A couple of pieces of trim have come loose or come off, no big deal.
The brake pads need to be replaced.
A mysterious squeak has manifested itself in the back end somewhere.
I was given this truck by my father who bought of all things a Scion.
Its hard for me to honestly critique this truck, since I haven't spent much money on it, but I'd have to say I wouldn't buy this truck new. It is seriously underpowered, and a 2.3 liter engine in a big heavy truck is borderline asinine. On hills you're lucky to make it above 50 miles an hour, and its painful to be passed by old women and kids on bicycles.
The automatic transmission is like every Ford automatic I've ever driven, it has a mind of its own, whether it is downshifting violently for no reason, or stuttering on acceleration, it doesn't exactly inspire too much confidence.
The biggest issue so far are the horrible brakes. I understand that it is a relatively heavy vehicle and isn't going to stop on a dime, but my 17 year old BMW that had sat in someone's backyard for 6 years had better brakes on it than this two-year old truck. Press the brake pedal a bit and the truck kinda sorta slows down, jam on it when the car in front of is in danger of being totaled and the truck violently comes to a halt with everyone in the cab being thrown around. I notice other Rangers doing the same thing, so I've surmised the brakes are simply underpowered like the rest of the truck. Ford should try sticking on some healthy calipers like Toyota does on its trucks.
The seats are comfortable, but the ride isn't, every bump and pit in the road can be felt in your spine, over rough roads its like handling a jackhammer.
On the plus side the truck looks great, with its canary yellow paint job and rides very high, and, being in a truck you don't get the sour looks that SUV jockeys get.
Wow, you totally summed it up. I have a 4x4 2002 with the 3.0ltr and its ungodly slow as well. The transmission DOES have a mind of its own! On the interstate going 70 or 75, even a slight incline makes it kick out of over drive, sometimes into 3rd gear. Really makes the gas milage go to $@#&.
But, you are right, great looking truck, very sporty, and somewhat fun to drive!
I would get rid of those both and buy a older Ranger. I've got a 87 with 2.9L V6 and over 300,000 miles, never really had to put over 50$ in it since I've owned it (since new).
The 2.9L Engine really pumps on the power and with the 5sp manual performance and economy are awsome. Never found a load it wouldn't pull or a hill it wouldn't climb. Hit 4 deers, kept on truckin. They don't build em like they used to.
My 2002 Ranger has a 4 liter v6, which pumps out far more power than is needed when the weight of the truck is taken into consideration. If you went for fuel economy, you got what you paid for in a small engine. You will save money at the pump, but you will make up for it in your loss of dignity when you can't pass a semi in under one mile. I have not had any transmission problems, shuttering or harsh shifting, to speak of. The off road package is also fantastic on my Ranger. I have taken it to every mud hole and back trail I could find, and it just would not get stuck. The moral here is "you get what you pay for." Do not expect a great deal out of the low cost option of any vehicle. A vehicle that performs cost more for a very obvious reason.
As a former car company employee I have to take issue with the "You get what you pay for" myth. Yes, the base engines don't have as much power as the larger engines, but dollar for dollar, you are WAYYYYY ahead with the basic model of ANY vehicle. The options are marked up SEVERAL HUNDRED percent, and you will usually not get one penny of that back when you sell or trade. I bought a bare-bones basic 2001 Dodge Dakota Sport in October of 2000 and sold it in January of 2006 for $943 less than I PAID FOR IT NEW. The truck was mint, with low mileage, but I can assure you if it had been a fully loaded SLT V-8 I would have gotten VERY LITTLE more for it. As for the Ranger 4, it is NOT that bad. I'd much rather get 30mpg and save 5 grand on the purchase price it it means taking an extra 100 feet to pass a semi.
Just got back from a trip from fla to ohio and the truck was very comfortable, gas mileage was averaging about 20mpg and the 3.o engine had eough power to pass everyone (got a ticket doing 80 in a 65 in Va. You are not going to win any races with a honda or neon, but this is a very comfortable truck, no problems with the brakes either. Had the truck for almost 4 years and have not put any money in it except for normal maint over 91000 miles, use no oil on trip of 2200 miles at all. 2002 ford ranger edge-big al 51.
I totally agree with the second reviewer. I have a 2002 ford ranger edge with a 3.0 ltr V6 with 65k miles on it and it is seriously slow. I can see people at the back getting frustrated after I pick up from a red light. It pings really bad whether its 30 or 70mph press on gas and it starts pinging. very very annoying. Driving it on rougher roads is a gut jiggling experience. However, it handles good and is very sporty Mileage is 21hwy and 15 in city.
Wind noise is high., seems like there is little or no insulation under the roof. engine is noisy like most ford V6's are. CD player is excellent. Ford does an excellent job on cd player and speakers on all its cars. AC is excellent. All around visibility is good. Seats were uncomfortable at first (coming from a cadillac), but now I feel they are the most comfortable ones.
This might be my last ford ranger. Would probably not buy it again. I mean, although it is good and reliable(no problems till now), but overall quality leaves a lot to be desired.
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