First Truck — 2019 Ford Ranger Lariat FX4

[BearJew]

Hey, y’all! Glad to have found this site and look forward to being a part of it. I’m very much a novice to trucks, as I’ve always had sports cars before and lived in the city. The wife and I decided to cash out of that rat race and buy property in a LCOL exurban area closer to family last Fall. We like to say that we are semi-retired now as we both still work full-time but they’re at cushy WFH jobs — or as I like to call them — easy money! We don’t drive much as a result but we’re big DIY’ers so I figured I’d get a lightly used truck.

Did research for a few months, sold my Mercedes, and decided on the 5gen Ranger. Wanted a truck that was fully capable and reliable but could also fit in our garage. Found this beauty at a dealer about 20 min away and thought it was good value. Was pleasantly surprised on the test drive at how much pep it had. That sealed the deal for me! Clean carfax, 1 owner, regular maintenance record, 35k miles. I believe everything is stock except the bed cover. It also has a Ford spray-in bedliner. Nothing fancy but I really love it so far, have had it for about 2 weeks.

I’ve heard some folks say to level it but I read that can be problematic for a variety of reasons and can also hurt the fuel efficiency, etc. Is that accurate? I do want to make the ride a bit less bouncy though. Any recommendations for that? Any other advice? Thanks y’all!

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[Chris M]

Hey, y’all! Glad to have found this site and look forward to being a part of it. I’m very much a novice to trucks, as I’ve always had sports cars before and lived in the city. The wife and I decided to cash out of that rat race and buy property in a LCOL exurban area closer to family last Fall. We like to say that we are semi-retired now as we both still work full-time but they’re at cushy WFH jobs — or as I like to call them — easy money! We don’t drive much as a result but we’re big DIY’ers so I figured I’d get a lightly used truck.

Did research for a few months, sold my Mercedes, and decided on the 5gen Ranger. Wanted a truck that was fully capable and reliable but could also fit in our garage. Found this beauty at a dealer about 20 min away and thought it was good value. Was pleasantly surprised on the test drive at how much pep it had. That sealed the deal for me! Clean carfax, 1 owner, regular maintenance record, 35k miles. I believe everything is stock except the bed cover. It also has a Ford spray-in bedliner. Nothing fancy but I really love it so far, have had it for about 2 weeks.

I’ve heard some folks say to level it but I read that can be problematic for a variety of reasons and can also hurt the fuel efficiency, etc. Is that accurate? I do want to make the ride a bit less bouncy though. Any recommendations for that? Any other advice? Thanks y’all!

Nice truck!
You've certainly come to the right place for advice on everything to do with the Ranger. Just open your bank account and relax...

 

[IdahoRanger]

Hey, y’all! Glad to have found this site and look forward to being a part of it. I’m very much a novice to trucks, as I’ve always had sports cars before and lived in the city. The wife and I decided to cash out of that rat race and buy property in a LCOL exurban area closer to family last Fall. We like to say that we are semi-retired now as we both still work full-time but they’re at cushy WFH jobs — or as I like to call them — easy money! We don’t drive much as a result but we’re big DIY’ers so I figured I’d get a lightly used truck.

Did research for a few months, sold my Mercedes, and decided on the 5gen Ranger. Wanted a truck that was fully capable and reliable but could also fit in our garage. Found this beauty at a dealer about 20 min away and thought it was good value. Was pleasantly surprised on the test drive at how much pep it had. That sealed the deal for me! Clean carfax, 1 owner, regular maintenance record, 35k miles. I believe everything is stock except the bed cover. It also has a Ford spray-in bedliner. Nothing fancy but I really love it so far, have had it for about 2 weeks.

I’ve heard some folks say to level it but I read that can be problematic for a variety of reasons and can also hurt the fuel efficiency, etc. Is that accurate? I do want to make the ride a bit less bouncy though. Any recommendations for that? Any other advice? Thanks y’all!

Truck looks clean. I have left my suspension stock but many have switched the shocks to fix the "bouncy" feel. A little weight in the bed and you will notice a difference.

As Chris said, you came to the right forum to find stuff for your truck you didn't know you needed.

 

[Big Blue]

Hey, y’all! Glad to have found this site and look forward to being a part of it. I’m very much a novice to trucks, as I’ve always had sports cars before and lived in the city. The wife and I decided to cash out of that rat race and buy property in a LCOL exurban area closer to family last Fall. We like to say that we are semi-retired now as we both still work full-time but they’re at cushy WFH jobs — or as I like to call them — easy money! We don’t drive much as a result but we’re big DIY’ers so I figured I’d get a lightly used truck.

