Looking at rangers want some input.

[ah1988ford]

I am looking at the 4cyl. ford rangers as a daily driver the big idi is not economical and it is good to have a back up.
What are the real world mpg of a 4cyl ranger I am looking cheap used under 3k .
Are they reliable I am young and wanting a good reliable truck that is good on mpgs for collage.
I dont need a big truck just something I can throw small loads in the back of and not break the bank..... I am not a car person really.

 

[Matrix37495]

I've always heard the 97/98 Rangers with the 8 plug 2.3L are great on gas. I owned a 2000 with a 2.5L that ran on 3 cylinders most of the time and pulled in an average of 21mpg.

I would say anything fuel injected with the Lima engines (2.3L and 2.5L) will treat you right. And get a 5spd if you can find one....

 

[subway]

I have a 03 stick shift 2x4 with a 3.0 I got 21-23 mpg mixed driving consistantly. Not a 4 cylinder but I don't think they get much better and have less power. skip the 4 wheel and auto if you want better economy.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Hard to beat a 93-97 2wd, 4 cylinder, 5 speed. Few friends have them and they pull 28-32 mpg driving easy. My good buddy just scored a 95 ranger reg cab 6 foot bed 4wd 4 cylinder 5 speed for $2100! id love to have that for winter.

 

[ah1988ford]

Hard to beat a 93-97 2wd, 4 cylinder, 5 speed. Few friends have them and they pull 28-32 mpg driving easy. My good buddy just scored a 95 ranger reg cab 6 foot bed 4wd 4 cylinder 5 speed for $2100! id love to have that for winter.

I think some time in the mid to late 80's they made 4 bangers with 4wd drive.
I think it is a awsome way to go you cant beat it you get a truck that gets the same mpg as the little ricers.
What should I look for when I go to look at them ?
I know timing belt have to be replaced evey 80k is that a hard job to do ?

 

[bab029]

Nothing is too hard or very expensive on a ranger after working on one of our IDIs. I have an 87 4cyl LWB for the same reason you want one, does fine and gets like 24 with bad O2 sensors.

 

[gonecrazyi]

We had 4wd 4 cyl. Put our 92 body on it. Was a lot of fun with 40s. Also had an 02 with the new 2.3 they stuck in focus's. That little ****** pulled 25-27 mpgs with an auto tranny. Was a lot offun and we beat the tar out of it. Never once left us stranded.

 

[ah1988ford]

They are pretty cool the 4wd ones remind of gocarts lol.
I was looking to pick one up for real cheap because I know i am going to rag it out and parts are cheap so are body panels for when I run into something.
The idi has been my only experiance working on vehicles except our mower lol.
So I was sort of iffy on the whole gas thing, but if you say it easy to work on I will give it a shot it cant be too difficult I dont think.

 

[gonecrazyi]

We never did anything to ours. Fed it gas and changed the oil every year lol.

 

[93IDIT]

I've owned both a 93 2wd ranger with 2.3L 4cyl and 87 4wd 2.9L V6

The 93 averaged 23mpg mixed with up to 26 highway. I modified it with larger 235/75R15 tires and 4.10 gearing.
The 87 averaged 16mpg and maybe got 18 highway with a tail wind.

The 2.3/2.5 4cyl is almost bulletproof. Just swap the timing belt if the history isn't known and change the oil. The manual and auto transmissions are both good if fluids are changed as scheduled. The TTB/TIB setup (pre 97) tends to need new radius arm bushings at 100k miles. Check the passenger side as it fails first.

The 4cyl 2wd is great for a commuter. Don't forget to include the added insurance, licensing and maintenance. In my case, it is cheaper to just use the IDI for commuting in the winter. I bike the 2.5 miles to work most the year.

 

[ah1988ford]

Does a ext. cab really make a diffrence in the fuel economy ? It would be nice to have a little interior space but I dont want to lose 10mpgs because of it.

Dont really have to worry about winter where I am at .
It would be much cheaper to use the ranger as a daily commuter.

 

[subway]

My ranger numbers are with an extended cab.

 

[Russ]

I have a 03 ext. cab, 2 door 4x4 4.0 auto, and only see about 17 mpg city driving, But it's got a lot of power for a V6. Fun little truck though.

 

[93IDIT]

Does a ext. cab really make a diffrence in the fuel economy ? It would be nice to have a little interior space but I dont want to lose 10mpgs because of it.

Dont really have to worry about winter where I am at .
It would be much cheaper to use the ranger as a daily commuter.

Mine were extended cab also. Shouldn't be more than one or two mpg difference.