What do you regret buying for your Ranger?

[Doog Bigner]

Everyone talks about the mods they love, but what about the ones you hate or regret? Could go as far as to say what did you wish you spent more $ on and saving some $ made you spend it twice.

Great queston! I first bought the twin top exhaust then Fox 2.0 lift, raptor grill with 3 amber light bar, and general grabber tax tires.
I could do without the exhaust. should've done the lift and tires first, then Raptor grill ($340 stage3motorsports on sale). I also wished I bought the Auxito LED lights first as I would use them the most!
imo...

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[Vitis805]

I, on the other hand, have always been able to BEAT the EPA rated mileage on every vehicle I've owned by at least 15%.

You are an enigma, sir, and I bow to your unequivocal mileage prowess .

According to pump calculations, my foxbody Mustang was spot on, my EJ2 Civic was spot on, my DC2 and DC4 Integras are spot on, but this Ranger is generous by at least 1 MPG, and I drive it the most conservatively. It sees an even mix of highway and city streets, as well as fully loaded on both. I have yet to do a towing calculation but look forward to doing so.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

When I bought my Ranger, I had studied it for months. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew when I bought it that it was a SuperCrew. I knew the bed was 5ft. I knew how much it would haul and how much it would tow. I knew the type of engine. I knew the expected gas mileage. I knew what it had or didn’t have. I also went on test drives. There were no surprises because I ordered it exactly how I wanted it. I would not buy a vehicle that I was uninformed about.
As far as regrets, sometimes, when I see @the1mrb’s Ranger, I wish I had gotten a bed cap instead of tonneau cover. But I do love the tonneau cover and it works better for what I need.

 

[sbreech]

When I bought my Ranger, I had studied it for months. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew when I bought it that it was a SuperCrew. I knew the bed was 5ft. I knew how much it would haul and how much it would tow. I knew the type of engine. I knew the expected gas mileage. I knew what it had or didn’t have. I also went on test drives. There were no surprises because I ordered it exactly how I wanted it. I would not buy a vehicle that I was uninformed about.

Did you steal this from my mind? That's exactly how I approach purchasing vehicles. My previous vehicle was a Jag EPace. I loved that vehicle, but then my situation changed, so I researched the next vehicle on my list. I needed to tow a small camper. Enter the Ranger.

 

[RapidRedRanger61]

I'm one who only buys what I need not every gadget out there. I tend to research things to death before buying them but that's not always fool proof. With that said....I have zero regerts. ?

I'm with you. No regrets yet with any of my mods/upgrades. That'll arrive sometime between 12/19-12/24 when the Dee Zee package arrives

 

[bka0721]

As a long time user of RMNP I'm of the opinion the biggest issue is 2 legged creatures. Going back perhaps 20 yrs we'd leave early Sunday mornings to hike, but each successive year the park became more crowded and of course the reservation system this year - prevented us from making a single visit , nevertheless we still make an annual financial donation to the parks. We'd often camp late September in the Timber Lake campground. 2 summers back day hiked to Pear Lake, retracing the steps that was my wife's 1st backpack trip maybe 40 yrs ago and at that time we had a real wood fire, saw no one else up there and had no worries about crowds. I contemplated being a volunteer ranger but no way I'd do what some of them get tasked with - managing parking at the ranger lot in the Wild Basin. I do have a lot of respect the work Rangers do in the parks - dealing with the hordes of tourists, some of those who have zero respect for the backcountry - littering, sneaking dogs on the trail and so on.

dtech ~ I hope you will want to return to ROMO (acrnym the NPS uses for Rocky Mnt National Park). Metro area parks have an entire different visitation matrix where the NP I work in is so far far from nearest populated area it is a destination park. This results in even visitation through the week. Many of the parks experienced incredible visitation this year. This after the NPS didn't hire 40% of it's seasonal staff expecting people would stay home. What a surprise. For me, I worked as a Backcountry Ranger in ROMO in the early 80s. It was a great park to work in.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

When I bought my Ranger, I had studied it for months. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew when I bought it that it was a SuperCrew. I knew the bed was 5ft. I knew how much it would haul and how much it would tow. I knew the type of engine. I knew the expected gas mileage. I knew what it had or didn’t have. I also went on test drives. There were no surprises because I ordered it exactly how I wanted it. I would not buy a vehicle that I was uninformed about.
As far as regrets, sometimes, when I see @the1mrb’s Ranger, I wish I had gotten a bed cap instead of tonneau cover. But I do love the tonneau cover and it works better for what I need.

