Hi -

One of my coworkers has a 1991 Ranger STX 4x4 with a 2.9L, 5-speed, extended
cab with approximately 222,000 miles on it. It has manual locking hubs,
which I've read are more economical to maintain than the electric kind.
He's looking to sell it, and it would be great for my lawn mowing business I
have for extra income.

I drove it and it drives pretty well, but am looking for opinions on a
couple items.

1. It pretty clearly needs front rotors, as there is a distinct
thump-thump-thump when the brakes are applied. I usually do this type of
work myself, and found out the local AZ wants ~$122 a piece, though it looks
like NAPA has the same parts for ~$45. Is there anything else about these
brakes that I need to know, given that it's a 4x4? I'm hoping they would be
turnable.
2. I heard a whining sound from the drivetrain when my foot was on the
accelerator. I suspect that it may be the front axle shafts turning (hubs
were NOT locked), but am not sure if the sound was normal in a 4x4.

Beyond those two items the vehicle is in decent shape considering its age:
the body's straight, paint is even and the intererior is pretty decent. The
A/C won't blow cold anymore, but he said it does when it has a charge.

Does anyone have any experience with one of these? Is there anything
specific I should look for? I've owned an '84 with a 2.8, and an '87 with a
2.3 4cyl and had no trouble with them (except for the Mazda 5spd in it -
common plastic cap problem), but they were both 2wd.

He said he was hoping to get $1000 for it, edmunds.com puts it at less than
$500 because of the high miles.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 01:23:44 GMT, "GMach3" <gmach@gkmtradingdot.com>
wrote:

>Hi -
>
>One of my coworkers has a 1991 Ranger STX 4x4 with a 2.9L, 5-speed, extended
>cab with approximately 222,000 miles on it.
>
>He said he was hoping to get $1000 for it, edmunds.com puts it at less than
>$500 because of the high miles.
>
>Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.
>

Sure, it may be worth $500 *IF* the rest of the vehicle is really
good, there's no rust, no oil burning, no loose front end, tires are
servicable, brakes are checked OK, clutch (stick?) is good, shifts
properly (manual or auto), accessories generally work, belts are in
good condition.

But not much more. Let's face it, at 222K its life is basically over.
You may get a few KM, but say you paid $500, and got 5K miles--that's
$0.10 per mile in base cost only--and then there'd be maintenance
(which will be high!) and other costs.

I'd suggest sticking to the $500. But, IMHO, you may like it better
and be willing to pay more.