Vehicle Reviews: Where do you find trustworthy, honest, unbiased reviews?

[Mad German]

I'm in the market for a truck and the Tremor is at/near the top of my list. The TRD Off Road (& maybe the Pro) and ZR2 are the others I'm considering. I'm driving myself nuts reading various reviews. For nearly any vehicle, some sites give them high marks; others say not to waste your money; and others are in the middle. And Facebook owner's groups...? It seems that's where folks go to either complain or seek validation for their purchase. Some are worse than others. Try bringing up an issue with the Tacoma in an owner's group and you'll be burned at the stake!

I really want to like the Tremor, but I've read some pretty negative things regarding Ford's build quality (or lack thereof). Before you bought your truck, where did you go for reviews? How much stock did you put in them? Any sites you can recommend for trustworthy reviews? Any sites to stay away from?

I just don't want to make a purchase only to regret it later due to issues with the truck. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

MG

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[troutspinner]

Forums like these have been my best resource. Read read read and you get a feel for the overall quality, consistent issues, concerns and purchase price / resale.

You’re going to get your fanboys at all of them, you just need to learn to read around them but at least they’re not writing an article meant to make you do one thing, click to earn the site revenue and possibly even a commission to your purchase.

FB as you said is lousy. Their groups are not used like forums and people do not know how to search so every day is like Groundhog Day.

 

[CO2Ranger]

Honestly, trust no one. I read every review before I purchased and every reviewer locks in on the dumbest reasons (in my opinion) to elevate or condemn a vehicle.

Read/watch all the reviews BUT then put your butt in the seat of each. See if the dealership will let you drive it for a day. See if the things the reviewers mentioned are of concern to you or if you even notice them.

Some things I found from Ranger reviews and my thoughts which could be very different from your own:
- Only 1 powertrain (it's a damn good one)
- Brake feel (it's different, but still stops the truck, non issue)
- Dated interior (have these people seen a Chevy lately? Interior looks like early 90s models still. The Ranger is plenty nice for a truck.)
- Interior storage lacking (truth. Not a lot of room in the cab to put stuff)
- Non dampered tailgate (really?)
- Wallowy ride (FX4 shocks are awful, Tremor or aftermarket shocks readily available)
- No 60/40 rear seat. (Would be nice but not a deal breaker)

TLDR - Reviews are so subjective it's going to take a lengthy test drive to make the best choice for you.

 

[TomC]

i had lots of free time, so I ended up going thru youtube reviews. most were useless, but being able to see features/issues helped. Folks views on youtube vary greatly. Good luck.

 

[FX4Offroad]

Really, all reviews/reviewers are subjective. It's their opinion only.

Like CO2Ranger said, I too research the crap on anything I buy.

A Chevy guy will love the Chevys, Ford-Ford, Toyota-Turd (sorry, I couldn't help it)

See, I'm a Ford guy.

 

[AutobotXJ]

Whenever you read/watch an editorial or opinion piece, it will be biased. Reviews are like that- it’s biased towards the individuals taste and not necessarily the buyers. I like watching side by side comparison videos where they compare specific things about similar types of vehicles. Seeing a reviewer jump into the seats of a Tacoma and then Ranger shows the difference in usable cab space better than some numbers in a table. Also, search for specific things about what matters most to you- if you absolutely NEED off road capability, there are videos comparing these trucks side by side. Even though the ranger lacks front lockers, don’t count it out watch some videos to see what it can and can’t do.

 

[FoD]

In the end, it was what had the best bang for the buck (once I decided on what I liked) and the 19Ranger had a big discount + factory bucks in 20 when I bought it. Like the Reese's commercial, "Not Sorry".

Some trucks had killed themselves based on interior room and others on general clunkyness - mostly subjective. I was a GMC guy since 1984. Ranger had better looks too.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

As others have said, trust no one but yourself. The problem with reviews (professional or amateur) is they're all biased in one way or another. Whether they're biased toward a certain company, or a certain feature, or most likely a certain person... themself. Every reviewer picks what they like the best. And the problem with that is everyone is different. No reviewer is just like you. No reviewer has your needs, your wants, your feel for things.

The best thing to do is look at the facts, the numbers, the nonsubjective things. And keep those in mind during your dealer visit and test drive of each. There's no better reviewer for your next vehicle than you.