Did research for a few months, sold my Mercedes, and decided on the 5gen Ranger. Wanted a truck that was fully capable and reliable but could also fit in our garage. Found this beauty at a dealer about 20 min away and thought it was good value. Was pleasantly surprised on the test drive at how much pep it had. That sealed the deal for me! Clean carfax, 1 owner, regular maintenance record, 35k miles. I believe everything is stock except the bed cover. It also has a Ford spray-in bedliner. Nothing fancy but I really love it so far, have had it for about 2 weeks.

I’ve heard some folks say to level it but I read that can be problematic for a variety of reasons and can also hurt the fuel efficiency, etc. Is that accurate? I do want to make the ride a bit less bouncy though. Any recommendations for that? Any other advice? Thanks y’all!

Welcome the the form. Nice looking truck. Maybe a little too much white and chrome, for my tastes, but thats my problem.

I have my suspension stock except I changed my rear shocks and did change my rear bump stops for the blue Sumo springs. I do tow a 4000 lb travel trailer with mine. As far as the bouncy ride, it is a truck, built to carry some weight. It will never ride like your Mercedes did.

As has been said, keep your wallet handy or hidden, your choice. This group will "help" you find things you didn't know you needed.

This is a very helpful group, just sometimes they can be a little hard to keep on subject. But, it is all in fun.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Used to work with a guy who we called "easy money." He was hard to get acquainted with because you couldn't find him...

 

[got3fords]

Nice truck. As for the level, I raised mine about 1.5" when I had Eibach performance shocks installed. I think it was just enough to make it look sweet. And the shocks make the ride awesome. I think the only downside was a slight hit in MPG.

 

[Tom_C]

I have a supercab, but I swapped the rear shocks and it calmed the bouncy bouncy a lot. Only costed me about $200 and I was able to do it myself without jacking up the rear end.

I didn't do any other major mods, but I did add a step on the back to make it easier to get into.

 

[BearJew]

Nice truck!
You've certainly come to the right place for advice on everything to do with the Ranger. Just open your bank account and relax...

Haha just as long as my wife doesn’t find out! If I buy anything her immediate reaction is always “I guess it’s my turn now!” ?

As soon as I brought the Ranger home she started looking at Mavericks and going on about how it’d be cute to have “his and hers” trucks… I think my bank account is definitely heading for trouble!

 

[OrangeStreak]

Haha just as long as my wife doesn’t find out! If I buy anything her immediate reaction is always “I guess it’s my turn now!” ?

As soon as I brought the Ranger home she started looking at Mavericks and going on about how it’d be cute to have “his and hers” trucks… I think my bank account is definitely heading for trouble!

 

[MXGOLF]

Welcome to the Great Ranger 5G forum! I changed my shocks to the Bilstein 5100's and it made a world of difference. I do tow a tent trailer that's only about 1500 Lbs and don't even know it's back there. The maverick is a nice little truck that was inexpensive but is super popular so I would imagine that the price has gone up. Enjoy this great forum and your awesome Ranger.

 

[Tom_C]

Haha just as long as my wife doesn’t find out! If I buy anything her immediate reaction is always “I guess it’s my turn now!” ?

My wife and I have separate finances. We have an arrangement that I pay the mortgage and insurance and she pays the groceries and utilities and 'extras'. It works for us, but sometimes you want an opinion on a purchase, but the answer is "I don't care, it's your money" That's what she said when I said I was gonna buy the truck.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Welcome to the Great Ranger 5G forum! I changed my shocks to the Bilstein 5100's and it made a world of difference. I do tow a tent trailer that's only about 1500 Lbs and don't even know it's back there. The maverick is a nice little truck that was inexpensive but is super popular so I would imagine that the price has gone up. Enjoy this great forum and your awesome Ranger.

And unfortunately, Maverick doesn't come in a Scab... ?

 

[Bullet]

Nice Truck!
I just recently changed to Bilstein 5100's on all 4 corners with a 1.5" level. Increased from factory tires to 265/65/18's. I love the look. The ride improved. But did take a slight hit on mpg's. Most likely due to the tires. But I'm happy with it.

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[OrangeStreak]

Nice Truck!
I just recently changed to Bilstein 5100's on all 4 corners with a 1.5" level. Increased from factory tires to 265/65/18's. I love the look. The ride improved. But did take a slight hit on mpg's. Most likely due to the tires. But I'm happy with it.

accessorie$accessorie$accessorie$accessorie$accessorie$accessorie$accessorie$

 

[got3fords]

My wife and I have separate finances. We have an arrangement that I pay the mortgage and insurance and she pays the groceries and utilities and 'extras'. It works for us, but sometimes you want an opinion on a purchase, but the answer is "I don't care, it's your money" That's what she said when I said I was gonna buy the truck.

My wife and I have a very similar arrangement. Heck, we often write two checks in order to pay for something big, like a contractor. Half each.

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