Buyer's Remorse - Requesting Advice

[JBranger]

Imagine what it leaves in your lungs.

Glad I quit in 2015 - horrible habit all around

Sponsored

 

[got3fords]

Glad I quit in 2015 - horrible habit all around

Good on you!

 

[LaBalbe]

@JBranger , while I'm still firmly in the "get your wife a car/SUV" camp due to getting a car seat (or more) in the rear, there is one advantage that the Ranger has when they're still infants. The tailgate makes for a great impromptu diaper-changing table for that inevitable time that the baby nukes their diaper while you're on the highway in the middle of nowhere (yes, been there, done that), and since infant seats only clip into the two D-rings, fighting with the tether-latch is a non-issue at that point. Just another one of those little things that you never think about until you run into the situation.

 

[Cabose-1]

Awesome thank you!

I know with Texas there isn't lots of public land, anything I need to be cautious about in case I run into anyone out there?

Texas is a s#$&*@ place for off roading. Even hunting. All private land, have to pay out the a#$ for offroading parks, hunting leases and so on. Been living here for too long. Very little public land and fences are becoming a way of life and property owners are becoming more strict as population grows and a certain segment of the population throws trash, damages properties and just leaves places looking bad. So you vant nlame owners. My uncle has land but my deer lease was sold to new owners and they kicked everyone out. What can you do.

 

[pismo1]

Texas is a s#$&*@ place for off roading. Even hunting. All private land, have to pay out the a#$ for offroading parks, hunting leases and so on. Been living here for too long. Very little public land and fences are becoming a way of life and property owners are becoming more strict as population grows and a certain segment of the population throws trash, damages properties and just leaves places looking bad. So you vant nlame owners. My uncle has land but my deer lease was sold to new owners and they kicked everyone out. What can you do.

Idaho is the opposite 62 percent federal land.

 

[JBranger]

Texas is a s#$&*@ place for off roading. Even hunting. All private land, have to pay out the a#$ for offroading parks, hunting leases and so on. Been living here for too long. Very little public land and fences are becoming a way of life and property owners are becoming more strict as population grows and a certain segment of the population throws trash, damages properties and just leaves places looking bad. So you vant nlame owners. My uncle has land but my deer lease was sold to new owners and they kicked everyone out. What can you do.

Agreed...

When we went out to CO & UT, it was a breath of fresh air for off roading. Guess my life will be full of research on places to off road outside of TX haha.

 

[JBranger]

Idaho is the opposite 62 percent federal land.

Definitely on the bucket list!

 

[jflogerzi]

good call on the locker. 600$ seems reasonable. I would try and find an OEM locker from a junked ranger. I believe there are a few threads that have a guide on what you need to do the swap. I believe the costs where close to ARB Air locker

 

[Bat-1]

Just realize that though you may get the smell out, "eventually" will be years in the future.

I'm 2 years 2 months with my smoked in Ranger. Have wiped everything I could touch down with vinegar solution and various degreasers, have a virtual Ph.D. in air freshners, set off more scent 'bombs' than Putin and ... I can still smell it. It's better though.

I did get a deal on the truck because of this.

 

[Friday yet?]

I would pass solely on the previous owner being a smoker. No way you will get that out of the HVAC internals, headliner fabric, carpeted floors, etc.

OMG no shit. Hard stop for me.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Just realize that though you may get the smell out, "eventually" will be years in the future.

I'm 2 years 2 months with my smoked in Ranger. Have wiped everything I could touch down with vinegar solution and various degreasers, have a virtual Ph.D. in air freshners, set off more scent 'bombs' than Putin and ... I can still smell it. It's better though.

I did get a deal on the truck because of this.

Tom @Bat-1 , I highly recommend an ozone generator. IMO It is the only thing that helped. None of the sprays did anything but mask the smell for a short time.

 

[Friday yet?]

With all that, I'd be thinking Explorer at least.

Nope... minivan. I know. We all hate them. But when kids are young you simply cannot beat a minivan. I had one many years ago. Can't beat it for families with kids. Period.

OP needs to rethink everything he's currently thinking. His life is about to change. Big time.

Going wheeling? Need/want a 4x4? Not any time soon. Only trips you are taking is to the store for more diapers!

 

[YaBoiNewton]

Good morning all!

As the title states, I am having buyer's remorse. Not from owning a 2019 XLT, but due to the fact I opted for 2wd I didn't realize I was going to enjoy off-roading/camping so much). Currently I've got about 80k miles and have an opportunity coming up to get 4wd, but it wouldn't be a Ranger. My question is, has anyone gone this far in modifications and sold/traded in for an equally modified 4wd Ranger? Any pros/cons? The truck was paid off a while ago, but we are looking to get a second vehicle for my wife + potentially kids on the way and I absolutely love the cab size/space (2-5 years) - we also have a great dane + lab.

We have a private seller for a 2019 f150 Lariat 4wd (3.5L ecoboost V8) that has about 100k miles. Previous seller passed away, so I am thinking they might be selling the vehicle off at a really good price. The interior is decent, he was a smoker and you can definitely tell - but I am confident I can detail it and get the smell out eventually. Missing driver side tail light (damaged), a few dents on the driver + passenger side body, and what worried me the most was when we started it, I kind of had to hold the push button for a second or two longer than normal. They're willing to let me bring it to my mechanic for a quick look to see if we can diagnose any obvious issues since I am not a professional, but they may even be okay to bring it in to a Ford specialist at a dealership to run an official diagnosis since we are not sure of the maintenance/general history of the vehicle. I am not sure if it is worth the money + time to rebuild/repair anything on the truck if there is potential engine issues (as I have heard they usually start to have problems at 100k+ miles). KBB states based on the VIN it is worth $22-25k, I probably wouldn't pay more than $8-15k for it in this state.

With all this information, would you risk purchasing the f150 as the primary off-road vehicle (I do work from home) or get the wife a new/slightly used reliable vehicle and then trade-in or sell the ranger for a 4wd option? My worry with that is that I'd have to re-purchase and upgrade the 4wd version. I'd be okay with upgrading a basically stock F150, as it would feel like a new project. I do realize it's a long read, but I wanted to provide enough detailed information - thanks again in advance!

The F150 is a great truck, the 3.5L Ecoboost is a great engine, and the crew cab is ideal for a growing family, but I'd pass on this specific truck. Maybe a different story if this was just some beater side project, but it sounds like you rely on a second vehicle and the only clues you have as to its maintenance history are all the dings, cigarette smoke, and a missing tail light. Sounds like trouble to me.

The size thing is a consideration if you want an off roader, but it's not as bad as it seems. I have definitely been in spots that you could never fit a full size in, but those were private areas cut specifically to clear midsize trucks. Most popular routes have plenty of room for a full size truck.

 

[got3fords]

Consider the potential health impacts on passengers with all the nicotine left over in the smoked-in F150.
When my wife had her car worked on once, they offered to bring it home for her. Well whoever drove it smoked a cigarette in it, and assuming they had the window down in an effort to clear the smoke out, the wind blew ashes all over the interior. She was fuming mad! She got a free detail job for that.

 

[JBranger]

Nope... minivan. I know. We all hate them. But when kids are young you simply cannot beat a minivan. I had one many years ago. Can't beat it for families with kids. Period.

OP needs to rethink everything he's currently thinking. His life is about to change. Big time.

Going wheeling? Need/want a 4x4? Not any time soon. Only trips you are taking is to the store for more diapers!

Chiiiiilll - I'd like to stay in fantasy land while I have time

Sponsored