ad-car but it had the options and color that I wanted.I did not negotiate on the price. The Dealer was very nice,they washed the truck and gave me two free tanks of gas. I could have gotten another $400 off the price had I been a recent College Grad.
My only complaint is that they charged me $122 sales tax on the factory's $1425 rebate.What I don't understand is why so many posts on this site indicate that they are paying invoice or slightly less then invoice for their Rangers. Rangers are plentiful and so are the discounts. I believe that the dealer lost at least $1000 selling me this truck. Am I missing something? or is everyone else paying too much??
1.Watch the sale ads for every week for one year. this will help you to know if the sale price is maximized.
2.Be prepared to pay cash. No trade-ins or finance.( Cars are a necessity of modern life, like clothes and food. One should always try to pay cash for their car.)
3.Don't try to dicker with the sales rep. on price.The saleman only gets $50 for selling an Ad car.
4.Don't purchase any options that they offer like undercoat, wax,extended warrenty,etc.
5.The dealer must sell you the Ad car,if you are the first to agree to buy it. They will try to sell you a different car with more margin if they can. Therefore, you must do your homework and know what you want and be prepared to make an on the spot decision to purchase.If the Truck doesnt have the options that you want or the color that you like then the Dealer will be glad to sell you the other one for more $. It is very easy to want a new truck with exactly the color and options you like, but be sensible, if the truck is red instead blue is that important enough to spend an extra $3000??
And lastly, remember it is just a truck, in 3-5 years it will be time to replace it again. So don't get too emotional about the purchase and ALWAYS be prepared to walk away if the dealer starts playing to many games.
For most people buying a new car is very emotional transaction. I am glad for this, because those folks keep the dealers in business and allow them the profit margin necessary to sell guys like me new trucks at a loss.
Roundelay
P.S My previous purchase was a std Nissan P/U 1994 for $ 5,995 + T&L New. It now has 82,000 miles and a wholesale value of $4200; retail of $5850.
BUT; if you like your neighbor and want to remain friends with him, I reccommend that you not buy his truck. Let him sell it in the paper or at Auction.
BUT; if you like your neighbor and want to remain friends with him, I reccommend that you not buy his truck. Let him sell it in the paper or at Auction.
Only way I can post on the Edward fancy "new" system that is not compatable with WIN 3.11
As to squeaks and rattles? No more than what I would consider normal for a vehicle.
Clunks? No not really. Do not forget the relays on the A/C make a clunking sound when they kick on.
I am having an annoying problem with the door ajar light being on. Will take it in for the 25K service in Jan(darn, one year old and already 25K)
and get it fixed.
Clear Coat looks great, like you do not have to wax it, till it scratches!
Now there are companies that offer paint sealers which I THINK are better than just a wax job, but you will have to check around.
Is your klunk over and above that sound the A/C makes? I have read that SOME of the supercabs with the extended 2 part drive shaft had yoke problems and there SHOULD be a Ford service order on that.
I paid $12,900 in August 1997 for a 2wd 4cyl Standard Supercab in the XLT trim with dealer installed A/C. I drive 100 highway miles each day to work and back so I have put 77,000 miles on in just 2 years and 4 months. The only defect I've found was that the A/C switch burned out?!?! after about a year, the fix of which took only an hour and was of course covered under warantee (barely due to my high mile driving habits).
While I thought the engine to be very sluggish at first, having driven a spritely Toyota pickup for five years, I now think that the engine runs better than ever. I've generally stuck to the maintenance schedule (oil changes every 5K, always) and just replaced the OEM Firestone's (excellent tires with at least 10-15K more life when I said goodbye to them) with Michelins and expect to be good for another 75K.
I plan to pay off the truck this Spring and retire it to weekend use only while I commute in a more sensible sedan.
You don't speak for Toyota or Nissan owners I hope. I persoanlly don't care what the torque is on those 4 cylinder either way. Btw before you put some post that you will regret I own a Ford also.
