What year is this truck?

Ok, I know I'll sound dumb, but I'm looking at this truck tomorrow to possibly get my first car and he says it's a 1998 but the headlights look like a 1997. Which is it? It has leaf springs in the back in another picture, I don't know if that narrows it down.




It seems like a decent deal, but let me get your opinions on that, too.

It's a 2.5L, 5 speed
He says he has receipts for:
New motor with 80,000
New trans with <80,000
New Master/slave cylinders
New clutch
New battery
New inner/outer wheel bearings
and "some other things he can't remember right now"

He said it's like a 300,000 mile truck, so I was thinking about swapping out the suspension for new parts so I would have a completely new truck, in essence.
Does $1600 seem like a good price?

 

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I think the 98's were the first to have the turn signals below the headlights... looks like it has 97 tail lights though.

 

Ummm you already posted this here:

http://www.rangerforum.net/f7/what-year-2569/#post27494

 

thats for sure a 93-97 front end, but if im not mistaken the first year for the 2.5 was 98. maybe made late in '97?? haha idk

 

you are correct the 2.5 was only offered 98-00 then ford came out with the 2.3 DOHC... if he can get a pic of the engine we can tell him for sure what size engine is in that truck....

 

I figure that if he got the year wrong he could easily get the size wrong, too!

It's no big deal to me, really, as long as it runs and doesn't look like it'll fall apart.

 

all rangers have leaf springs fyi

 

Ok, didn't realize that, thanks.

 

Erik, dont hesitate to throw any questions out there in seperate threads, the more you ask, the more you learn dude. Thats how I learned was by good guys like we have here on the forum. We are more than anxious to help you out!

 

I appreciate it. Hopefully the truck I'm looking at tomorrow will be good enough to buy and then I'll be on here every waking hour!

 

Cool, when you go look at it, get tons of pics! Check the frame, engine and trans. As long as they are all good, we can help with the rest, from advice to parts!

 

It should have the year on the inside of the driver side door frame where the paint sticker and stuff is

 

Thanks, fellas, that's awesome

 

thats definatley 93-97 98 is when they changed body styles to turn signal under headlight

 

I'd say about a 96 or 97. Deff check the sticker on the driver door jam.

 

Along w/ the frame check the Shackles and hangers for the rear leaf springs.

 

1600 is a sweet deal

 

suspension will be different between 97 and 8, in 98, the reg cabs became 3" longer behind the doors, the seats are different in 98. the front end could have been replaced due to an accident. but unlikely. get some pics of the interior/motor and it can be set in stone.

 

Definatly a 97!

 

Hey fellas. So it turned out that the green one was a piece of junk; exhaust was bad, just in pretty crappy condition and on it's last leg (with almost 300,000 I should've known otherwise). However, I found another 97 with 104,000 that I'm going to check out tomorrow for 2500 but hopefully I can talk him down a bit, we'll see.