Is this Ford Ranger "a pandora's box" ??

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SumpChump

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I'm looking for as cheap of a beater small pickup as i can get. I want something that i dont give a [censored] if it blows up. I found a '93 Ranger 4cyl 77k miles auto bare bones pickup for $500 asking price (midwest usa, thus would be similar to one found on the coasts for about $400 more). I was hoping that it'd at least have no know history of faults. But it does say .... "Transmission slips". I might test drive it. But wanted an opinion. Note that itd only be for moving brush amd wood chips perhaps 20mile trips max. Basically a road worthy "gator" utility atv.

What could i get for scrap to recoup money if it croaks? Should i looooowball him? Are these transmissions unfixable because they are packed in some unservisable way?
 
Probably the standard Ford A4LD. Dime a dozen as it was used in Aerostars, Rangers, Explorers, and the 4 banger Mustangs. If it dies, it should be able to be rebuilt cheaply or another junkyard unit put in.
 
Junkyards already have transmissions pulled out, pick one up for $200 and have a weekend project dropping the old one and sticking the new one in when the current transmission totally dies.
 
Only found out the other week that in Oz, the 2.6 ranger was a mitsubishi astron based engine.


At least in the Mazda based Rangers.

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My dad is a retired attorney. He had a case a few years ago which he got a high mileage prices of junk Ford Windstar in exchange for legal fees. The Windstar cranked but wouldn't start. The salvage yard gave him $500.00 for it. If you start insulting people who are basically giving you something, don't be surprised if they tell you to F off.
 
Scrap is down to $60-70 a ton. It was $250 a year or two ago. However, sadly, trying to buy a car at just over scrap price won't get you anywhere, as the seller still thinks they can get $400 at the junkyard. By the time they call the junkyard and get their pittance, they've given up, in their head, on all the "lowballers" and want it gone today.

However you have a perfectly plausible scenario: Guy has transmission slipping, costs more than truck, wants it gone, $500. Just be on the lookout for other problems stacked on top like frame rust.
 
A slipping 22 year old A4LD is probably done for, but it's a common transmission. There's nothing unfixable about it depending on what you are comfortable doing. I wouldn't count on being able to limp a slipping A4LD along though...you might be able to, you might not.

The Lima engine is tough as nails, but that's going to be one slow truck. HP when new was maybe 110, might have been lower in '93.

Scrap value is low on a small truck like that. You would only get all your money back by parting it out, and that's assuming the body is in good shape. Or by putting a used transmission in and reselling the truck, if the rest of the truck isn't trashed.

Could be a good truck for what you are describing, but I would prefer an MT in this case.
 
The Rat easily fulfills the "Pandora's box" designation. Fords are not designed to last much more than 10yrs/100k miles. That 77k should have a 1 in front of it. The Fix Or Repair Daily acronym truly applies to a 23 yr old example. Currently the Rat is up on ramps getting the exhaust fixed. Scrap price is 2-300$. The slipping transmission is the least of its troubles. Frame rot, rusty brake lines, Just about anything underneath is liable to fail.
The Rat has spent more time with a wheel or 2 in the air than it has on the ground and I just want to use it like you plan to.
 
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Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are not designed to last much more than 10yrs/100k miles. That 77k should have a 1 in front of it. The Fix Or Repair Daily acronym truly applies to a 23 yr old example.

Sure, whatever.
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Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are not designed to last much more than 10yrs/100k miles.
...
Currently the Rat is up on ramps getting the exhaust fixed.
...
The Rat has spent more time with a wheel or 2 in the air than it has on the ground and I just want to use it like you plan to.


Well, when you buy a $600 truck up North, that's what you get. I don't know what else you would expect at that price, and in that location, with that many years on it? What other truck would you have bought? Exhaust is often shot up North before 10 years, but my Southern 1994 Ranger has 100% original exhaust components from the manifolds to the end of the tailpipe. Even the cats on that one are original or were replaced with Ford parts a long time ago (they admittedly aren't original on my 2002).

My 2002 does have the original auto trans, a heavily updated descendant of the A4LD, which shifts perfect at 175K miles and has probably towed more than a majority of 1/2 ton trucks. But is has had good maintenance from new.

I spent a good chunk of today driving my 1994 Ranger. Probably over 100 miles total. Runs perfect, cold A/C, nice stereo, why not... I had to clean out the crank sensor connector recently and replace the gasket inside of it, but I can live with that on a 22 year old truck that has seen a lot of mud. The only issue with that was a stumble/too low RPM drop when letting off the gas.

If you're going to buy a 20+ year old vehicle, a Ranger is about as reliable as it gets at that age with excellent parts availability. Any super cheap truck is priced that way for a reason though and has the problems to go with it. You can't expect a $600 20 something year old vehicle to be as reliable as a brand new one. I would have no problem taking my 22 year old Ford on a cross country trip tomorrow, but it wasn't $600 either.
 
My mom has a 94 Explorer, which is basically a Ranger with a slightly different body. It has over 200k miles and still runs great and is still very reliable. The original A4LD still shifts great, and it's never had anything done to it besides a few fluid changes. It still has its entire factory original exhaust, with the exception of one flange that rotted off, which I replaced with a repair flange. Everything else from the manifolds to the tailpipe is original.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl

The Lima engine is tough as nails, but that's going to be one slow truck. HP when new was maybe 110, might have been lower in '93.


110 is doubtful. The Lima 2.3 started out with 88 hp and IIRC ended up under 100. They made a 2.5 that was a hair over 100 though. The good thing is they are tough as nails and had good torque #'s. But the HP was laughable. I know as I had one in my 85 Mustang LX. The throttle had 2 positions - Floor and idle.
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