Why did you choose a Ranger over another Truck

[stangertwc]

I didn’t really ‘need’ a new truck but I was missing not having a truck in my life so I had my eye on this 2011 Ford Ranger Fx4 level ll that had popped up for sale but those little rangers if not beat to death really hold there value around here so for what they still wanted for it it ended up being less for me to lease a new one. I also have this bad habit of wanting something different after 3-4 yrs so that is my story. I absolutely love my ‘mighty’ magnetic. I also own a 03 mustang cobra and I kid you not I’ve gotten probably more complements on this ranger from absolute strangers about how nice it is, and it’s just the plain ol’ STX

Sponsored

 

[hughesjv]

You're right! Totally forgot the Ridgeline, and I think it's because I don't personally consider it a competitor. The Ridgeline is a fantastic truck for people that aren't sure they want a truck, or don't want to fully commit to owning one. I need a truck that can tow the broken cars in my driveway, that I don't feel bad about thrashing sometimes, and that feels like it was designed to be a truck from the ground up. I did test drive a Ridgeline a couple of years ago, and it just feels too soft for me. The exterior design is controversial compared to the aggressive styling of the Ranger, GM lineup, Gladiator, and most anything else. I'm sure it's a practical truck, but just not for me.

You're right about the Gladiator. It's another truck/SUV that people buy to commute to and from work/kids/school but never actually put it to the test due to price alone.

The GM note made me laugh though. I had a 2014 Ford Escape that I loved, but the only GM part in the car failed TWICE (6-speed auto trans was developed by GM). Full rebuild twice before 60k miles. Thankfully both were under warranty, but after I crossed 80k miles, I decided I didn't want to risk a third time and traded it for the Ranger.

The Ridgeline is a Pilot with a truck bed...think about it.

 

[John Lyman]

The Ridgeline is a Pilot with a truck bed...think about it.

Or the El Pilot

 

[Michel Jeanneau]

Ah...my story.

Well, my first Ranger was a 94 XL 4x4 supercab with a 3.0 (the infamous vulcan!) that I spec'd out with manual everything...that truck fit me so well. It had the venerable twin-traction beam front end that was bulletproof, except for the wheel bearings (had one seize up on me at 29k miles and was replaced under warranty), and apparently the front bearings on those axles needed repacking every 30k miles or so. I repacked the bearings again at ~60k and one of them seized on me at 88k...replaced both fronts myself and on my dime (no big job, just messy). I did install 2" leveling springs in the front, Rancho shocks all around and a cattle bar with fogs, 31" tires...it off-roaded fine and it towed and hauled what I wanted with decent gas mileage for a pushrod-fuel-injected engine(22-24 mpg!) By that time the 1998-1/2's were coming out, the first with the SLA suspension on the Explorer and torsion bar springs; stopped at the dealer just for grins to check them out right around president's day and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

It was hard to part with the old Ranger but the new ones rode so much better and the front hub units had maintenance free bearings. The new one was also a standard with the 3.0, but they did something to the flywheel mass to make them "burn cleaner"...even if it took burning more fuel, which was the case with that Ranger; I never got better than 21 mpg, granted it was an "off road" XLT, which in those days didn't mean much more than 265/75/16 tires, a 2" lift and that's it. That truck and I became almost one for eight years and 177,000 miles of countless adventures, hunting trips, off-road, camping, fishing, skiing, you name it. Eventually it was the poor mileage (towards the end I was lucky if I got over 19mpg, which was hard with gas hovering around $4/gallon and a 50 mile commute...) that forced me to part with it plus the need for a more "family oriented" vehicle.

The Rangers no longer offered the 3.0 nor manual transmission, so the gas bill on a new 4.0 would have killed me (I literally cried the day I traded my truck): enter the 06 Tucson GL with a 2.0 4-banger, manual tranny and "part-time AWD". Wasn't bad but wasn't great either; the 4 banger was high revving all the time (4.54:1 diff ratio); it towed my 14' skiff but screamed about it, worse when I got my 17' sailboat...it took seven years of savings and research, and with the Ranger no longer available I ended up getting a '14 Forester Premium with a 6-MT, heated seats, heated mirrors and a redesigned flat-4 that was decent power wise; it handled towing my boats, was great in the snow with snow tires (though no off-roader), got decent mileage (high 20's HWY!), but it was not trouble-free; the new engine had cheap rings and they put thin-as-panther-piss 0W20 oil that was supposedly "eco-friendly". If you didn't mind adding a qt of oil every 1500-2000 miles, in some cases less than 1000 miles. That won me a new engine at 38k miles and the problem went away, especially since I ditched the 0W20 for some real oil (Redline 5W30 full synthetic, expensive but the best). and all was well until last fall when the first wheel-bearing hub started making noise (replaced under warranty at 69k miles) and later the rears started to rumble at 72k miles....enough! Perfect excuse for a new truck, now that my kids are older and can get in the back on their own, I had been driving by the local dealers and drooling on the new rangers sitting on the lots. Started e-shopping tacos, colorados (the diesel) nothing else caught my eye (not a fan of nissans or mopar products). President's day sale came around, they dropped $6k on the sticker on the '19 Rangers and I RAN to the dealer...once I test-drove one I was hooked.

