Your Age-Your First Ford-What You Learned To Drive On-Your Rangers Year!

Tracy Bowman

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59. My first kinda Ford was a Mercury Zephyr. That was a nice car. Don’t remember what year the vehicle was, but I was probably around 19. Before that, I had a 1971 Plymouth Valiant. My next Ford was a 1989 F-150 that I bought from my BIL in 1999. Loved that truck, but was a gas hog! Only about 9 mpg.
My favorite of all:
2019 Saber Ranger Lariat FX4.:inlove:
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NTXTremor

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I turned 50 late last year, and since I bought my first car, a 66 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 convertible, at 15 after saving money working odd jobs (mowing yards, delivering papers, bagging groceries) as a kid, I learned to drive on that car along with both of my parents' cars. My dad had a 78 Chevy Malibu, and my mom had an 82 Pontiac Grand Prix.

My first Ford was a hand-me-down 1983 Ford Ranger I got to use when my grandfather bought an 89 F150. I ended up driving the Ranger any time I was doing major work on my 4-4-2, and I drove the Ranger to college, too.

I loved that Ranger even though the engine blew a head gasket at less than 30K miles and the transmission failed with less than 33K miles.

These are not pictures of my cars, but this is what they looked like.

1966-oldsmobile-442-convertible.jpeg


032820-1983-Ford-Ranger-diesel-1d-630x390.jpeg
 

Joeiconic

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Age 58. Learned to drive in a 1973 Dodge Coronet. Puke green with a alligator grained vinyl top (?). First Ford was an ‘85 (maybe ‘86) Ranger. Red, 4wd, V6, 5 speed, no A/C. My other Fords before the current Ranger were a 1989 Mustang GT, and three F150’s, can’t remember the years exactly. My first car was a 1980 Datsun 310GX. The 50 mile trip home from the used car lot was my first time ever driving a manual. Ground the gears a few times, but it survived and went on to stay in the family for 10 years or more.
 


bRaptor

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I'm 36.
Rebuilt a Model T and A with my dad before 16.
I learned to drive on a manual ranger (don't know what year it was my grandpa's and I was 13).
First car was a manual 1988 F150.
I have a 2021 XLT Tremor
 

DukeCanBuildit

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I like this game, so I’ll play….

I’m 61
I had several company cars and a few personal cars, before I bought my first Ford. It was a light blue 1991 Ranger - it was so much better than my little 1986 Mitsubishi Dodge Ram 50 - man, I was hooked. Next up was a Black 1996, followed by a Red 2001 - all XLTs, all SuperCabs, all 4x4.

I learned to drive in my parents’ 197? Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon - the one with all that sweet simulated wood grain. I learned a few other things in it too. ?

I waited and waited for the Ranger to come back and eventually traded my 2001 for my current Ranger; a Shadow Black 2019…SuperCab…XLT….4x4. Old habits are hard to break.
 

Progeny2021

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These are not pictures of my cars, but this is what they looked like.

1966-oldsmobile-442-convertible.jpeg
I 'very briefly' (6 weeks) owned a '65 Impla SS Convertible right out of high school. Good body, interior and top - motor was junk. Was told it 'needed a tuneup' until I found out.... GM cars of the '60s were the best.... (stock image)

fl0112-120820_2@2x.jpeg
 

P. A. Schilke

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Hi Folks,

Ok...I'll play along. Learned to drive a Case Tractor on my uncle's wheat farm at 8 years old...I drove tractors towing trailers along side a Combine at Harvest time. Dinner in the field and back on the tractor...Long days...

My First Ford was a 1975 F150 Regular cab...in Parrot Orange.

My first Ranger Experience was on the prototypes of the 1982½ Ranger in 1979 and have had a Ranger in the family ever since including today with a 2019 SCREW 4x4

Oh yeah...Edit...I am 73.....

Best,
Phil
 
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Wytchdctr

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40

First Ford (only other Ford). 87 LTD with the mighty 160hp 5.0 and I think I used displacement (ship) instead of curb weight to track how much the V8 needed to lug around. Such a smooth rolling couch.

Learned to drive on a terrible Jeep Comanche 4 cyl with a bad fuel pump and a Lumina Z34. Did I stall the 5spd stick in the Jeep or did the pump just crap out.. hard to say.

21 XLT with it's only option being the key fob remote start.
 

NTXTremor

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Hi Folks,

Ok...I'll play along. Learned to drive a Case Tractor on my uncle's wheat farm at 8 years old...I drove tractors towing trailers along side a Combine at Harvest time. Dinner in the field and back on the tractor...Long days...

My First Ford was a 1975 F150 Regular cab...in Parrot Orange.

My first Ranger Experience was on the prototypes of the 1982½ Ranger in 1979 and have had a Ranger in the family ever since including today with a 2019 SCREW 4x4

Best,
Phil
Since you are playing along, was my experience with the 83 Ranger just bad luck? My grandfather drove it for 6 years in-town only, but he was meticulous on the maintenance. The head gasket blew just under 30K miles. We put in a replacement, rebuilt engine from Fred Jones Ford, and less than 3K miles later, the automatic transmission failed. Ford said that the transmission pump had "backed off the ears" or something like that.

We still loved the truck anyway. ?
 

DukeCanBuildit

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Since you are playing along, was my experience with the 83 Ranger just bad luck? My grandfather drove it for 6 years in-town only, but he was meticulous on the maintenance. The head gasket blew just under 30K miles. We put in a replacement, rebuilt engine from Fred Jones Ford, and less than 3K miles later, the automatic transmission failed. Ford said that the transmission pump had "backed off the ears" or something like that.

We still loved the truck anyway. ?
I’ll bet you never dreamed in a million years you’d ever get to ask that question to the engineer who was there at the start of those early Rangers. ?

Of course, there might not be a definitive answer but still cool to be able to ask Phil, amiright?

And you gotta ask because there might be a cool back story.
 
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NTXTremor

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I’ll bet you never dreamed in a million years you’d ever get to ask that question to the engineer who was there at the start of those early Rangers. ?

Of course, there might not be a definitive answer but still cool to be able ask Phil, amiright?

And you gotta ask because there might be a cool back story.
Yes, I had to ask! Even if the answer is "you had bad luck," I'd love to know. :)
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