What do you regret buying for your Ranger?

shelbygt350

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Something pertinent for yaz as you add to this thread.
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For me it was the hasty tonneau cover purchase a week after we got the truck. It's a great cover, don't get me wrong, but a tonneau cover just wasn't the right solution for us. We ended up buying a topper less than a year later and now I just have this practically brand new tonneau cover just sitting on a shelf in my workshop. The Ranger is too new for me to find anyone locally who wants it, and shipping would cost a fortune. So now I'm stuck with it.
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Vitis805

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I honestly regret buying this truck. I got caught up in the hype. I choose this over the Tacoma because of the better gas mileage that was pure bullish!t.
I love this truck. MPG is not as advertised.
I have found in my 10k-ish miles that both the computer and the EPA ratings are generous by about 1.5 MPG. It doesn't feel too egregious, however, and am still incredibly happy with my purchase. The engine will suck fuel depending on personal driving habits. When I first got the FPP tune I was hammering down everywhere, and managed only ~18 MPG for that tank. The same can be said about a Tacoma, but at least when one is practicing bad habits in this truck they are actually going fast :LOL:.
 

AzScorpion

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I honestly regret buying this truck. I got caught up in the hype. I choose this over the Tacoma because of the better gas mileage that was pure bullish!t.
I have had to both replace and then fully replace my wiring system due to squirrels eating them because Ford was too cheap to put an engine cover over them. I have since purchased the cover from a Ford dealer online and the problem has gone away.
once the pandemic is over I will be looking for something else.
As someone who's owned both ('16 Tacoma) the Ranger gets much better gas mileage. You have to remember that with the ecoboost motor you're going to get either eco (good gas mileage) or boost ( bad gas mileage) you can't have both.

The only thing the Tacoma has over the Ranger is their resale value, that's it! That's only because there are so many brain washed fan boys who no matter how bad the Tacoma is will still praise it and ridicule anyone who says different. Good luck with that bucking bronco drivetrain too.

I never saw these numbers with my Tacoma.

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Dr. Zaius

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As far as MPG, I have never gotten the EPA rating for any vehicle I've owned.

But then my driving habits are probably the very worst for MPG (lots of short trips less than 20 minutes, almost Zero hwy, plenty of stops/starts)

My 2018 Frontier Pro4X was rated at 16 city MPG. With my driving habits, mine struggled to get 12.

My Ranger is getting 17 driving the exact same roads.

While it's not what the EPA says it should get, I'm happy with it.
 


doug910

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I honestly regret buying this truck. I got caught up in the hype. I choose this over the Tacoma because of the better gas mileage that was pure bullish!t.
I have had to both replace and then fully replace my wiring system due to squirrels eating them because Ford was too cheap to put an engine cover over them. I have since purchased the cover from a Ford dealer online and the problem has gone away.
once the pandemic is over I will be looking for something else.
I'm not quite sure if I agree with your reasons for not liking the truck (or rather, necessarily Ford's fault), I understand that the Ranger isn't for everybody. If you're interested in selling your Ranger, a few months ago Carvana was practically paying people to sell their Rangers. Some people on this forum got over sticker - just give it a quick search. I'm not sure if the deals are as good right now, but it's free and easy to get quotes from them online. You can periodically do this until the amount that they want to buy it from you is just right.
 

mdfiasco

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I regretted the entire purchase after a month, so I took the hit and sold it back to the dealer for what was owed. It was a gorgeous truck: CC XLT 4x4 Terrain management Sport/Tow Package in Rapid Red. I added a bedrug liner (fantastic product!) and a retrax pro xr tonneau cover. Great cover but kills 12" of bed length.

Pros: Great looking truck, comfy interior, and that's about it.

