Did Ford try to sell you an F-150 instead of a Ranger?

[Jim Oaks]

So I'm curious. I've seen it posted, and have been told in an email, but who here (if anyone) had gone to a Ford dealership shopping for a new Ford Ranger and were being directed towards an F-150 instead?

Ford killed off the Ranger because the new global Ranger would compete to closely with it here in North America. It also took away jobs when it closed the last Ranger plant.

Ford says that sales declined and there was a decline in the small truck market, but sales of the Ranger peaked at 348,358 in 1999 (one year after the final major design change) and then declined do to lack of updates. Still, the truck sold really well considering the cab and bed were basically unchanged since 1993 (interior since 1994).

 

[Ozwynn]

short answer yes.

Just recently. I wanted one of the last 4x4s to roll off the assembly line... call me sentimental....... Got to the dealership and they had 3 for under 30k. They kept trying t0 push me into an F-150 ecoboost (that I could not afford). Told me I would be happier with the F-150 and that the Ranger was just way to small to function as pick up. so I walked..... bought a house and bought the dually. I will now wait and buy a used 2011 in five years when they will be less than 10k from my local dealership .... buy local.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It has been the same thing since the begining of time, salesmen that work on commision and almost always try to push you towards the bigger thing so they make more money.

It has happened to me with just about anything (tools, tvs, car parts, computers...) that involves a salesman, it ain't their fault it is how they try to make a living. Even I do it a little selling chainsaws and weed hackers.

The one time I went to a Ford dealer for a truck I almost had a light blue with purple graphics 4.6 F-150 crammed down my throat sideways. I had to argue with the guy as to whether or not a green one was 4wd and by the time I got out of there I was about ready to scream. I walked/ran and found a black and grey 5.4 F-150 instead at a used car dealer... which was the truck I wanted in the first place. 5.5 years later and I still love it.

I do honestly and truely hate shopping for vehicles.

 

[Jimbo45]

Did Ford try to sell you an F-150 instead of a Ranger?

Nah, I just bought both!

Seriously, though, when I go to my Ford dealer, they don't try to sell me anything. I have dealt with the same sales person for past purchases, and she knows that I know what I want before I even get there, and she doesn't really try to "sell" me anything. I take that back, when I went for the F-150, she 'tried' to suggest a Ram....that didn't go well.

I do own both a Ranger and an F-150. I always liked Rangers, in the '90's, and owned two of them, a '93 4cyl 2wd reg cab, and then a '96 4x4 super cab 4.0L. Always enjoyed them.

But, after having a requirement for 2 child car seats, a Ranger just wasn't going to work out. Not that a Ranger is "too small to function as a truck", or that it was incapable off road, it was just too small, interior wise, to serve as a "family truck".

So, I have been driving an F-150. But, my oldest child is getting older, and not needing a full child "car seat", and I needed a vehicle that got better than the 13 mpg of the F-150.

So, I picked up a fairly low mile '95 4 cyl 2wd Ranger to drive to work, and play with, when I don't need to transport both kids. But, I still retain the F-150 for times when I do.

Working on the little Ranger the past two weeks, and giving it a new lease on life has been fun. I have come to appreciate its simplicity, and its old fashioned truck-like design. I really think I could replace about anything on it, and keep it going and going and going. Not so much with the F-150....it has been somewhat of a nightmare in the QC department, and it only has 50K miles!

I love my junky little Ranger, and it really bugs me that no more new ones will be made.

 

[Ruffinit]

Well, last two dealerships didn't even talk about the couple of new Rangers they had on the lot, instead showed the way to an F-150. When I asked which one got 30 mpg they kind of backed off a bit and wanted to show me a Focus.

 

[Jim Oaks]

It has been the same thing since the begining of time, salesmen that work on commision and almost always try to push you towards the bigger thing so they make more money.

Ya, but this is different. I think they were purposely trying to push the F-150 and decline the Ranger sales.

I know I had seen it posted in here before.

This was part of an email I got from someone in November:

I've written the Ford corporate office several times to plead for them to keep the Ranger, they told me a F-150 is just what I want, or even a Flex.

