Ranger Replacement: 1996 Ford F150 XL Sport 5-Speed – SOLD!

November 16th Update – This no-frills Ford F-150 single cab barely last two weeks before the private seller deleted their Craigslist listing following the sale.  We’re officially calling this one “Sold!”

A nice basic, no-frills, two-door, full-size, single cab, two-wheel-drive, Ford F-150 pick-up truck.  Go ahead, try and buy one a new one right from the dealer’s lot in any color other than white.  Forget about getting it with a stick shift; that ship has sailed. This trend continues on the highest-selling single mark in the U.S.  That’s why we love coming across no-frills RADwood trucks like this 1996 Ford F-150 XL Sport first listed in October 2020 in Shelton, Connecticut with an asking price of $6,250.   Comparing this price against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms this private seller has their F-150 priced below the #3 “Good” estimate of $6,800. 

Ford introduced its ninth generation F-150 for the 1992 model year and continued production through 1997 when the company launched the radically new aerodynamic tenth gen light-duty line.  While still based on the basic design dating from the 1980 model year, the 1992 F-Series brought a number of minor changes to the exterior and interior (where most enthusiasts consider this a facelift for the same existing truck that first appeared in 1979 as a 1980 model instead of a redesign). This is the last generation of the F-Series that was produced as a complete range of trucks from a half-ton pickup to a medium-duty Class 6 truck.

In the interest of aerodynamics, Ford rounded off the lines of the hood, front fenders, and grille. Designers combined those elements with a larger grille and single headlights with the turn signals again moving below). Designers updated the interior with a redesigned dashboard combined with more comfortable seats.

Unlike today, Ford trailed their rival General Motors in combined truck sales for much of the ninth generation production, though sales steadily rose each year. 500,000 F-Series trucks were sold in 1992, but this rose to nearly 800,000 by 1996, allowing Ford to overtake combined sales of Chevrolet and GMC trucks for the first time in a decade.

This vintage commercial for a 1996 F-150 from Texas shows how aggressively Ford dealers marketed their ninth generation trucks in anticipation of the new 1997 model coming in Fall of ’96:

We can’t get over how clean and rust-free this F-150 is despite having 131K original miles, so we’d love to hear the back story on this one. Cosmetically, the carpeted dash covering has us worried its hiding a crack original dashboard, but otherwise this F-150 makes a compelling alternative to similar vintage Ford Ranger.  Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

“Beautiful, rare Sport Model. Original paint. Sony head unit w/sub-woofer.

New parts with dates & mileage:
Starter Oct-2020 130k, Front and rear sending units/Air injection manifold/Oil pan gasket/Push rod cover gasket Dec-2017 117k, Distributor Sep-2015 102k, Clutch/Master cylinder/slave cylinder May-2015 101k, Radiator Apr-2015 unk, Tires Apr-2013 86k, Radius arm bushings and brackets Nov-2011 75k

More pics available at https://app.photobucket.com/u/circa55/a/474806bf-75c3-472d-b17b-c41de26db0f4

Cash only – NO TRADES!“

Would you show this F-150 or make it a nice vintage daily driver?  Comment below and let us know!