More Bronco hear say.

[Roert42]

Maybe if I had more infotainment in the truck it wouldn’t bother me.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I've got some extra wiring if you need some...

I'm the opposite... I like an automatic on my daily. I'm ok with the manual in my Bronco II... until I break a hip. If/when I ever swap a new powertrain into the G-Unit... it will be an automatic.

 

[G8orFord]

Nope the manual does exactly what I tell it to. I don’t even use the clutch to shift half the time.

Getting the auto to stay in the gear I want is like wrangling a bunch of cats.

I've never really had the problem you describe except in my 1992 Mustang GT with the AOD in heavy traffic. Even then you could backshift to hold second (some idiot ordered the car with a 2.50, or something like that, rear gear) Many, if not most, of the newer vehicles have a "manual" mode that allows you to keep the gear you want (within reason).

 

[racsan]

I actually like the auto in my escape, the engine braking button actually works! I was going down a overpass in town with a trailer, let off the gad and it actually slowed down. Ive never had that happen before, especially with a automatic.

 

[Ramcharger90]

I actually like the auto in my escape, the engine braking button actually works! I was going down a overpass in town with a trailer, let off the gad and it actually slowed down. Ive never had that happen before, especially with a automatic.

My 14 Ram does that in tow and haul, it needs a lil heavy braking at time to get it to down shift. But it comes in handy when stuck behind a rig in a 40 mph zone.

 

[Ramcharger90]

I'm seriously struggling to see why I should buy a new vehicle. I can stay in the 1920's - 1995 and have what ever I want with a lil cash and knowledge. Even financing a large dollar project isn't difficult (new car price range) it takes some creativity but the point remains they really aren't making anything I want from the assembly line. Most of the newer stuff I would seriously consider is a dealer package like the retro style f150 or the plain jane roush supercharged s550 that retro f150 is 11k on top of the price of the truck, the roush supercharger is 5k on top of the S550 price. For 11k I can put a ranger together that will smoke that S550. People always need money so you can find anything under cost with enough effort.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I'm seriously struggling to see why I should buy a new vehicle. I can stay in the 1920's - 1995 and have what ever I want with a lil cash and knowledge. Even financing a large dollar project isn't difficult (new car price range) it takes some creativity but the point remains they really aren't making anything I want from the assembly line. Most of the newer stuff I would seriously consider is a dealer package like the retro style f150 or the plain jane roush supercharged s550 that retro f150 is 11k on top of the price of the truck, the roush supercharger is 5k on top of the S550 price. For 11k I can put a ranger together that will smoke that S550. People always need money so you can find anything under cost with enough effort.

That's all fine and good, BUT:

• Your 1994 Ranger is 28 years old this year.
  • Parts will eventually be hard to find.
  • The entire truck is wearing out.
• In Saskatchewan, that 1994 Ranger would be worth under $2,000.00. While that makes it easy to purchase, it also means that you will never get your money back out of it. You may have put $20,000.00 into the truck, but when you turn around and sell it, you'll only get $2,000.00. If it's totaled in an accident, you will get $2,000.00.
• You will have to spend thousands in order to have that truck pass a safety inspection
  • In Saskatchewan, that's not a big deal if the truck was previously licensed here. It doesn't need to pass a safety.
    • Every part that can wear has to meat a minimum spec. If it doesn't, you have to replace it
    • There can be NO rust holes in the body.
    • Bumpers must be within a certain height range
    • Headlights cannot exceed a specified wattage
    • There are a number of other factors that, at the moment, I'm not aware of.
    • Remember a while back, somebody was asking for price validation on a mid 90's Ranger that he wanted to sell for north of $12,000.00? Somebody said that "It's no longer a Ranger". I said at the time that the insurance company doesn't care what YOU call it, the VIN says it's a Ranger. The DMV also doesn't care what YOU call it, the VIN says it's a Ranger. Well, here's the thing about that: if I purchased that truck, and wanted to register it, I CAN'T. Why? Because even if the work had just been done, with all new parts, it likely won't pass the safety inspection.
    • Let's say you spend $20,000.00 to repair the truck, drive it for six years, and then want to sell it to me. By rights, I should take the truck to my local inspection station before I buy it, and ask them to perform a safety inspection on it. I'm going to hand you that inspection report, and give you a choice: you either fix EVERYTHING on that report, or if I have to, I'm deducting that from the price. Oh, and I'm not going to meet your $20,000.00 asking price in the first place. I'm going to give you what it's actually worth, and THEN deduct the cost of the repairs. So, if the truck is WORTH $5,000.00 because it LOOKS like you just drove it off the showroom floor, and the inspection comes in with a total repair bill of $4,000.00, I'm going to give you $1,000.00.
      • That's really a nasty thing to do, so I'm just going to walk away. Shiny "new" old truck that I have to put through a safety inspection, that has no collector value. Hard pass.
• That thread that I mentioned above.... I pointed out in that thread that buyers don't care. Somebody countered that with "the average buyer doesn't care, but the enthusiast does". 90% of people who will look at your 20,000.00 1994 Ranger are not enthusiasts. So they will look at the price, and laugh.

