I'm a young person in need of reasonable transportation for a descent price and I've been checking out Rangers as a probability. I've been looking specifically at different engine sizes and have heard some really good things about the 3.0L. I was wondering if anybody had an idea how many miles one could expect to get out of a 3.0L were it well maintained (oil, regular maint. etc). Most of the trucks I've seen have a little over 100K on them and I'm not real comfortable buying anyhting with that many miles on it, as I'd like something that will last me several years down the road. Optimally I'd like another 100k out of a vehicle. Am I being paranoid? Looking for actual numbers...
Ford Ranger 3.0L Average Lifespan???
Apr 21, 2004
3 Replies
I've got 137,000 miles on my 2000 Ranger. 3.0L with a manual tranny. So far I've gone through one fuel pump, an oil pressure sensor, a front differential pinion seal, two transfer cases, four alternators, an EGR, a couple of sets of tires and brakes, and lots of oil changes.
The alternator and transfer cases went in the first few thousand miles... they were probably just bum parts to begin with anyhow. I was lucky with those, the dealer replaced them under warranty. The fuel pump wasn't covered and it set me back $350 just for the part, but I saved $160+ dollars by installing it myself.
I had a 93 3.0 Ranger, manual transmission, 4WD, it had 235,000 miles on it in December when I donated it to the Salvation Army. It was still running like a clock. I had it since it was new and only had to replace the water pump at about 200k, the radiator once, the starter at around 170K, u joints in the front end at around 220k, and a throwout bearing at around 170k. The rest was the usual maintenance stuff, it was the best vehicle I have ever owned.
3.0's are good engines if maintained properly, 200K or more is not unusual. They do have an annoying habit of pinging on 87 octane gas, it is a common and well documented problem. Mine averages around 22-24 miles per gallon (2wd, 5 speed manual).
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