First time buying a truck - please help!

[charwest]

Hi everyone,
I'm buying my first truck and will be using for combo of daily driving and (hopefully) mild/moderate off roading for camping trips etc. Still looking at Ranger vs Colorado vs Tacoma. Leaning towards Ranger at the moment. Anybody have any experience with the new ranger? pros/cons after owning for a bit? Any thoughts are highly appreciated.

So far, I'm thinking of a 2020 XLT supercab with FX4, tow package, and 360 for $31k...is that a fair price?

Many thanks!

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[AzScorpion]

Hi everyone,
I'm buying my first truck and will be using for combo of daily driving and (hopefully) mild/moderate off roading for camping trips etc. Still looking at Ranger vs Colorado vs Tacoma. Leaning towards Ranger at the moment. Anybody have any experience with the new ranger? pros/cons after owning for a bit? Any thoughts are highly appreciated.

So far, I'm thinking of a 2020 supercab with FX4, tow package, and 360 for $31k...is that a fair price?

Many thanks!

I've had my Ranger now for 9 months and love the truck! I traded in my '16 Tacoma TRD OR and prefer the Ranger 10 folds over the Tacoma. The powertrain on the Ranger is superb and the 10 speed tranny shifts like glass. The Tacoma never seemed to know which gear it wanted to be in and was always surging in between gears. Also the Ranger makes great power throughout where the Taco is dead down low. The ride and seating are much better too,the Tacoma felt like you were sitting on the floorboards with your feel stretched out in front of you. There are many here who have traded in their 3rd gen Tacoma's and non have had any regrets.

I did test drive the Colorado and while it wasn't a bad truck it's still outdated and they've had transmission issues. I think the best thing to do is go test drive them all in the same day and you will see the difference yourself.

I use my for my DD and off roading and absolutely love driving it! I added a front 2.5" level kit and a little larger aggressive tires but only because some of the places we go are very rocky. I think once you test drive these you'll see how much fun the Ranger is to drive.

As far as the price that seems like it's pretty good,what trim level is it STX/XLT?

 

[charwest]

I've had my Ranger now for 9 months and love the truck! I traded in my '16 Tacoma TRD OR and prefer the Ranger 10 folds over the Tacoma. The powertrain on the Ranger is superb and the 10 speed tranny shifts like glass. The Tacoma never seemed to know which gear it wanted to be in and was always surging and between gears. Also the Ranger makes great power throughout where the Taco is dead down low. The ride and seating are much better too,the Tacoma felt like you were sitting on the floorboards with your feel stretched out in front of you. There are many here who have traded in their 3rd gen Tacoma's and non have had any regrets.

I did test drive the Colorado and while it wasn't a bad truck it's still outdated and they've had transmission issues. I think the best thing to do is go test drive them all in the same day and you will see the difference yourself.

I use my for my DD and off roading and absolutely love driving it! I added a front 2.5" level kit and a little larger aggressive tire but only because some of the places we go are very rocky. I think once you test drive these you'll how much fun the Ranger is to drive.

As far as the price that seems like it's pretty good,what trim level is it STX/XLT?

Thank you so much for the input. I'm looking at an XLT. What do you think?

 

[AzScorpion]

Thank you so much for the input. I'm looking at an XLT. What do you think?

For a 2020 XLT that sounds like a really good price. I think a lot of dealers are hurting for sales now and there are some really good rebates. What is the sticker and are they offering the 84 mo 0% too?

 

[charwest]

For a 2020 XLT that sounds like a really good price. I think a lot of dealers are hurting for sales now and there are some really good rebates. What is the sticker and are they offering the 84 mo 0% too?

They initially said $36,240 MSRP

 

[AzScorpion]

They initially said $36,240 MSRP

$5K off a 2020 sounds like a really good deal to me. I know a few here got some bigger discounts but that was on the 2019's. If you really like the truck I would go in and offer them $30K and see what they say. Doesn't hurt to go in low and work from there plus it's the end of the month and I'm sure their sales are down.

Now that I've owned both the Tacoma and the Ranger and eat drove the Colorado I would absolutely buy another Ranger again. Can you tell I really love my Ranger...lol Whatever you decide on come back and let us know what you ended up doing.

 

[Snorebaby]

I love my Ranger! I am a Ford fan anyway, have had fords most of my life, but I am also objective. There can be a few qwerks with the Ranger as any vehicle. None that would stop me from buying another.

When you first start it up and drive away (without warming it up) for the first 1/4 mile or so, depending on speed, it sounds like a jet spooling up to fly. That is the fan and it is normal. It won't do it if you let the truck warm up for about 2 minutes.

The transmission seems clunky or jumpy for a little while. It is an adaptive transmission, meaning that it is learning how YOU drive and setting the shift points accordingly in the computer. It will go away also, unless you change your habits frequently. Put it in S mode and have fun! Just be careful and don't hit the +/- button on the side of the shifter while in S or you will have to change the gears with that button. If you do, just drop in back in D and your good.

