If Buying Today, Would You Still Buy the Ranger?

[HDA]

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Ranger? Why?
Yeah, knowing what I know so far; it's been a great. Economical. Fun to drive. Easy to drive.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
If I was looking at something else I'd look at the frontier remodel, wait for the new dodge dakota. I wouldn't consider a full size.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Ranger?
The gas cap leaks every after fill up and it drips on the paint. The backseats don't fold down, and lack of storage cubbies in general.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
No.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Ranger?
Jeep gladiator, tacoma trd pro.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
Price to value ratio. The other trucks were too overpriced. Tacoma is old.

Sponsored

 

[the5Gmartian]

I have no regrets and absolutely love my ranger, however, I will definitely be eyeballing the F150 lightning and of course the 6G Ranger when they come out and if I was buying today i’d probably just wait at this point to be honest

 

[HarryD]

ABSOLUTELY!! I have had mine for a little over a year and I am liking more all the time. THe only way I would get something different is when the USA version of the Ranger Raptor is released. 2.7 L ecoboost Gen 2, with both Port and Direct Injection!

 

[Secousse]

Hi, from the Bay Area! It's a bit of a drive but as you mentioned a lack of proper garage space, I highly recommend TruckSmart in Rocklin for aftermarket installs.

Regarding this, "6-ft bed would have been awesome too..."

I can't tell you how many times I've wondered what Ranger engineers were thinking when they measured out the bed so that if I take out the cargo cross bar (just a 2x6, really) it won't fit in the bed parallel to the vehicle length. Where, exactly, did they expect us to put it? Diagonally often won't work because it was removed specifically to put in cargo!

Thanks for mentioning TruckSmart; I added it to my list of locations to stop by.

Regarding the lack of bed space, I installed a Retrax - with that foot-long canister - so my bed is more like a 4' bed now ?

???

 

[Ranger54]

1000% yes

 

[gov cheese]

already have a damper, so yep would definitely get another ranger

 

[ScrappyLaptop]

[...]
* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Ranger?
The gas cap leaks every after fill up and it drips on the paint.
[...]

The what, now? I was unaware the Ranger came with a gas cap, just a flapper valve & my apologies but I can't envision how that would drip fuel on the paint?

 

[P. A. Schilke]

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Ranger? Why?
Yeah, knowing what I know so far; it's been a great. Economical. Fun to drive. Easy to drive.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
If I was looking at something else I'd look at the frontier remodel, wait for the new dodge dakota. I wouldn't consider a full size.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Ranger?
The gas cap leaks every after fill up and it drips on the paint. The backseats don't fold down, and lack of storage cubbies in general.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
No.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Ranger?
Jeep gladiator, tacoma trd pro.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
Price to value ratio. The other trucks were too overpriced. Tacoma is old.

Hi HDA,

Since Ranger is a capless fueling system, Would you please elaborate on you dripping on the paint concern. Sounds like something is wrong that needs correction....The capless design on my Ford products has never exhibited this condition.

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

 

[AzScorpion]

Hi HDA,

Since Ranger is a capless fueling system, Would you please elaborate on you dripping on the paint concern. Sounds like something is wrong that needs correction....The capless design on my Ford products has never exhibited this condition.

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

Phil,

Sometimes when I use the lever to set the gas pump when it clicks off it will spout out fuel. It's only at certain stations so I'm wondering if this is what he means? Otherwise 99% of the time it works as it should.

 

[D Fresh]

Hi HDA,

Since Ranger is a capless fueling system, Would you please elaborate on you dripping on the paint concern. Sounds like something is wrong that needs correction....The capless design on my Ford products has never exhibited this condition.

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

Phil,

Sometimes when I use the lever to set the gas pump when it clicks off it will spout out fuel. It's only at certain stations so I'm wondering if this is what he means? Otherwise 99% of the time it works as it should.

I learned on our old Escape and my FiST that if you overfill these capless systems they'll tend to puke some out when you're removing the nozzle.