Just purchased a 2000 Ranger Trailhead w/t 3.0L V6
(In far-out Mandarin Gold). Just wondering, is the 3.0L engine the same as the 3.0L engine used in the Taurus? (I believe it's called the Vulcan 3.0L on the Edmunds page).
Love the truck so far. Hope it gives me as good a service as my '93 F-150 did. Nice to 'sit up high' again! And papa finally gets a CD player!
Thanks
I have a '99 Mazda 4WD with the same 3.0L engine.
AUTOZONE carries K&N filter chargers that will fit your Ranger. They are a little expensive ($40). However, they are basically a lifetime filter that require cleaning only every 40K miles or so. I put one in my B3000 and noticed that the engine felt like it ran a little smoother. Less vibration seems to be felt through the gas pedal. I think it has also helped throttle response to some degree. Good luck with your Ranger. They are good trucks. In fact, the Ranger was my first choice. Unfortunately, my wife is a Ford hater. So I could not get one and still keep the peace. However, the Mazda was OK with her!!! Little does she know how much they have in common. Oh well, it is my dirty little secret!!! Enjoy...
The reason the 2.5L engines have two spark plugs is that it allows the engine designers to go to a higher compression ratio without risking detonation (ping). It has the effect of halfing the flame travel length in the combustion chamber, if the spark plugs are located accordingly. Thus the fuel is burned twice as fast. (If you light both ends of a candle it burns half as long) The longer the combustion takes, the more time there is available for detonation (ping) to occur.
And ping leads to pre-ingition, which leads to holes in pistons. Higher CRs mean more engine efficency and power.
(Hemispherical comb. chamber design with the plug in the center of the CC is the best, but that requires cyl. head redesign with plugs through the valve covers, re-designed valvtrain, $$$). Two plugs is the easy way to get there.
Remember, that's a pretty big 4 cylinder. The combustion chambers are as big a a 5.0 V8s. Your engine has a 9.4 comp. ratio. That's pretty high for 87 octane gas and such a large combustion chamber.
It also reduces the chance of misfires, especially at cold start-up, thus improving emmissions.
BTW, this is not unusual. Nissan has done it with several of there 4 cylinder motors.
Good Luck!
Can't say for sure exactly how the Ranger unit is designed, but in the good old days it was a simple chain that hooked up the front wheels. The chain can't absorb the wheel speed difference like a "differential" can, and it gets taut. So the chain forces the wheels to slip to relieve the tension. All kinds of ugly noises result from this, and eventually it'll simply snap from the tension and there goes your 4wd.
All wheel drive (and full-time 4wd) units have mechanisms to allow for the wheel differential effect. They can be used all the time on any type of pavement.
You engineers out there feel free to correct my oversimplification, but I think I got sorta close on the concept???
Thanks in advance
At what mileage do I need to replace the timing belt, can I get 120,000 miles before repalcing.??
THis has been a reliable vehicle, although it does not have the power of our smaller hilux 2 litre Toyota in New Zealand. But the ride seems better than the Toy.
If I ever make any money here will probably repace it with a Chevy 1/2 ton as the 350 engine is so cheap to replace and quite economical, just have to nurse the trany.
I have a K&N air charger kit on my 98 Ranger and have never had any probs. I'm now at about 25K with no problems at all with the truck.
And for all you 4x4 Ranger owners. Please get rid of the Firestones if you plan on doing any type of offroading, they are JUNK! A 4ply junker, the tread pattern is a joke. A 265x75R16 will fit nicely and make the truck look great! Most tire stores will give you credit towards the purchase of a new set of tires if the Firestones have low miles.
See you in the hills!
Proud owner of a 1998 Ranger XLT SC 4.0 5spd stepside!
I own a MAZDA B3000 4WD with a 5-speed manual. I just posted my personal 3.0L Pros and Cons over in Topic 688, entry #111. Check it out if you get a chance...