Something I've noticed about people's opinions on the new Ford Ranger

85_Ranger4x4 said:

On demand yes, when trying to get moving on a highway to get home in a sleetstorm... not so much.

Get out there, get on the throttle once and kick the rear out. Back off and ease on to it and rear tries to step out out again. Slowly coast until rear wheels slow down to match fronts and pull magic lever on floor.

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That old 78 F350 dually i had a limited slip. That coupled with the torque of that slightly massaged 400 feeding juice thru a T18 4sp and a 4.30 rear, even in 3rd taking off it could get exteremly intresting, spicially with the well worn tie rods and steering box. So i feel ya.

This site cracks me up. It's a site about a Ford Ranger...a light duty smaller pickup. Yet so many people are talking about towing big loads, hauling large items, and how if a truck rides nice, is comfortable, and can haul your family that somehow it's not a "real truck".

It's like trying to frame a house with a ball peen hammer. It's not the fault of the hammer, it's the fault of the carpenter for choosing the wrong tool. It's like judging a fish's athletic ability by how well it can climb a tree.

Super Duty trucks exist, F-150's exist, and if you want a work truck to beat the crap out of...there are literally hundreds of thousands of them in the used market.

There is such thing as the free market. It's a wonderful thing...and it never fails. If there was a profitable market for a small stripped down truck with an 8' bed that could haul 10,000lbs and sell for $20,000....trust me...the market would provide it. Fact is, that's not a profitable product.

Look at the demographics. There are a lot of farms and a lot of farm land in the United States. Now look at population density of a rural area versus a suburban area. If you're a marketing guy....who you gonna build a truck for?

Ford, and every other auto maker, are in it for the money. Period. It's about profit margin and selling to your target demographic. "Real Truck" guys aren't going to buy a Ranger or a Ridgeline or a Colorado. Ford knows that the Ranger is target to the "soft roader" who is going to haul a jet ski, motorcycle, or small boat. That it will be the person's primary vehicle which includes commuting to urban areas where parking is tight and space is limited.

I am Ford's target market. I live in a rural area. I have the need to haul a motorcycle, to haul things like brush or old appliances. I enjoy camping and hauling damp gear, camp stove fuel, tables, chairs, and such is much easier OUTSIDE of your vehicle that you have to drive around daily as it gets pretty cruddy...especially if it rains. An 8ft bed is not required or desired....the truck has to fit in my garage. I've hauled two motorcycles in a Honda Ridgeline and it worked just fine. No need to shut the tailgate. If you know how to properly secure a motorcycle, it's not going to fall out.

Because I'm a working stiff and in no way rich, it's not economically intelligent for me to have two vehicles I have to upkeep, insure, and store...I need one vehicle that offers me a great commuting and road trip experience WITH utility that a pickup truck provides. I may need to pull a small utility trailer that's a couple thousands pounds. I want reasonable fuel economy. And I need to be able to wash it up and haul around business colleagues and not be embarrassed when I have to pull up at the valet when I'm having a date night with the wife.

There is a reason SUVs and trucks are outselling cars these days. It's because there are a LOT of folks like me out there. In 2.5 years I'll be handing down my vehicle to my daughter when she turns 16. Then I'll be buying a truck. Which one I haven't determined because I've not driven a Ranger yet. The Tacoma is too small inside. The Colorado/Canyon is nice, but are missing a few features I want unless I spend $42k...which I won't be. Nissan is a joke.

I'm penning my hopes on the Ranger.

TrackRider54 said:

This site cracks me up. It's a site about a Ford Ranger...a light duty smaller pickup. Yet so many people are talking about towing big loads, hauling large items, and how if a truck rides nice, is comfortable, and can haul your family that somehow it's not a "real truck".

It's like trying to frame a house with a ball peen hammer. It's not the fault of the hammer, it's the fault of the carpenter for choosing the wrong tool. It's like judging a fish's athletic ability by how well it can climb a tree.

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Amen.

What I want to tow comparable midsize trucks are rated for. Actually they are rated to tow more than my '02 5.4 F-150. I don't do it often or far but having the option is kind of a personal requirement. Since the competition can do it I don't think I am too far out of line.

TrackRider54 said:

There is such thing as the free market. It's a wonderful thing...and it never fails. If there was a profitable market for a small stripped down truck with an 8' bed that could haul 10,000lbs and sell for $20,000....trust me...the market would provide it. Fact is, that's not a profitable product.

Look at the demographics. There are a lot of farms and a lot of farm land in the United States. Now look at population density of a rural area versus a suburban area. If you're a marketing guy....who you gonna build a truck for?

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Fun fact, farm trucks are often written off on taxes as a "farm expense" and since they would just have to give it to the govt anyway many are loaded. Low grain prices have put the kabosh on a lot of that recently but when times were good guys would buy a loaded truck, bump their 2yo truck to their beater truck and trade in their 4yo truck on the new one. Repeat two years later.

We have one guy that didn't get the memo and bought a third superduty last year for a farm expense and now can't pay us for his farm repairs, but moving on...

