i havent read through all this, but i'll weigh in. ive had both a 2.3 lima and still have a 4.0 O.H.V. both rangers were supercabs with 3.73 gearing, both have the M5OD manual trans. the 2.3 was a '88 2wd weighing in at approx 4,000 pounds , the '93 is a 4x and it weighs about 4,300 pounds. both had grill guards and 'glass toppers. while the '88 2.3 got excellent milage, it just lacked the tourque at times, running empty up a major road in ohio, (71) not only would you have to drop it down to 4rth gear to maintain speed, it sometimes would have to be shifted down to 3rd and held to the floor. yes on level ground it was good for 28 mpg. my 4.0 on the other hand has took on some much more hilly WV. roads, never had to downshift out of O/D. it has gotton a best of 19.5 but is a much better tow rig because of torque. the 2.3 is a good motor, but sometimes you just need a few more squirrels to get the job done. most of the time the 2.3 would work for me, but there are times it just wouldnt do, every time im hooked up to my box trailer is one example.