Might downsize to a Bronco Sport

[JimJ]

We bought a bronco sport big Bend edition last July. So far it’s been a great vehicle. The wife uses it and is perfect for her. She get 34mpg on the highway . It’s a lot noisier than the our 22 Ranger on the interior. Great little ride

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[ThatsAMonkey]

Agree with this. It seldom (i.e. never) makes sense to trade vehicles for a marginal mpg improvement. And it almost never makes sense to “downsize” by buying a new car, especially if you’re financing it. Sorry, dad mode off.

No no you're good. Dad mode much appreciated. It takes a lot of thinking for me to make a decision like this so it's always great having outside opinions/suggestions that I might have overlooked or didn't think of.

 

[RD_Kona]

Not sure why Keith said "Don't", however we have a Bronco Sport Badlands and we get about 29 MPG driving easy with the 4 cylinder turbo. It is a great vehicle, plenty of room for me and I am 6'2" and it is comfy. My wife is 5' tall, so it fits her fine with tons of room for her as well. Not as much room as in the Explorer she had before, however it works fine for us. The OBX is a sweet looking BS as well. I think you would be very happy with it! Good Luck on your decision!

I don’t get the hate on the BS. My wife has one and loves it. It’s a good commuter car and e decent off-roader (given the limitations of its size). Ran some mild trails in Moab.

 

[ThatsAMonkey]

We bought a bronco sport big Bend edition last July. So far it’s been a great vehicle. The wife uses it and is perfect for her. She get 34mpg on the highway . It’s a lot noisier than the our 22 Ranger on the interior. Great little ride

Big bend was my first choice and then looking at the OBX and what's included I feel it might be the better choice. As far as cabin noise is it from the roof racks or just the aerodynamics?

 

[Phil_R]

I don’t get the hate on the BS. My wife has one and loves it. It’s a good commuter car and e decent off-roader (given the limitations of its size). Ran some mild trails in Moab.

The thing that I think is important is the continuing deprecation of the trade in value of the Ranger as well. Will it level out or might it be a good time to trade now. The BS as we both know is a great value and does good off road, as far as I can see on the online tests. Wife does not want me to take ours off road yet! Yes, it should not be a hated vehicle for sure!

 

[Phil_R]

Big bend was my first choice and then looking at the OBX and what's included I feel it might be the better choice. As far as cabin noise is it from the roof racks or just the aerodynamics?

Ours is not noisy and we have the sunroof as well....

 

[JimJ]

Big bend was my first choice and then looking at the OBX and what's included I feel it might be the better choice. As far as cabin noise is it from the roof racks or just the aerodynamics?

Road noise was quite noticeable in the Bronco sport compared to the Ranger.
the outer banks is better equipped than the big bend. She’s happy with it and that’s all that counts.

 

[Wytchdctr]

I wasn't after a bronco but something on the same platform (i think?) I still wonder a year later if I would have been happier had the traded-in car run a bit longer for the Mav to show up. Then the wife got into gardening and outdoor stuff... and I see how much that extra bed helps with that junk and how much nicer on my knees it is to just slide in vs sit down/stand up out of something. Still happy I didn't go for an F-150.. just don't need it or its size. Many times the narrower truck has proven handy in traffic, etc.

I think I got a better deal for the same money.

Miles vs long-term cost will tell. If this thing runs well after my silly arse did the LMS stuff to it. Very much worth it.

 

[JimG_AZ]

Since you asked for opinions on this… I would want a realistic dollar amount for the fuel saving per year. If this is a small number, the trade is probably not worth it. How many miles are you driving per year? For me, I drive @ 12,000 miles per year. If the Bronco Sport got 10 more mpg, that would save me @ $750/year in gas. If I were to make this trade, the dealer doc fee would be @ $600 which would leave me with a savings of @ $150 for the first year. I would need to go into year number 2 before I started realizing a fuel saving of @ $750/year. Would you be in a negative equity position on the Ranger? If so, the answer to making this deal should be a firm NO! This would be a deal killer for me. If you end up rolling negative equity from the Ranger into the Bronco Sport, you could be in a financial hole for quite a while. Last, if you are financing the Bronco, you need to look at interest rate and term. If the interest rate and/or term are increasing and the whole goal of this was to save money, you may be very disappointed.

If the ultimate goal is to save money on fuel, the hybrid car may be the way to go. My sons Prius gets 55+ mpg. He is probably driving 16 to 18k miles per year and he is saving a lot of money on gas compared to the Rav4 he used to own. With my 12,000 miles per year, a Prius would save me @ $1,450/year in gas compared to my Ranger. Take that over 5 years and the savings are $7,250 in gas. For me, that would definitely make downsizing worthwhile.

 

[Max Crafter]

not sure how insurance works in your area, but here it matters, at least with my company.
Changing vehicles can change your insurance quote considerably, negating any savings of fuel you expect.
So if it applies, check with your insurance agent to see if your quote will stay the same, increase or decrease.

 

[Jason B]

If I were looking for better MPG and still have something of a truck, I would consider the Maverick.
The Maverick hybrid has an EPA estimate 42 MPG, but more like 30 MPG at 75 MPH.

 

[CB750F]

OP, my dad hat.
I would really like a PHEV to save on gas but, is it worth it?
Ranger, 100$ a week in gas time 50 weeks= 5k over 10 yrs = 50,000k
PHEV Ranger, assumptions is I save 50% on gas, so 2k a yr X 10 = 20,000k. Trade in, I lose 10k.
New PHEV is 10 K more then what I bought my FX for.
Finance, part/all the difference, 20K just to move to PHEV.
I save 30k in gas, but + 20k + (interest & ins whatever, I'll ignore).
So, I save 10k at the end of 10 yrs.
Not sure my reasoning or math is right but a ballpark number.
Not sure I would go to a PHEV even for 10k & I keep my vehicles
till the wheels drop off, so even more savings.

 

[ThatsAMonkey]

OP, my dad hat.
I would really like a PHEV to save on gas but, is it worth it?
Ranger, 100$ a week in gas time 50 weeks= 5k over 10 yrs = 50,000k
PHEV Ranger, assumptions is I save 50% on gas, so 2k a yr X 10 = 20,000k. Trade in, I lose 10k.
New PHEV is 10 K more then what I bought my FX for.
Finance, part/all the difference, 20K just to move to PHEV.
I save 30k in gas, but + 20k + (interest & ins whatever, I'll ignore).
So, I save 10k at the end of 10 yrs.
Not sure my reasoning or math is right but a ballpark number.
Not sure I would go to a PHEV even for 10k & I keep my vehicles
till the wheels drop off, so even more savings.

The reasoning and math makes sense. I was thinking the same about people trading their 5g for a 6g when it's just an updated Ranger. I looked into a Rav4 PRIME and oh my goodness is it more than my truck. Not to mention you're on a wait list for a few years.

 

[FordFreak]

You mean an Escape...Don't

 

[Dr_Strangelove]

My wife wanted a Rav 4 Prime. 1 year ago you had to agree to $15,000 ADM to place an order in Las Vegas. Looking at their prices today it doesn't look like they've shifted their position on that. A 2018 Prius is a $30,000 car in this city. I hope for your sake the car market is cooler where you live. I'm going to be one of those guys flying to Iowa to buy a truck next time around...

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