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@@margussakk126let’s see how many of those are on the road 20 years down the line only time will tell with all that technology they have I highly doubt it! At least the older rangers we could actually fix problems in our driveways
I just turned 16 a few months ago and got a 99 ranger. At first I wasn’t real sure about it because I kinda wanted a bigger truck but it’s growing on me and I’m starting to love it.
I'm 17 bought a ranger in really bad shape its on 216,000 had to replace the transs with a cheap 600 dollar scrap yard job and surprisingly.... I love it and the engine just keeps running well
@@ryderzukowski4868 my buddy’s 19 he did the same thing. He bought a ranger at action for 500. It ran good the body was fucked up though. He replaced the bed and the driver side door as well as the power steering lines and brake lines.
BTW don't trust a mechanic who says the parts are "rare" told me 3,500 for all the work "needed to be done" got it done for about 900 emergency brake lines, brake lines, rotars and a power steering pump
@@ryderzukowski4868 the reason for that is most shops will only use parts from certain manufacturers and that why it can be hard for them to find some parts. Also it’s gonna cost a lot more for a mechanic to do work because of labor.
Tbh it's hard to find a half ton that isn't ran through with miles for the price. Wanted a bigger one as well, but decided to go with a 99 ranger 3.0 and she's still running strong. Feeling the same way.
Having owned a 2008 Ranger for 3yrs and unfortunately lost in an accident a few months ago, the Ranger is the perfect small/mid size truck. The 3yrs I owned it, I only had to do normal wear n tear maintenance, oil changes, tranny flush, new shocks, spark plugs. I was able to modify it to my liking with the large aftermarket modifications available. Despite not having an owners manual, I was able to Google/RU-vid any work I needed to do on it. Its the perfect daily driver, and you need a truck? Boom you got a 6ft truck bed (for mine at least). Everything was simple to work on, and despite some grumblings changing the spark plugs and the oil filter location, Ford engineers knew how to make it a simple to work on truck. I put around 35k miles onto it, multiple road trips out of state, off road excursions, it just kept running, mine had the 3.0 V6 and the automatic transmission, not a single issue from the power train in mine. I miss my ranger so much, ended it's life with only 108k miles on it, and I wish the market wasn't outrageous otherwise I would've bought another one.
maaan i hate reading these, ive got a 94 with 280k miles running strong. somthing happened to cars in the 2ks that just makes them crap out after 100kmiles.
Just bought a clean title 2008 Ford Ranger, single cab, 4 cyl, 2WD for $2k, she’s got 103k miles that was sitting for two years. Recharged the AC, threw a new battery on her and she’s good to hit the road!
@@crazysquirrel9425 Just sold the Ranger for $8500 as is! Buyer also gifted me a 1952 Vietnam War trophy SKS with paperwork and registration for “giving him a good deal”. Seemed like a good deal to me 🤣
I got my first ranger from my dad for $2300 mechanical problems. It is my first small truck. Ford ranger might as well translate to “honey badger” it doesn’t give a care who you are
Finally...someone gets it! I LOVE the Ford Ranger, especially the 80s vintage. The first care that I purchased was an 88 Ford Ranger, 5 speed (manual), 2 wheel drive. I put 100k miles on it as a daily driver in the span of 4 years. I never had to change the brake pads. Replaced only one part for $25 and that was ignition box. I also owned, purchased new, a 94 Ranger and believe that generation to be the best version of the Ranger's history due to the styling and maintaining the chassis (i.e. the Twin I-beam suspension). At the end of the day, I would give anything to have my 88 back again. Through research I did find that they offered the 88 4-cyl w/4WD. I would kill for that kind of utility, especially on the bullet proof 1st generation ranger class. I always wondered what it was about the 1st generation Ranger that made it so "bullet proof" and believe that I found the answer to that question: Ford makes tractors and trucks for the farm and the 1st generation Ranger was just that...a farm truck. God bless America!
I have always felt when Ford makes a new vehicle class, they always try for excellence and then over time they start to muck with it causing various of different issues.
This video is heart warming! My buddy from high-school bought a 1995 Ford Ranger for $50 when he was 16. Me and him fixed it up in shop class and he's still driving it to this day at 25!
I have a 1999 Ranger XLT 4wd with the 4.0L V6. It's my daily driver and my wanna-be mud truck. It rips through trails like a pre-runner and somehow doesn't explode. It bathes in mud with 33" Patagonia mudtires. It winches itself free when I beach it on a small cliff, and the extensive skid-plating underneath keeps the gas tank from collapsing. This truck is cheaper than a full set of all-terrain tires for a 1999 F-150. I got this thing for $2300 and put in about $2000 for a bumper, winch, and other stuff. Sadly I swamped it too hard and forgot to wash the radiator and the motor overheated and shut down. BUT WAIT. The connecting rod bearings may have been warped, but I drove 15 miles back home, running 240F. The thing had 235,000. I drove it daily for a month afterwards before I decided to swap the engine and get it over with. Donor 4.0L came from a 1996 Explorer. Direct fit except for exhaust and engine mount orientation. Brand new motor with 90,000 fewer miles, and it still drives like a champ. Still ripping trails. Still mudding. Still running over small trees. Still doing burnouts on 33" with the 8,8 axle. The 1999 Ranger only dies if you overheat it, if the frame rusts out, if you slap the rev limiter for more than 5 min, and if you wreck it. These things are dirt cheap, and reliable. Fixing them is not easy but definitely not hard.
