I have a 2000 XLT Extended Cab 4x4 w/ "style-side", A/C, stick, CD, blah-blah...

It's been a great little truck but I'll be upgrading to a F150 or F250 by next year. I live in VT so I would never own a truck w/o 4x4. The XLT package helps resale/trade value w/ the creature comforts the package includes.

Downside....I need more room in the back!! Trying to arrange ammo cans, rifles and gear is a pain [:D]. That's why I'll move to a bigger truck next time.

I just payed off my 1999 Ranger XLT Sport. It's a supercab with the rear half-doors on both sides, a step-side, 4x4, 4.0 liter V6 with 5-speed stick, power everything.

I've had very little trouble with it, and what I have had has been repaired under warranty.  Hell, I even got a free new set of tires (the Firestone fiasco).  It's due for brakes now.  We'll see what [i]that[/i] costs.

I ordered it from Ford and waited about six weeks for it to come it.  I'm very happy with it.  All I need to do is get the bed spray-lined and put a tonneau cover on it.

One complaint:  Mileage.  Varies from 15.5 to 17 MPG for no apparent reason.  Gets 18.5 MPG if I drive on the interstate exclusively.  I've driven full-sized Chevy's with the Vortec 350 that do as well or better.

Second complaint:  I traded in an '88 5.0 LX Mustang.  [b]I MISS THE V8![/b]

A coworker has a '95 and is the original owner.  He's had zero problems, and sings it's praises apart from being woefully short on horsepower (4cyl).

i have a 95 XLT, extended cab, 2wd, 4cyl. it has 145,000 and yet to have any problems. routime maintenance only. i wish it had the rear opening doors. my next pickup will have those. and the 4 cyl sucks. as driftpunch said it is seriously lacking power. the pedal is almost on the floor to go 70mph. it has no guts. go with the 6 cylinder. i like my truck, but the next one will be a full size. i haul 2 kids around with me all the time, and a little more room would be nice.

I just sold my 1989 XLT. It had 159.5K miles on it. It was still going strong, but repair bills were starting to mount up. The 4 banger was underpowered and the floppy side mirrors sucked. Other than that I loved it. I just bought a 2003 Edge with a 3.0 V6. With only 200 miles on it I am still in love. It seems to use a lot of gas. More to come after the break in period. I love rangers. I also own a F250 7.3 diesel, but that is work to drive not fun like a ranger.

First and foremost! Seriously consider getting the extended cab model.  The space is very useful for stuff (gun cases etc) that I don't like having in the back.

My '92 Ranger has over 100k on the clock and still runs fine. Not fast, 'cause it's the four banger 2X4 model but as good as can be expected.
I have a buddy who put almost 200k on a mid '80s Ranger, and then we dropped in a rebuilt engine and he drove it another 75K.

Bottom line is that with good maintenence and reasonable driving style, Rangers usually give very good service. If you are considering towing anything, or hauling stuff approaching the 1200 lb. weight limit then you should definently consider V6 and possibly a spring kit, at least in the back.

Don in Ohio

I love my '93 Ranger 4x4. One downside is the lack of legroom in the regular cab model.
Get the extended cab if you are tall. Also get the 4.0 V6 engine.

I just got rid of my 1987 Ford F-150 Lariat. I purchased a 1990 Ford Ranger after the F-150 was gone. For the first couple days I was like "well this isnt so bad, it's small but I can deal with it." Well, Im always transporting friends and people wanting rides. Im 6'6" and let me tell you, that cab is damn small. It's only 2wd and regular cab. So as soon as I can find a larger truck, I'm selling the Ranger and getting a bigger truck. Would want to get a F-150 with a 300 6 cyl 4x4. The old F-150 had a 302 V8 and it sucked the gas. Just too much $$$ for a teenager who hasnt gotten a job yet.

