mike
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Picked up my Supercab Ranger on Friday. Ordered Dec 1 and picked up May 31. I'd say overall, it pretty much hit the scheduled build and delivery dates...at least within a week or so. Armed with all of the knowledge gained over the past 6 months made my inspection and buying process fairly smooth so thanks to all of those that went before me. Thought I'd post some information and initial impressions that I'll update.
Pretty happy with the color and overall look as well as the size.
Buying Experience (I HATE dealers/salespersons)
After my initial inspection which went well, we went inside. Should have went smooth since I kept my salesperson informed on all offers. First off, salesperson seemed to have a little amnesia, so had to remind him of all the deals that he said "Yes, you can use". After all said and done, I got the $750 ROVP, $500 Customer Cash, and $1500 Conquest Cash. $2750 total of MSRP so that put it in fairly priced territory. What he (and the dealership) did next is what royally pissed me off.
When I first ordered the car, he said special order cars are good because the dealership doesn't add any extras....Well.. He pushed a sales contract in front of me and blasted through the numbers and urged me to sign. But, the $1900 docs/fees caught my eye. I asked him about it and he said "It's just all the docs and fees". Told him, not good enough, he needs to break the numbers out at which point his hands started shaking and he began writing numbers all over the paper. I said, " Look, you are writing all over the paper, I can't follow what you are doing. Take the contract back and break out the numbers clearly. It's not that hard". So he came back and apart from the other numbers stood out $950 Paint protection. Asked him about it and he says, "It's paint protection we put on all our cars..It's already on there". Told him "Too bad, I'm not paying for it. Period. That's not what we talked about when I ordered the truck". There was also a $180 for laser etching the VIN in all of the glass. There is actually a benefit if it is stolen, so I accepted it although thinking about it, I should have told him and the dealership to pound sand since they lied to me. I'm sure I overpaid on some of the fees too, but i'm not versed in all of that.
Talked to the finance guy who also deals with the extra warranty coverage and maintenance programs. He was proud of his pricing and dared me to show him I could beat then sat there with his mouth open when I showed him the prices from https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/dont-get-ripped-off-when-you-buy-a-extended-warranty.1068/ . He pretty much had two choices. Match the prices or don't sell me anything. He matched all the pricing. I decided on a 6 year 60k warranty as well as 6 year 60k service since I'm not going to do my own maintenance and that covers the 30k and 60k checks. Just want it all documented when I go to sell.
Inspection
Inspection went well with a couple issues that the dealer didn't take care of.
Paint: Great shape, no issues at all (so far... I know how a critical eye can find things)
Body Lean: None
Panel Gap: Perfect, except the bed. The bed is slightly more narrow than the cab. Whoever built the truck lined it up perfect with the driver side so there there is a bigger gap than normal on the right. I pointed it out and the service manager came out. He looked like he just ate a sandwich and realized the filling was dog shit. He would look into it. Never got back to me. It honestly doesn't bother me at all, so if the rest of the truck gives me 0 problems, I won't worry about it. Salesperson said: "Ford built the cab too wide." LOL. One possible issue is the hood closing. Really have to close it hard, starting from about a foot above. Can't just lower it down and push firmly to close. Mr. dog-shit sandwich said, "That's the way it is". Might look at everything and see if I can adjust myself.
Interior fit and finish: Fit is perfect, but finish on the doors was ok. Some slight discolorations, but again, nothing that really bothers me.
Sync Update: Asked my salesperson to ensure they updated Sync 3 before I arrived. They hadn't. Asked my salesperson while I was there for them to update Sync 3. They didn't. I took care of it first thing when I got home. Just did the USB update.
Took the truck for an initial drive and it was fine.
Tire pressures were at least adjusted and it looked like the washer fluid wasn't empty.
Initial Impressions
Brakes: They are soft and not predictable, but I'll get used to. I'll never really like them. I remember what the brakes were like in every single car I have owned. The brakes in the Ranger are not the worst. Probably middle of the pack for all the vehicles I have owned.
Rear Seats: My wife sits in the back behind my seat (all the way back) with zero issues. Seriously doubt she'll ever find herself back there, but if so, she won't be uncomfortable.
6' Bed: Glad I have the 6' bed. Let me haul some cheap Chinese made patio furniture back laying completely flat. More than that, we have a LOT of growth living in this tropical environment so the larger capacity will be welcome when I need to make trips to the dump.
Under seat storage: It looks small but It will hold a surprising amount of stuff. I just bought a load of bungie cords to keep in the area of behind the passenger seat and it'll hold more stuff. Read a few good suggestions in the other threads
Front seat comfort: Decent but I have a bad lower back so maybe its better. I'm more comfortable with our Rogues seats that have firmer cushions (and no other adjustments). Right now, I wouldn't be able to take it on a long trip if I lived on the mainland.