First new vehicle - 98 ranger - red and tan, 5 speed man. Drove it through downtown San Antonio for Spurs 99 championship. 9 people in the bed jumping, tires rubbing. Great memory
My first vehicle, which i currently still own, is a 2008 4x4 sport ranger. I love literally everything about it, except at 120,000 miles its transmission just completely crapped itself, which was replaced. But nonetheless, damn solid truck.
I got a 2011 with a v6 4.0 and almost 200000 miles, lifted 6" with 33 ×12.50" R15" that still runs very well and looks like new, paint job and interiors on the rangers where made to last long as well the entire drive train, I love my ranger, in the near future I'm planning to v8 swap with a coyote engine
My first vehicle is an 04 Ranger and after a few months of owning this vehicle and watching this video a damn tear rolled down my eye watching this video, this vehicle is the most amazing vehicle I’ve ever drove and I’ll never sell it, this ranger is just so pure and amazing and I’m glad I’ve gotten to experience it, it is my daily and even over 301 thousand miles it’s still going strong🥲
I daily drive an ‘86 4 cylinder 4x4 manual Ranger with a seven foot bed. It’s the best truck I’ll ever own. And it’s taken me cross country for work 20+ times in 13 years. Thanks for the video.
I have a 2001 Ranger XLT Flareside with the Vulcan 3.0 liter and the automatic trans. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ this truck! It will drag my 1400# sailboat 85 miles to Lake Michigan and it was a great work truck for my handyman biz.
Don’t forget how awesome V8 swapped ford rangers and Chevy s10’s are as well, little truck with V8 power is a recipe for an awesome hotrod you can take off-road
My daily work truck is a 93 ranger 2wd 2.3l 5sp with 506,000+ miles the best part is it's still rocking the original engine transmission and rear end! No tics taps or raps nor does it leak anything!
I have an 08 bought for 3k with 60k miles, great car, took a blow from an f150, takes abuse from me on the daily, and can be fun, definitely recommend it
Just picked up a 2011 Ford Ranger 4x4 with the 4.0L V6. It's kinda awesome knowing I now own the final year of a legendary truck. The one I bought was southern-owned and southern-manufactured, so it has zero rust. Only 50k miles. Along with my 2020 Honda Civic EX (which the wife drives to work daily), I plan on owning this Ranger for many, many, many years. I have zero interest in owning or buying any other vehicles at this point.
My family has a 94 Ranger that has been passed around for what feels like 100 times…. 180,000 miles on it. It’s mine now and I’m saving up so when I turn 16 I’ll fix her up and drive her!
I'm 70 and have a 20210 Ranger 4x4 Sport with 13,674 original miles. Other than routine matenence I had to have a upper tie-rod replaced this year. Best vehicle I've ever owned.
Just found your channel through looking for old school Ranger content, and I have to say you deserve more views and subscribers. Perfect blend of mild comedy and information, with great video splices in between. I hope you keep it going, because your channel is excellent! Cheers from Eastern WA 🤘🏼
I purchased a new Ranger back in 2009 (4x2 Extended Cab Oxford White Two Door) to replace my previous Ranger that I purchased new back in 1997. The original intent was to run it as a daily driver, but after a short period of time I decided to roll it into my collector car collection because it was still pristine and the vehicle was going out of production. Although all of my other collector cars are far more expensive vehicles, that little Ranger gets more attention than any of them when I take it out and about for a drive! I think part of the reason is that people aren’t used to seeing Rangers from this era in such nice condition - as the service writer at my local Ford dealer has stated, “That’s the cleanest fu*king Ranger I’ve ever seen!”……….😂 I especially like my little Ranger for all the things it DOESN’T have - no overly complicated touch screens or infotainment systems, no continuous barrage of warning chimes - just me, the steering wheel, and the beautiful Texas countryside rolling by my windows…….👍
The maverick is the closest thing to the old ranger, I had to get one, my first vehicle a few years ago in high school was a 02 ranger edge single cab and now I have a 2022 ford Maverick XL Ecoboost
@@markroden You are either outside the United States or are joking. These trucks are being sold out months before the year ends. Ford is expanding to a third shift and still won't make enough.
