The clutch went bad in the first month I owned it. This cost me over $400 including parts and service to fix.
The muffler and tailpipe needed to be replaced, but this didn't do much to quiet down the truck. There are many gaskets in the exhaust system and almost all of them leaked.
The cruise control didn't work. I could not find the cause of this problem, but didn't take it in to get it fixed as it wasn't of any importance to me.
The air conditioning didn't work either, but along with the cruise, I didn't get it fixed because it wasn't that important.
The shocks needed replacing which was relatively cheap and easy to do.
The front brake pads, lines and hoses all needed replacing.
The front side vent windows leaked.
The oxygen sensor needed replacing which proved to be difficult after it was rusted to the exhaust pipe.
The fuel filter needed replacing which took 4 hours to change and 3 O-ring gaskets.
The throttle position sensor needed changing.
The front seats of the interior were very comfortable, but the seats in the extended cab are small and uncomfortable. These are best left to small children.
There was a lot of interior wind noise due to the poor sealing windows. The carpet also isn't very well insulated and lets in a lot of exterior noise.
The truck has very poor traction without 4x4 in the wet or snow.
The 2.9L engine has good performance up through the first 4 gears, but fifth gear lacks power.
The 2.9L isn't a very fuel efficient engine. I observed 18-20 miles per gallon on the highway and 15 if I was very lucky in the city.
OK I don't know what you think but we have a 87 and have had no major problems. I also think the 2.9 has good performance through all gears. Ours is a 2x4 and has pretty good grip in mud and snow.
The truck might have been a lemon. I suggest that you test drive the new rangers to see how you like them. They should do better than your older truck. I own a 1987 Ranger and mine does fine in the snow or rain and it is a 4 by 2.
I purchased a 1986 Ford Ranger last January the night of the Super Bowl. It has a 2.3 4 cylinder engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. I am very pleased with the performance of this vehicle. The power difference between my old car's v-8 and this is great and noticable however I do not expect much from a small truck on power. The 4 wheel drive works great and is fun to play in the mud with. The suspension hauls anything without much complaint. I had to replace the clutch and power brake booster however these are items that do not last forever in any vehicle. The truck had 160,000 plus miles on it with just normal oil changes. The gas economy at 20-21 mpg is great for a small truck. After all I did not buy a metro I bought a truck.
I have just recently bought a 1986 Ford Ranger, with the 2.9 V6, 4X4, 4 speed with OD. I have had several problems with it since I purchased it. First of all, the front outer locking hubs went out, those needed replacing. The shocks still need replacing, along with the fuel lines. Near all of the stock fuel lines have some sort of leak in them, thus getting 250 miles to a tank of fuel is a trick in itself. I have also noticed that it eats up coolant, that although is not leaking. I too have noticed that it lacks power in OD, but has good power in 1,2,3, and 4th gear. Living in Wisconsin, I was hoping that the truck would go through the snow, mud, and wet a lot better than it does. I have recently put brand new Michelin tires on it, and that still does not help the traction problem. I have also had problems with exhaust leaks. I just wanted to post this comment stating my opinion on the 86' Ranger is not good. Jordan.
I've had a rough idle/stall problem for the 7 years I've owned the truck. Lately it's often hard to start cold.
Otherwise it runs pretty good.
My mechanic advises an after-market "Electronic Control Unit" (computer) as a starting point; he says the part has been discontinued for some time. The problem could also be sensor/relay/circuit-related.
Mechanics & owners have told me this era Ford has fuel delivery problems.
I owned a 1986 ranger xl with 110,00 when I bought it. I owned it for 2 years and it never not started, ever! The tranny ate 2nd gear 6 mos after I bought it, but I replaced it with a used one for 400 bux and had no problems. I had to do shocks and brakes as well, but if you hold that kind of stuff as a negative against a vehicle your pretty anal and should not drive any vehicle if you think stuff like that should last forever!
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site