1980 Ford F150 Ranger review from North America

I bought the truck with a blown transmission and drive train. To get it running again, I had to replace the transmission, clutch, flywheel, bell-housing, starter, drive shaft, and forward fuel tank. Cost $2100.

AC compressor replacement, $675.

I let myself sell it.

This was my first vehicle, this was also the only vehicle that I have ever truly loved. I was 17 when I purchased the black and silver F-150 for only $500. The transmission had blown on the interstate, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the drive shaft, clutch, starter, and puched a hole in one of the fuel cells. $2100 and four months later, the truck became my beloved form of transportation.

This being an old truck, it had it's quircks. The engine leaked, the clutch burnt out twice, the electrical system never completely worked properly. These problems would slowly be worked out, and this truck was all in all, a very reliable and rugged vehicle in the sense that I drove it over 60,000 miles during a two year span and was never stranded. For my eigtheenth birthday, I treated myself to replacing the broken AC (a must in Arizona) and had the truck re-painted gloss black.

The inline six that the ford had was not overly powerful. It did the job and was still running the day I sold it at over 240,000 miles! I should have never sold this vehicle, as it was good looking, fun to drive, and extremely safe.

They simply do not build them like they used to. This was a truck that was not pretending to be a car, like so many are doing today. It had a cloth bench, viynl floorboards, and a mostly bare steel interior. The experience while driving in this truck was about as smooth and as quiet as a bulldozer. It was simple, honest, and rugged. The twin-I beam suspension was made so well, that even after 200,000 miles of driving, the truck never needed alignment adjustments. There are a lot of trucks of this era still on the road, a testament to how good my old baby was. If you want a truck to drive around in and not get dirty, go cash in your 401K, get a second mortgage and buy a new one. But if you want to tow, haul, camp, work, and play in the mud with a truck that will willingly and eagerly take the abuse, there are plenty of old, but dependable f-150's out there like mine for about 2-3 thousand dollars.

I should have never, ever sold her. There has been no vehicle that compared in overall quality to that old truck.