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Location: The Circle City. Sometimes NE of Bagdad.
24,445 posts, read 25,974,673 times
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If you are only going to use it occasionally for hauling stuff from yard/garage sales consider renting a pickup from U-Haul for a day. No yearly insurance and license fees. Gotta be cheaper.
Just sold my 94 fully loaded, rust free GMC pu for $3K with 73K miles on it saving over $800 per year.
If I need to haul something I will just rent it for the time I need it or borrow my SIL's truck.
Re the Ranger: can that 4 cylinder haul say, appliances, like a washer/dryer, or a fridge w/o obvious strain, or would I be better off w/the 6? I'm thinking that appliances would be the heaviest thing I would haul.
You will be fine hauling those appliances. Just don't expect to haul a 16' trailer with a car on top.
I've got a 95 Ranger with the 4.0, a 5 speed, and 31" tires. The upper end of the motor is a little chatty, but that seems to be common. Gas mileage always comes in right around 22 MPGs. I don't haul anything really heavy in the back. It's not like a full sized truck in that department. But it will do kitchen appliances quite handily or a half-load of fire wood. I think the 4 cyl. would do just fine with the appliances too.
I'm trying to think of a circumstance where I would prefer even a good low-mileage Ranger over that F-100. Being a hardcore stickshift guy, if I could find a Ranger with 4WD, 5-speed, and the most desirable engine (whatever that is, I don't know these trucks that well) *maybe* I would prefer that for the same or less money than the F-100 on offer.
Several of Ford's more recent engines are not quite the paragons of durability and simplicity that the old 352 FE is.
Dude, it's your money and you will be driving the truck, putting gas in it, etc. But, me, if the F-100 is as nice as I imagine it, I would grab it and not look back.
And I would bet you dollars to donuts that if the F-100 just didn't work for me, for whatever reason, I could sell it for all I paid for it, maybe a bit more, if in a hurry maybe lose a couple hundred bucks.
Yeah, I guess. I'm torn. I like the F100 but it's not practical. I found a 1990 Ranger w/only 53K miles on it for 3500. The 80 year old man selling it has ALL the maintenance records and he's kept it up meticulously. I talked to my cousin in Chicago who used to be a mechanic. He's currently restoring an old Nova in his garage. Anyway he said "Screw the Ranger. A Ranger is a girl truck. Get the old Ford." Funny thing is, I AM a girl LOL. I guess he doesn't think of me that way though.
How exactly is the F-100 not practical? Rugged, simple, in good condition, available for a price you probably could not buy it for - what's not practical here? All that said, if I looked at each truck in person I might possibly like the Ranger better. But I still say give the F-100 a try, if it's worth the asking price if you want to sell it, unless you wreck it you will (probably) get all your money back.
If you "fix" your profile so it registers you as "female", you will quit confusing us here - your picture icon is of a guy.
LOL. Yeah but that guy pic in my profile is "House" (Hugh Laurie). I am not a celebrity.
I guess my mental block is that the F100 will be a gas hog, it's bigger than what I need, and parts might be hard to come by at some point, or even finding people who can work on it. Regardless, a guy friend of mine is going to check out the F100 for me tomorrow. I"ll keep you guys in the loop.
LOL. Yeah but that guy pic in my profile is "House" (Hugh Laurie). I am not a celebrity.
I guess my mental block is that the F100 will be a gas hog, it's bigger than what I need, and parts might be hard to come by at some point, or even finding people who can work on it. Regardless, a guy friend of mine is going to check out the F100 for me tomorrow. I"ll keep you guys in the loop.
There is not much difference in drive train under the hood from 73 to 96. They changed the engine, some transmission body and interior differences, but they are all excellent vehicles.
I have a 79 F150 with a 4x4 and 4 speed 300 inline six. It is a great pickup. Its in need of some TLC.
There is nothing wrong with the Ranger, I had a pair of S-10s the first was a 96 with a 4 cylinder and auto, it was worthless. I also had a 2000 with 2.2 and a 5 speed that was a slightly better pickup.
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