TrackRider54 said:

I am Ford's target market. I live in a rural area. I have the need to haul a motorcycle, to haul things like brush or old appliances. I enjoy camping and hauling damp gear, camp stove fuel, tables, chairs, and such is much easier OUTSIDE of your vehicle that you have to drive around daily as it gets pretty cruddy...especially if it rains. An 8ft bed is not required or desired....the truck has to fit in my garage. I've hauled two motorcycles in a Honda Ridgeline and it worked just fine. No need to shut the tailgate. If you know how to properly secure a motorcycle, it's not going to fall out.

Because I'm a working stiff and in no way rich, it's not economically intelligent for me to have two vehicles I have to upkeep, insure, and store...I need one vehicle that offers me a great commuting and road trip experience WITH utility that a pickup truck provides. I may need to pull a small utility trailer that's a couple thousands pounds. I want reasonable fuel economy. And I need to be able to wash it up and haul around business colleagues and not be embarrassed when I have to pull up at the valet when I'm having a date night with the wife.

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I can relate, I also live in the country but I have snow to deal with on a gravel road. Day to day I do more gas can type hauling than lumber. When we had two dogs my extended cab was tight for trips to the inlaws, won't get any better if we start having kids.

TrackRider54 said:

There is a reason SUVs and trucks are outselling cars these days. It's because there are a LOT of folks like me out there. In 2.5 years I'll be handing down my vehicle to my daughter when she turns 16. Then I'll be buying a truck. Which one I haven't determined because I've not driven a Ranger yet. The Tacoma is too small inside. The Colorado/Canyon is nice, but are missing a few features I want unless I spend $42k...which I won't be. Nissan is a joke.

I'm penning my hopes on the Ranger.

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When I looked at the one in Detroit I would peg the room about the same as a Taco. We were not allowed to sit in them though. Rear legroom looked similar to a first or second gen Explorer which isn't huge but what many of us that grew up in the 90's had to live with in the family truckster.

I really do not care for the interior on the GM twins. Looks really cheap/boring and the gauges are set down by the front bumper I think, visible by very deep tubes. I heard a diesel one last week, I was kinda surprised it actually sounded like a diesel. I kinda like that, I know it would bother some.

When we were in Detroit I tried to check out the GM twins and the Taco because it would be the only time I would get to see them and a Ranger at the same time for a year or better.

How I like the Ranger all centers on the center console. If it is obtrusive it will fail. I would rather not even have a full length console. I hate how confining many center consoles are, give me a split bench with a nice flip down console any day.

A lot of guys rag on the Toyota powertrain (car engine and indecisive automatic trans) but having not driven one I could live with the base carcass of it.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

When I looked at the one in Detroit I would peg the room about the same as a Taco.

I heard a diesel one last week, I was kinda surprised it actually sounded like a diesel. I kinda like that, I know it would bother some.

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The TACO has an odd seating position. Being 6'5", it's just not very comfortable for me. The GM twins fit me well, in fact, it's one of the few vehicles I can drive without the seat being all the way back.

The diesel engine in the GM trucks is actually a derivative of the VM Motori 2.8L common rail diesel that was in the Jeep Liberty a few years back. I owned one and that engine is a beast. It was designed to be a marine engine.

I agree on the interior. The use of cheap plastic and the lack of push button start is inexcusable, but you can buy them CHEAP. A co-worker of mine just bought a brand new Colorado V6 Z71 2WD with the Bose system, remote start, and power everything for $25,000.

I bet there would be a larger market for a 20,000 dollar, 8 ft bed, 4wd, easy to handle, very capable small truck, then you think. But that would detract from F150 sales, and ford cant have that.

Back in 08 i knew my old 87 Ranger was nearing the end of its life, so i went to ford to buy a new ranger. I wanted a basic, fleet like truck, manual everything, only options cruise and ac.

All i got was "well, lets look at F150s"

So i bought a colorado.

Bottom line is, all OEs pander to the "modern" truck buyer. Thank god theres tons of 80s/90s stuff still around, which, is still a comprimise for me because my goto 70s Fseries are way to pricey for anything decent

TrackRider54 said:

The TACO has an odd seating position. Being 6'5", it's just not very comfortable for me. The GM twins fit me well, in fact, it's one of the few vehicles I can drive without the seat being all the way back.

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It is closer the floor, once in I am ok. I am 6’-3” so I might be enough shorter I didn’t get in as much of a bind. Sits more like a car though. For me it is Ranger vs Taco vs used F-150. I really don’t like the bulk of a ‘150 but they are around and Toyota dealer support in the sticks leaves a lot to be desired. Hoping the ranger makes it a null...

rusty ol ranger said:

I bet there would be a larger market for a 20,000 dollar, 8 ft bed, 4wd, easy to handle, very capable small truck, then you think. But that would detract from F150 sales, and ford cant have that.

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Few people that use a truck and require an 8’ bed want a bed that is less than 48” between the wheel wells.