Dash Instrumentation: This is my biggest gripe. Below is the layout I settled on:
Personally, I don't mind the small RPM gauge. I rarely look at. If I was drag racing my truck, it would be important, but then I'd probably buy something else. So, I don't mind the center guage and the left area. It's that right area. Totally useless/redundant since I can get all of that information on the center Sync display. I'd rather Have the XLT Instrument panel. 1000% better. Lariat should have got that panel and XLT should have been stuck with this. ;-) Shoot, I'd rather Have the XL with the dinky 2.3" productivity screen rather than that redundant space.
XLT Instrument panel- So much better in all respects.
Electronic driving aids: Turned all off that I could. Hitting a button to turn off auto-start/stop doesn't bother me. I can appreciate the blind-spot monitoring for people who are challenged by manually checking, but I'll never rely on it.
MPG: 60 mile round trip I averaged 22.5. I could see this engine is VERY sensitive to gas pedal pressure. For my commute, I'm guessing I'll average 22-24mpg.
Sync 3: As mentioned, I updated it via USB and that process went smooth. I like the system. Very quick/responsive and easy to use. I bought it for the Android Auto so I can have Waze in my display and use Sirius XM streaming (can't get the satellite coverage here). Works like a champ and meets my expectations so far.
Ride: It's a truck, but for a truck, it rides better that what I expected (and that's empty). I find it very maneuverable and easy to drive with good steering wheel feel.
Grab Handles: I've read about the issue with no driver's side grab handle and didn't understand the problem...until I watched my wife get in on her side where she clearly used the handle, so if she ever drives the truck, she'll have a little bit of an issue getting in.
Antennae: Hmmm I have a lower garage opening 77" so having the antennae in that location is not good. I'll need to replace it with a stub. I don't listen to radio anyway. The antennae is flexible but it leans back and I'm sure that kind of pressure when reversing out can't be good. Kind of a stupid location.
That beam is actually lower than the opening but only by a couple inches. I actually just removed the antennae. I'll find a screw to insert into the hole.
Engine/Power: Great power when I need it. Noisy (Fan?) getting up to 20mph or so. Same thing on one I tested a few months back. Just on my short drive, I noticed no driveability issues, but we'll see as the days/months progress.
If I were to do it again?....Hmmmm.
I'll probably update this if anything worthwhile comes up.
Pretty happy with the color and overall look as well as the size.
Buying Experience (I HATE dealers/salespersons)
After my initial inspection which went well, we went inside. Should have went smooth since I kept my salesperson informed on all offers. First off, salesperson seemed to have a little amnesia, so had to remind him of all the deals that he said "Yes, you can use". After all said and done, I got the $750 ROVP, $500 Customer Cash, and $1500 Conquest Cash. $2750 total of MSRP so that put it in fairly priced territory. What he (and the dealership) did next is what royally pissed me off.
When I first ordered the car, he said special order cars are good because the dealership doesn't add any extras....Well.. He pushed a sales contract in front of me and blasted through the numbers and urged me to sign. But, the $1900 docs/fees caught my eye. I asked him about it and he said "It's just all the docs and fees". Told him, not good enough, he needs to break the numbers out at which point his hands started shaking and he began writing numbers all over the paper. I said, " Look, you are writing all over the paper, I can't follow what you are doing. Take the contract back and break out the numbers clearly. It's not that hard". So he came back and apart from the other numbers stood out $950 Paint protection. Asked him about it and he says, "It's paint protection we put on all our cars..It's already on there". Told him "Too bad, I'm not paying for it. Period. That's not what we talked about when I ordered the truck". There was also a $180 for laser etching the VIN in all of the glass. There is actually a benefit if it is stolen, so I accepted it although thinking about it, I should have told him and the dealership to pound sand since they lied to me. I'm sure I overpaid on some of the fees too, but i'm not versed in all of that.
Talked to the finance guy who also deals with the extra warranty coverage and maintenance programs. He was proud of his pricing and dared me to show him I could beat then sat there with his mouth open when I showed him the prices from https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/dont-get-ripped-off-when-you-buy-a-extended-warranty.1068/ . He pretty much had two choices. Match the prices or don't sell me anything. He matched all the pricing. I decided on a 6 year 60k warranty as well as 6 year 60k service since I'm not going to do my own maintenance and that covers the 30k and 60k checks. Just want it all documented when I go to sell.
Inspection
Inspection went well with a couple issues that the dealer didn't take care of.