 

[Ozwynn]

Ok, I get them trying to push ranger buyers into an F150 ...... but a Flex ...... how is a Flex like a Ranger?

 

[mn_smokeater]

It has four wheels and a Blue Oval

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Ya, but this is different. I think they were purposely trying to push the F-150 and decline the Ranger sales.

I know I had seen it posted in here before.

This was part of an email I got from someone in November:

Ford doesn't have to answer to anybody but the customer, if they don't want to build something they don't have to build it.

Somebody in middle management couldn't have put out a memo to all the salesmen in the country not to sell a product without someone above them finding out about it if they were trying to convince the board or whatever they didn't need to make a Ranger.

If they meant to, they sure didn't try as hard as Chevy with the Colorado or Nissan... with anything. Toyota is the only compactish sized pickup that is really selling decent and it is much larger than the current Ranger. Nobody in the market segment is selling anywhere close to where the Ranger was in its heyday... that means that the market isn't what it was before.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2012/01/december-2011-top-10-pickup-truck-sales.html

 

[shane96ranger]

Somebody in middle management couldn't have put out a memo to all the salesmen in the country not to sell a product without someone above them finding out about it if they were trying to convince the board or whatever they didn't need to make a Ranger.

I agree. Too many people (mostly idiot salesmen) would have to be involved in such a conspiracy for it to be so little known.

 

[LearjetMinako]

Last time, Ford was offering me $4500 for my Ranger if I trade it in for any used or new vehicle on their lot. I gladly told them that I was married to the Ranger and till death does us apart.

One my favorite things to do, to avoid being hassled when looking. Ride my dualsport motorcycle on the lot to look at the vehicles. Seems no dealer would want to talk to me after seeing the motorcycle.

And yes, every dealer pushes me towards the F-150 when I want to the Rangers and they have none on the lot.

You got to blame Ford for it, but the F-150 is their crown jewel for pickup trucks.

 

[4.0B2]

yes, they did... of course i ended up not buying either since they didn't have the ranger i wanted at the time... and shortly after i decided to not go in debt so i'm still just driving my ole ragged b2! lol.

the salesman said i needed the f150 instead of a ranger... and told why. like he knew why i needed a certain truck!!! lol

 

[dasfinc]

Toyota is the only compactish sized pickup that is really selling decent and it is much larger than the current Ranger.

My GF drives a (Get this):

a 2008 Toyota Tacoma Supercab 4X4 SR-5 TRD Off-road edition. (6 speed stick to boot)

Yes, that is the full name. It made my green 4X4 super cab ranger look like a Geo Metro next to it.

I think Toyota really hit a home-run with the current generation tacoma, it is just sub F-150 sized (IMO), offered with a 4cyl 4X4, manual transmission layout still, as well as the bigger 6 cyl, all the while getting good MPG, and having legendary reliability. I think it will gobble up all the sales that the demise of the Ranger has left on the table, and for good reason.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I could see it. The new Ranger is larger than the old Ranger, but smaller than an F-150. It would closely compete and Ford would lose F-150 sales to the newer Ranger. The Ranger would sell for less than what a F-150 would.

Ford can do what they want. I just think it sucks that Ford won't offer us a small pickup here in the U.S. and Canada anymore.

But as I mentioned, I was just curious if anyone experienced anything that felft like the dealerships were trying to get them to buy an F-150 instead of the Ranger.

And as far as 2011 sales go, the Ranger was still #2 with a cab/interior that's basically the same since 1994. Pretty damn good for a 17 year old design. I think the new global Ranger would sell big here.

 

[Gotta_gofast]

I sit on the other side of the fence. If there were two brand new vehicles, a 4x4 ranger and a 4x4 F150, I'd go to the F150. The new ecoboost trucks rape my 4.0L in fuel economy and towing power. A 6 speed auto with manual shift is an option I dream of. In its current state, I don't think the newest of Rangers is worth the money when you can simply purchase 2001 and have nearly the same truck.

Should Ford offer a Ranger sized pickup with all the new technology as the rest of its car/truck line up, I would be interested. But as stated earlier, it would compete with the F150 sales.