What should I do? Ford Ranger avaible to me

Did the impound lot change the wheels? I see different ones, front- back. The tires seem rather new. this is a plus. I assume you could tow it home or trailer it without doing all the paperwork, first, and take care if it when you can. Will your current insurance cover it when you buy it? Check first!

I guess I would bail it out, fix it, update the title, etc. and sell it and get the kind if truck you really want and need.

Paul in Central Oregon

Being a Ford, doublecheck the air conditioner actually works - many don't, and can cost about $800 to fix. Also, in late model Fords you must change your coolant at least every other year or you will certainly plug up your heater core and/or radiator core, both nasty expensive fixes.

I believe the transmissions are somewhat suspect on this vehicle.

I'd pass, personally.

Grant

Gunner wrote:

If you bail it out of the impound she can demand her truck, at least in many states. Get the title first.

John

Gunner posted in rec.crafts.metalworking on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:05:02 GMT:

Blue book value of that truck for my area. Condition Value Excellent $6,030 Good $5,525 Fair $4,860

Your cost to aquire it is $2700 including the repairs, title/tags/etc.

Even using the lowest blue book number you are up @$2100 based on the value after you fix it up. You'd still have the '94 as a back-up as well.

The only thing I would reccomend would be to put an oil cooler on it as well as an aux. tranny cooler.

Agonizing over it like you have been isn't doing any good. Get the truck...at the very least you can buy it, fix it and make a profit.

Lotsa good info on these critters at

Dave

Drove with expired tags, no drivers license and no insurance? In 101,000 miles, how many times do you suppose she changed the oil? She sounds like the kind of person who would let the oil get below the dipstick, and then just add some.

You could make a couple thousand bucks if everything goes the way you plan. But how many hours would this take away from your regular activities (like earning a living?) Is it worth it?

I owned US built vehicles for a lot of years - GM brand mostly. After an engine overhaul on a Chevy 3/4 ton pickup at 86,000 miles (failed the smog test), I gave up on the US brands and started buying Japanese models - for many years now.

Your mileage numbers above are in the same ballpark as what I've experienced when I compare the US vs. Japanese models I've owned. That is, I found US models became unreliable and in need of frequent repair at 100,000 miles or so while the Japanese models would go twice that far before needing significant work done on them.

Gary

Haven't heard anyone talk about brakes. With 101,000 miles the brakes could be shot and could need a full brake job. that could be another few hundred bucks. Struts? What about them? Rubber parts like hoses and vacuum lines?

Wayne

Must be you don't know that Gunner's Mazda is in fact a relabeled Ford Ranger. Kinda pokes a hole in your theory.

-Carl

You might want to look close at who is relabeling who's product.

But Ford and Mazda have been in bed since the early or mid seventies, in any case, with the Ford Courier truck.

For the most part, the impression I got was that the truck had more Mazda than Ford in it.

Cheers Trevor Jones

"Trevor Jones" wrote: But Ford and Mazda have been in bed since the early or mid seventies, in any case, with the Ford Courier truck. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My Ford Courier was a POS. The two Rangers I have owned, and the two I drove at work have been good trucks.

Wrongo. The Mazda is a Ford Ranger with a Mazda grill (the first digit in the VIN is the giveaway). The Courier was a Mazda with a Ford grill (a Ford

2.3 liter engine was an option) . I worked on both as a Ford mechanic.

-Carl

We had a Courier for a parts hauler- as was typical for Japanese trucks of the period, if you scratched it, it rusted away overnight.

-Carl

An unbiased opinion from the other side of the world:-)

Arrange to get the title in hand first. Agree to pay Blue Book less the pound fees and back tax, less parts and less your time at $75/hr or what ever is appropriate.

What happens if the lady leaves it in the pound, crusher or state sale?

Doing it the above way is brutally fair. You pay the going rate and she gets what it's worth. No one gets any favours one way or the other.

Regards Mark Rand RTFM

I gave away my '86 Mazda B2000 a short while back. It had 425,000 kilometers on it, and was promptly put back on the road. I still see it around here. Considering that I drove it like a stolen taxicab, I have nothing but respect for the toughness of that truck. Not that it was on original innards or anything, but pretty much all that went wrong with it in the

15 years I had it, could be accounted for by either blatant abuse or neglect. Parts were cheap at the wreckers that I dealt with, too. If I did not already have another truck, and two cars, I probably would still be driving it.

The newer Mazda and Ford small trucks have a decent rep.

Our Courier was a POS as well, but still a fun little beater to boot around on the farm in!

Cheers Trevor Jones

The VIN tells only where it was made, not who engineered it.

Too many plants owned by the overseas companies around, to be able to start saying what is or is not a Japanese truck or car on the VIN alone.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Found this

Looks like you are on the money as to source.

Says that DoN's Navaho is a rebadged Exploder two-door, too.

Cheers Trevor Jones

If he did that, he's never get ANY work done. ;-)