Im about to start building a ranger for my first car. First im making an exhaust and intake, doing headers, porting the intake and throttle body. Its going to be a 3rd gen with a 4.0 sohc 5 speed and 4x4. Then after testing it out a bit im probably going for the rc 5 inch lift and doing a coil over swap and some lift springs in the back because i dont trust 5 inch blocks, and 35s. And a bunch of other non proformance stuff like welding up some bumpers, skid plates and sliders. Paint it with some hard wearing matte black, dark grey or green, and some better mirrors. Plus some other custom stuff like a camper insert and making it keyless w a kill switch and whatever other cool things i can think of. Thank you dad for teaching me fabrication so i can make half this instead of buying expensive coil over brakets and whatnot. With tune im hoping for close to 300 horse and over 20mpg
I live in argentina and the ranger has been built here since 98. I had 2 of my own, a 2010 3.0l powerstroke, bodystyle similar to the 2000 gen. And it was great. Then i had a 2020 3.2l diesel 5 cyl. Similar body style as the 2023. It was also great but the plastic bumpers on the front and the driving makes it feel more like a car than a truck, but of course with all the electronics it was far much safer than the old one, which has none...but was also much more fun to drive.
Yes, I've owned and love Rangers! Hey, did anyone see that 83-88 full4door 4*4 in the video ? I didn't know one came out with 4 full doors!! You wouldn't even need the shell,.. you could hop in the back and sleep in the backseat if you needed to!! 4*4 and antilock brakes are nearly essential to snow driving.
I just drove a $300 1989 ford ranger 600 miles to a different state. It hadn’t been started in 2 years and on the freeway I topped out at about 64 mph with loose as steering lol but it made it..
16 and bought a 5 speed 03' ranger for my first vehicle and i love the thing has never let me down and does everything i've needed and can take a damn good beating.
For my first car i insisted on buying a ranger, ended up getting a 2003 2.3 rwd auto. Besides the xlt trim it was absolutely poverty spec and had a rust problem in the frame which stole it from me about a year later when my dad made me sell it. That truck is the whole reason I ever got into cars and ive been wanting to buy another ever since i lost it
I got a 2004 ford ranger for my first vehicle and out of the 15+ cars I have driven I have to say that the ranger has the best handling and comfort. The size and line of sight is also great. A lot of the cars I have driven just felt awkward being 6'1 they were to small or to big making for long drives uncomfortable and steering always kind of felt unpredictable.
Thanks for a clear and thought-out review of the Ranger. Both my husband and I have worked for Ford off and on since the 1980s and you were right on with your analysis and comments. We agree with the majority of what you had to say and also tend to prefer the late 80's early 90's models versus the later 90's models and definitely the current option. The older Ranger makes a great first vehicle for anyone as the 4x4 is good in the winter and the size makes it fairly easy to learn to operate on the slippery roads that are narrowed by snowbanks etc. You still sit up a bit higher than a standard sedan. Then you have the added plus that you may also be able to help others get themselves unstuck with a tow strap and your four-wheel drive if you know what you are doing. All while not being such a big vehicle that it feels like you are driving a tank. (like my F250 crew cab lol). When I was working in the parts and body shop we had a shop truck we used to run and grab parts with as a dealer demo it was a 1988 Ranger 4.0 crew cab 4x4 long AT and it was nice but there was no legroom at all and I am not freakishly tall. I am 5'9 and with the driver's seat all the way back my knees still hit the dash pretty hard. Our Parts dealer demo was a Bronco II similar set up but the legroom was not quite as bad. Our son is 6'6 and there is no way he could even get in the driver's seat of one of those trucks today, the newer models seem better as far as legroom goes
Ive owned a '88, '01 and an '04 they were all great pickups. The 88 had the 2.9l and the 01 and 04 both had the 4.0l. Im looking at buying a '03 currently just because theyre such great pickups.
I have a 2006 Ford Ranger Sport. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned. Still have it.. only a few problems in 18 years. It’s simple..Easy to work on and it’s dependable.
I have a 1998 (3rd gen) 4x4 4.0 auto XLT ranger and it’s pretty awesome, it’s nice to have 4x4 and the 4.0 and besides being fairly slow and being auto and not a manual I love it; I like that I can depend on it, and that I know that it can get me out of some sketchy situations! The higher ride height of the Off-road trims (like mine) is nice for the midwestern snow storms too😂 Handling wise it’s a fairly competent vehicle making it easy to go around corners in excess of 7 mph over the suggested speed and being able to drive down the freeway without much fuss, and the ride is much better than I thought it would be, it’s not unreasonably stiff unlike some of the other vehicles I’ve been in, which makes it manageable down the obliterated country back road; I mean is it a sedan? Definitely not, but is does it feel like you’re driving a death trap at anything over 55? No! It’s actually much better at handling than I ever expected.
