Were Rangers always off-road beasts?

9zero1790

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id say late 90s forward were the rangers that got off road chops. to be fair most small and mid size trucks of the same years of the rangers 80s into 90s were not really all that off road ready either.
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Stringburner

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Did Phil contribute to the Level II FX4 Rangers with the manual transfer cases, LSD, & those great looking Level II specific tow hooks? Those were the coolest Rangers ever. When I bought my 2003 there was one at the local dealership that I wanted in the worst way, but I felt that it was above my means. I could have afforded it & looking back I should have bought it, but hindsight is always 20/20. Is there a thread on here that outlines his history at Ford?
 
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12Bravo20

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Was that a Ranger or a still a Courier in ‘83?
Yes 1983 was the first year for the small Ranger trucks. I wish I still had mine, it was a XLT 2wd with dual fuel tanks. I could drive forever on the two tanks.
 

halligan1201

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The 99 FX4 my old man owns wasn't beastly in any fashion. Three transmissions under warranty, two outside of it. Two driveshafts. Bad rear springs. Countless ignition problems. It is a turd. He gave me a good deal of endless crap over buying mine. His is still available if anyone is interested lol.
 


halligan1201

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No. My old man has a 99 FX4 that he bought new. It was a turd from jump. Several bad transmissions, all outside of warranty. Under powered and poorly mated to trans. I think he keeps it just so he can watch it rust to pieces and he knows for sure it can't be a blight to humanity again.
 

egilbe

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Don't think so...
1st-Ford-Ranger.jpg
My '87 looked kinda like that, without the mirrors. I had chrome mag wheels, too. I wish I could find pictures of it somewhere.
 

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My '87 looked kinda like that, without the mirrors. I had chrome mag wheels, too. I wish I could find pictures of it somewhere.
My dad had the predecessor to this...the Courier... ?

A friend at work has the original F100 Ranger...

253 - FPwgUD4.jpg
254 - LyPH5r9.jpg
 

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egilbe

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My dad had the predecessor to this...the Courier... ?

A friend at work has the original F100 Ranger...

253 - FPwgUD4.jpg
254 - LyPH5r9.jpg
Found this one last year near Petrified Forest Nat'l Park

1643923169092.jpeg
 

Msfitoy

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Hey! Look at that parking!

Is that @Tracy Bowman 's classic truck? :devil:
I know right? Aaarrrgg...I hate it when I find an end spot and give the next guys lots of room but they go on to snug right up anyway...:rolleyes:
 

Sketch

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I had a 2004 Ranger 2wd, manual trans. I loved it! I sold it because I had four vehicles at the time and my son's friend was joining the Navy and needed a vehicle. It was the least expensive option at the time for him. I sold it for $1k and don't regret it. That was 5 yrs ago and the kid still has it. Good for him and happy to help.
I went on to buy a Chevy Volt (yeah, right?) and that was a nice car but not sexy at all. Sold the Volt and bought a Mercedes 500SL convertible, Wow! what an amazing car! Loved it but missed having a truck and being able to enjoy the great outdoors, sans people. Sold the Benz and bought my stock 2019 Ranger 4x4 XLT and I was absolutely blown away! I love this truck! Many trips into the Mojave Desert, Eastern Sierra, Sedona Az other back country tracks in CA and AZ and the Ranger has never let us down. Next up is a trip to Southern Utah and we can't wait! I've added a few upgrades since stock though :cool:

OR Logo.jpg


RGR2-6952.jpg


truck1.jpg


truck2.jpg


truck3.jpg
 

Msfitoy

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I had a 2004 Ranger 2wd, manual trans. I loved it! I sold it because I had four vehicles at the time and my son's friend was joining the Navy and needed a vehicle. It was the least expensive option at the time for him. I sold it for $1k and don't regret it. That was 5 yrs ago and the kid still has it. Good for him and happy to help.
I went on to buy a Chevy Volt (yeah, right?) and that was a nice car but not sexy at all. Sold the Volt and bought a Mercedes 500SL convertible, Wow! what an amazing car! Loved it but missed having a truck and being able to enjoy the great outdoors, sans people. Sold the Benz and bought my stock 2019 Ranger 4x4 XLT and I was absolutely blown away! I love this truck! Many trips into the Mojave Desert, Eastern Sierra, Sedona Az other back country tracks in CA and AZ and the Ranger has never let us down. Next up is a trip to Southern Utah and we can't wait! I've added a few upgrades since stock though :cool:

OR Logo.jpg


RGR2-6952.jpg


truck1.jpg


truck2.jpg


truck3.jpg
Nice to see the Mishi snorkels installed...
 

9zero1790

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i would not really call most any ranger a beast. but i do think the 3rd and 4th gen ranger 4x4s were pretty sweet with mild modifications. in terms of size alone those rangers are about what many of the side by side rigs are. cost less then and now plus came with comforts of a street legal ride. i feel like a 4 g ranger fx4 with a few mods would put my new ranger to shame off road since the older ones were smaller, lighter and easy to mod on a budget. 2 grand into a 4g you could have good suspension and tires maybe even a lunch box locker thrown in. 2 grand in the new rangers you get a set of tires and 4 gallons of gas lol.
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