Cons: The engine never sounded the same day to day. Some days it sounded like a WWII fighter at startup, I'm guessing that was the fan. Some days the engine itself just sounded "off", as if something was wrong in there. Random engine rattles, pops, or gurgles. Sometimes it'd shift so hard I thought I'd break a u-joint. Payload capacity is shit. Doesn't matter anyway, the 5' bed can't carry much besides bags of mulch or a few bicycles (with forks over the tailgate) anyway. I would've forgiven the shortness of the bed if they'd simply dropped the height a few inches and made it accessible from the side. It's as shitty as a first gen Honda Ridgeline.

Terrain management Four wheel drive was absolute garbage. Simply could not compete in any category with my Subaru Crosstrek. Simply put: It could not go places where my Crosstrek went with ease.

After doing the math, as a truck it is useless. Towing capacity excluded, a Subaru and a 2000lb 5x8 utility trailer walks all over the 5G Ranger in every single solitary category.
 

Cape Cruiser

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I regretted the entire purchase after a month, so I took the hit and sold it back to the dealer for what was owed. It was a gorgeous truck: CC XLT 4x4 Terrain management Sport/Tow Package in Rapid Red. I added a bedrug liner (fantastic product!) and a retrax pro xr tonneau cover. Great cover but kills 12" of bed length.

Pros: Great looking truck, comfy interior, and that's about it.

Cons: The engine never sounded the same day to day. Some days it sounded like a WWII fighter at startup, I'm guessing that was the fan. Some days the engine itself just sounded "off", as if something was wrong in there. Random engine rattles, pops, or gurgles. Sometimes it'd shift so hard I thought I'd break a u-joint. Payload capacity is shit. Doesn't matter anyway, the 5' bed can't carry much besides bags of mulch or a few bicycles (with forks over the tailgate) anyway.

Terrain management Four wheel drive was absolute garbage. Simply could not compete in any category with my Subaru Crosstrek. Simply put: It could not go places where my Crosstrek went with ease.

After doing the math, as a truck it is useless. Towing capacity excluded, a Subaru and a 2000lb 5x8 utility trailer walks all over the 5G Ranger in every single solitary category.
Shame, 99% of Ranger owners dont feel this way. Sounds like the Suby is for you. Good luck
 

Motorpsychology

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Reading through this thread with the jaundiced eye of a former new/used car salesman, I have had a few customers that are uncomfortable making a major purchase without the approval of a trusted third party or the conventional wisdom of their peer group- "You bought a FORD?? Did you even look at a Toyota/Honda/Mazda/Volkswagen/yada-yada..? All of sudden, the things they liked about the vehicle; interior room, ergonomics, drivability are oddly inferior now.
A little probing could sometimes bring out the fact that the family "car expert" or the co-worker crew mostly drive foreign brands, and poor Joe & Jane Karpayment
were roundly ostricized. All you can do at that point is send them to the business office and unwind the deal.
 

wanted33

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I understand that some folks aren't happy with their Rangers. Heck, that's one reason why there are so many choices out there. Myself I don't go in with any preconceived ideas about any vehicle I buy, especially a truck. At my more mature age (re: old) I know the vehicle may not get the advertised mpg's, and that's fine with me. I bought the thing because I needed/liked, or wanted that certain vehicle. And, I also know that my right foot has a lot to do with the mpgs. I fully expect to enjoy my incoming Ranger, and hope it will be as reliable as my previous Ford trucks.

As an aside my previous truck, a 92' Toyota pick-up with the iron horse RE-22 4 banger only got 18/21 mpgs. If the Ranger can do close to that I'll be happy, happy, happy. Hey, it's a truck, not a Camry.
 

dtech

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Shame, 99% of Ranger owners dont feel this way. Sounds like the Suby is for you. Good luck
yeah good luck - the Crosstek (which I've driven) has a pretty weak engine ~150 hp and around the same amount of torque. 2 different classes of vehicles though. And I've taken my Ranger to off road places where I've never seen a Subaru , not saying that Subarus don't have respectable off road chops but they aren't exactly the most rugged vehicles.
 

doug910

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Payload capacity is shit.

Towing capacity excluded, a Subaru and a 2000lb 5x8 utility trailer walks all over the 5G Ranger in every single solitary category.
Payload is shit but towing capacity is great? Come again?

