1996 Ford Ranger XL review from North America

Fuel tank indicator failed at 18,000 miles. Fixed by dealer and never had another problem with it.

Had problems with door locks sticking - fixed myself with WD40.

Windshield wipers would come on for no apparent reason at full blast. Never fixed this problem, but I could reliably turn them off by first turning the wipers onto the lowest setting, and then turning them off after a few seconds.

Vinyl seats started to wear at about 70,000 miles.

Had the clutch changed at 82,500 miles, which is a little early, but I learned to drive manual on it.

A great first pick-up - I really loved it and would've had it much longer, but it was totaled when someone crashed into it at 50 mph while it was parked on the street. Looking at the accident, though, I'm sure I would've walked away just fine if I'd been in it.

It got great gas mileage - 29 mpg average with tonneau cover (sometimes as high as 32 mpg), 26 mpg without anything, and 28 mpg with canopy.

It was a little weak on the highway, but not too bad overall, and handled well in the lower gears.

I bought the baseline model, so no real special features. Thus, there wasn't too much room in the cab and the seat really didn't move back much. No cup holders so I added one that attached to a vent. Also, no power steering was tough at times for others, but I got used to it.

I probably would've bought another one, but Chevy came out with the Colorado to replace the S-10. The Colorado is so much more roomy than the Ranger, so I went with it.