Old Rangers Never Die

[Kemo Sabe]

Menard's parking lot. ....Midwestern thing.
Since I got my 2019 Ranger I've been paying more attention to older models. Generally they are in surprisingly good shape for their age. ...can't say I've seen a rust bucket. Maybe a bit of rust here and there.
Photo is an example. Iowa, second rust capital next to Michigan.

My grandson has an 04 with 225,000 trouble free miles, which uses no oil. Commutes 70 miles per day! Body perfect. That’s why I bought a 19. Blend door, drive shaft bearing, note rough sporadic shifting.
maybe I should have bought an 04??

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[TJC]

I rebuilt my 05 Ranger.... just in case... when I purchased my 2020 Ranger.

I drive them both, but lean more towards the 05. It is simpler and has proven to be far more reliable. Ford tells me I need to change the airbag in the 2005 (again). I never had a rattle in the dash until I let them change it the last 2 times. I'm thinking about removing both airbags.

I drove cars for years without airbags. I know that they can save your life, but changing them every 5-7 years gets very old. I am tired of those recall notices. Just 2-3 years after the last change I started receiving airbag recall notices again.

There is a lot to like in the 2020, but it has many serious weaknesses. You must stay on top of them, or you will experience catastrophic failures. Have a care! Ignore them at your peril.

I can't treat the 2020 like I treat the 2005. For instance, I change the transmission fluid every 50K miles in the 2005, and every 15K-20K in the 2020.