Ford Truck question

[Kevin.W]

Hi all,

My car is dying and I am thinking of buying a compact truck. Not as a serious off road vehicle necessarily, but more of a do all vehicle. I can only afford one. My main concern is that the vehicle needs to be reliable and with decent mpg (for a truck).

I have found a good deal on a '06 Ford Ranger xlt 4.0l v6 automatic w/extended cab locally. Now I understand some just don't like Fords but biases aside I need an honest opinion of the truck. I really don't know much about them.

Like I said my biggest concern is reliability with regular maintenance. Every vehicle is different of course but I want to know its general reputation. Does anyone have experience with the Ranger? Thanks.

[CLYDE71]

You take care of them and they will last. There are short comings with all vehicles. I think it would be ok, even though im a chevy fan. My friends had fords and a ranger and they ran great.

My wish is that one of the big 3 comes out with a half ton diesel.

[JustMe]

I've got a full size 1988 F150 in excellent condition, Ford gave it a free paint job many years ago due to the problem that had with silver paint. It's a big boat espically in todays smaller parking spots.

I also have a 1990 Ranger, and love it. In the little ranger pulls my boat far better than my F150 and is same engine/trany config you mention. It's funny, one guy at a gas station said to me "you have more boat the pickup" given the sizes.

The F150 has had some recalls, both taken care of when I took it in for yearly inspection, I don't recall the Ranger even having one. Neither has given me any problems, except both my fuel gauges on the F150 have been busted for years - Thats it.

I'm a cheap bastered, a vehicle is a tool to get around with, nothing more. I'll drive both until they die or a repair cost more than replacing (with a used one). I have no brand loyality, but when the time comes if a decent deal on a Ranger presented itself I'd buy it. Again, I like the Ranger over the full size, and it gets twice the gas milage (I'm a laid back driver).

HTH

[The Bad Guy]

I would think the cost of parts for a Ranger would be less than an import.

According to Autoblog.com, the Ranger is discountined in the US but the Ranger now available overseas looks great and has a diesel.

[Ryan G]

www.theRangerstation.com (http://www.theRangerstation.com) I really enjoyed the two that I owned.

[JustMe]

I would think the cost of parts for a Ranger would be less than an import.

Never had a problem finding parts for either (standard wear and tear stuff) at my local auto parts dealers. Broke a taillight cover once, did have to go to Ford for that.

That said, the F150 results in fewer bloodied knuckles, lots more room to get your hands in where needed. My big hands and that densely packed ranger hood does cause blood to run, and the air to fill with explitives ...

[TennDECA]

While the Ranger seems to be a reliable little truck, if I could find a similar Toyota Tacoma in the same relative price range, THAT would be my choice. With regular maintenance the Taco will last forever.

[CaptBeach]

I've owned two in the last 8 years...one was an 87 3.0 Supercab 4x4 with a 10" lift running 38" tires 4:11 gear...the shaved head 3.0 would turn the 38" tires over from a dead stand still and pulled an F250 out of a deep ditch in reverse on a dare and a bet...second truck was a 3.0 2004 4x2 supercab...awesome truck as well...the 4.0 is a great engine but doesnt get the gas mileage the 3.0 does...duhhhh it 25% bigger LOL...but still a great engine in a great truck...dont think twice about getting a Ranger...incidentally while I sold them both trucks are still around town running like champs...only reason I sold was I needed a vehicle that could legally tow a 8000+ lb boat...

And you can't go wrong with a Tacoma either...

[tkarter]

I have owned several Rangers. Currently an 08 Ranger XLT extend cab 4x4 4 liter.

How I feel about them is if they have 16 inch wheels they get decent gas mileage.
Hate the ones with 14 inch wheels for gas mileage and driving gravel roads.

Every 4.0 Liter I have had has went over 200,000 miles with very little maintenance out of the ordinary.
One did have a transmission fail at about 40,000 miles.

tk

[blakdawg]

I have an 89 F150 that I bought new that's currently at around 165K miles - I expect it'll keep running and provide reasonable service for the next 20 years or so - quite possbily until I die. My grandfather had a half-ton Ford pickup he bought in the early 1960's that he used while working (he owned a roofing company) and after he retired until he passed away in 1983 - he left it to my dad, who continued to use it until the mid 2000's, when he moved to New Zealand. As far as I know that truck was sold and is probably still running fine for the new owner.

I mention that not to illustrate that I'm a Ford partisan (I'm not) but to say that three generations of my family have now had approx 50 years of service out of 2 of the full-size half-ton pickups; a lot of other vehicles have come and gone during that time, but the time/money/aggravation factors have continued to favor keeping those trucks over replacing them.

[tkarter]

Rangers are a pleasure to drive. I mostly have had only 4x4 Rangers. I did have a 98 4 door extended cab with 4.0 and 14 inch wheels. It was a great truck except for gravel road travel. Those 14 inch tires picked up ever nail or sharp rock encountered. The only Ranger I have had the need for a spare tire on.

My 99 Ranger 4.0 liter 4x4 with the 16 inch wheels was awesome and I worked it to death. It is the one the tranny failed on at 40,000 miles but I had also been tugging on a 60,000 lb crane with it. :) It got the best gas mileage of all I have had though. It was 22 mpg or better.

My 08 Ranger is a great truck and performs well. It has around 70,000 on it with nothing but oil changes and tires. It gets around 17 to 18 MPG most of the time which is bad in this economy.

Still a fun truck to drive and a Ranger in 4wd is an awesome experience off road up in the mountains.

I also have an F150 2000 4x4 extended cab. 5.4 liters engine. Over 250.000 miles. Some tranny work on it. around 45,000 miles and had to rebuild the rear end at 200,000 miles. It runs great and gets a pretty constant 18mpg.

I love all my Ford trucks.

I had crappy luck with chevy. I did have a 1989 GMC that got to 400,000 miles with but a few repairs along the way. But it overheated from day one when pulling hard.
I went to Ford because Ford puts decent cooling systems in their trucks.

tk

[s4141]

The wife has a 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac that is running good at the time. Has 4 doors if that is a need for you, but the mileage isn't good for a 2008 model(13-15 in the city) and that is with the V6. Tows the ATV's quite well and I've only done limited 4x4-ing with it.

From what others wrote, the Ranger sounds like a good trusty truck that will likely be more friendly budget-wise.