GhostStrykre
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I've kicked around the idea of upgrading to a full size truck for quite some time now. For various reasons I never seem to actually get around to doing it. On Monday I did an overnight test drive in a '23 Nissan Titan Pro-4x, then took last night to think on it. Today I almost went through with it, but some apprehension forced me to think deeply on what I was doing. We get a lot of threads from people asking about our 5th Gen Rangers and whether or not they're a good purchase. I figured a write up on why I kept the Ranger might be helpful.
FACTORS:
Midsize truck driving experience -- going from a midsize to a full size can be jarring. Especially to a Titan that is built like an old school truck (a good thing!). While I have no doubt that I'd have adapted, part of what attracted me to my Ranger was that it was a peppy and athletic to drive. I was coming off of driving a Subaru WRX, and the Ranger was the only midsize at the time that could really give me any sense of a fun driving experience. Trying to be aggressive with a full size is honestly a dangerous activity. It's dangerous enough in a midsize. They're trucks, not sports cars. That being said, the Ranger found the balance.
Cost Savings -- this one is obvious. The Nissan Titan is one of the best value trucks out there and it's still a lot of money. My Ranger is just about paid off. Walking away from that for a full size is a bit irrational. I'll cover more on that below. Committing to a new loan was something that didn't sit right for me when I had a perfectly functional truck already in my driveway. Interest rates are still quite high. Fuel costs would be slightly impacted going to a thirsty V8 (that V8 sounded so good tho).
Availability of alternative solutions -- One of the big drivers for me wanting a full size was having space to fit my motorcycle without having to use a hitch rack. There were springtime duties like getting mulch for the flower beds around my house. Home improvement materials that needed picked up at the hardware store. You get the point. Additionally, the crew cab of the Ranger isn't exactly spacious. It works. But it's a tad cramped if we're being honest. I realized that buying an open top trailer of some kind was a dirt cheap solution. I could load my bike onto the trailer, haul stuff with it, etc. This is like a $2-5k solution. Way cheaper than the cost of swapping to a full size. That's what I meant by saying "irrational" up above. At least financially, there are ways to avoid paying big money. As far as the size of the crew cab goes, it's a truck. Not a passenger car. I realize it might be needed 2% of my total drive time, but it is what it is. Having extra space in the cab for an additional $45k+ just wasn't workin for me, as nice as it would be.
Aftermarket and community -- This is a big one, though it's specific to an issue with the Titan. There seems to be a lot more activity for product development and other fun things in the aftermarket for the Ranger than the Titan. There are numerous sites with products for the Ranger, and I had to work hard to dig up even a few options for the Titan. Options are out there, but it isn't nearly as ubiquitous as the Ranger. Then there's this community here on Ranger5g. Lots and lots of good info and people to chat about the truck with. The Titan forums were a bit dead. Not a lot of activity. Most of the activity actually seemed focused on the older Titans (2005-2015). I don't mean to say they're a dead community, it just didn't seem as robust. I mean hell, the Ranger has the Fitzstick that was developed by one of the users here! That's pretty rad and it actually DOES have an impact on your ownership experience.
Sentimental reasons -- somehow this ended up being the one that stopped me from agreeing to buy the Titan. I made it through all of the rest of the above and was willing to accept the changes... but it was this that gave me too much heartache. I've driven this Ranger all over the place and it's been great. Some hiccups, but nothing major at all. I've driven it to the southern edges of Florida, and all the way up to the top of Michigan in the UP. I picked my dog up as a wee little pup near Cleveland, Ohio in this thing. There's more to it but I've said enough. I'm attached to this truck and it is what it is.
So there ya have it. I really REALLY liked the Nissan Titan. It's a damn nice truck. I really do like the new F-150's, but I don't think I like that enough to pay $15-20k more for one when I can hunt down a super high quality Titan. That being said, the Ranger just had too many things going for it, and things I could address for substantially less money. So I kept the Ranger.