Can't try to eak it up to a round dollar on these. Stop as soon as the pump shuts off and you'll be good.

Wonder if that's what's happening to him?

 

[gov cheese]

https://www.ford-trucks.com/how-tos/ford-f-150/ford-f-series-what-does-error-code-p1450-mean-561230

Learned to not over fill before getting the ranger so no gas spills from filler tube.

When i first got my 2016 mustang 3.7 i was filling the tank like my 1998 f-150. But the mustang has the capless tank and over filling caused the evap purge value to fail. This made the cars idle very ruff and it would stall sometimes. Sometimes it would burp out gas when the nozzle was removed. Like others have said when the pump auto shuts off that is it.

Now it took 18,000 miles for it to fail on the mustang and don't want to repeat with the ranger so auto shutoff it is.

ecoboost 2.3

 

[Richard Conley]

Hi all. I've done some searching but wanted to get some new/updated opinions on the truck's quality & reliability. I'm going to be buying one of these: Chevy ZR2, Ford Ranger Tremor, Toyota TRD Off Road (or TRD Pro). Each of these trucks has their + and - points. I also understand that each brand has their own set of fanboys, some are more rabid than others. You know who you are, haha!

Since I'm looking at spending $45-50,000, I'm trying to do my research as thorough as I can. These trucks are not cheap and I'm looking for this to be a 10+ year truck ownership. So, my questions are:

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Ranger? Why?
* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Ranger?
* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Ranger?
* What did you like & dislike about them?

Thanks for answering my questions. $45-50,000 is a lot of money. I want to feel that I've made the best choice for my needs as a daily driver, light hauler, occasional tower, and hunting/camping/fishing vehicle.

Have a great day!

Not going to read 9 pages of posts but there is a Taco page and you'll see all kinds of issues with the transmission constantly searching for gears. I have a 2019 but if I didn't at this point I might wait to see if they will offer the ecoboost 6cyl. Challenge is if you need a vehicle in the mean time. Used cars are crazy, I drive auctions for my dealer and they haven't bought anything since February.

 

[YaBoiNewton]

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Ranger? Why?
Absolutely. I have put 30k miles on this truck doing the exact activities you listed with zero problems and plenty of comfort. The crew cab FX4 is an excellent adventure vehicle. I have driven it all over the country with my wife, dog, all our camping gear, and my mountain bike and it has been nothing but a comfortable, capable, fuel efficient pickup. I also frequent local Jeep trails, bone stock, and have a great time. Nothing crazy, but certainly technical enough for a good time.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
Not really interested in other trucks, but I would buy a ZR2 if I had no other options. It has similar appeal as the ranger, but ultimately I just like it less.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Ranger?
No problems, but I find the fit and finish could be a bit better. For example, the electrical connections for the rear window defrost are exposed on the back glass. Not a real issue and no apparent risk for shock, but it just looks unfinished.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
No question on reliability. This is not a new platform and the powertrain has been high volume production history on several other applications.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Ranger?
Frontier, Tacoma, Colorado. Almost bought my dad's platinum F150 off of him since I know the vehicle very well, but decided I didn't want such a big truck.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
The frontier is a good truck, but is just plain old. The Tacoma looks good, but is slow, worse gas mileage, and has a very strange seating position. The Colorado has a better seating position and engine than the Taco, but I just didn't like the looks, general interior, and no locking diff. The ZR2 is a strong candidate, but you sacrifice some utility and the local pricing was just too high.

I have used the shit out of this truck and I have absolutely zero regrets. My only recommendation to you is to shop used and not spend $45k on a midsize pickup. Find something with less than 30k miles and a clean carfax for under $30k and call it a day.

 

[Robert Elmore]

Yes, but would probably go for the Lariat instead of the XLT. It is the perfect truck for me. Not too big or too small. I really enjoy driving it and especially all the high tech features....lane keeping, adaptive cruise and the sync 3. Rides good, good gas mileage looks good going down the highway.

 

[RickB]

Absolutely love mine

Sponsored