At $18,800, Is This 1984 Ford Ranger Roll-A-Long A Merrily Good Deal?
The ad for today’s Nice Price or No Dice Ranger Roll-A-Long describes it as being in “mint condition” despite it obviously being beige and orange both inside and out. Let’s see how much green this throwback camper might reasonably bring.
Ford’s Ranger Raptor Wants Its Midsize Off-Roading Crown Back
For many of us, the best thing about yesterday’s 1981 Honda Prelude Solaire convertible was the cute dogs that appeared along with the car in the pictures in the ad. Not even those four-legged friends could warm us up to the factory-backed convertible’s $13,000 asking price, however, and at the end of the day, the Prelude fell in a 78 percent No Dice loss.
Two of the hottest tickets these days are vintage Ford Ranger pickups (we talked about one of those just recently) and overlander van conversions. If only there were some way to Wondertwin these two into one remarkable conveyance that would lean equally hard on both that vintage Ranger experience and on providing a place to go in private for all us shy poopers.
Enter this 1984 Ford Ranger Roll-A-Long camper, which does all that and more. According to the ad, this vintage home-away-from-home is in excellent condition and sports some added modern conveniences to make the experience all the more enjoyable.
The basic camper was built by Roll-A-Long Vans, Incorporated out of Orange County, California. A version of that company, Rollalong Vans, remains in business to this very day. Sitting underneath the conversion is a Ford Ranger longbed with dual rear wheels and a drivetrain consisting of a 2.9-liter V6 and C3 three-speed automatic driving the dualies out back.
Of the engines available in the Ranger this model year, the Cologne-sourced 2.9 is the best to have. At 145 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque, it offers a sizable jump from its sibling 2.8 and is considered a better and more reliable engine as well. The C3 automatic behind that may be the industrial housing of transmissions, but it gets the job done and should do so without complaint for many miles and years to come.
Aesthetically, this Roll-A-Long appears to be in excellent shape both inside and out. Typically, old campers like this give off a total Walter White vibe and likely smell like an old man’s undershorts. With the pop-top raised, this one is bright and airy and, based on the pictures, is clean as a whistle. There’s no word on the camper’s ofactory ambiance, but I’ll bet it’s not too funky.
Features include both a kitchenette and a combo shower/flush toilet and in front of those, a dinette that converts to a cozy bed. On either side of that are generous windows with privacy curtains.
All the upholstery appears to be intact and shows minimal wear and no fading. The bamboo countertops and table top are clean and the fabric of the pop-top appears complete all around. Up in the cab, there’s matching upholstery on the sport bucket seats and a modern stereo with a big touchscreen that doubles as the backup camera’s display. A few cracks in the dash cap spoil the party a bit, but that’s to be expected and a minimal price to pay for the truck’s age.
According to the seller, a 200-watt 12-volt solar panel kit has been mounted to the roof. They suggest adding a battery and inverter and upping the system to 48 volts. Also suggested is the switching of the truck’s driveline to 4WD for that true overlander get-away-from-it-all experience. The world is your oyster and all that.
The ad notes a clean title but omits any mention of the truck’s mileage. The odometer is visible in the pic of the dash, but, frustratingly, it’s too small and blurry to read. Maybe the mileage is mentioned in the YouTube video linked in the ad but that’s 43 minutes long and, to be honest, I have a life.
Speaking of lives, not only does this Roll-A-Long look to have plenty of life left in it, but it probably would add some outdoor adventure to the life of any new prospective owner. All it would take is $18,800.
What do you think, is this rare and amazingly clean Ranger Roll-A-Long worth that kind of money? Or, does that price put this classic camper out of contention?
You decide!
Facebook Marketplace out of Seattle, Washington, or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at remslie@kinja.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