I'm sorry but if you're going to argue numbers, they're just not in your favor. Ranger gets best in class payload and towing capacity. Heck, it can out haul a new 2020 Toyota Tundra.

And yes, stats aren't everything. Lowering the bed an inch or two would definitely help with bed accessibility and ride quality at the expense of payload capacity, and that's a trade off many are willing to take. But making claims about "shitty payload" and a "useless bed" when the bed is the exact same size as any other midsize truck doesn't help your case. I'm glad the Subie works for you, but I sure as hell don't want to be towing a utility trailer every time I go to Home Depot.
 

wanted33

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Reading through this thread with the jaundiced eye of a former new/used car salesman, I have had a few customers that are uncomfortable making a major purchase without the approval of a trusted third party or the conventional wisdom of their peer group- "You bought a FORD?? Did you even look at a Toyota/Honda/Mazda/Volkswagen/yada-yada..? All of sudden, the things they liked about the vehicle; interior room, ergonomics, drivability are oddly inferior now.
A little probing could sometimes bring out the fact that the family "car expert" or the co-worker crew mostly drive foreign brands, and poor Joe & Jane Karpayment
were roundly ostricized. All you can do at that point is send them to the business office and unwind the deal.
Oh yeah Chris, there was a time in my younger years that I was susceptible to the opinions of those armchair experts. With a bit of experience, and a little more years they can now (as one of my old LT's used to say) kiss my titty in Kansas City. My money, my choice, and told some that if they aren't helping pay for it their opinion is of no matter to me. Oh well, sadly those armchair experts will be with us forever.
 

slowmachine

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Reading through this thread with the jaundiced eye of a former new/used car salesman, I have had a few customers that are uncomfortable making a major purchase without the approval of a trusted third party or the conventional wisdom of their peer group- "You bought a FORD?? Did you even look at a Toyota/Honda/Mazda/Volkswagen/yada-yada..? All of sudden, the things they liked about the vehicle; interior room, ergonomics, drivability are oddly inferior now.
A little probing could sometimes bring out the fact that the family "car expert" or the co-worker crew mostly drive foreign brands, and poor Joe & Jane Karpayment
were roundly ostricized. All you can do at that point is send them to the business office and unwind the deal.
In almost exactly 40 years of car ownership, I have owned 44 cars, and had an additional couple dozen provided to me by employers. I loved, and despised, something about each of them. I second-guessed the purchase of quite a few (Chevy Vega, Ford Taurus...) and others I would buy again without hesitation (Mazda Miata, VW Westfalia). Cars are like shoes - they have to fit, and they have to “fit in” in a social context, which is a moving target. Everybody thinks their choice is the best, and it may be for them, and only them, but that doesn’t hold back the torrent of unsolicited and unqualified advice. One of my favorite neighbors has a Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, and a pure electric Nissan Leaf. He can’t understand why I bought a new gas vehicle instead of electric, and will babble on for an hour about why it’s the best thing to buy. My son buys upwards of 100 cars (wholesale) every month. I ask him, and ignore the anecdotal, self-reinforcing advice from the “experts.”
 

quirkybar8

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Only if the shoes come with it. ? ?
dammit, just looking at this thread and immediately thought "how much for the shoes?" stole my line right out from under me
Im not happy with my weathertech floor mats. They only seem to grip at the connection point and while using your feet to adjust your posture they can put stress on 1 of those 2 connection points. The permanent roommate already broke 1 on the passenger side.
The nubs on the bottom of the Husky WeatherBeaters are nice. The passenger side in our Focus has become a source of disappointment in Weathertech. It's too small and has no hold-downs so slides around like crazy.
OMG... this tail gate damper discussion is a disease. It's slowing spreading throughout all the threads. o_O
I refuse to even acknowledge its existence (do'h!)

I had immediate buyer's remorse on a bedrug, but not now that it's installed. Besides, at $185 w/reward points, I'm not out much. They should add a middle strip of velcro on the bulkhead and tailgate though.
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