1988 Ford Ranger User Reviews

Best Old Pickup Out There — I love my Truck Its a 1988 ford ranger it is silver with blue and red trim It has next to no rust and runs great I have only had to put 20 bucks into it to replace a ruptured power steering line The only thing that sucks is I payed 2800 for the damn thing and it has no cd player I know, I know I shouldn't complain hey It only has 68,000 miles on it!

Build Ford Tough — It has gone every where i have asked it to go. and it tow anything i ask to it its got the 2.9 and motor is still working good with 235K. and its got good gas mileage for its age group

A Great Canvas To Build Off Of; Rangers Can Become Anything From Street Machine To Serious Off-road — My first truck ends up being a project just like almost everything else i seem to buy ;) The truck was originally purchased with one goal in mind, to be the replacement base for a paintball tank at my local paintball field. The previous truck, and 1990 Mitsubishi 4WD pickup, was too far gone to be saved with my limited knowledge of it, and the lack of parts availble for it. The Ranger was purchased in non-running condition, off the road for 2 years, for 300 dollars off of Craigslist. The non-running part was easy to fix, as there was only a couple of fried connections and a blown fuse to the fuel pump. After a tune up, the engine ran like a dream, despite having over 116k on the clock. Right now the truck is serving double duty as a farm vehicle and a paintball tank, with the eventual goal being to put it back on the road and use as a work truck. Only thing stopping me right now is a new bed, an exhaust, and some frame repairs. The few times i've had to take it up through the gears it does drive quite well; you can really only get to 4th gear on the back roads i drive it on before you run out of space or don't feel like rattling your teeth out on the bumps. Combine a 2.9 V6 with the M5OD 5 speed in the truck and you've got a good setup for just about anything. However the upside is also the downside; the Cologne V6 engine is fraught with head gasket issues from 86-88, thanks to a flaw in the cylinder head design on American Cologne engines only. Also, being only 2.9 liters means this truck won't win any speed trials; it will get up and go, but it's no V8 and shouldn't be expected to smoke the tires. as long as you keep that in mind, and keep a good eye on the engine's vitals, these can last well into 200k miles before needing any work.

Primary Use: Utility (towing boats, transporting cargo, etc.)

Found On Road Dead — i bought it for $50 when i was 15. it had a freshly rebuilt engine and transmission but needed a lot of body work. a summer spent making it look snazzy and i was happy. eventually, we had to install a manual switch for the fuel injection so it would work when needed. i sold it for $1000 and got a new car.

Good — the quality is good and its good performance shes slow but good apperances ever body knows its my truck when i go anywere because is a one of a kind its fun to dive and stick good good good good

Primary Use: Commuting to work