First time buying a truck - please help!

[armoredpig]

I have all of that minus Fx4, but locking diff and I paid 26k minus tax. That was a month prior to the pandemic. They can do better!

Edit: never mind, I misread. I have an XL with stx

To compare the the taco, I absolutely loved the way it looked. The back seats are more cleverly designed and the aftermarket support is better. I was going to get the 6sp MT. Power was adequate, but unimpressive. I hear the AT hunts for gears pretty bad, but no first hand here

I like the polymer bed, no linex needed. I'd get a rubber mat and call it done. It'll never rust or dent and it may be lighter?

The Ranger on the other hand, has a fine transmission. This coming from a MT driver all of my life. The engine is superbly powerful and it may get better gas mileage. The interior styling isn't as rugged looking, but plenty rugged in my xl. Materials inside seem to better to me though. And there's the coolness factor in not being just another taco on the road.

Sponsored

 

[RedlandRanger]

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!

This is my fourth Ranger, although when I went to purchase this one I did a LOT of research (more than I've ever done buying a new vehicle). I really wanted to like the Tacoma, but the engine and trans combo was so terrible it ruined everything else for me.. As you can tell, I ended up with a Ranger. I've had it for just over a year now (a little over 12k miles), and I ordered exactly what I wanted from the factory. A year in, and I wouldn't do anything different. I love this truck more than I've loved any other vehicle I've purchased. Is it perfect? No, but it is really close, and I love driving it. As a daily driver, I think it is far superior to my last Ranger (a 2005). Comfortable, fun to drive, lots of good tech and good looking.

The deal they are offering you sounds reasonable. I think you might be able to do a little bit better given current circumstances, but 5k off a 2020 doesn't sound too bad to me.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[Sandman Ranger]

Love it!
XLT Off road 4x4.
Drives well. No issues.
Get the best color.

 

[jsphlynch]

One con is the engine: that turbo is just too much fun, and is going to get me into trouble one of these days. At stoplights my 6-yo daughter begs me to "go fast" and I'm happy to oblige.

As others have said, go give each of the trucks in the segment a fair test drive (and while you're at it, give the Ridgeline a test drive, too ). I'm guessing the Ranger will come out on top, but if not, enjoy whatever vehicle you decide on!

 

[meistreguy]

I just bought a plain-jane XL STX back in Jan and already put 5k miles on it and did the first oil change myself. The ride is pretty good for a pickup and I got a pretty good deal, at least to me on a 2019 for less than 26k. It is a 2wd but that is what I wanted. Since I've had it I have added a Draw-Tite receiver, bug deflector, brush guard and floor liners. I still need to get a Linex bed liner and tonneau cover but just waiting for my wallet to get heavier. I say go for it and just enjoy it.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Just ticked over 20,000 miles this weekend (11 months since purchase); actually at 20,237 right now. And haven't had any issues what-so-ever!

Powertrain is wonderful as others have mentioned. Perfect blend of eco and boost. If you want to get good fuel economy, it'll do that (I regularly get at or above EPA ratings), but if you want/need to get up and move, it'll do that too.

Wonderful daily driver, but can also hit the trails or tow the camper or haul a nice load of lumber very easily too. Without any modding or added accessories.

Some of the other trucks are definitely better at some things. The Ridgeline is better on the road, but not good off. The Tacoma and Gladiator are better on crazy off-road conditions, but not that great on road. The GM twins are about the same as the Ranger, just with different powertrain options. But I think the Ranger is the best all-around, do everything and anything, renaissance truck. All-in-all I'd say you're definitely looking in the right class. I'm also a first time truck owner and it's best to step into the truck world with a small, less aggressive, and more manageable option. Good luck and no matter what, make the best choice for you!

UPDATE: Also, as far as price goes. I'm in the same boat as someone else mentioned. Even with Z-plan pricing I paid more than what they're quoting you. So as far as I'm concerned that's a really good deal! But there's always going to be someone who thinks they're making you pay too much. People still think these trucks should cost under $20k like they used to 20 years ago. At a certain point, just get the best deal you can. It's only money. haha

 

[HenryMac]

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!

I had been driving 2002 Tacoma Ext Cab we bought new. When we were in the market for a new truck last year we looked at Colorado's, Tacoma's and Rangers, all in SuperCab's..

The seating in the new Tacoma's is even more horrible than the previous Tacoma's. It's an outdated design similar to Chevy Luv trucks and Ford Couriers from back in the day where you nearly sit on the floor with your legs straight out.

The Colorado has a cheesy interior and you have to slam the rear SuperCab doors 3 times to get them to lock properly. The overall fit finish and quality just seemed to be lacking.

We drove all 3 and for us, the Ranger was the obvious choice. We love our Ranger.

Happy hunting!

 

[Noseoil]

I think you would do very well with those options & price. You will enjoy the truck, performance, ride & utility are all ecellent. I went from an older Nissan to the Ranger & really enjoy it. My wife likes the ranger as well, good in the snow we have once in a while in winter & she uses it when her Civic is not right for our weather conditions.

 

[Jim C]

as most have said about the transmission, I wasnt aware of it "learning" how you drive (2019) I was going to turn around & take it back because it welt so bad. but didnt & then found out of the learning.

Now I LOVE my ranger. For me Its perfect size for everything i do. 2019 Lariat supercab 4x4

 

[RedlandRanger]

as most have said about the transmission, I wasnt aware of it "learning" how you drive (2019) I was going to turn around & take it back because it welt so bad. but didnt & then found out of the learning.

Now I LOVE my ranger. For me Its perfect size for everything i do. 2019 Lariat supercab 4x4

To be correct, the transmission doesn't learn how you drive, it adapts itself to manufacturing tolerances. Minor difference, but it is different. I think the transmission is an engineering marvel.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

I have the XLT with the FX4 and tech packages. I absolutely love the truck after 20k miles, both daily driving and pretty serious off-road stuff. Zero regrets here.

