CJB

By far, the best fuel economy of the three available powerplants will be
found in the I-4 engines. The 3.0 V-6 has less power and hardly any better
fuel economy than the 4.0. I really don't know why anyone who wanted a V-6
would get a 3.0.

Be aware that there are basically 2 different I-4 engines. The older
engine, the cast iron (aka Lima) 2.3 and it's slightly larger twin, the 2.5,
is rock solid. There are MANY reports of those engines going 300+ thousand
miles without problems. The newer aluminum 2.3 (it might also come in a 2.5
flavor) is also a good engine from all reports, and has a smidgen more
power. For longevity, there's just not enough data to compare the two
fairly, but I know that the older Lima 2.3/2.5 is a long proven, reliable,
durable engine.

I have a 2.3 powered 97 Ranger SuperCab 5 speed and like it very much. It
has enough power for my suburban Washington DC driving, and is barely broken
in at 105k miles.

CJB



"bribieboy" <steve@bindii.net> wrote in message
news:1138870830.906800.261310@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi
>
> I'm intending to buy a Ranger and would like people's opinions on which
> engine gives the best fuel economy. I won't be doing any hauling with
> it, it will be my daily drive. I'm looking anywhere from 1995 to 2002
> give or take some years.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>