3rd Gen Ford Ranger Is The Ultimate Budget "Micro" Truck!

With all these micro trucks coming out we tend to forget about the tried and true. The cheap, reliable and dependable Ford Ranger.

Welcome to the Deep Drive segment, let’s dive into the ultimate budget micro truck, the Ford Ranger 3rd Gen.

Bit of Background

The Ford Ranger has quite a history. First Ford to carry the Ranger nameplate was the 1950 Ford Panel Delivery Truck after it was converted to 4-wheel drive by the Marmon-Harrington company, similar to how Hennessey works by modifying factory cars. Then the Ranger name was used as a trim on the Ford Edsel as the base model from 1958-1960, The Ford Edsel Ranger. Before the Ranger became an actual Ranger, ford used the name as a styling package until 1981.

Image by: Greg Gjerdingen

“Rohner’s Auto Parts 4th Annual Car Show & Customer Appreciation Day Willmar, Minnesota July 2017

My Dad used to bring along as he would get parts for the family car. As a little car freak, I loved running around checking out all of the different cars. I bought my first car before I had my license and I had to make many trips to Rohner’s to get that car road ready before I passed my road test at 16, I have been going there ever since and bringing friends along and getting them hooked as well.

It was a great day and I heard many great experiences people had finding parts to fix their cars.

I feel all of us should throw them an appreciation party.”

With growing anticipation, in 1983 ford finally came out with the compact pickup truck, the ford ranger and well, the Mazda B series trucks too, and the main difference between the two trucks was the badging due to their joint venture.

Finally, the third gen started selling in 1998 and ended in 2012 in the US.

Image by: Elise240SX

Numbers

The ford ranger has a few engine and transmission options throughout its life, from 98 – 2001 the standard motor was the 2.5L I4, which is the same motor as the previous generation but with a 7mm increase stroke and gave the motor 117hp. The 3.0l Vulcan v6 was also carried over, yet on its way out with 145hp and reaching its peak hp with 154 hp in 2003 and the 4.0 Cologne v6 is the powerplant for the rangers lineup with 160hp. In 2001 The 2.3l DOHC replaced the 2.5L with 135 hp then had a power increase in 2004 with 143 hp. The DOHC 4.0 replaced the previous 4.0 v6, which gave it an impressive 207 hp. In 2008, the 3.0 vanished due to no other vehicle within the ford lineup using that particular motor anymore. The Mazda 5 speed manual was standard for all the motors. 2001, the 4.0s manual was replaced with a heavier duty replacement. Both the 4 banger and the 3.0l v6 had an optional 4 speed auto and in 2001 a 5 speed became an option for the rest of the generation until the 3rd gen’s demise in 2012.

Motorsports Potential

The ford ranger is extremely versatile when it comes to motorsports.

If you don’t want the stock I4 or v6, then throwing in a v8 is always an option, with kits available for an LS swap, 302, and

https://ebay.us/T9NIiW

even the 2v,3v, or 4v from the Mustang

https://engineswapdepot.com/?cat=62

https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?threads/4-6l-2v-swap.170986/

Drag racing the trucks aren’t out of the realm of possibilities, either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1q78kTV_Ec&ab_channel=victoryredcolorado

Drift trucks are also becoming more popular. Gingium on YouTube has built a pretty wicked Mazda series truck, which did require a lot of fab, however, worth the work non the less.

Or set it up as a pre runner, mudding truck, rock crawler or even an adventure rig with a rooftop tent

https://youtu.be/S5fSIVJmGcw?t=468

Reliability

With every older vehicle, there will always be issues that pop up. Yes, even the very reliable ford ranger has a few issues that are common. The camshaft synchronizer squeaks and may need to be lubricated or replaced. Easy job imo. The shackles holding up the leaf springs can rust completely and cause the leaf springs to rest on the bed. So, definitely an area to check if you are wanting to buy one. There are a bit more issues to keep an eye on, and I ave a video breaking down all the common issues that i’ll link down below!

Prices

Depending which way you may want it the prices will vary. The 4 cylinder with low-ish miles under 3k. This one is $2,300, which is a solid deal. Or a show room ranger for 60k… which is a lot of money..

Or you can get a well equipped 4wd ranger with the 4.0 for 7k. The 4wd models are actually quite a bit harder to find, which is why you’ll be paying a premium for one, especially with the current market.

Conclusion

It is actually a bit funny. I feel like the Ford Ranger is the original “micro” truck. It is every so slightly larger than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, but not much larger to make a difference. The Ranger is much cheaper like dirt cheap as a project truck compared to the new micro trucks on the market, which is always fun in my book. One of the huge benefits to the Ranger is its track record. We have data showing its reliability and common issues and I actually broke down its common issues from 1998-2012.

Watch this instead! It has all the visual goodies.