I have a 1988 Ranger, (6 cyl, 4x4, extended cab) that I drive everyday.  It has about 80,000 miles on it.  Well, there was a time of eight years where I didn't drive it everyday, but that's another story.  It's been a good truck even though I abused it by pulling a boat that is way beyond the rated towing range.  Unfortunately the kids outgrew the little seats in the back so the truck is kinda small for anyone but me and one passenger.  Something to think about if you have small kids and want to keep the truck for a while.

I have a 1993 4x4 extended cab.
4x4 and extended cab are a must for me.
It has the 3.0ltr V-6, I wish I had the 4.0

After 10 years, it's still a nice truck.
I love my ranger.

I like mine, I would like an F-150 better, but I like mine...

1999 Ranger Supercab XLT 4x4, 3.0, Flareside, Auto.
I wish it was a 3 or 4 door (i think they are dooing 4 doors on the supercab now) Im 6'2" and I fit with spare room, I also wish it was a 4.0

[img]http://donjuandederek.50megs.com/images/new_rngr_f_l.jpg[/img]

[url=http://donjuandederek.50megs.com/]My Truck's Website[/url]

[url]http://www.therangerstation.com/[/url]

Thanks,
I forgot to add, when I bought it I had no idea how amazingly capable these things are off-road, if that is what you are in to.  AZ has some pretty tough terrain, but the ranger can take it like pavement, I am really amazed by what it can do.  The one downfall is that water is its worst enemy, the way the intake is designed it sucks in eavery bit of water that comes near the headlight.  Hydro-locks(?) are quite common here for some reason...

My brother in law has a 2000 ranger and likes it, I also have a good friend with a '97 or so ranger.  He is really rough on trucks but that thing just keeps going. They are too small for me, but if you don't need a full size truck thats not a problem.

Only problem I have had with my F150 was the little POS who cut me off.  Truck has been in the shop 3 weeks and it will be about 3 weeks more since they are still waiting on some parts. His insurance will be through the roof.  

Don't leave out getting a Mazda B4000 , they are the same as a Ford ranger and made on the same assy line in the USA. From my hunt for a late 90's V6 4x4 ext cab ranger, the pickings were real slim and a used low miles ranger was almost as much $$ as a new one . Ended up with a Mazda for a couple $k less than the same ranger.

Overall very reliable trucks. Only real annoying thing about them is the obnoxious door chime and cruddy gas mileage...

I always hate that guy that comes in and craps on everybodys parade, but I am going to do it.  Now I am not saying this is the norm, if it was ford would be out of bussiness.

My patrol car is the only ford ranger in our fleet.  We work for the railroad so almost all of our patrol cars are jeeps and explorers, but some nimrod decieded that since I don't do transports, a ranger would be perfect.  My patrol car is a 2002 Ranger Edge 4x4.  It is the biggest POS on 4 wheels.  I have had it just over a year, and let me run past you the repairs over the past year.
We are on our second engine
Third tranny is being put in as i type this
Seventh powersteering pump, its about to go
third set of brakes (and I don't just mean pads)
Second serpantine belt
150th (or so it seems) door ajar switch
2 stereo (the cd player in it no longer works)
and on top of all that it is the 4.0....the thing has absoulutly NO POWER!  I cannot wait until we get rid of it.  Alas it only has 36,000 miles, and we are stuck with it till 150,000 or so.

As I said, this is most certainly not the norm, but this thing is a flipping lemon.

Oh yeah! Ford set up their own arbitration here in new mexico so the lemon laws really don't apply to them....we tried

just my .02

had a 94 ranger put over 200,000 miles on it and problems started up had a slip in the drive train and really didn't want to spend the money on it.so i traded it on a 02 ranger v6 3.0 standard cab 2 wheel drive edge love it,
lots of power,ran it 80 to 90 mph to tenn this last weekend average 18-20 mpg.
if you buy a new on i found out that the price is roughly 10 % below sticker price for x-plan.so that may help you with negotiating a price.my sticker listed 16,500, but only payed 12,100 for it with xplan and rebate.

'94 Ranger SuperCab 4x2 with 4.0-liter V-6 and five-speed manual tranny closing in on 154,000 miles.

