30th Sep 2016, 06:11
I have been researching small trucks & found out that the Ford Ranger for some years used a Mazda 4 cylinder motor. The 4 cylinder motor mated with a manual shift transmission seems to be the way to go for the greatest reliability & fuel economy. It looks like the ones who raved the most about their Ranger in the reviews here have the 4 cylinder motor & manual shift transmission combination. That is what I'll be looking for if I get a Ford Ranger.
5th Oct 2016, 08:46
My brother and his girlfriend own a 1997 Ford Ranger with the 2.3 liter engine and manual transmission. It's been in his girlfriend's family since brand new and always well maintained. It now has over 330k on it and still runs like a charm despite the seats getting quite worn and needing covers. They have a second car now and only use the Ranger in spring and summer to protect it from the salt they put on roads here in the Northeast. The body and frame are still very solid and the truck looks great in bright red with matching canopy, a 3" lift kit and bigger tires. I think they are planning to keep this indestructible little truck forever!
5th Oct 2016, 20:39
I had a brand new Splash pretty loaded and it was a pretty cool looking truck in its day. Very nice looking tires and chrome wheel combo. It got many thumbs up. Ride wasn't great; short wheelbase and big factory tires. Actually today it would be a pretty cool cruise night vehicle. It had a very pampered life and I didn't keep it long. Fun toy and something different. It wasn't at all practical with the step side short bed. Literally hard to even call it a truck. It had great paint, not totally red, not totally orange. It held its value actually pretty well. It was in mint condition when I sold it with around 15000 miles on it.
9th Feb 2016, 20:04
The 3.0 V-6 is a great all cast iron engine. I'm looking to buy a truck just like yours.