Wow, that was a long ramble!

 

[DeadSkiHead]

The Ridgeline is a Pilot with a truck bed...think about it.

Absolutely. And when I was driving home in ice/snow yesterday on mountain roads, the Pilot in front of me performed poorly. Slid into a guardrail twice. Locked up his brakes more than a few times. A lot of it is probably user error, but I would not want to be in a Pilot on snow/ice. My Ranger always performs well.

I chose the Ranger because all the other "mid-size" truck test drives left me unimpressed. Wanted a truck that the wife could drive comfortably since she will be driving it a lot, too, or else I probably would have gone with an F-150 or Silverado.

 

[Tangent]

Headroom (6'4" doesn't fit in a Tacoma)

Turbo charged Engine that makes it fun to drive.

Looks great.

Cheaper than Honda.

Ridgeline with any weight in it drags ass.

Will never own a GM product again.

Will never own a Nissan product again.

Ford's reputation with Trucks.

All added up to this.

 

[Mpro2]

Because it's a Ford......everything else is irrelative.

 

[GTGallop]

Nissan Frontier - Its an 18 year old platform with no updates. Small and cramped inside and crappy turn radius.
Toyota Tacoma - I don't like the "Go Kart" driving position with your feet out. Nice truck tho!
Jeep Gladiator - I qualified for Employee Pricing but it was still too big and too high for my wife to get into. Nice rig and certainly worth the price
Chevy - I don't drive Chevy. Period. End of Story. It's an apocalypse vehicle in the same way that otter is apocalypse meat.

Did I miss any other small / mid segment trucks? And DO NOT say Honda Ridge Line. That's an HRV with a birth defect.

 

[banerjek]

This is the first automatic I've driven in my life.

I really wanted to like the Taco since it's still available in stick, but the Ranger is too much better in practically every way I care about and a better value to boot. Plus, payload is best among the midsized trucks -- an important issue for me since I carry a cabover.

I was offered a screaming deal on a loaded F150, but they're just too big. Ranger hit that sweet spot -- everything I needed and nothing I didn't.

 

[11 r150]

When my 2020 xl scab stx/fx2 shows up,it will be Ranger #8 for me. They have ranged from base model to xlt 4x4 off road scab. my present truck is a 2011 xlt scab s door 2wd. 4.0 v6. Runs great & only has aprox 54.000 miles. do I need a new truck? no. But at this point in my life, i'm going for it. Through the years I've owner Fords, GM, and Jeep. Been a tech sense 1973 and the Ford's have always done the job for me.

 

[Scottopia]

Bought my HPR Ranger because I really liked it.

...and was done with the low grey Fusion after being taken out on the highway at speed by someone who did not see me. Wanted to get back to the SUV size vehicle, and this simply mooooved me.

 

[Doc]

2.3 Turbo..
Regards

 

[BeachRanger19]

Ranger was my choice for most of same reasons that all of you mentioned but one of my most important things was, will it fit in my carport so I won't have to park it on the street? As you can see it's a match made in heaven ?

 

[GTHAYS]

Because the blue oval matched the 03 F150 and the 17 Fiesta that it replaced.
Honestly I have been chasing this truck since I heard the rumours. I was down at the dealership asking what they knew (nothing) and kept going back when they got the first ones in 19 to look and drool over. Finally the lease was close to up on the Fiesta and this "0" interest deal could not be beat. Really happy and I get a smile on my face everytime I just see the keyfob. Really enjoy the forum stories especially from the people that have had their trucks longer. Still sounds like they enjoy theirs still and that makes me believe I made a great choice.

 

[lohchief]

Because the blue oval matched the 03 F150 and the 17 Fiesta that it replaced.
Honestly I have been chasing this truck since I heard the rumours. I was down at the dealership asking what they knew (nothing) and kept going back when they got the first ones in 19 to look and drool over. Finally the lease was close to up on the Fiesta and this "0" interest deal could not be beat. Really happy and I get a smile on my face everytime I just see the keyfob. Really enjoy the forum stories especially from the people that have had their trucks longer. Still sounds like they enjoy theirs still and that makes me believe I made a great choice.

We bought the 19 Lariat fx4 last year and love it. Actually my wife,(aka, I hate fords ) drives it more than I do. And she is NOT SHY about jumping into the turbo as soon as all 4 wheels hit the pavement. She loves the exhaust mod,and the power. I do to but I'm a bit conservative when driving.

When out and about,my mpg's are in the low 20's,high 19's. When my wife drives it,low 14's all day long,lmao.

Sponsored