Why did you pick Ranger

[Rhino]

sooo im no ford fan.... only ford i like is my dads 74 bronco and the new bronco i dont care for anything else really... now the mustangs are nice but not my style......

(ps dads best friend from school is super happy i finally got a ford haha super big ford guy)

ive always been into imports and i still am heavily!

the reason i got my ranger is my 13 tacoma was starting to degrade from heavy off-roading and abuse so it was time to start looking for a new truck back in 2021 (which if you look at my truck you know i didnt buy one back then)
I drove the nissan frontier that just came out and tbh i really really enjoyed that truck but i didnt like how nissan lied about something so i walked away from a potential mess with it.
I drove the gladiator in 3 trims sport, overland, rubi and i liked it overall but i didnt like the rear room or how the bed looked personally and the fact its either all lockers on a rubi or a rear locker on the moab and the rest get nothing....
after that i drove the gm twins and tbh didnt like it one bit.... the zr2 was cool with its tech and front and rear lockers but ugly truck and gutless not a fan....
I drove a few different 3rd gen tacomas since i could transfer my suspension from my 13 to a newer one i was like alright this should do me for another 5 somethin years. well i drove a manual i drove an auto and tbh not much there i just didnt like the truck really besides the fact it had a manual so no reason for that one either....
Finally i drove the ranger and was pretty shocked how much i enjoyed driving the truck so i had decided back then i was going to get a ranger!
buuuuut i decided to sell my 2 year old civic si and use that money to try and save and fix my tacoma again since i truly did love that truck. sadly thou ganon (my tacomas name) broke on me again in the front end when i needed it when i was on disability after an accident... which left me with either my bike which i couldn't ride... or my 98 civic with a failing trans which i also couldn't drive because 5 speed... so i got pissed at the truck and finally had enough and after i got back to work and off disability i started looking for a ranger again! it took awhile to find anyone that even had one and took a bit longer for mine to come in but im very happy with it! i got a decent ish deal with x-plan and im pretty happy with how low i owe on it since i made a good size down payment!
now do i think the ranger will perform off-road like my tacoma did? NO God NO! the ranger is a great little truck dont get me wrong! but my tacoma had way more flex with a mid travel setup then most do in a long travel setup on the ranger side! plus i never even finished my rear suspension on that truck i was only a couple steps away and a few grand from the perfect mid travel setup on it!
anyways so that part does suck but since im not out wheeling like i use to i no longer have a worry about that!

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[JoshuaH]

I "needed" a truck (mostly wanted) as I had been making things work with a compact suv w/ a hitch for way too many years.

I decided I couldn't afford a full size truck. Plus, I wanted it to fit in my garage. So, I thought the midsized was a good size for me.

I looked at all the competition. Test drive them/watched youtube reviews etc.

Each one was decent honestly... I picked the Ranger for three main reasons.
1.) 2.3 turbo engine had impressive power for its size.
2.) Fuel economy was the best of all the mid-sizers that I tested out.
3.) Price was within budget (purchased in 2021 right before crazy micro chip shortage crisis)

Plus, I liked the driving position and the way it drove.... it felt like a truck, not another suv. I appreciated it for what it is.

My top 3 choices were the Tacoma, gmc canyon and ford ranger... the ranger felt the most right for me.

So far, no regrets. It tows nicely. I use the bed almost daily. It has a nice 4wd system and I really like the look of it.

 

[Friday yet?]

This is the first vehicle i have chosen to buy!!!!
All other times it was because the right price for the car. Regardless of brand color yadayada.

I am a ford fan, so when i had the chance to buy what i wanted. I went ford.
F250 was just too too too expensive. The ranger fit my needs, not wants, f250 godzilla engine is my want, ranger just perfect.
Loved it so much i have bought another ranger just recently. Traded my 2020 for a 2022

Debated an F350 myself. Really wanted that Godzilla. Take care of that truck and you could get 300K miles out of it.

Moved on as the wife continually said Super Duty trucks are too big and she didn't want to drive one. She felt the same when I was debating an F150 vs Ranger. She did not want me to get the 150.

Excited about my ordered Ranger! But that 7.3L Godzilla.... DAYUM...

 

[mokupilot]

Tried to be like everyone in Hawaii and buy a Tacoma. I guess I didn’t fit in Club Taco. Just not fun to drive or comfortable for that matter. Also, every time I’ve bought a different make, I’ve wished I was in a Ford. Always wanted a truck so I test drove a Ranger. That did it. Once I figured out X-Plan my path was set and I’m very happy.