Modifications: Superlift suspension lift (five-inch front, three-inch rear); ARB air-locking 3.73 rear end; 31x10.50R15s; K&N air filter; Rhino liner.

Likes: Interior, fit & finish, plethora of aftermarket goodies. Gets 17-24 mpg (noticed better mileage after switching from mud-terrain tires to all-terrain).

Dislikes: Not a lot of power, but it's adequate for what I do (mostly freeway miles with some off-road desert running). Have gone through two transmissions (and I thought the manual ones were supposed to be tougher) and one rear end.

Would I buy one again? Yes. But I don't know if I'd get one of the newer A-arm-equipped Rangers. I'd probably still get the older I-beam truck because you can get more wheel travel with less work. But the newer SOHC engine and multi-door cab would be nice. [:)]

I had a '94 (4X4, XLT, extended cab, 4.0L V-6, auto) with 168,000 miles on it when I traded for my Jeep. As  kato4moto said, the 4.0 engine doesn't have an assload of power, but it'll get you where you're going. I never had even a hint of trouble out of it. It was comfortable, and had a nice interior, but could still work for a living when it had to.

My Fiancee has a 97 4.0L XLT with 97000 miles on it.  She likes it except for the fact that a lot of them have small electrical glitches such as it takes almost a minute for it to realize the door was closed.  The diferences between XL and XLT is the level of trim.  You would be hard pressed to find power accessories in an XL, it's more like a fleet work truck.  XLT is mostly what everyone gets for power windows, locks, etc.  The only thing that sucks about the XLT and, I think the dealer was blowing smoke up my ass, was that I was told if I wanted an XLT and a manual I had to special order it.

A tale of two trucks...

My Dad bought a 1989 Ford Ranger XLT automatic 2WD V6 extended cab new.  He kept it for 7 years and sold it with 80,000 miles on it.  

Good:  Reliable, comfortable , gas friendly [for a truck]

Bad:  Ranger was smaller; for tall people in can be uncomfortable, still was a gas hog, only a 2wd so it got stuck occasionally, automatic.  (The automatic doesn't help when you need to more closely control your engine in off-road and "stuck" situations.)

Cut to 2002 when I bought a 1999 Ford F-150 XLT stick regular cab extended bed 4wd off road package V6 with 27,000 miles on it.

Good:  Reliable, comfortable, hauls a lot, gets respect on the road, 4wd kicks butt in the rain and off road, stick.

Bad:  Big enough to cause parking difficulties, gas guzzler, expensive to maintain ($500+ for four tires, 4wd oil, etc.), V6 is somewhat underpowered, not much room in the cab.

If I had to do it over again, I'd still go with the F-150 but with an extended cab and a V8.  Yeah, the gas mileage would get worse.  I'd want the extended cab so my groceries won't go sliding all over the 7 or 8 foot (whatever the longest bed is that Ford makes) bed.  I'm considering buying a plastic crate to hold groceries and other small items for the bed.

If you're taller or see yourself doing some hauling, go F-150.  If you just want a smaller truck and do smaller hauling, go Ranger.

Get the 4x4.  It will naturally jack up the truck, and more ground clearance is always better.  In addition, it'll be useful for snow and rain.  Rain..?  Yes, rain!  Trucks are notorious for sliding around in wet conditions when the back is empty.  The 4x4 may help.  (What'll help more is weighting down the bed with sand bags or something.)  And remember that 4x4 does NOT help with braking!

STAY AWAY from those goofy flareside trucks!  You lose a foot or two of bed space for "looks!"  That's a bad trade in my opinion.

As for a dream truck..?  F-250 or F-350, "King Ranch" edition, extended bed and quad cab.  Stick.  [:)]

Mike

I have three trucks... two nissans and 1 Ford ranger...

Ford was beaten to shit, loaded it up with HEAVY ass equipment and ran like there was nothing in the bed... We abused it and it kept coming back for more. Nissans cant take the abuse the Ford did.

Only reason why I wouldnt buy another one is that I need a bigger truck!!!