Just got a new Ranger
Well, the wife wanted airbags and the daughter wanted black (she got charcoal)...
The interior is drab compared to my 94 in Mocha which I really loved. All those pinstripes and stuff.
Maybe I'll redo the interior but the seats have airbags now.
They haven't done too much to evolve the car which is good and bad. The 3.0 is no longer available so I got the 4.0 gas guzzler. But, I must say that it is smooth and solid. It's got some fun stuff like those back doors and power windows (the lap of luxury for me). It's got all the window tinting and nice enough wheels. The rear disc brakes are a nice upgrade and my daughter loves the stereo. One thing they really did work on is making it a much quieter ride. It's in the neighborhood of a VW now. The Honda we got last year is ridiculous. When you hit a big bump in the road, it's like you took a deer slug in the door.
I'll miss the old one when it's gone.
On thing that was amazing was the change in price over the years. I bought my old one from my best friend and got all the paperwork. It went out for about 15K 15 years ago -- he probably paid a bit less. This one was 18 plus tax and tip. The Toyota Tocoma, by comparison has gone up 7K on 20 over the past 3 years.
The Ranger will supposedly be discontinued after next year and replaced by the pricey and funky new Aussie Mazda as far as I can tell. I just love the look of this vintage of Ranger and the price seemed right so I jumped on it.
Anyway, I'm sure someone will get some good years out of my old one and then have to do some work on the heads or even an engine rebuild. But, that truck is super clean and straight so I hope some true Ranger lover helps it live on for a long time.