The Auto Start/Stop can be a pain to some. There is a button you can press to disable it and also little tricks you can easily do. But it is automatically enabled each time you start the truck. If you are in S mode, it is automatically disabled.

That's about all I can think of at this time. As AzScorpion said, drive every thing that you are looking at and get a good comparison. Ask questions. Take notes.

I think the Toyota Tacoma is a fine truck, as long as you don't have to drive it very far (seating and power). I drove my daughter's 2017 and didn't really care for it. She drove my Ranger and loved it. But they didn't offer them in 2017 so she went with the Toyota. Great resale value.

I haven't offroaded in mine yet, but from what I have seen and read, it is a very capable truck.

I think your price is great with the packages. I know I paid a little more but I ordered mine 12/18 and received it 4/19. Not much for rebates on them at that time.

Welcome to the site! Good luck on your search.

EDIT:
Thought of something else.

The ride might seems a little bouncy. First thing is to check tire pressure. Should be 30 - 35psi. Some dealers don't reduce the air pressure from the 50psi when they ship from Ford. That will affect the ride quite a bit.

It is mostly bouncy at slower speeds. The highway ride is SMOOOOTH! Some of the smaller bumps gives it fits sometimes. Some say the FX4 suspension causes that. I don't have a problem with it...it's not a Cadillac, it's a truck!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Char,

I will throw my two cents in here as well. I feel the Ranger is a more than competitive offering in the midsize pickup class. The performance is superb. Powertrain is sliky smooth. I was very pleased with my 2019 Ranger Crewcab. I went top of the line as my 2007 was base model and I wanted this to be a long term truck to tow behind the motor home. The Ranger has a fully boxed frame that is super robust. The front fenders and hood as well as the tailgate are Military Grade aluminum. I am partial to the FX4 suspension package as I created the brand when I headed up Ford Ranger Vehicle Engineering. Search for the thread might bring up the story behind the FX4.

Drive and evaluate all the competitive products and hopefully the Ranger will outshine the other brands!

Good Luck to you!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[GTGallop]

GM and Nissan had cheap plastic-ey interiors. Both have solid engines and underpinings but I couldn't imagine myself daily driving in that. Plus the GM seats felt a little twisty weak near the shoulders when I turned to look over my shoulder.

Toyota was my #1 choice going into ths but the "Go-Kart" driving position with your butt on the floor and feet way out in front is not compatible with being over 40 and having several knee injuries.

I found the Ford to meet all my needs for amenities, daily comfort, off road-ability.

Got the XLT 4X4 and paid more than what you are being offered and I was on the Z-Plan. You are doing alright!

 

[rang19ca]

I have a 2019 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew. I love the powertrain and the way it rides. It is very capable off road also. I think $31K sounds decent for a 2020. Take it for a good long test drive after checking that the tire pressure is set to 30 psi. Good luck with the dealer.

 

[charwest]

Thank you so much everyone! Really appreciate it!

 

[rang19ca]

Thank you so much everyone! Really appreciate it!

Char, is a cool name. I knew a girl named Char many years ago. I think it was short for Charlene.

 

[RangerRob]

Love my 2019 Lariat FX4, like others have said the daily driver is awesome and rides great on the highway. Well appointed and great build quality ... enjoy!

 

[Texasota]

I love my Ranger! I am a Ford fan anyway, have had fords most of my life, but I am also objective. There can be a few qwerks with the Ranger as any vehicle. None that would stop me from buying another.

When you first start it up and drive away (without warming it up) for the first 1/4 mile or so, depending on speed, it sounds like a jet spooling up to fly. That is the fan and it is normal. It won't do it if you let the truck warm up for about 2 minutes.

The transmission seems clunky or jumpy for a little while. It is an adaptive transmission, meaning that it is learning how YOU drive and setting the shift points accordingly in the computer. It will go away also, unless you change your habits frequently. Put it in S mode and have fun! Just be careful and don't hit the +/- button on the side of the shifter while in S or you will have to change the gears with that button. If you do, just drop in back in D and your good.

I now have over 600 miles on my 2020 XLT Supercrew and am very happy so far. I spent a lot of time researching and also learning from this forum. Lots of helpful and knowledgeable people here.

As far as the noisy fan, I was expecting that and listening for it but mine has not done it at all. Either it has not been cold enough or maybe they changed something on the 2020 model year to eliminate that behavior.

Doug's (Snorebaby) comment about the transmission getting smoother is true. Mine has gotten noticeably smoother on the shifting during the first 400-500 miles. It is a very impressive transmission. It is the same transmission in Ford's F-150s.

Dave (AzScorpion) had good advice for you but he neglected to tell you about one qwerk his Ranger developed after bringing it home. It is afraid of the dark and because of that Dave keeps a nightlight plugged into the 120 volt outlet on the back of the console. Maybe he will provide more details for you concerning that issue.

 

[u wish u could ride]

as mentioned .drive them all .have fun picking out your first truck!! .

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