Can’t blame OEM’s if you have a bad salesman. The last Ranger built was a fleet truck, not as if they didn’t exist.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

It is closer the floor, once in I am ok. I am 6’-3” so I might be enough shorter I didn’t get in as much of a bind. Sits more like a car though. For me it is Ranger vs Taco vs used F-150. I really don’t like the bulk of a ‘150 but they are around and Toyota dealer support in the sticks leaves a lot to be desired. Hoping the ranger makes it a null...



Few people that use a truck and require an 8’ bed want a bed that is less than 48” between the wheel wells.

Can’t blame OEM’s if you have a bad salesman. The last Ranger built was a fleet truck, not as if they didn’t exist.

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It was that way at every ford dealer i went to. They either wanted to sell me an overpriced FX4/XLT whatever, or a stripper 150. They didnt stovk what i wanted, which is fine, but they acted like ordering one XL wasnt worth their time.

Chevy had exactly what i wanted, didnt try to push a silverado, and didnt try to tell me what i wanted.

Yes it coulda been the dealers...operating under directive from ford to only sell 150s.

rusty ol ranger said:

It was that way at every ford dealer i went to. They either wanted to sell me an overpriced FX4/XLT whatever, or a stripper 150. They didnt stovk what i wanted, which is fine, but they acted like ordering one XL wasnt worth their time.

Chevy had exactly what i wanted, didnt try to push a silverado, and didnt try to tell me what i wanted.

Yes it coulda been the dealers...operating under directive from ford to only sell 150s.

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I had a debate with a salesman in Omaha whether or not a truck was 4wd... they can be shady characters that want to sell what they have now and not particularly what you want.

Then after he could not find a way to activate the 4wd to prove otherwise (I could tell it was way too low) we went from a 2wd 5.4 to 4wd 4.6 that "tows just as good as a 5.4 but gets better mileage"

I hate actually car shopping... there is just so much stupid involved. Which is partially why I have only done it twice.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

Few people that use a truck and require an 8’ bed want a bed that is less than 48” between the wheel wells.

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Correct! Even if you occasionally haul 4x8 plywood or drywall, you can still fit it in a 6ft bed...just drop the gate and let it lay on top of the wheel wells. I also have a 8x10 utility trailer for such things. I picked it up for $700 and it's a lot better than having to leave my $30k+ truck in the driveway because it's too long to fit in the garage.

When it comes to buying a vehicle, I use the salesman for only one thing...getting me to the sales manager. And if I already know the sales manager, I skip them all together. I already have a contact at a Ford dealer about 80 miles away. All I have to do is contact them, tell them what model, color, and options I want and how much I'm willing to pay. I already know what they're selling for..WAY too much data out there to ever "bargin" on a vehicle. I look up rebates, previous sales, and connect with owners through forums like this one. If someone gets a particularly good deal, I'll get their dealer's contact info.

I typically type up a nice offer document. I list the MSRP prices, minus rebates and discounts so the dealer can see I've done my homework. At the bottom is my final offer price. Take it or leave it. I'll create a PDF doc and start emailing dealers starting at a 25 mile radius, increasing as required. I typically never get more than 300 miles out before I get an acceptance. But I've driven as far as 700 or so miles to buy a vehicle. I've also done a "fly and drive' thing where I fly in and drive home.

Salesmen are mostly complete idiots when it comes to the vehicles they sell. I once looked at a Mercedes CLK hard top convertible. I told the sales guy I loved the look of it considering it was a convertible. He said, "I don't believe it is". I say, oh...it is. He challenged me and said, "You'll have to show me". I hit the top operation button and he was stunned. Had no idea what he was selling.

TrackRider54 said:

Salesmen are mostly complete idiots when it comes to the vehicles they sell. I once looked at a Mercedes CLK hard top convertible. I told the sales guy I loved the look of it considering it was a convertible. He said, "I don't believe it is". I say, oh...it is. He challenged me and said, "You'll have to show me". I hit the top operation button and he was stunned. Had no idea what he was selling.

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I liked buying my '02.

I walked in with my dad who knew the owner/salesman. Asked him about the truck. I knew it was a 4x4 and had a 5.4 because I had looked it over on a Sunday when they were closed (which is a nice thing about shopping in Iowa) He said it is a really nice truck, here is the key and see what you think. And that was his sales pitch.

13 years later I still agree

I have never bought anything new or even thru a Ford dealership.

My test would be: Can I walk up to it and touch the bottom of the bed. Think about hauling trash or going to the grocery store. Would a truck that you couldn't reach the stuff in it be what you would want for such errands?

engine said:

My test would be: Can I walk up to it and touch the bottom of the bed. Think about hauling trash or going to the grocery store. Would a truck that you couldn't reach the stuff in it be what you would want for such errands?

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I put my groceries in the back seat out of the weather. A bag of trash leans up against the front of the bed.

The Ranger didn't strike me as bad as a F-150 for bed access. One thing I do have to give kudos to the Tacoma for is they still have a bed of old school depth, I really like that.