1997 Ford Ranger XLT With 37K Miles Up For Auction

It may seem hard for some to believe at this point, but the last compact Ford Ranger in the U.S. was built over two decades ago, after which that model disappeared from North America before relaunching as a mid-size pickup in 2019. As such, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see a bevy of low-mile compact Ford Ranger models surfacing for sale at auction in recent months, as that’s precisely what’s been happening. The latest example worth potentially bidding on is this – a 1997 Ford Ranger XLT with 37k miles on the clock.

This 1997 Ford Ranger is up for auction at Bring a Trailer after it remained in the possession of the original owner until just last year, when it was acquired by the selling dealer. As such, it looks basically brand new, with no flaws marring its factory Medium Graphite Metallic paint, white and blue pinstriping, chrome trim, or 15-inch alloy wheels. There are a few add-ons present, including a drop-in bedliner, running boards, mud flaps, and a receiver hitch, while front disc brakes and rear drums handle stopping duties.

Inside the cabin, one will find Medium Graphite cloth covering the 60/40 split bench seat, and it looks to be in pretty fantastic condition, too. There are a few amenities to be found, but not many – rather, this pickup features manual-crank windows to go along with air conditioning and a cassette stereo, and that’s about it. Power comes from the larger 4.0L V6, however, which was factory-rated to generate 160 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque and is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, sending power to either the rear or all four wheels.

This is just the latest of several compact Ford Ranger pickups we’ve spotted crossing the auction block as of late – that list also includes a 1999 Ranger with just 14k miles, a 2002 XLT with 29k miles, and a 2003 XLT with 13k miles.