I hope this write up helps anyone considering the truck. It's why I kept it. I figure that's a good endorsement to share. I apologize this got so lengthy, and I appreciate anyone who made it this far! Stay safe out there.
FACTORS:
Midsize truck driving experience -- going from a midsize to a full size can be jarring. Especially to a Titan that is built like an old school truck (a good thing!). While I have no doubt that I'd have adapted, part of what attracted me to my Ranger was that it was a peppy and athletic to drive. I was coming off of driving a Subaru WRX, and the Ranger was the only midsize at the time that could really give me any sense of a fun driving experience. Trying to be aggressive with a full size is honestly a dangerous activity. It's dangerous enough in a midsize. They're trucks, not sports cars. That being said, the Ranger found the balance.
Cost Savings -- this one is obvious. The Nissan Titan is one of the best value trucks out there and it's still a lot of money. My Ranger is just about paid off. Walking away from that for a full size is a bit irrational. I'll cover more on that below. Committing to a new loan was something that didn't sit right for me when I had a perfectly functional truck already in my driveway. Interest rates are still quite high. Fuel costs would be slightly impacted going to a thirsty V8 (that V8 sounded so good tho).
Availability of alternative solutions -- One of the big drivers for me wanting a full size was having space to fit my motorcycle without having to use a hitch rack. There were springtime duties like getting mulch for the flower beds around my house. Home improvement materials that needed picked up at the hardware store. You get the point. Additionally, the crew cab of the Ranger isn't exactly spacious. It works. But it's a tad cramped if we're being honest. I realized that buying an open top trailer of some kind was a dirt cheap solution. I could load my bike onto the trailer, haul stuff with it, etc. This is like a $2-5k solution. Way cheaper than the cost of swapping to a full size. That's what I meant by saying "irrational" up above. At least financially, there are ways to avoid paying big money. As far as the size of the crew cab goes, it's a truck. Not a passenger car. I realize it might be needed 2% of my total drive time, but it is what it is. Having extra space in the cab for an additional $45k+ just wasn't workin for me, as nice as it would be.
Aftermarket and community -- This is a big one, though it's specific to an issue with the Titan. There seems to be a lot more activity for product development and other fun things in the aftermarket for the Ranger than the Titan. There are numerous sites with products for the Ranger, and I had to work hard to dig up even a few options for the Titan. Options are out there, but it isn't nearly as ubiquitous as the Ranger. Then there's this community here on Ranger5g. Lots and lots of good info and people to chat about the truck with. The Titan forums were a bit dead. Not a lot of activity. Most of the activity actually seemed focused on the older Titans (2005-2015). I don't mean to say they're a dead community, it just didn't seem as robust. I mean hell, the Ranger has the Fitzstick that was developed by one of the users here! That's pretty rad and it actually DOES have an impact on your ownership experience.
Sentimental reasons -- somehow this ended up being the one that stopped me from agreeing to buy the Titan. I made it through all of the rest of the above and was willing to accept the changes... but it was this that gave me too much heartache. I've driven this Ranger all over the place and it's been great. Some hiccups, but nothing major at all. I've driven it to the southern edges of Florida, and all the way up to the top of Michigan in the UP. I picked my dog up as a wee little pup near Cleveland, Ohio in this thing. There's more to it but I've said enough. I'm attached to this truck and it is what it is.
So there ya have it. I really REALLY liked the Nissan Titan. It's a damn nice truck. I really do like the new F-150's, but I don't think I like that enough to pay $15-20k more for one when I can hunt down a super high quality Titan. That being said, the Ranger just had too many things going for it, and things I could address for substantially less money. So I kept the Ranger.
I hope this write up helps anyone considering the truck. It's why I kept it. I figure that's a good endorsement to share. I apologize this got so lengthy, and I appreciate anyone who made it this far! Stay safe out there.
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Just glad you came to your senses before we all needed to do an intervention. ?
