So, my dad is looking to buy a small and basic truck mainly for hauling crap around town or to the dump. He's not trying to pull a trailer or haul anything over a couple hundred pounds, just a truck that will reliably do the job. His preferences are something that is 4 or 6 cylinder, with an automatic trans and less than $4000-$5000.

We test drove this 2002 Ford Ranger XLT this afternoon:
http://www.jordanlakepreowned.com/vehicledetails.aspx?vid=118724477
It is a retired City of Greensboro fleet truck with 188000 miles. The engine felt strong, the trans was smooth, the body looked straight with minimal rust on the tailgate. On the surface it looks good, but I'm more concerned about the long-term reliability/durability especially because of the high mileage. Any of you truck guru's have any opinions on this truck?

Let me know what you guys think, or if you have any other suggestions. Thanks.

8/3/2010 7:27:17 PM

Too much money for a plain 2WD Ranger with that many miles.

8/3/2010 7:34:30 PM

^that and it was probably rode hard and put up wet b/c those driving it didn't own it

late 90s dodge dakotas are right in that price range. more room in the cab and bigger beds than rangers and chevy S-10s. their 4 banger and 3.9L V6 are both reliable engines. i love mine and always recommend them to folks looking a utilitarian truck b/c they often overlook the dakota and go straight to looking for rangers, s-10s, etc.

8/3/2010 8:55:49 PM

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/1880319317.html

8/5/2010 3:01:56 PM

i used to be in charge of a fleet that included a ton of rangers from 1999- 2010. they were good trucks but every single one of them had transmission problems and we followed all factory recommended services. all of ours were 4-cyl though, i have no idea if thats a different transmission than the 3.0.

8/5/2010 4:40:14 PM

tacoma
/thread

8/6/2010 9:14:11 AM