2002 Tacoma 2.7L I4 2WD vs. 2002 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 4WD
I am considering these two trucks and was wondering what Oppo’s opinion is.
The Tacoma is a Prerunner SR5 and has 95k miles, the frame seems solid but I didn’t check every square inch, and the interior is near mint. The paint isn’t as nice as the pictures makes it seem. I am a little hesitant because the owner claims he just bought it a few months ago, but doesn’t like the ride height and feel of the Prerunner suspension, and has already found himself another regular gen 1 SR5 that he likes. My suspicion grew as the engine was clearly warmed up before I got there, but from what I understand the 3RZ-FE is nearly bulletproof, so I don’t know. There was also moisture in the front corner lights and the driver side rotor was rubbing. Also the seller is a psychiatrist, so who knows what kind of mind games he could be playing.
The Ranger is listed about $1500 cheaper, has only 70k miles, and has had $1,600 worth of work done recent. But the truck was most recently driven by a teenage girl, and based on the fact that some of the recent work was replacing only one tie rod, control arm and ball joint, the truck probably had an abrupt meeting with a curb or some such. I haven’t seen the Ranger yet but it does have a little rust on the one wheel well, so I’m betting the frame isn’t rust free either.
I like that the Tacoma is smaller, only 8 inches longer than my Mazda 3 as opposed to the Ranger which is 27 inches longer than my 3. Also the better fuel economy (that’s where you laugh) of the 4 cylinder 2wd over the V6 4wd.