Opinions on 1985 Ranger 4x4

Hey Folks,

New here. I'm looking at buying an 85 ford ranger 4x4. wondering if you know anything about engine/tranny/transfer case. 6cyl, and i think it's 2.8l. Funny, I didn't know ford made a 2.8l engine, but i'm not too up on their mid 80's engines. i may be wrong on the engine size. any historical problems with this year? 107k mi, lifted, bedliner, aux lights on roof. asking $3200. It's obviously been mudding (knuckles on front tires burried in mud) so possibly wheel bearing issues? looks like valve cover gaskets been leaking. Any thoughts, please weigh in. Thanks!

NavyGuy

A friend of mine had a 89 ranger same as yours and he put that truck through what no little truck like that should EVER see. If I remember right he somthing like 250k on it. I can honestly say that the borg and warner tranny is bulletproof, I havent actually shot my 98's but they have an excellent reputation. Overall its a bad@$$ truck but I would'nt give any more than $1600 for it.
P.S. its a 2.9 V6

Great to hear. Thanks for the info on engine size. KBB said dealer price should be around $2600 with the extras on it. I'll look to see if it's the same transmission on this ranger since it's 4 yrs earlier than your friends. Also, were power bucket seats an option for this year? I'm trying to figure out since it's not extended cab if these seats were put in after the fact, or if they were OE.

Thanks again,

NavyGuy

P.S. it's a 2.8L, Ford made 2.8L in 1985 and before and 1986 to ? they made 2.9L: I just bought a 1986 Ford Ranger for $300. Look onto KBB.COM for the value and it will show they are asking way too much. My Ford has 155,000. Foreign cars last longer like a Toyota with a 22r engine, it will last up to 320,000 and more if you can treat it right. For that price get a Toyota