 

[MMorf]

Growing up, my family was a Ford family. I have branched out some and owned other vehicles, but the two previous Fords I owned were amazing. I had a Gen 1 Ford Explorer and a Gen 2 Ford Escape, both of which almost made it to 300k miles before I got rid of them. I wouldn’t doubt if they are both still out there in the road now.

When I decided it was time for a new vehicle I was not even sure I wanted a truck. I was between a Taco, 4Runner, Jeep Gladiator, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Ranger, or Ford Bronco. In Colorado, there is a steep premium on the Jeeps and the Toyotas. Plus everyone has one (or a Subaru). I honestly thought I was going to wait for the Bronco until I priced out what I wanted and realized I could get the Ranger for half the price. Plus the tow rating on the Bronco is terrible. Then Ford offered 0% for 72 months on all new Rangers so I jumped on that deal. Truth be told, best decision I have made in a long time. Between the towing, ride quality, size, gas mileage, and price…. It’sa no brainier.

 

[Theslim_spaydee]

Had wanted a truck for a while but the F150 just was to big for my needs plus the fuel consumption and price were far greater.

I purchased mine March of 2020 just after the world shut down. I rolled $1,500 from my ford focus trade (that was the devils car) and with D plan and the lucrative offers at that time still came in $3k under sticker with the extended warranty. They also were so desperate to move vehicles back then they gave me a 0% 84 month loan.

It was the easiest decision I have ever made and I have very little bad things to say about the Ranger for the last 2+ years. If I had not been an idiot and gotten a 4x4 then I would probably not be jumping to a Bronco now.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I've had a trucks from Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Chevrolet, and Isuzu and I always end up coming back to a Ford.

My new Jeep experience meant that the Gladiator was never a consideration. Plus I find them very ungainly in appearance without 35" minimum tires.

After my POS 2018 Frontier I started looking again and looked at ZR2 and 3rd gen Tacoma.

I simply did not like the Tacoma drivetrain. Gutless V6 and a transmission that had a mind of its own. I did like the interior overall but I couldn't get the seating position just right.

Interesting observation when test driving the first Tacoma. When the salesman hopped in to drive it off the lot he casually pressed the ECT/PWR button. This would be the equivalent of putting the Ranger transmission into Sport mode.

When he let me in the driver's seat I immediately turned it off and I could see the salesman kind of grimace. That's when the transmission started hunting like Elmer Fudd.

ZR2 wasn't bad, but was similar to the Tacoma in that you had to rev it to get power. More power than the Tacoma though. I wasn't a big fan of the interior.

After I drove a Ranger, then it was just a matter of finding one equipped the way I wanted.

 

[RangerTX]

Wifey bought a '21 Tremor. I was, at the time, in a Silverado 2500 (with lots of problems).

It was time for me to downsize as we had sold our travel trailer and I was doing a lot of commuting for work.

Having had a couple rangers back in the 90's, I couldn't believe how far they had come. For me it was an easy decision.

 

[subquark]

I needed a new car since my tiny Scion was 16 years old and needing repairs regularly. I haven't "daily drove" my '72 FJ40 in several years and it needs a serious rehab - mainly the brakes for the umpteenth time.

We also wanted something we could use for our summer kayaking day trips. We have high-performance inflatables that fold up and will fit into above-said Scion and also my wife's then Corolla. But it was a tight fit and the water (sometimes saltwater) was wreaking havoc with those cars.

We also have thought about getting a small travel trailer (like the Lance 1475s).

I initially decided on a Maverick. Seemed like a really good price and it would be just big enough for our gear. And the 4K Tow Package would have just barely been enough for that travel trailer.

But ... I waited until two days before Maverick orders closed and could no longer get the 4K Tow Package. So I went home ...

I did some online searching to learn a bit about the Tacoma, Chevy, Nissan, Honda, and Ford midsize trucks.

I was leaning to Tacos since my FJ's been so good. But they were expensive to get with full payload and towing, and still had rear drum brakes.

It was clear that the Ranger, even as an XL, had the most bang for the buck for our needs. And a Supercab was perfect since it's mainly just us and perrito lococito Cheech! =D

So I ordered it at end of January 2022, then found this forum and spent too much money on accessories, then got it in May.

