1989 Ford Ranger XLT 2.9

Summary:

The "'Lil Red Ranger" is my favorite ride

Faults:

The truck was bought with a bad transmission, but there was a replacement in the bed.

Front brake caliper seized, traded caliper, brakes and sliders.

General Comments:

This has been my first compact truck and I'm impressed. It was bought with a little over 100K miles on it, and the truck is pristine except for the paint. No rot or rust, the truck is tight and straight. Everything is stock and OEM, so being 26 years old and all original, I think I'm going to register it as an antique.

So far I've enjoyed owning this truck, and it has become my favorite ride. It's not a sports car or a house mover, but it gets the job done and comes back for more...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd June, 2015

1989 Ford Ranger XLT 2.3L

Summary:

Rock solid dependability

Faults:

Very minor issue in the 18 months I've had it... A windshield chip turned into a large crack, interior door handle broke (could NOT find one, and we have a LOT of junkyards in Oregon), RABS sensor is going out.

General Comments:

A powerhouse? Hardly, but then we all knew that. A $10.00 K&N knockoff and an "Oregon Performance Exhaust" (hack the muffler off) and the power gains are stunning (well, as stunning as one might expect).

Solid feeling shifter - very unlike the spongebox of another unnamed pickup manufacturer.

The gas mileage is off the charts! Easily 28-30 hwy MPG.

I bought this truck as an emergency driver, and it's never let me down. I used to think that I needed to buy a newer one, but you know what - why bother? I love this truck... I'm going to keep it as long as I can!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st September, 2010

1989 Ford Ranger 2.9L V6

Summary:

Incredible little pickup

Faults:

Had to change shocks, but that's expected.

Wheel bearings had to be changed.

All else was general tune up maintenance.

General Comments:

Really great truck. This is my first car and I work on it myself. Have definitely made a few mistakes fixing it, but it takes anything I throw at it.

Overall a really great truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th January, 2010

1989 Ford Ranger S 2.3

Summary:

Wonderfully reliable

Faults:

Wanted to drive it 20 years - only lasted 19 yrs, 11 months :-)

Seems that timing rotor on one of the two distributors went out, causing one distributor to fire out of time. In turn, that caused blown head gasket.

After 20 yrs of reliable service, it was time to replace this wonderfully reliable vehicle with (What else?) a brand new 2009 Ranger XLT!

Thank you Ford!!

General Comments:

My old Ranger was wonderful! Gave me 316,000+ miles of reliable transportation with nothing more than routine maintenance -- no rebuilds! Averaged 28 MPG highway, often hit 30 MPG plus, sometimes touched 35 MPG.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2009

3rd Jun 2009, 23:10

You are a testament to the frugality and can do spirit of America.

Well, that and you're cheap. But a smart cheap person. Congrats!

1989 Ford Ranger Ext 2.9 V6

Summary:

Fair truck, with a rickety transmission

Faults:

The engine was replaced by the previous owner at 135,000.

New clutch previous owner at 135,000.

Heater core was gone and never replaced.

Cracked windshield washer fluid case.

Throttle body was destroyed, and would get stuck after 25 minutes of driving the truck.

Engine and tranny made weird whining noises and grinding sounds, despite the rebuild or being replaced.

The 2.9 engine from the 89-92 models were supposedly garbage.

Got rid of the truck before it could give me any real problems.

General Comments:

I liked this truck despite the engine and clutch.

It got the job done.

Despite what people thought, I liked the style of it.

It was my first stick, and I will always remember it.

Hopefully it is still running today.

Won't get another Ranger of this year, though the newer ones are very decent.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th February, 2008

12th Jan 2020, 15:08

I bought a 89 2.9 4x4 with 106,000 miles on it - mainly because the body was in tremendous condition. Had all the issues you listed (expected them from all vehicles from that era).

My only real problem is the stock gearing is INSANELY low. In what world are you clicking' into OD at 45MPH ? Other than that, it's decent little truck if you don't need to go long distances.

I should probably add - I own a 98 4.0 4x4 Ranger, 245,000 miles and IT R U L E S.