Mechanically solid little truck

I’ve had my 㥞 Ranger since 1996. I bought it for $700 and consider it a great investment. I’m a contractor on the side, a salesman full-time. One of the first rules of business is to keep expenses down and profits up. Sales have been slower lately but are building up again. I stay busy doing jobs smaller than most guys take on but no matter the economy I cringe at the thought of covering a new truck payment every month. Why pay someone else money I made? Let’s see, buy new truck and throw money away. I do electrical, plumbing, dry walling, tile work and more. This truck has been great for all of it. Tax deduction? I’ve two great tax deductions I get to tuck into bed at night when I’m not out on a job late. Then I’d also rather spend some time with my tax deductions (girl in 1998 and boy in 2001) rather than running ragged all the time.

I’ve got about 130,000 miles on this little critter and figure I’ll drive it until it falls apart around me. One day I’ll close the door and the thing will disintegrate into a cloud of dust. I’ll rummage through it and pick out my tools. I do believe the next work truck will be a van, though. But, off topic.

One of the first things I had to do was have the exhaust system replaced - $300 for the whole thing. Another $200 for a topper & I was ready to go to work and not letting the entire neighborhood when I came & went.

This never was a beautiful truck. It was originally dark brown with a tan interior. But now the rust has given it a two-tone color scheme. The only body panel that has not been eaten away at least partially by rust is the hood. All the wheel wells are slowly expanding. The right pivot point for the end-gate has fallen off. I found it and have it on a shelf in the garage.

Believe it or not, I’d rather drive this than a new truck. I never worry about door dings in the parking lot at Lowe’s/Menard’s/Home Depot. I cut shingles on the hood and use the side panels to knock concrete out of my mixing trough. Why? Because I can & it’s convenient. Nothing I do to this truck will reduce its value at all because it is far from the showroom.

Nor has this truck ever been considered powerful. The 2.3L engine is sufficient to keep it moving with traffic, but not to pull anything large and continue to do so. I’ve driven from Des Moines to Chicago with it to do a basement finish for my brother-in-law and even in Chicago traffic I was able to hold my own. I’m never “chosen” at stop-lights but people give me room when I signal I’m changing lanes. I think other drivers see the rust and are afraid that if they get too close it’ll jump onto their car, too. A POX ON YE! Fine.

Once when I rented a lift and was backing it into position up a driveway, the clutch began smoking. A lot. It – the clutch not the smoke - lasted another year or so until I could barely make it up my own driveway. So, I dropped the transmission - with someone who knew what they were doing - and replaced the clutch for about $300. The mechanic who does the work on my car quoted me about $750. I hate paying retail.
The only issue I’ve had with the interior noise level – it’s tolerable even at Interstate speeds – was on that trip to Chicago. I turn the radio up to cover the engine noise. Even though I say it is tolerable, that doesn’t mean you can hold conversation with a passenger. I’d also noted a great deal of wind noise from the passenger door and could see daylight through the top seal. So, at the next rest area I stopped and tweaked the door a bit. It wasn’t quite enough. So at the next exit I tweaked it again. Harder. That tightened the door to the point that it’s difficult to open. But, the wind-noise is gone.

I like the bench seat. It really is comfortable. Compared to the seats in my sales car (2000 Taurus) it is very comfortable. On the longer trips it doesn’t limit you with bolsters or even attempt to cradle you. It just supports you and does this job very well. I keep my cordless drill & Sawsall in the space behind the seat. I’ve also mounted a first aid kit behind my head over the seat. It hangs down over the window but doesn’t obstruct the view. Since the seat doesn’t have whiplash protection, the first aid kit has a dual use. Perhaps someone will encourage me to purchase a newer vehicle someday by rear-ending this truck. It wouldn’t take much so I hope they’re gentle.

The rear view mirror sought new employment one day out of the blue. It came groveling back from under the seat and now sits close to the end-gate pivot in the garage. The view out the back is limited by stuff in the topper anyway. I’ve quite a lot of tools neatly boxed in those cheap, plastic 50-gallon bins. They keep the tools out of sight and small parts easy to find.

I’ve tested the payload capacity a few times too many. The tires have been the only suspension on the rear at least a couple of times - once with a too-large load of shingles and the second with a way-too-heavy tree trunk. A couple of other times since then I’ve had the rear bumper drag on the way out the driveway. It doesn’t take as much as it used to to do that.

The right front brake hangs up once in a while. I believe I need new calipers but don’t feel like dropping the money into the truck and don’t have the time to spare anyway. I just avoid using the parking brake and things work fine.

