The guy said it gets about 15-16 mpg, and thats mixed driving. Is it possible it could get a little better if it had better gears such as 4.53 or so?

 

If you can find 4.53 gears for a Ford rear end I will give you money for gas lol



In my experience the higher the gears (3.55s) the better highway mileage, the lower the gears (4.54s) the better city you will get. Honestly its all about manual or auto and your driving habits.

 

didmt know you got rid of the truck... Id go extended cab, hard to find a good combo especially if its already lifted or whatever. OR if you can live witht he regular cab do the damn thing and spend the extra little money for a set of 4.56 gears. with all you did to the other ranger a 5.0 swap shouldnt be too difficult lol

 

I've always been a fan of extended cabs. in high school i fit 4 people in mine daily! my take on the 3.0 is that its underrated. Its a run of the mill engine for the grandpa's to drive to church on Sunday. as for large tires and gears and what not. I run 32's on 4.10's with an Auto. i get about 300 miles or so on a full tank, depending on how i drive, and i have a 4.0

 

I have a 1993 extended cab, standard bed ranger, was 4 cyl, 5 speed, no engine or trans right now and am in Clinton, SC (29325) if you are interested. I want a regular cab flareside preferably with 5 speed. Also have 1993 turbo F-350 dually and 2000 E-350 if someone interested in trade. Ranger in decent shape, has diamond plate bed box, asking $950.00. I desire a 1998 or newer if possible ( no twin I-beam) or an already properly dropped vehicle. Thanks! oldcarfart@aol.com

 

mine 3.0 went boom with only 25k on the clock

 

i like my regular cab. I got a canopy for the back to keep my stuffy dry, and i'm not trying to be a taxi. My truck is to get me to work and back to drive me to my hockey games and for camping with the wife. That and I HATE when someone sits behind me.

 

Definitely go for the extended cab. I got a steal on my '02 XLT with only 140,000 miles on it for $4,200. It does have the 4.0 and the timing chain does not rattle as I have heard can happen in my engine years, '01-'02. If you can find a four-door version that would be even better because it is much easier to get the larger things out from behind the seat such as a toolbox or whatever.
I opened up my air box because I have alot of time on my hands and I drive sensibly and am getting almost 20mpg. I hope you do get a vehicle you love, do not settle until you do or my will probably regret it later.
And hey, if you plan to do any improvements or changes to it after you get it, you will already be in the right place!

 

I like the extra room, but I really prefer the Extended Cab for the longer wheelbase. It has a much better highway ride as a result.

It's been my experience that a single cab stays messier than an extended cab because you don't have the storage space to keep stuff. I'd never own a single cab.

My 4.0 automatic with 4.10 (Limited Slip) gets 15-16 mpg in mixed driving...and I'm in no way heavy-footed. The gearing has a whole lot more to do with mileage than the single/extended cab issue. The weight difference isn't that significant. My 5-speed with the same setup gets about 17-18 and that's on a good day. The 4.0 liter with 4.10 gears won't ever get great gas mileage unless you're going 50 mph all day.

My Ranger is a two-door and the Mazda is a four-door. I prefer the four-door for convenience, but there is definitely more cab flex in the 4-door because of the lack of a B-pillar

 

Actually, because I have a single cab I keep it extremely clean and organized. Otherwise you don't have any room.