1. How did you come to the decision of buying this car?
My wife acquired the truck from the original owner some years ago. She traded a kayak for it.
2. What has your ownership experience been like?
Owning this truck has been amazing. First of all, it is a joy to drive. It has no kooky electronics or computers that control anything. It’s an engine, a five-speed gear box, and the wheels in the rear do the work. Despite being 25 years old and not having a lot of power, it’s got enough pep to put a smile on your face when behind the wheel. You can light up the rears and make it go a little sideways if you are so inclined.
It has somewhere around 250,000 miles on it, though the odometer stopped working at 130,006. So things break. Not often, but it happens. And when things break, we fix them (most of the time). Next on the list of things to do is replacing the power steering pump as it leaks a little. No biggie. We’ve replaced the fuel tank, ignition, shocks, starter, the heater exchange valve, and some random other things. The clutch was replaced not long ago, too.
The A/C condenser needs to be replaced. It’s been broken for so long, we don’t care. Even in the Florida heat, just roll down a door window and slide open the one at the rear of the cab.
The fuel gauge also stopped working. You just have to pay attention, know how far you've driven, and when you last filled up. Though when it gets down to one gallon, the gauge drops from full to empty, so you get a little warning if you forgot to top it off. But we have never been stranded with an empty tank.
For the most part, the Ranger just goes and goes and goes.
3. What is your fondest memory with this car?
I’m a photographer and sometimes that means driving a good distance to go shoot something. Insane car show in South Florida? Hop in the Ranger. Shooting a rocket launch from a remote swampy location near Cape Canaveral? Hop in the Ranger.
By far the fondest memory was a trip in June 2017. I went on a 24 hour shooting adventure around Florida. I picked a bunch of locations to hit up during the day and through the night. I covered 500-plus miles in those 24 hours in the Ranger. It cruised like a dream on the open roads through cattle country and sugar cane fields. The Ranger performed admirably while going overlanding and semi-off-road. For 24 hours it was just me, the truck, and my cameras (and cooler full of food and drink). It was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant driving experience that day.
4. Why do you love cars?
There is something romantic about being in control of several thousand pounds of machine, feeling the road through the car as you drive, knowing how fast you can take that curve and rolling through it with full confidence. When you find the right vehicle where you and it become one, it’s just magic.
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If you would like to participate, just answer the above four questions and submit one to three photos of your daily driver to milhousevanh at geemail. Thanks and have fun!
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