1997 Ford Ranger XLT review from North America

15,000 miles - Turn signal and windshield wiper electronics replaced (wipers would come on spontaneously)

30,000 miles - rear shocks leaking oil, worn out. Replaced by dealer as still under warranty.

55,000 miles - front brakes wear indicator making noise. Pads replaced, disks resurfaced. Not bad longevity on the brakes since I am a late and hard braker. Brakes were good after service.

60,000 miles - inside dome lights would stay on after doors closed, engine off.

Not under warranty, all troubleshooting failed, so took out the bulbs.

62,000 miles - battery died; replaced at my cost with new heavy-duty battery and no problems since.

64,000 miles - rear brake service due to wear indicator noise. Rear shoes replaced, and drums resurfaced. noticed braking was a little spongy, but I didn't think anything of it until I was adding window washer fluid 3 weeks later and noticed that the master cylinder cap was off (horrified). I went back to dealer, and they did not argue, flushed the brake system, added clean fluid, and replaced cap. Brakes worked fine after this. (morale of the story - ALWAYS look under the hood after every service to make sure everything is still there.)

65,000 miles - new tires put on due to OEM tires worn out - very good tread life so replaced them with the exact same Firestone tires - (unlike the tires that received all the attention for blowouts, these Firestone tires performed flawlessly)

At 78,000 miles, the check engine light came on. Oil pressure and engine temperature were fine, so I drove to the dealer. they said it was the mass airflow sensor, and/or oxygen sensor. they wanted $340 to replace (out of warranty) so I said I would do it myself. They then offered to cut the price in half, for parts and installation. I let them change the parts (both). Two weeks later, the light came on again. I took it back, and they said they had to do some "adjustments". The light went off for a month then came back on. I have ignored it since, the engine runs smoothly with problems.

80,000 miles - OEM rear shocks worn out again, leaking oil. (lasted well because I carry up to 1/4 ton of concrete in bed fairly frequently).

Overall a good value - I paid $10,500 new off the dealer's lot. So far no major issues. I do change my motor oil religiously every 3,000 miles.

PROS - Handles well, steers and tracks very well, fun to drive. Economical, up to 24 mpg on the highway with a light foot. Manual transmission works well with 4-cylinder engine. low maintenance.

CONS - 4 cylinder engine is underpowered with medium load or with A/C on (learned to live with it). Dealer service support mediocre.

Suspension occasionally misbehaves if you hit a series of large bumps at speed when rear is not loaded down, can be predicted.

Overall, I have learned to love this little truck's reliability especially since it has been worked very hard.

I would not buy another Ford (or American car) because of quality control issues, but I don't regret buying this Ranger, it has been a good truck so far.