 

[jsphlynch]

One con is the engine: that turbo is just too much fun, and is going to get me into trouble one of these days. At stoplights my 6-yo daughter begs me to "go fast" and I'm happy to oblige.

As others have said, go give each of the trucks in the segment a fair test drive (and while you're at it, give the Ridgeline a test drive, too ). I'm guessing the Ranger will come out on top, but if not, enjoy whatever vehicle you decide on!

Now that I'm at an actual keyboard, I can type out a more comprehensive (and serious) review.

I came from a previous gen Ranger, a 2003 XL with zero options that I bought brand new as my first car. After 16 years of driving that "gutless wonder" with no major problems, I was ready for something with a little more power, another row of seats to fit the kids, and something that didn't have the maintenance requirements of a 16-year old vehicle (like I said, never had major problems, but a number of minor things were starting to wear out).

I was looking for something that would primarily be my daily driver, but needed pickup capabilities for my weekend projects and adventures. I don't go off-roading, but I do periodically go places where the "roads" are much less than optimal. I wanted to keep the truck as small as possible but still check all my other boxes, so the mid-sized segment was exactly what I was looking for. I tried to be open-minded about what every brand had to offer, but I'll admit that my overwhelmingly positive experience with my previous Ranger gave me a bias towards the current Ford offering.

After many many hours of research, including checking out several vehicles in person, I narrowed my choice down to Ranger versus Colorado. I did a series of test drives in both. If I had not known about the Ranger, I would have been perfectly happy with the V6 Colorado. It drove solidly and the 8-speed transmission, despite the reputation that Colorado's have, actually performed pretty well in the trucks I drove. But the driving experience with the Ranger was just a touch better in just about every aspect. More pep. More comfortable seat. I liked the feel of the controls (yes, even the brake pedal, which a lot of people disagree with me on). And better gas mileage, at least according to the EPA. Only sticking point for me was the length of the bed: I needed the crew cab to have room for all the kids, but with the Ranger that limited me to a 5-ft bed. Obviously in the end I decided it was worth the compromise on the bed.

I'm now almost 4 months in (with only ~2000 miles, thanks to COVID). I absolutely made the right choice for me. I've got a pretty basic truck (XL 4x4 with 101a), and while there's a few upgrades that would be a plus to have (and are available on the higher-end models, things like heated mirrors, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, seats with powered adjustments and heat), there is nothing that I would say my truck is truly missing. It handles wonderfully and is an absolute pleasure to drive, and, in fact, my wife has requested that if we are able to take our planned cross-country road trip this summer that we do it in the truck and not our family-hauler SUV. So far I've used 4wd only in the snow, which I think goes without say was a huge improvement over the RWD of my old pickup, so I can't speak to its off-road prowess.

Cons:
-The boot on my parking brake handle is cheap pleather and starting splitting within the 1st two months. I'm having it replaced under warranty (took them a while to get the replacement in, so I haven't gotten it replaced yet). There are others on this forum that have reported the same issue, but it doesn't seem to be super widespread so I'm hoping I was just unlucky and my first one was just made from a one-off bad lot of material. If the new one also splits, I'll get one custom made from real leather. I've had no other initial quality issues on anything else in this truck.
-While I'm pretty happy with the transmission, which has a gear for every situation and then some, it does have one small annoying bug. When cold, the shift from 3-4 is a bit rough. All the other shifts are great, and even the 3-4 shift smooths out as soon as the truck is warm, so I don't know what the underlying cause is. I've heard comments from other Ranger owners that they have the same experience.
-With the 5-ft bed, I do have things sticking pretty far out the back sometimes. On the other hand, if the truck was another foot longer, it would not fit in my garage.

Bottom line: No doubt I got the right truck for me. Like I said before, you should test drive any of the vehicles that look on paper like they might work for you. There's a lot of aspects of these trucks that are very subjective (I think the Gladiator is hideous, but other people have a dramatically different opinion) and you'll just have to decide for yourself on these. Good luck!

And let us know what you end up buying, even if it's not the Ranger!

 

[Sandman Ranger]

Charwest,
One other item to keep in mind.
If leather seats are something you want there are cheaper options than a Lariet. Get the XLT and have Katzkin leather seats installed. Not a cover but an actual cloth replacement. Quality better than OE and you can custom design colors or match OE color pallet. On their site you can find an installer. Many dealers use katzkins for buyers who want Leather. One day I will do my XLT. My two options for a Saber Ranger. For the redish inserts they have a tan/mocha that would match.

 

[Jim C]

To be correct, the transmission doesn't learn how you drive, it adapts itself to manufacturing tolerances. Minor difference, but it is different. I think the transmission is an engineering marvel.

dont get me wrong & im not complaining at all it was my experience as to my first drive & im not sure how a test drive would go if the trans was adapting during a test drive.

if it felt like mine did it may turn people away thats all

 

[Michel Jeanneau]

When I went test driving for a new truck, it was my intention to test drive the Ranger, Colorado and Tacoma (in fact, the place that had the Ranger also sold Toyotas and had a bunch there, and the Chevy dealer was 1/4 mile away on the same road).....never got past the Ranger! Five seconds into the drive my mind went: "what other trucks?" I have had two other Rangers, second and third generation and drove my last one for eight years and 177k miles and my current truck was that and so much more. I ended up with the XL STX FX-4 cuz I'm not a gadget happy guy, and my mind wouldn't justify and extra 2 grand for an 8" screen and a few more nanny gadgets. I hunt, fish and sail, have a camp that's a couple hours away through not so great roads (especially in winter), and my truck delivers! Good luck on your purchase

Sponsored