Had an 01 XLT as my first vehicle back in the day, best truck I ever owned. Letting that truck go is still one of my biggest regrets in life. Got an 18 F150 now, its nice... but I still want another 3rd gen Ranger.
I had an argument with a guy at work about that a few years ago, he had a Mazda and I mentioned one day about how good these Rangers are, as we were standing by his truck. He said, "It's not a Ranger, it's a Mazda." I told him it was a rebadged Ranger and he wouldn't believe me...I'm like, "look at how similar the bodies are." but he still said it wasn't a Ranger. I told him I could prove it, so I opened his door and looked at the ID plate on the door jam and it said "Made by the Ford Motor Company" with the factory being in Texas, if I remember right. I'm not sure he believed me even then , but the boy ain't that bright, lol.
My first two vehicles were an 85 Ford Ranger with the V6 that got totaled due to a drunk driver pulling out in front of us and then an 84 4 banger Ranger. My third vehicle and first new vehicle purchased after graduating College was a 2000 Ranger Extended Cab Flareside 4x4 with thr 3.0 L and Tow Package (Champagne Brown color). The last is the one vehicle i wish I still had today
I love my Ranger and it's my second one. I found a 1998 Ranger 2.5L Lima engine with 75,000 original miles. I bought it from an automotive repair shop that had just sunk a low mileage lima into it. It has the matching body color leer truck topper on it too. A really good vid. on the Rangers too.
My family had a 94 Ranger. That ended up being the truck I drove in college. It’s how I learned to drive a stick. Carried all sorts of gravel and dirt that that truck should’ve never been able to carry but did. Miss that old bastard.
I wrecked my 04 Ranger Tremor XLT 4.0L last week and I feel crushed. I pretty much had the truck back to looking brand new (except the rust underneath). That truck was perfect, i could tow pretty much any practical thing I needed. Comfortable to drive, easy to get into the city, etc.
I have a 1996 ford ranger xlt. Automatic, 3.0l v6, rear wheel drive only, standard cab long bed. I paid $1000 for it, and it was a great truck till my brother decided he wanted to jump a ditch in it. Now it's problem after problem after problem. I want to sell it and get a manual 4wd with the 4.0l. But that's harder to find than I thought lol
still driving my 93 ranger splash,3.0 5 speed,i liked the looks of the splash,don't care for the looks of a lot of models,the 4.0 is a gas hog,love the 4 cyl is too weak but the 3.0 is great
Mark, I thought it would be really cool to see the Volvo S80 v8 make an appearance on the channel. From my knowledge I haven't seen it mentioned on your channel, Its a dope sleeper no one talks about. Also one of the best sounding V8s in my opinion.
@@azerious85 when I lived in California my neighbor slid on some ice and launched his off a cliff. He had a few bruises but other than that he was fine. They were definitely tanks
I had an 99 explorer in high school. Great truck. Slow yes but it was easy to work on and very reliable. I sold it to buy a Silverado but I still see it on the road. Same platform as the ranger.
Just bought a 2010 ranger 4.0 4wd. I "downgraded" from a 2021 ram to save money but im still kind of excited about owining a ranger. When the car market settles down im going to buy a sports car and keep this little truck as a winter beater.
The Skyrim soundtrack on automotive videos just hits different bro. I picture myself rockin a Ranger on the frozen plains, weaving between the lumbering steps of the giant-kin bro. Gotta start a new character now.
I love my ranger I have had 2 the first in 1988 I bought a 1986 it really sucked in 2020 I got a 2000 4×4 off road with 230,000 miles still drive it today with 275,00 miles 4.0 v6 and I love it
Small trucks won't be made anymore because of the CAFE standard. Ironic right? Im guessing the truck companies pushed it because bigger trucks are more profitable.
Ford Ranger is a Hardcore Mini truck.!! My single cab RWD , is close to 300kmiles … ball joints been out for the past year & half … Idk if I should drop 2k . on upgrading the suspension. 🧐🧐 …. Engine is still STRONG .!
The ford explorer is also a good option if you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg for a 4x4 ranger, and also if you don’t work and just want to haul friends around
I've had 3 Rangers, and my first "car" was of course, a Ranger. And I still have my 3rd Ranger, a 2004 Edge Trim XLT with the 4 liter V6. My 3rd Ranger has been my favorite, my only complaints are it's a pain in the butt to change spark plugs and the thermostat housing is shitty plastic.
I have owned 2 2001 ford ranger xlt's and I wouldn't have gotten the second one if it wasn't the most perfect fun and simple vehicle that it is I have acquired some how a 2001 ford ranger xlt that was garage kept for nearly 20 years and its stunning
I am sure glad Ford finally did away with the tire eating twin I beam front suspension. I owned a 1989 two wheel drive XLT. It was my first Ranger. I have owned a total of 4 Ford Rangers of various years/ models, 2WD and 4WD. I really like them.