2002 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 Off Road 4-Door V-6

Summary:

Good for now, but 4+ years will be the test!

Faults:

Nothing. It is a brand new vehicle.

General Comments:

Purchased this vehicle solely because of the X-plan discount price afforded as part of a fleet program incentive.

If it had been a MSRP-type purchase, I would have gotten a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier (if the looks don't scare you off), or even the cheaper-but-just-as-practical Mazda B4000.

This is my 4th American built truck in my life, but they seem to do OK for the first three years, then fall apart like no one's business. Prove me wrong Ford.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th January, 2002

18th Oct 2014, 09:46

Mine has 207,000 miles, runs like crazy. With the reputation these auto trans have, it must have been replaced to get this many miles on it. Don't know how many owners, but the truck appears to have been used strictly for commuting.

4WD would not engage when I bought it, but playing with it a bit has loosened the transfer case enough to make engaging/disengaging fairly easy.

It has very poor articulation compared to either my 89 BII or 91 Explorer. The A arm front suspension has very limited travel and rides not harshly but painfully. Maybe the Sensatrac shocks are bad... I hope. Certain sections of freeway make me want to bail out and take my chances. Improved the ride somewhat by cranking preload (and ground clearance) out of the torsion bars. Removed rear lift blocks and realigned the front end; now it's a fairly decent handling street truck, but if the ride doesn't get better, I'll be disappointed.

The door ajar light wouldn't go out for year till I shot the latches with Kroil and the locks with graphite.

Broke 1 panel of the rear slider window, $300 to replace. $40 at PicAPart.

The plastic thermostat housing assembly is a weak point; replace the entire thing if you pull a lean code on bank 2.

No LS in the 4.10 rear end. That's plain stupid in my view. I'll add a Trac Lok in time.

All in all, I like this truck a lot, but I got it cheap. That makes a huge difference.