On August 12th, I bought a 2002 Ford Ranger XLT from a Chevy dealer. My Taurus was needing some big time repairs and I didn't want to spend money on a car I didn't like that much. I was looking for a 4 Cylinder car or truck that didn't embarrass me. I looked at many cars and did not find anything in my price range that I liked. After I looked at a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Escort ZX2, I decided to look for a Ranger with the 2.3L Duratec. When I noticed the 2002 Ford Ranger on Autotrader, I decided to go and look at it. After contacting my buddy to give him the details, he said it sounded like a decent deal and I took her home.
This truck is an XLT, which means it has basic features such as CD player, carpet floors, sliding rear window and ABS. The 2.3L Duratec is decent on the freeway but no rocket. I didn't want a rocket anyway since I wanted to save money on gas. I love my truck so far, it hauls my gear a lot better then the Taurus did. The only thing I don't like is the Kumho tires, but that will be corrected once I find a good 16" wheel and tire combo.
Right after I got her, I bought a Century Truck Lid from the local truck accessiories shop. The lid has been excellent for me and keeps things dry on the inside.
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11/1/08
To help with traction, I bought Shurtax, a water based solusion to help with 2WD trucks with getting through snow and rain. To help show how this worked, I created a page that shows how to install it. I didn't find anything like this on the internet for a Ford Ranger, so I hope this helps someone make a decision on purchasing this device.
Shurtrax Install On A Ford Ranger
This is a factory Ford MP3 6 disc CD changer from a newer Ranger, possibly a 2006 model. The connectors are the same in most 1999+ models, so this was easy to put in. It does a good job playing MP3 discs, but will not do WMA or other formats. It has very good AM/FM reception and sounds great. This is a must have for any Ranger. This same model will fit Ford Crown Victorias and Mark VIIIs without premium sound. Its possible that it will fit other models as well.
The rusty steel wheel and cover wasn't doing it for me, so I decided it was time to upgrade the wheels to something nicer. These American Racing Outlaw II wheels look at home on the Ranger. I have seen other Rangers with this wheel and really thought they looked nice. When I got my set, it changed the whole look of the truck. It went from "mall security look" to nicely equipped truck. They go nice with the XLT package.
I used my old Kumho Solus KR21 tires, which are P215/75R15. I would like a more truck looking tire in the future but these work fine for now.
Since I bought the truck, I have wanted a hitch. One was finally installed around Christmas. Its a U-Haul class III (3) hitch good for 4000LBS of towing power. My little 2.3L Duratec will not tow that much, but its nice to have the larger 2 inch opening. I already have a stainless steel hitch ball with stainless steel mount and the "hit me, I hit you" step bar below.
The Kumho tires were just about done, so I bought a set of Michelin LTX tires as a replacement. The result was a better highway tire and a much smoother ride. The China tires from Kumho was the worst tire I have ever owned. Driving on the road is so smooth that it rivals my Thunderbird.
I bought the P225/75R15 size, which fills the wheel well much better then the P225/70R15. It is much more truck like in my opinion. I highly reccomend the Michelin LTX for any Ford Ranger.