I have a bad habit of referring to vehicles as being box-checkers, as in having just about every feature or option that I’d ever want in a vehicle, usually a truck, since I’m heavily into pickups lately. This 1987 Ford Ranger XLT 4×4 Turbo-Diesel 5-Speed pickup is a major box-checker for me. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Stevenson, Washington, and the current bid is $6,700.
The dusty barn-find’y opening photo doesn’t show how nice this little Ranger really is. This truck is far from perfect, with some rust starting to show up on the floorboards, as seen in the underside photos that the seller has provided. Great job on providing a wide range of good photos, seller! Light Chestnut Clearcoat Metallic over Dark Walnut Clearcoat Metallic is the two-tone paint scheme. Here’s a brochure of the ’87 Rangers.
The first-generation Ranger was made from 1982 for the 1983 model year until the end of 1992 in regular cab models and SuperCab models. This truck appears in nice condition, other than some pesky rust starting to show up underneath. Also, the rear gas tank strap broke a couple of years ago, and the seller put a strap on it. You’ll want to replace that asap. Here’s what it looks like inside the box/bed. I’m guessing it had a full liner to match the one on the inside of the tailgate, but it must have gone away at some point.
The red seat stands out a bit, but there’s no mention of it. I believe it should be Chestnut. I’d want to source a correct seat and detail the heck out of this Ranger before tackling that floor rust, just to see how nice it would look. The five-speed manual and two-speed transfer case shifters are seen here.
We’ve seen a couple of Mazda-sourced Perkins diesel engines in Rangers, but this one is a Mitsubishi 4D55 2.3-liter OHC turbocharged diesel with around 86 horsepower and 134 lb-ft of torque when new. Passing through the transfer case and five-speed manual to all four wheels as needed, the seller says it starts, runs, drives, and stops. That’s rarely a glowing recommendation in my world, but at least it works. The injector pump and timing belt were replaced around 8,000 miles ago. Have any of you owned a diesel Ford Ranger?
I knew about Diesel Rangers. But not a Turbo Diesel. Thats neat. And its a Mitsubishi built one, another kind of surprise with their ties to Chrysler Corp. The Perkins Diesel is a good engine. I have been told that they were popular for sailboat engines ( if anyone can chime in on that one I’d love to know more.) This Ranger looks pretty solid to me, and I think would be great to get it on the road again. This is a nice find Scotty. Thanks!!!
The Perkins in these is bog slow however. At least the Mitsu gives a vague whiff of performance since it’s coupled to a 5-speed. It’ll get out of its own way between stop lights.
Perkins diesels popular with trawlers too Dave. Economy and reliability a priority.
According to AI embedded in a browser, the 1987 Ranger with the Mitsu diesel shouldn’t even exist, having been discontinued after 1986. Yet other sources say it did exist in 1987. Bottom line, this truck’s rarity is probably somewhere between a female chicken with dentures and the proverbial unicorn.It’s an interesting vehicle to be sure, but would I buy it? No, simply because I prefer gas rigs, especially when they’re smaller trucks like this.