 This is my second Ranger in 6 years.  
From day two the truck had an 
electrical short in the wiper motor 
that made it impossible to turn the 
wipers off once activated.  The 
dealership replaced the wiper motor 
w/in a few hours and now everything 
works perfectly.  The 2.3L engine is 
more than powerful enough w/the manual 
transmission for daily driving.  If you 
plan on using the truck to tow, I 
suggest the 3.0L or 4.0L. 