Best outcome possible—absolutely love, love, our ranger—Soupie!

 

[shred5]

ok I actually had my Ranger for almost 3 years now but somehow missed this thread..

Anyway I am a truck person with no loyalty to a company. I do prefer a truck made in the USA but will buy foreign. Just preference. I like to try different trucks.
I learned a long time ago companies do not care about you they care about there bottom line so why give a crap about them plus Ford royally screwed my over a while ago which makes them no different than any other company.

Anyhow I never really keep a vehicle a long time and like to try different trucks. I had a Colorado before the Ranger. I bought a smaller truck (Colorado) because we moved into a smaller house with a smaller garage and driveway and a full size truck just was not needed. I wanted the Ranger but it kept getting delayed and I also hate buying a vehicle the first year so I bought a Colorado. I figured I would driver it 3 years and the Ranger would be out for a bit and evaluate at that time.

Well I still followed the Ranger like i do most trucks and about this time the 2019 were not selling and dealers were getting upset with how many were on their lots so Ford offered 6400.00 in rebates to move some. Not only that dealer discounts got me to almost 10,000 off. I bought a 38,000 some dollar truck for a little under 30,000. Not only I got such a good deal on my Colorado when I bought it the dealer game almost what I paid for it. So I basically traded a truck nearing 3 year old in for a new truck. not to shabby. I did break my rule about a vehicle being out for a year before I purchase though.

I am now at the point where I would normally trade in my truck but with the new Ranger, new Colorado and a new Nissan I am waiting to see which I will like better.

I would really like to move back to a 6 cylinder. Now that may eliminate the Colorado. I actually think the new Colorado is very nice looking. I may actually keep my next truck longer so I am looking at longevity. I am nearing that age now where I need to think of retirement.

I am going to say the Ranger (knock on wood) has been great with really not many issues at all.

There are a few things I liked better on my Colorado and a few things on my Ranger I like better. Two really different trucks.

The number one thing is we do allot of long trips and the Ranger is one of the most comfortable trucks I have owned.

 

[VAMike]

Such a great thread to resurface for the newcomers. It was great to go back and read all of the responses from 2019

What strikes me looking back is that I thought used truck prices were nuts in 2019...little did I know.

 

[OrangeStreak]

I am not brand loyal to Ford or any other vehicle manufacturer because I learned through past experience that this can be potential for getting burned. I have owned many vehicles: American, European and Imports and use this base of experience to help with vehicle choices.

I chose my Ranger because I wanted a new mid-size truck that had quality, dependability and style. I previously owned a 2011 Ranger truck which was outstanding and excellent in every way and because of this positive experience felt it would be reasonable to look at the 5g's.

I researched this model intensely before considering and early in 2019 there was some negative stuff on the Rangers, so I backed off but as I continued the pursuit the information started looking better and better so in 2020, pulled the trigger and so far, happy with the decision and exceptionally pleased with my Truck.

 

[pbethel]

VW guy and VW doesn't offer a pickup in the states, and if they did, I probably wouldn't be interested in it as it would be packaged in a way I wouldn't want. I Looked at many midsized trucks and Ford just clicked almost all the boxes for me (if I didn't miss the 22' order deadline by a week, it would been all the boxes lol) that everyone else probably mentioned. The one thing I was really impressed with was the interior. Coming from the European world I have never been impressed with domestic interiors, until the Ranger.

The VW truck is a rebadged Ranger.

 

[Old NaCl]

An offer I could not refuse.
FIL did not like the truck, made me an offer to just take over the payment. I add a select bottle of bourbon to the deal .

Basically I stole it

 

[Publius]

I previously had very good luck with Fords: a Ford Focus and then a Ford Escape. I switched to Jeep, which I had reasonably good luck with a Wrangler and a Cherokee as well, but I never liked the look of Gladiator.

It was a close race between Colorado, Tacoma, and Ranger. I heard some bad things about Colorados and how the frame is made (C shape vs fully enclosed) and also was not crazy about the color selections. Tacoma was a notch higher, loved the Army Green and the Off Road and TRD Pro models, but I heard from many it was a harsh ride.

Ford, on the other hand, got very high marks for towing, reliability, tech and interior, and, the clincher for me, came out with the Forged Green color which was the color I wanted. Spoke to someone who had and loved a Ranger, and the rest is history!

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