If Buying Today, Would You Still Buy the Ranger?

[Chris M]

I might end up buying the Ranger again, but then again I can absolutely say I'd spend more time test driving....and re-measuring my garage just so I could be absolutely sure what will and won't fit in it.

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[Tracy Bowman]

If the Broncos were out when I bought my 2019 I would've gone that way. If my lariat died today, I'de get a Bronco.

Me too!

 

[NTXTremor]

Would I buy my Ranger again? In a heartbeat.

Heck, if Ford offered a Lightning version of the 2023 Ranger, I would be tempted to buy or lease it for a daily driver and turn my Tremor into a full-blown off-road / tow rig.

I'd also likely be divorced against my will and living in a shack with a 4 car garage, but those are just details. ?

 

[tremorman]

Yes, love the tremor and it fits my needs right now. At some point in the not too distant future I'll probably need a full size SUV for passenger capacity/comfort, but I would plan to keep my tremor for truck stuff and fun stuff. The Ranger narrowly beat out the Colorado ZR2 for me and in hindsight I'm absolutely thrilled with my choice. I'd take the Ranger over any other mid size truck every day of the week.

 

[9zero1790]

Hi all. I've done some searching but wanted to get some new/updated opinions on the truck's quality & reliability. I'm going to be buying one of these: Chevy ZR2, Ford Ranger Tremor, Toyota TRD Off Road (or TRD Pro). Each of these trucks has their + and - points. I also understand that each brand has their own set of fanboys, some are more rabid than others. You know who you are, haha!

Since I'm looking at spending $45-50,000, I'm trying to do my research as thorough as I can. These trucks are not cheap and I'm looking for this to be a 10+ year truck ownership. So, my questions are:

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Ranger? Why?
* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Ranger?
* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Ranger?
* What did you like & dislike about them?

Thanks for answering my questions. $45-50,000 is a lot of money. I want to feel that I've made the best choice for my needs as a daily driver, light hauler, occasional tower, and hunting/camping/fishing vehicle.

Have a great day!

i looked at the gm, ford, toyota and nissian mid size trucks last year before buying my new ranger. I was not impressed with the toyota and found the cab and seats very uncomfortable. The toyota also seemed to be anemic in terms of power and ability to tow / carry. The only thing the toyota really had going for it in my mind was a reputation for quality from years ago and the long list of possible aftermarket parts. I drove one and decided it was a no go. sluggish and cramped is how the toyota felt. I could not imagine driving one loaded down with all my gear or camping stuff or a trailer plus my fat butt. if your tall or beefy person the tacoma is like a wet suit thats one size too small. or a cheap hotel - no ball room.
The frontier was ugly but impressive. I feel like it is the closest to the ranger in terms of power and ability. the frontier has a good list of off road options and is tough. its build quality seemed much better than the gm twins. nissian would not make me a good deal as the older model frontiers were still on the lots and very few "new" models were on the lot. If I could have gotten a fair price on one i may have been very tempted. frontier is much more comfy than the toyotas. The gm mid size just didnt suit me at all. the interior looks nice in them but is flimsy. They were way overpriced to get one with the options i wanted and they have a pretty ugly history for recalls and problems with electronics and transmissions etc. GM made me mad years ago and I have avoided them since that moment. only reason i looked at the zr2 was the factory front locker option. Putting in lockers aftermarket is a pain and costly. but locker or not the gm trucks are not reliable, or built as well as others in the group despite whoever they pay to say they are great. I actually walked away from the ranger on my first try. I drove an xl 4x4 at a dealer and was not overly impressed at all. I hit my head getting in and out 2 times in a row and told myself no way im living with that poop lol. The inside of the xl i drove seemed pretty blank and boring for the price tag on the truck. so i went back to doing research and looking at specs side by side etc. The arm chair comparison kept saying ranger or frontier. they have better power fuel economy and tow / carry ratings. id already been by a nissian lot and left with that not coming back to this dealer feeling. few weeks later i found a fair price on the one I bought on a dealer web page. it had a lot more goodies and options than the xl did and had all the items i wanted, none of the things i did not want. so i went to look at it and drove it and was shocked. it felt like a totally different truck than the xl i drove. The inside was better, it had more guts and seemed well put together. after getting in and out a couple times i figured out how to get in without hitting my head lol. i named my price and told them to skip the bs and they did.
I would buy it again today for sure. I would not even consider the toyota or gm options. the tacoma was a let down and the chevy was a fluff d bag wagon lol. The frontier on the other hand i still like but think its ugly. but a good choice if not getting a ranger. for the midsize truck market the ranger is the best truck you can get at this time. no im not a fan boy. Im not fan of most of fords line up. I havent had any problems with my ranger that were not my own fault. i am annoyed about the bed tie downs and head rests - but would not change my mind. if i was buying today it would be a tremor ranger. id peel off the stupid tremor sticker and take off the steps. i might even have an upholster remove the tremor stitching on the seats lol.