You mean pictures like like this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...

hahahaha, though I'm sure it doesn't hurt that we usually visit some pretty spectacular places.
In fact, I initially didn't think a topper would look good on the Ranger, especially with the Saber. I thought it'd be too much. But then I saw @uthunter's and that got me thinking. And once we needed the more space, then it was off to the races. haha

I'm with you @Tracy Bowman, from the moment I heard confirmation that the Ranger was coming back to the US I read every article and learned every fact and statistic and feature there was for years until it finally came out. Then when I walked into the dealer all I had to do was test drive it to make sure that was fine. That way you're not swayed by the vastly uninformed salesperson and come away confused and frustrated with your purchase. With something as expensive as a vehicle, I'm always surprised to hear that people still go into it not knowing absolutely everything they can.

 

[FoD]

 

[Motorpsychology]

You are an enigma, sir, and I bow to your unequivocal mileage prowess .

According to pump calculations, my foxbody Mustang was spot on, my EJ2 Civic was spot on, my DC2 and DC4 Integras are spot on, but this Ranger is generous by at least 1 MPG, and I drive it the most conservatively. It sees an even mix of highway and city streets, as well as fully loaded on both. I have yet to do a towing calculation but look forward to doing so.

I might have missed an earlier post, but what octane grade do you typically buy?

 

[wanted33]

When I bought my Ranger, I had studied it for months. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew when I bought it that it was a SuperCrew. I knew the bed was 5ft. I knew how much it would haul and how much it would tow. I knew the type of engine. I knew the expected gas mileage. I knew what it had or didn’t have. I also went on test drives. There were no surprises because I ordered it exactly how I wanted it. I would not buy a vehicle that I was uninformed about.
As far as regrets, sometimes, when I see @the1mrb’s Ranger, I wish I had gotten a bed cap instead of tonneau cover. But I do love the tonneau cover and it works better for what I need.

Tracey, I've done the same thing since 1986 when I special ordered my first vehicle. Dealers tend to order what sells the easiest for them, but don't seem to get the options I want or have options I don't want. So, I find it easier to order the exact vehicle with all the do-dads that will make me happy. It may take longer, but then I have no regrets. With the Ranger I did the same. I joined here, read a lot, and studied the spec/option sheet to get educated, and took a test drive before I ordered. The wife is a good sport, and would have been fine with whatever I ordered. So after going over all of the trims I decided I could get all I wanted in the STX model, and it was the only trim I could get the rear seat delete. My fingers, toes, and eyes are crossed it will be in next week.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I'm with you @Tracy Bowman, from the moment I heard confirmation that the Ranger was coming back to the US I read every article and learned every fact and statistic and feature there was for years until it finally came out. Then when I walked into the dealer all I had to do was test drive it to make sure that was fine.

This is exactly why I'm here. I am also on the Escape.org (@chrisgb) forum and there are enough people there that are having problems, even with the 2020s, that make me think it's time to get out. So far, mine has been a good trouble free car, but tik-tok... I signed in on this forum to better inform myself on, not just the specs, but what accessories work or don't and what the ownership experience is like. Night and day from the" Escape-ees" You'd think the vehicles were made by two different companies. Fuel in the oil is a problem for some here, but AFAIK no one has had total engine replacement, while there are scores of folks who have had to replace engines because of coolant leaking into the cylinders, in and out of warranty mostly on the 1.6L and 1.5s but a few on the 2.0s

What do I regret buying for my Ranger? My Escape. But as soon as the Tremor Package becomes selected for scheduling, I'll be ordering.

 

[Blue Streak]

When I bought my Ranger, I had studied it for months. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew when I bought it that it was a SuperCrew. I knew the bed was 5ft. I knew how much it would haul and how much it would tow. I knew the type of engine. I knew the expected gas mileage. I knew what it had or didn’t have. I also went on test drives. There were no surprises because I ordered it exactly how I wanted it. I would not buy a vehicle that I was uninformed about.
As far as regrets, sometimes, when I see @the1mrb’s Ranger, I wish I had gotten a bed cap instead of tonneau cover. But I do love the tonneau cover and it works better for what I need.

Almost exactly what I would have said except I'm not as good with word's. Thank you Tracy. I only had to wait 2 days to get my truck as we found one at an out of town dealer. The only 2 options that did not fit my build Keyless keypad entry & running boards. Since I stated I would not have ordered it with them we negotiated a price with them not included., but there are still on my truck. So I must say 25000 (S)miles & no regrets.

 

[Vitis805]

I might have missed an earlier post, but what octane grade do you typically buy?

Always 91. The compression ratio of each of my vehicles mandated it. If California had 93 I'd buy that.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

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.

I know, right?

I like your point about stats not being everything - opinions matter, especially when they're from reliable sources such as...oh, I don't know, Car and Driver...

"Lackluster engine, drab interior, so-so cargo hauling."

"Unfortunately, the Crosstrek also possesses one of Subaru's quintessentially unrefined, underperforming four-cylinder engines and a fun-sapping optional continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT)."

And that's just the opening paragraph of their review. They really liked the "infotainment system" though. ?

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

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.

First thing I did after reading your post was check the date to see if it was April 1.

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