I bought my 1990 Ranger because it was what I could afford. I had just handed a six year old car with 20,000 miles on it back to the bank. Even today, I'd rather be driving that now 12 year old car, that would have 60,000 miles on it, than my 1995 Taurus. Why? Because the Taurus needs about $3,000.00 worth of work, before I even touch the body work (and it was a well maintained car). It needed that much work when I bought it, but I only spent $800.00 to buy it. The day the bank picked up my six year old car, that I'd bought new, it needed NOTHING, other than maintenance, and a new antenna. And, even now, assuming I kept driving it as much as I had been, it would need NOTHING, other than maintenance. But, if I'd been driving the Taurus that much, it would need the $3,000.00 worth of work that it needed, plus I'd be spending probably $1,000.00 per year more.

 

[Curious Hound]

While that makes it easy to purchase, it also means that you will never get your money back out of it. You may have put $20,000.00 into the truck, but when you turn around and sell it, you'll only get $2,000.00.

I agree with most of what you're saying above. But... the only way you really ever get your money out of any vehicle, new or used, is if you count everything you spend on it - purchase price, maintenance and repair parts, fuel and fluids. Then compare that to what it would have cost you to travel that far using alternative transportation - bus, taxi, Uber, train, etc. For the same number of miles and years. And don't forget passengers and payloads. A vehicle, generally, isn't something you get your money out of when you sell it. It is a tool with a limited lifespan. It provides you with a service that you need. It is also difficult to put a price on the convenience of having your own vehicle to use any time as opposed to renting or borrowing one just when you need it and when it's available to be borrowed or rented.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I'm seriously struggling to see why I should buy a new vehicle. I can stay in the 1920's - 1995 and have what ever I want with a lil cash and knowledge. Even financing a large dollar project isn't difficult (new car price range) it takes some creativity but the point remains they really aren't making anything I want from the assembly line. Most of the newer stuff I would seriously consider is a dealer package like the retro style f150 or the plain jane roush supercharged s550 that retro f150 is 11k on top of the price of the truck, the roush supercharger is 5k on top of the S550 price. For 11k I can put a ranger together that will smoke that S550. People always need money so you can find anything under cost with enough effort.

I get tired of feeling like I am in charge of the repair faculty in some banana republic navy yard trying to keep at least one preferably at least wo vehicles in service.

And soon the one in the best shape (oddly my Ranger) is getting parked for the winter.

I don't especially like all the tech stuff but I get tired of spending my time and money trying to patch together rusty old stuff.

 

[Ramcharger90]

I get tired of feeling like I am in charge of the repair faculty in some banana republic navy yard trying to keep at least one preferably at least wo vehicles in service.

And soon the one in the best shape (oddly my Ranger) is getting parked for the winter.

I don't especially like all the tech stuff but I get tired of spending my time and money trying to patch together rusty old stuff.

dont sweat the small stuff. Besides its great practice for when we actually become a Banana Republic.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

dont sweat the small stuff. Besides its great practice for when we actually become a Banana Republic.

When the rear axle locked up in my dd in the dead of summer there was nothing small about the way I was sweating.

 

[Roert42]

Could have been an electrical gremlin. Could have had the dealer tell you, "well it's one of these three modules, but we won't know until we replace it." Humidity, causing internal corrosion, causing an intermittent no start/ engine randomly shutting off.

Took me a while to figure that one out.

 

[G8orFord]

I have put about 70k (had just over 30k when I bought it) miles on my 2017 F250 without any repairs other than normal wear parts (brakes, batteries) and obvious service items (oil, filters, etc.). I got about 15k out of the Ranger on a completely rebuilt 4.0 and 5R55E before it went "thunk" (the SC could have contributed to that short life span).

While I m not a huge fan of all of the integrated electronics in the newer vehicles, I am a huge fan of reliability and, so far, I've been pretty fortunate not to have many issues with the tech stuff.

BTW, if anyone knows of a 1997-2001 4x4/AWD 5.0 Explorer in the NW Florida area someone is ready to part with, let me know. I'm having a hard time trying to justify putting a 4.0 SOHC back in the Ranger, but I'm also not really wanting to do a lot of fabrication, modification or piece-meal work to put a V8 in it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have put about 70k (had just over 30k when I bought it) miles on my 2017 F250 without any repairs other than normal wear parts (brakes, batteries) and obvious service items (oil, filters, etc.). I got about 15k out of the Ranger on a completely rebuilt 4.0 and 5R55E before it went "thunk" (the SC could have contributed to that short life span).

While I m not a huge fan of all of the integrated electronics in the newer vehicles, I am a huge fan of reliability and, so far, I've been pretty fortunate not to have many issues with the tech stuff.

BTW, if anyone knows of a 1997-2001 4x4/AWD 5.0 Explorer in the NW Florida area someone is ready to part with, let me know. I'm having a hard time trying to justify putting a 4.0 SOHC back in the Ranger, but I'm also not really wanting to do a lot of fabrication, modification or piece-meal work to put a V8 in it.

There is kind of a honeymoon period where the the thing is paid for and they don't ask for much. I really miss that.

We are kind of getting past that. My 02 F-150 has 196k and my wife's car has 280k.

 

[Snoranger]

Could have had the dealer tell you, "well it's one of these three modules, but we won't know until we replace it."

If a dealer ever tells you that, take your vehicle and leave immediately... don’t ever return there, unless it’s to leave an upper-decker in the toilet. A good dealership will never fire the parts cannon at your expense.