And also, in the end, no matter what you choose, if you keep obsessing about the reviews and the subtle differences, you'll always find something wrong. Always. Nothing is perfect, including any of these trucks. Everything has flaws.
But on the flip side, if you just pick the one that best fits your needs, wants, and feels and enjoy your new truck, you'll be very happy with whichever you choose. Because realistically, all the choices you gave are pretty much the same on a macro level anyways.

 

[Doc]

Mad Magazine ..

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm in the market for a truck and the Tremor is at/near the top of my list. The TRD Off Road (& maybe the Pro) and ZR2 are the others I'm considering. I'm driving myself nuts reading various reviews. For nearly any vehicle, some sites give them high marks; others say not to waste your money; and others are in the middle. And Facebook owner's groups...? It seems that's where folks go to either complain or seek validation for their purchase. Some are worse than others. Try bringing up an issue with the Tacoma in an owner's group and you'll be burned at the stake!

I really want to like the Tremor, but I've read some pretty negative things regarding Ford's build quality (or lack thereof). Before you bought your truck, where did you go for reviews? How much stock did you put in them? Any sites you can recommend for trustworthy reviews? Any sites to stay away from?

I just don't want to make a purchase only to regret it later due to issues with the truck. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

MG

Scott all the reviews in the world are not going to help you if YOU don't like the truck. Every one has it's issues and as you can see here some have had fuel in their oil while most others have not. Some had injector problems early one but most did not. It's nice to do your homework and read up as much as you can but you really need to drive all the ones you like and decide which one you like better and fell more comfortable in. See if you can take it for a long test drive and some dealers will even let you take it overnight.

There hasn't been any massive wide spread issues with the Ranger. If you buy one and after driving it for a year or two you can always add an extended warranty to it if plan to keep it for several years. I tend to trade my trucks in every 3 years (they're a business write off) but if I were to keep them longer I would get one. Especially now with all the tech and computers onboard it could get expensive once the original warranty is up.

 

[AzScorpion]

As @CO2Ranger said, trust no one but yourself. The problem with reviews (professional or amateur) is they're all biased in one way or another. Whether they're biased toward a certain company, or a certain feature, or most likely a certain person... themself. Every reviewer picks what they like the best. And the problem with that is everyone is different. No reviewer is just like you. No reviewer has your needs, your wants, your feel for things.

The best thing to do is look at the facts, the numbers, the nonsubjective things. And keep those in mind during your dealer visit and test drive of each. There's no better reviewer for your next vehicle than you.

And also, in the end, no matter what you choose, if you keep obsessing about the reviews and the subtle differences, you'll always find something wrong. Always. Nothing is perfect, including any of these trucks. Everything has flaws.
But on the flip side, if you just pick the one that best fits your needs, wants, and feels and enjoy your new truck, you'll be very happy with whichever you choose. Because realistically, all the choices you gave are pretty much the same on a macro level anyways.

Looks like we're thinking alike but you just type faster than I do. lol

 

[Bob902]

Stage 3 motorsports has a couple of good video reviews. Both on and off road.

 

[Trigganometry]

Couldn’t agree more than what many of the members here have said already. Like them I research the heck out of all large purchases just so I know what I’m potentially dealing with going into it. I’ve read many of the Main Stream media’s side by side comparisons and my views on same are polar opposite. These things out preform tacos day in and day out. The first one you smoke yourself will only strengthen that position. Ultimately the end decision is yours. This forum really gave me the information I was looking for. Many here give great advise and wisdom. Can’t buy that!

 

[slowmachine]

I agree with most of the above. I’ll add that the quality of the after-sale dealer service is a significant factor in the ownership experience. In my decision process, I considered the Tacoma first (but dislike the seats, which hurt my back) and Colorado second (heated steering wheel and no turbo were attractive, but the dealership was a huge turnoff). F150 was the next option, until I discovered the Ranger. The Ford dealer service is not great, but better than GM. Toyota beats them both by a large margin, but my spine had the final say.

 

[Tom_C]

Personally I just read all the ones available and let all the pros and cons average out in my brain. And then also read comments on forums. I wasn't opposed to a Taco (had Toyotas before) but everything I read said the seating was horrible and the power was marginal. I never even drove one. I drove the ranger and then found what I wanted and bought it. I found it online, made the deal and put a deposit over the phone, and the dealer made me drive it before I signed. I didn't care, I knew what I wanted so at that point is was all academic.

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