Paint: Great shape, no issues at all (so far... I know how a critical eye can find things)
Body Lean: None
Panel Gap: Perfect, except the bed. The bed is slightly more narrow than the cab. Whoever built the truck lined it up perfect with the driver side so there there is a bigger gap than normal on the right. I pointed it out and the service manager came out. He looked like he just ate a sandwich and realized the filling was dog shit. He would look into it. Never got back to me. It honestly doesn't bother me at all, so if the rest of the truck gives me 0 problems, I won't worry about it. Salesperson said: "Ford built the cab too wide." LOL. One possible issue is the hood closing. Really have to close it hard, starting from about a foot above. Can't just lower it down and push firmly to close. Mr. dog-shit sandwich said, "That's the way it is". Might look at everything and see if I can adjust myself.
Interior fit and finish: Fit is perfect, but finish on the doors was ok. Some slight discolorations, but again, nothing that really bothers me.
Sync Update: Asked my salesperson to ensure they updated Sync 3 before I arrived. They hadn't. Asked my salesperson while I was there for them to update Sync 3. They didn't. I took care of it first thing when I got home. Just did the USB update.
Took the truck for an initial drive and it was fine.
Tire pressures were at least adjusted and it looked like the washer fluid wasn't empty.
Initial Impressions
Brakes: They are soft and not predictable, but I'll get used to. I'll never really like them. I remember what the brakes were like in every single car I have owned. The brakes in the Ranger are not the worst. Probably middle of the pack for all the vehicles I have owned.
Rear Seats: My wife sits in the back behind my seat (all the way back) with zero issues. Seriously doubt she'll ever find herself back there, but if so, she won't be uncomfortable.
6' Bed: Glad I have the 6' bed. Let me haul some cheap Chinese made patio furniture back laying completely flat. More than that, we have a LOT of growth living in this tropical environment so the larger capacity will be welcome when I need to make trips to the dump.
Under seat storage: It looks small but It will hold a surprising amount of stuff. I just bought a load of bungie cords to keep in the area of behind the passenger seat and it'll hold more stuff. Read a few good suggestions in the other threads
Front seat comfort: Decent but I have a bad lower back so maybe its better. I'm more comfortable with our Rogues seats that have firmer cushions (and no other adjustments). Right now, I wouldn't be able to take it on a long trip if I lived on the mainland.
Dash Instrumentation: This is my biggest gripe. Below is the layout I settled on:
Personally, I don't mind the small RPM gauge. I rarely look at. If I was drag racing my truck, it would be important, but then I'd probably buy something else. So, I don't mind the center guage and the left area. It's that right area. Totally useless/redundant since I can get all of that information on the center Sync display. I'd rather Have the XLT Instrument panel. 1000% better. Lariat should have got that panel and XLT should have been stuck with this. ;-) Shoot, I'd rather Have the XL with the dinky 2.3" productivity screen rather than that redundant space.
XLT Instrument panel- So much better in all respects.
Electronic driving aids: Turned all off that I could. Hitting a button to turn off auto-start/stop doesn't bother me. I can appreciate the blind-spot monitoring for people who are challenged by manually checking, but I'll never rely on it.
MPG: 60 mile round trip I averaged 22.5. I could see this engine is VERY sensitive to gas pedal pressure. For my commute, I'm guessing I'll average 22-24mpg.
Sync 3: As mentioned, I updated it via USB and that process went smooth. I like the system. Very quick/responsive and easy to use. I bought it for the Android Auto so I can have Waze in my display and use Sirius XM streaming (can't get the satellite coverage here). Works like a champ and meets my expectations so far.
Ride: It's a truck, but for a truck, it rides better that what I expected (and that's empty). I find it very maneuverable and easy to drive with good steering wheel feel.
Grab Handles: I've read about the issue with no driver's side grab handle and didn't understand the problem...until I watched my wife get in on her side where she clearly used the handle, so if she ever drives the truck, she'll have a little bit of an issue getting in.
Antennae: Hmmm I have a lower garage opening 77" so having the antennae in that location is not good. I'll need to replace it with a stub. I don't listen to radio anyway. The antennae is flexible but it leans back and I'm sure that kind of pressure when reversing out can't be good. Kind of a stupid location.
That beam is actually lower than the opening but only by a couple inches. I actually just removed the antennae. I'll find a screw to insert into the hole.
Engine/Power: Great power when I need it. Noisy (Fan?) getting up to 20mph or so. Same thing on one I tested a few months back. Just on my short drive, I noticed no driveability issues, but we'll see as the days/months progress.
If I were to do it again?....Hmmmm.
I'll probably update this if anything worthwhile comes up.
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