Test Drove the 2.3 Ranger

[heeler]

Yesterday i stopped over at a Ford dealer and test drove a 2009 Ranger XL SuperCab.
This unit had the automatic transmission.
It was pretty peppy to be truthful.
For the five miles or so i drove it including a high bridge rise it had plenty of power.
A far improvement over that dog of an engine that was in my old 1992 Ranger.
One thing i was concerned about was how high the truck idled when it was first started up.
It was around 2000 rpm's.
Is that right??
I drove the little truck delibertly over bumps,railroad crossings,and stomped it several times.
I could easily live with this little Mighty Mouse of an engine.
I then went back and started pricing an 09 that would be ordered.
The reason i will probably order one is the fact that you can never seem to find everything you want on the dealers lot.
For example you will find an XLT SuperCab with the power windows and cruise but it wont have the dark privacy glass.
And practically all of them come with that near worthless mini spare.
I bet if you did a poll 9 out of 10 guys would gladly pay an extra 100 bucks for the full size spare.
I certainly would and will.
Unfortunately this dealer was way to high on the price according to Edmunds.com.
I will probably be a despised man at the dealership that i eventually buy one from.
I certainly dont mind the dealer making some money but i am not going to pay 1500 dollars too much for the truck.

The truck did not have any rattles,braked well,and ran good.
One thing i did notice though is that the 60/40 seat was not as comfortable as my old 2002 XLT and also the headrest seems to cant your head a bit forward.

 

[Dar70]

Glad you liked it heeler. I went to a few dealers and the price was pretty much all the same for me. By using one of the family plans they have set prices. I went through my sisters friend and he couldnt get mine any cheaper.(though I got the current rebate) I wasnt charged for my bedliner which I declined and they gave me the cash instead.

Let us know what you ultimately decide to order.

 

[jax4bangin]

since i cant see spending over 12k for a truck with a 4 banger, i got my 07 as a base model(crank windows last for ever anyways) for 10,500.. dealers are now advertising the 09 version of my truck for 8,900!!! can u believe that?! people wud have to be crazy not to go for that. u van have 2 base model rangers for the price of 1 ex cab with power everything

i realize creature comforts are nice and maybe when im older ill appreciate em more( currently 19yrs old) but were talkin rangers here guys not escalades(however u spell it lol)

 

[Dr. Dirt]

Yesterday i stopped over at a Ford dealer and test drove a 2009 Ranger XL SuperCab.
This unit had the automatic transmission.
It was pretty peppy to be truthful.
For the five miles or so i drove it including a high bridge rise it had plenty of power.
A far improvement over that dog of an engine that was in my old 1992 Ranger.
One thing i was concerned about was how high the truck idled when it was first started up.
It was around 2000 rpm's.
Is that right??
I drove the little truck delibertly over bumps,railroad crossings,and stomped it several times.
I could easily live with this little Mighty Mouse of an engine.
I then went back and started pricing an 09 that would be ordered.
The reason i will probably order one is the fact that you can never seem to find everything you want on the dealers lot.
For example you will find an XLT SuperCab with the power windows and cruise but it wont have the dark privacy glass.
And practically all of them come with that near worthless mini spare.
I bet if you did a poll 9 out of 10 guys would gladly pay an extra 100 bucks for the full size spare.
I certainly would and will.
Unfortunately this dealer was way to high on the price according to Edmunds.com.
I will probably be a despised man at the dealership that i eventually buy one from.
I certainly dont mind the dealer making some money but i am not going to pay 1500 dollars too much for the truck.

The truck did not have any rattles,braked well,and ran good.
One thing i did notice though is that the 60/40 seat was not as comfortable as my old 2002 XLT and also the headrest seems to cant your head a bit forward.

Heeler
The high idle when cold is normal....test drove SC XLT auto with 2.3 and noticed it came down after a min or two. Then I ordered a Sport Reg Cab with manual on "A" plan and when it came in I received some additional rebates totaling $4750! The manual exibited same high idle as auto. The SC will ride a little softer because of the longer wheel base. As for the seat headrests, they are 2008 US DOT compliant. This is my 4th Ranger and enjoying it very well. Hope you will enjoy too!!!

 

[Plum Ranger XLT]

Mine does the same thing when I first start it when the engine is cold, but the rpm drops after a minute or so.

 

[Dar70]

since i cant see spending over 12k for a truck with a 4 banger, i got my 07 as a base model(crank windows last for ever anyways) for 10,500.. dealers are now advertising the 09 version of my truck for 8,900!!! can u believe that?! people wud have to be crazy not to go for that. u van have 2 base model rangers for the price of 1 ex cab with power everything

i realize creature comforts are nice and maybe when im older ill appreciate em more( currently 19yrs old) but were talkin rangers here guys not escalades(however u spell it lol)

Yeah they are advertising the barebones version for that. BUT they usually either dont have them in stock or you dont meet all the qualifications to get it at that price. My buddy has tried twice now with two diffrent ads and they always give him the run around. Hes now convinced the ads are just there to entice people to come in and get something more expensive.

Heeler
Then I ordered a Sport Reg Cab with manual on "A" plan and when it came in I received some additional rebates totaling $4750

Yeah they had a great rebate last year totaling around $4000 early in the year. By the time I got mine they only offered $2500. Wish I could have waited but I couldnt. At least I got the bed liner money. I needed a new vehicle quick. They still havent offered the $4000 again.(at least not that I have seen)

 

[GreatWhite]

Duratec's Legit, no question about it.
every time I start mine(if its cold) it goes to 2k rpms for about 10 seconds.

 

[MikeInIdaho]

Mine idles @ about 2k for 30 seconds or so, then @ 1200 for about a minute, then down to "normal" after that. Helps it warm up faster.

One thing about it, these trucks have damn good heaters.