sorry for the wall of text folks!

 

[Pinepig]

Was down at the California State fair today and both Chevy and Toyota had displays there and gave me a chance to sit in and look over the taco and a ZR1. I still can't believe how small the taco is inside, I sat in it, seemed like I was 3 inches higher than the rear view mirror and my head was literally an inch from the headliner. I'm not even close to the roof in the ranger. My old 1975 BMW had more headroom and felt more spacious that the taco. The ZR1 is still specced out better than rangers but it's interior isn't a whole lot better than the taco, I mean come on, this is their " top of the line " colorado and it still has those flat as a board seats. The big problem with the GMs is the awful transmissions in them. The 10 speed in the ranger is much better and making up for the suspension deficit ford has over the GM is relatively cheap even if you don't go for the least expensive solutions.

Yeah I'd still get a Ranger again.

 

[Synfulz]

Definitely buy a Ranger, just a 4wd model I think.

 

[Chris M]

Definitely buy a Ranger, just a 4wd model I think.

I traded up to a 4X4 and am glad I did so far....not that I've used it yet, but the day will come. Solid truck.

 

[JasonTremor]

Not sure what I would buy, most likely the Bronco. Came from a 2019 Colorado ZR2 to the 2021 Ranger Tremor. Both have pros and cons.

If I had a build my own truck option, like build a bear, I'd take the Ranger drivetrain and suspension, Ranger front seats, Colorado infotainment center and driver information center, Colorado rear split fold down seat, Colorado body fit and finish with the Ranger body design and keep the Ranger fuel economy and add the Bronco manual transmission. Oh and add the front and rear electronic differential lockers from the Colorado.

 

[deleriumtremor]

I would definitely do it again, my Ranger is literally perfect for my needs. If it were available when I was buying, I probably would go for a SuperCab Tremor and make the mods Mark outlined above, but yes, Ranger all the way.

The back seat in the Scab is a little tight for the dogs, but they wouldn’t complain as going trumps everything for them.

 

[Synfulz]

I traded up to a 4X4 and am glad I did so far....not that I've used it yet, but the day will come. Solid truck.

Thinking I am going to get a Raptor or maybe FX4 Max. The FX4 Max is less common here.

 

[Sanctus Rimor]

I'd go with the Ranger again. unless I hit the lottery, then it's the Bronco Raptor.

 

[Markubis]

Yup...definitely.

In fact, we have a brand new car (VW Tiguan R line black edition) for my wife and we still fight over who gets to drive the Ranger!
I was thinking about that the other day and had to laugh because the Ranger is going on 2 years old now.

 

[deleriumtremor]

Yup...definitely.

In fact, we have a brand new car (VW Tiguan R line black edition) for my wife and we still fight over who gets to drive the Ranger!
I was thinking about that the other day and had to laugh because the Ranger is going on 2 years old now.

Us too, my wife absolutely loves her Highlander Hybrid. I am down from driving for a few weeks, best case. She has everything adjusted so she can drive the Ranger. She has said repeatedly, when you start back driving, you should drive the Highlander for a few months as it is lower getting into…. Yeah right.

 

[AzScorpion]

Us too, my wife absolutely loves her Highlander Hybrid. I am down from driving for a few weeks, best case. She has everything adjusted so she can drive the Ranger. She has said repeatedly, when you start back driving, you should drive the Highlander for a few months as it is lower getting into…. Yeah right.

Be careful Bill they're very sneaky like that. Next thing you know she'll have her own screen name on the forum and you'll notice all sorts of packages being delivered to your house. Courtesy of all of us of course. ?

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