1983-1988 Ford Ranger for first car?
Hello I'm looking for a first car and have been thinking about many different cars. I like old cars and I have a 1966 vw beetle project that I'm working on. For my first car I thought a mid 80s Ford ranger would be a good truck to get because it is a small truck that gets good gas mileage and I wouldnt have to work on it all the time. I thought it would be good to have so I could haul stuff and carry vw parts and tow my beetle. Any thoughts?
There's nothing inherently wrong with an old Ranger as a first vehicle and if you plan to haul parts around for a project car, an old truck isn't a bad choice. But I certainly wouldn't make the mistake of thinking any 30+ year old vehicle is going to be all that reliable to drive daily because odds are it won't be.
It's old - even being simple mechanically and electrically (compared to newer vehicles) it will no doubt need regular work/repairs to remain useful if you plan to drive it daily so I wouldn't recommend going in thinking you're going to pick up a dirt cheap 30-year-old truck that will give you no problems. That's not a realistic expectation.
With their little power your not going to be hauling much lol
Thats a good choice. Its cheap on gas and is insurance won't break you either… Multiple uses.
It sounds like your mechanically inclined so working on it won't be a issue. And you'll have to do some work on it to keep it up.
No ABS. No airbags. No modern safety features.
Much more servicing
Much harder parts.
Less economical.
Less powerful.
May well be full of tinworm.
May need major replacement work.
These are just a few benefits.
Do you need a truck?
Get a nice small Sedan. Cheap to run.
Cheap to maintain.
All modern safety features.
Just what do you consider "Good" gas mileage? The BEST a Ranger will get is 25MPG IF it's a 4 banger with a 5 speed manual trans. Any other engine /trans combo will get you less than 20MPG on the highway and a lot less than that around town. This is the voce of experience talking as I have owned several rangers and have friends who also own them. I'm not knocking them just being truthful. As I've said I've had several and still drive an 01 with the V6 auto combo. As to the guy who said it won't haul much, I've hauled a bed full of gravel and a bed full of dirt/sand nore than once with them. They may not carry as much as an F series but they're stout little trucks.
My '96 Ranger is the four cylinder 5 speed 2WD that someone else mentioned. I get an even 20 mpg. It still feels like a solid truck even though it has always lived here, in cold, salty New York. In the last two years it has been treated to all new front suspension, rear leaf spring shackles, fuel pump (just in case, the old one was still working fine), brakes, tires, water pump and timing belt. This was all normal for a 20+ year old truck. Runs tip top and I would recommend one if you want it.
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- What do you think of the 1983 - 88 Ford Ranger design w/the 2.0 - 2.3 Liter OHC (pinto) engines? I'm just wondering. I use to own an 84 model w/a 2.3L in it and it seems like an easy to fix and reliable truck so I want to purchase another one that I seen off the internet for like a 1,000 dollars.
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