1998 Ford Ranger consumer reviews

Perfect Car for everyday and special occasion and a Perfect first car that it has great gas mileage, can keep up with speed. It is surprisingly comfortable for its age. The ford ranger is my sons first car and he loves it and we had got it at a amazing price and doesn't need much done too it. overall great car and makes me think about getting myself one too.

I bought my ranger new in 1998. Overall it's been a fairly reliable vehicle. The transmission had to be rebuilt a few years ago at 79,000 miles. The shop that did the work said transmission type was known to have problems. I had no warning it just stopped working one day. It was a $2,200 repair. Being the original owner I have taken very good care of it. So I know what's been done and what still needs fixed. March 2023 FORD dealership overhauled the entire front end new ball joints wheel bearings shocks etc. expensive! Fuel pump was done the very first time a few months ago. I guess I can't complain other than normal maintenance it's been very reliable. At least I don't have a car payment. As for the ride it's not smooth by any means. But it's a truck! Acceleration is OK . Better now with the new fuel pump. With the 4.0 engine I average only about 14 miles per gallon in town.I don't drive the highway. My mechanic tells me the 4.0 engine is one of the best Ford made.

My lil 98 Ranger has the 2.5 with 85000 km on it Only maintenance done like brakes and oil Living in Northern Canada takes a toll on trucks n the winter but with yearly oil sprays and weekly car washes there is not a spot of rust Tough lil truck I use as a contractor as a runner I have carried up to 20 bundles of shingles in the 7 foot bed for short riides to work sites At 25 years old this year’s maintenance will be taking care of my sagging leaf springs and maybe shooks on the back end Been offered 6000 to sell! Great lil truck

Great truck for comfort on long rides and for hauling pretty large loads. Will carry a load of rocks while pampering with great A/C and music from CD, cassette, radio. Stock sound system is impressive. 4wd may have problems after 20 years but just needs new vacuum lines and works fine. Taken care of, this truck will last for decades.

1998 2.5L manual step side. I bought it used for next-to-nothing. Interior and exterior are in great shape, runs great and is not as uncomfortable as some would have you believe. I mean, it's not luxurious but for the $$$, c'mon!

I bought my Ford Ranger new in Maryland in 1998 for $13k. At the time I had just moved to a rural location from the dc suburbs and I wanted a cheap truck to help me haul my trash to the dump and get some hay for my wife’s 3 pigmy goats. Over the years I put absolutely no money in it, didn’t change the oil for years at a time, and certainly never did any other major or even minor maintenance. It was the cheapest Ranger on the lot, a 2WD (but with limited slip rear differential, what Ford at the time called 4x2), and a 7 ft bed instead of the typical 6. It had AC, and it was a manual, and that was it. Fast forward to 2019 and the truck is still here. Not only that, but it’s now in Alaska! My wife and I built a house in Alaska, and while we haven’t moved there full time, we spend all our vacations here. After a couple trips to Alaska it occurred to me I was getting fleeced by Hertz and Avis each trip. So I drove up the Ranger, 5k miles one way, and now each time we come up I grab the Ranger from a storage lot and drive it around while we are here. I did the first major maintenance in 20 years before I drove it from Maryland to Alaska, spent about $4k to replace the spark plugs, brakes, ball joints on a couple of wheels, but even the mechanic who did the maintenance couldn’t believe in how good a shape it was. Before that everything on the truck was original, at over 200k miles. Now it has $250k miles, the clutch is still the original one. I did a couple of extra changes when I got up to Alaska, I installed some air bags on the rear suspension so that I could put 600lbs or so of Sand bags over the rear axle for traction, and installed an engine block heater for the sub zero weather, and got some studied snow tires. The truck has done amazing up here. The limited slip rear dofferential and the clutch have made it surprisingly effective on the ice and snow. It tackles the many dirt roads of Alaska with no issues. The standArd 2.3 L I4 engine Is not super powerful by any stretch but is a good match to the truck and most importantly never strains. Each time I come back after a few months I check the ground under the truck and still no leaks. This little truck feels like it will last forever. And it’s not an exception, ir is amazing to see how many rangers from the 90s are still on the road. Ford made an amazing little truck with the Ranger, I’m glad I have One.

In the 80,000 or kms I've driven this thing it has been reliable and still gets fairly decent gas mileage. It has horrible traction and ride. It is unusable in snowy conditions regardless of tires and driver skill. Easy to work on and parts are readily available and affordable.

Very basic model,for 21 year old pickup runs and drives satisfactory NO BELLS AND WHISTLES ON THIS MODEL MAINLY USE FOR DUMP RUNS OR SHORT RUNS TO TOWN

I bought this truck new, and have used it on the farm mostly. It has 219,000 miles, mostly short stop and go around the farm. I must have shut it off and restarted it a million times. I never had any problems with starter. Never had any problems with manual transmission, and only changed valve cover gasket and intake gasket on engine recently. I am really satisfied with it. Wish I could buy another Ranger, but they quit making them in 2011.

Great on gas, very quick smooth ride, never broke down, 4wd is impressive, lots of power for a little truck. Perfect for work or play.