The windshield is cracked from a large extension ladder being strapped to the roof of the truck. I just laid it over the top of the topper and roof of the truck and strapped it down in the front and back. It caused a bit of stress on the roof and some cracks developed. Iowa doesn’t have laws concerning cracked windshields so I’ll let it go until it becomes a problem. I carry the ladder very rarely as it looks like a hook & ladder truck coming down the road. Well, perhaps more like a tight contractor who won’t spring for a ladder rack.

The windshield wipers don’t like to be too cold. If the day is under freezing they need some time for the engine to warm them up a bit. Not a huge deal. Most old trucks have a quirk or two; this one just has a dozen or so. A more annoying thing is that when the humidity is high or especially if there’s been heavy dew, the truck is very reluctant to start. I’ve replaced the starter twice. The first time was because it was worn out. The second time because a damaged flywheel was actually the culprit the first time. The second time I opted for the biggest starter that would fit in there. Teamed with an oversized battery what’s “reluctant” for me may be “not at all” for someone else, I don’t know.

I’ve also noted a lot of leaves end up in my vents. Then, occasionally the blower shreds them fine enough that they blow out but normally I need to dig them out. I gave up and tore the vent louvers off the dash. Now the leaves just blow whole out of the chute while I’m driving down the road. Just wait until this winter when the heater really gets going. Picture flaming leaves… Anyway, the vent louvers have joined the collection on the shelf in the garage.

This may be related to the leaf thing, but when it rains I’ve noticed that the floor on the passenger’s side is wet. I just make certain anything that I put on the floor isn’t going to be damaged by moisture (copper fittings & small bins of screws). I’ve had a couple of cardboard boxes disintegrate with a couple of pounds of screws in them before I began to watch what I keep there.

The bed has taken a great deal of abuse but looks pretty good. I found a bed mat in a garage I was working on one time that a previous owner had left. It keeps those plastic bins from sliding around as much. It’s also a bit more comfortable than the metal when crawling up to reach the bin with the power tools. (That’s why I’d like to go to a van when this truck gives up the ghost.)

The radiator or a hose has developed a small leak. I’m hoping it’s a hose or clamps myself. Three cans of stop leak and it slowed down a bit more. Reflecting upon that it’s probably the water pump. I notice this leak better in the winter as when the water mix gets too low in the radiator it doesn’t reach the heater core and the cabin blower blows cold air. Otherwise the heater works great. You could almost scald tender skin on the hottest setting. I’m not certain what tender skin you’re thinking of… No A/C but I grew up without A/C and am generally fine without it when dressed in grubby clothes. On really bad days I just knock off early. You can’t work on a roof or in an attic when it’s that hot anyway and if you’re in an A/C controlled house or a basement then you’re golden – so to speak anyway, working in the dark I get rather pasty.

I think the carpeting is after-market. At least it looks like it. Not very well fitted either. Heck for $700 you think you’d get something a bit better, eh? The shifter knob for the five-speed transmission has fallen off a few times. No doubt from that blistering acceleration. No threading on the lever or in the knob so I wrapped electrical tape around the lever and pounded the knob onto it. No problem. Many items on this truck seem ready to jump ship; I’m not certain why. Electrical tape fixes many things, not as well as duct tape, but I’m more of an electrician, not a heating & air guy.

The dash holds note pads, gloves and assorted ends well. The blowers also contribute an odd leaf or two. There’s a nice bin above the glove that is at least as big as the glove box itself and that is great for the smaller things I don’t need in my pouches but need to have along. The glove box is the tip out variety and doesn’t hold much. It also doesn’t always want to stay closed. On harder bumps it will fall open and try to steal items from the bin above it. It takes two or more tries to get it to stay closed again. Even while closed it looks like it’s threatening to open. A cautionary glance stops it but it seems to be muttering to itself even as it stays closed.

Insurance and licensing are almost silly. $50 per year for registration. $240 per year for decent insurance coverage. Again, one of the first rules of business is to keep expenses down and profits up. This truck does it well.

When I was an employee, we had most everything delivered. This truck was more than sufficient. Now that I work on my own, I’ve learned that I personally need something that can carry a bit more. A ¾ ton or one ton van would be right.

Would I recommend this to you? I guess you need to evaluate what you’re going to use it for and what you’re willing to put up with. I’m out to impress exactly no one. Now, if you need more cargo room, more tonnage, towing power I’d certainly get something else. If you want a good solid truck to occasionally take a new bed home for yourself or your neighbors, then this truck is plenty. You won’t catch too many new truck owners hauling dirt or garden manure in their new truck; I’ve no qualms.

The decision is, of course, up to you.