Pre Owned Trucks: 1998-2005 Ford Ranger

Not a lot changed in the chassis. ABS became standard in 2001, yet the Ranger retained the front-disc/rear-drum setup. All Rangers of this period ride on one of three wheelbases: 125.7 inches for the SuperCab, 117.5 for the longbed standard cab, and 111.6 for the shortbed standard cab. That measurement says a lot about the Ranger's highway ride, which can be choppy on smaller versions of the truck. Long-wheelbase SuperCabs are fine over most roads, however. Don't expect the Ranger to have F-150-like refinement. It doesn't.

Owners praise the Ranger for what it is: an inexpensive trucklet with a host of options that can be taken to near-luxury levels. From a reliability perspective, maintenance issues are scattered across the board. We found several mentions of transmission troubles, particularly with the five-speed automatic, and notations of early clutch replacement. (It'll pay to inspect those parts and records carefully when looking at a potential purchase.) Owners typically praise the truck's performance with the larger engines. You can't have everything, it's true, but the Ranger, more than most, does offer a wide range of appeal for trucklet buyers.