18th Jul 2007, 00:57
Not to burst you bubble, but that "Ford tough" Ranger is made by Mazda which is why it is so durable:)
22nd Jul 2008, 15:48
Responding to the comment about the Ranger being a Mazda: The only part of a Ford Ranger this age that is Mazda-sourced is the manual transmission, the M5OD-R1. The A4LD automatic in Rangers/Explorers/Bronco II's is sourced from Ford in Bordeaux, France. My sheets on the Ranger from 1991 say it is 80% US/Canadian. Compare that to the 70% US/Canadian found in the 2008 Ranger. In terms of the engines of 1991, two of the four offered were made in a Ford plant in Cologne, Germany: 2.9 and 4.0. The other two (2.3 and 3.0) are built in a Ford casting plant in Lima, Ohio. Therefore, the Ranger is very much a Ford product, but depending on it's configuration had some foreign parts.
24th Jul 2008, 23:44
Actually, the import fans have it backwards. The Mazda truck is simply a Ranger with a different grille. Up until 1992 Mazda made its own trucks. They were very cheap, poor riding and not overly reliable. When they became Rangers the ride, quality and reliability went way UP. Our family uses Rangers as company vehicles and they are some of the most reliable, tough vehicles on Earth. Some date back to 1993 and have 300,000+ miles on them.
28th Jul 2010, 14:56
This is the original poster of the review. This Ranger now has 295000 miles on it. I have driven it for 5 years, and sadly I will be parting with it in 2 weeks, to be replaced by a 2002 Ford Ranger 4-wheel drive Off Road. I will be shedding tears because it was such a great truck. Here is a short list of repairs that I've done:
1. The original clutch was finally replaced at 250000 miles. Repair was approximately 500 dollars.
2. Right differential replaced at about the same time. 96 dollar repair.
3. Starter went out. 120 dollar repair.
Otherwise, it has been routine maintenance the entire way. It's starting to show a little age with a little bit of bumper rust, but it has never let me down aside from those repairs. A great product of the Highland Park Plant in St. Paul, and I am excited to get 300000 out of my next Ranger. Highly recommended!
29th Jul 2010, 12:20
Wow! Your truck is hardly broken in! My friend is selling his Ranger now because he is afraid he "Might start to have trouble with it". It only has 352,000 miles on it.
23rd Jun 2011, 05:49
I bought my very used '92 3L Ranger four years ago. Not sure if it has 200,000 or 300,000 miles because I don't know how many times odometer has tripped.
The transmission had to have special cleaner put in at the fluid change. Fuel injector sensor had to be replaced. Now, it needs a new starter.
It is geared high, feels like it always wants to go faster. I think it was a good truck in its day. Also I think the previous owner did a lot of mountain driving in it. He took good care of it, but did some towing with it as well.
I'm starting to hold my breath when I drive it. It has sat parked for two years. I know the transmission was changed out at some point. It was a great little truck for somebody, just not me. I'm starting to understand why previous owner got rid it.
30th Nov 2006, 17:56
How about another update?
Anyway, I'm getting up to 200,000 miles real soon. Nothing has happened mechanically at all. I have taken it on a lot of hiking trips this past summer--and it's still cruises at 80 @ about 2900 rpm on the interstate.
I put some new bright Halogen lights on a brand new black grille guard, so now it is very bright at night when I have to drive on the highway on the way home from work or school.
Great truck. When the current engine craps out in it, I'll throw in a identical, but more modern 3.0 liter that runs on E85. I also might get another Supercab just like it for doing some serious offroading.
Rangers, the best looking and best mechanically.