2002 Ford Ranger Oppo review

"Slant6" (slant-6)
03/20/2016 at 12:51 • Filed to: None

I’m not the first Opponaut to review the Ranger, and I’m sure that I wont be the last.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Denver’s “Veronica” is a 1993 Ranger, which was the first year for this body style, while Under_Score’s 2007 is a face lifted model that stayed basically the same until they stopped making Rangers in 2011. Mine is a 2002, which was face lifted two times from the 93' and two face lifts behind the 2007. The 1993 is also a 4.0 V6 and the 2007 is a 2. something four cylinder. My 3.0 V6 completes the Ranger trifecta as having a review on all three engines (well actually the 4.o in Denver’s Ranger changed quite a bit at some point and there used to be a 2.9 V6 and the four cylinders changed displacements a few times, not to mention the diesel that was offered in the first generation Ranger, but for all intents and purposes we have the three important engines).

Enough comparing the the other two reviewed Rangers on Oppo, lets get into what I think of mine!

I feel like the disclosure thing is getting old, but I will tell you how I got the truck in italics. I bought it from my neighbor who bought it new in 2002. It had 159,000 miles on it and it needed a new coolant hose. It had also been sitting since Labor day weekend when I bought it in December. It’s a 2002 Ranger Edge with a 5 speed manual and the 3.0 “Vulcan” V6.

Exterior:6/10

It looks ok. The Edge package does do the older design some good. The “power dome” fiberglass hood and the black honeycomb grill make for a nice face. The Edge package also gives it body color front and rear bumpers as well as some plastic bed rail covers. The bed rail covers actually compliment the design nicely. I originally thought they were a bit dated but now I see other Rangers without them and think they look incomplete.

At the end of the day it’s just a truck. Ford kinda just took the parts that a truck needs, a bed, a cab, and a spot for the engine, and put them together and smoothed the edges. And that’s just fine.

Interior: 4/10

This dash was designed in 1998. It shows. Ford also kept it around until production ended in 2011. I guess it’s not to old for 2002, but it is bubbly like so many early 2000s Fords. The dash is nice enough to touch, not too many hard plastics. All the controls are still intact and functioning as they should. Ford really skimped on the turn signals though. The stalk is a thin hollow plastic that you really have to hold in place for it to work correctly.

It’s not a particularly nice place to be. The seats are ok for truck seats but really uncomfortable compared to other cars (my old Saab 9-5 had the most comfortable seats, now everything that’s not Swedish leather feels like a church pew). The middle seat is usable enough for around town but I wouldn’t put some one in it for a significant amount of time.

The door panels are just a big sheet of plastic. I guess it’s good for a truck, easy to clean, but also not particularly attractive.

Power: 4/10

The Vulcan 3.0 makes power. I don’t know how little and I don’t care to look it up. I can keep up with most traffic and that’s about it. No matter how much you wring it out or short shift it accelerates at the same rate. It’s not under powered but it isn’t powerful. I get about !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! average no matter what I’m doing.

I’ve towed a lawnmower with it once.

Transmission: 5/10

Five out of ten because 5 speed. Nothing to write home about here. Shifts feel sloppy. Throw is very long, as it should be in a truck. The shift knob doesn’t come off, which kinda sucks, I’d love an 8 ball or a T grip or something. Clutch feels like a clutch, not as springy and temperamental as my old e34 which is a good thing.

Handling: 4/10

It’s a truck. It’s supposed to handle poorly. Not to say it’s not fun to drive. I like some body roll around a tight corner, or bouncing down a city street. But it’s not a comfortable ride. Rides like a truck.

Audio: 3/10

Lots of noise, none of it good. The Vulcan just sounds like a dying animal. The cab is small enough that the speakers sound good, but not great. The radio is a 6 disc changer. Doesn’t work, and hasn’t worked for a long while according to my neighbor.

Toys: 2/10

Crank windows, rubber floors, manual seats. Not many toys. I gave it two points because I like having no toys. I get by just fine without them, and since this is a beater the less things to break the better.

Value: 5/10

This is always a skewed category on these reviews. The value is different to every person. I got a good deal at $1200. It has relatively low miles, the body is nearly perfect, tires good, interior cleaned up ok, and it’s cheap to keep on the road. It’s a 5/10 because I got a good deal. The other 5 points were lost because my old Tacoma 4x4 cost me $200 more, and I’d easily take that deal again. I’d take the Tacoma every time over the Ranger.

Total: 33/80

Conclusion:

It’s good as cheap transportation. I don’t think I could ever love it though. This will be driven into the ground.

DISCUSSION (14)

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 13:03

Kinja'd!!!

Because softer ride =better daily driver.

Slant6 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/20/2016 at 13:05

I would love to pre-runner it but here in the NC mountains deserts are hard to come by. I’m actually thinking of doing a 4x4 swap. The Edge package already gives it the 4x4 front suspension and all the mounting points.

Birddog > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 13:08

Somewhere on TTAC Sajeev Mehta did a writeup on changing the shift knob in these. It is possible.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 13:31

That Vulcan V6 is bulletproof. It’s pretty indestructible if it’s maintained. My dad has a loaded red‘04 Ranger Edge SuperCab 3.0 with the 5 speed manual. I’ve been meaning to review for a while now. It just hit 200k miles this week. What a car. I absolutely love it.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 13:41

Most of these descriptions could also work for my 4Runner.

Slant6 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
03/20/2016 at 13:43

It’s just underwhelming.

gmctavish needs more space > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 13:47

The Vulcan isn't the most exciting engine in the world, but it last as long as you need it to. My dad has an 05 Taurus with that engine, and it's the only part of the car that hasn't utterly failed in some way

Slant6 > gmctavish needs more space
03/20/2016 at 13:50

I really only plan on changing the oil and fixing parts that keep it from moving. Everything else I could care less about.

I’ll probably drive it through college, use it to move and keep it around when I buy a nice car and then just use it for winter/ yard work. It’s cheap to keep around.

gmctavish needs more space > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 13:58

That’s pretty much what’s been happening with my blazer. It was my daily until a nice car happened, and now that it has, there’s no sense selling it since I’d be lucky to get $500 for it. So it’ll just hang around for when I need to do truck things.

jimz > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 14:13

Here’s a review of my 2011 Ranger.

jimz > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
03/20/2016 at 14:15

and the great thing is, it doesn’t have three timing chains, with one of them in the back!

I swear, whoever in Cologne decided to do that must have gone to work for Audi afterward.

Slant6 > jimz
03/20/2016 at 14:16

They really didn’t change that much.

Danger > Slant6
03/20/2016 at 15:39

A good friend has a 4x4 FX4 Level II of this vintage. I’ve driven it a lot. It has the 4.0, not sure if it is the OHV or SOHC, either way, it is a great ride. Definitely the nicest Ranger I’ve ever driven off-road/dirt road. The only Ranger that I’d consider vs the Toyotas that I prefer.

Slant6 > Danger
03/20/2016 at 15:44

Yeah, these things have to be loaded to compare to the base Toyota.