1994 Ford Ranger XLT review from North America

I replaced the alternator at 90,000 miles.

I replaced the tires every 60,000 miles.

I replaced the battery twice in 11 years.

I installed brake pads at 100,000 miles.

New transmission needed at 171,000 miles.

I purchased this truck new in 1994 for less than $10,000. I have done very little to it, and it has been very dependable.

I had to replace the alternator at 90,000 miles after having on again, off again problems with it since day one.

I had to finally replace the front brake pads at 100,000 miles, but the rear pads are still good as new.

The latest (170,000 miles) is that my manual transmission started to whine in gears 1-3 and reverse, a bad bearing. A rebuilt transmission installed with a new clutch and pressure plate was about $1000 dollars.

Still a deal since it's been paid for for many years and most car payments would be at least $300 a month. So $1000 is a steal for me.

The engine runs like new, with no oil leaks or burning.

The speedometer does fluctuate at highway speeds and I have been told that is because of a "dry gear" in the speedometer, I am just too lazy to mess with it.

A/C has never been recharged and blows a cool 37 degrees.

The 2.3L is a little underpowered, but with gas at 2.05 a gallon, the 22 city and 25 highway mileage can't be beat.

I tow an 1,100 pound trailer on occasion, it accelerates well, but getting up to highway speeds is a bit of a challenge. Although, once on the road for a couple of hours, attaining highway speeds of 70-75 mph is no problem... not sure why this is. The mileage while towing is horrible...15 mpg if I'm lucky.