What the end of the Ford Ranger says about working in America

[DoctorPhate]

No most people around here drive CARS because we cant afford the gas on trucks. People outside of town drive Rangers and small trucks because we can haul around snow blowers, tow small boats, campers, utility trailers with firewood, ATVs etc.

F150s or bigger are quite rare around here compared to small trucks.

You need to remember Canada =\= USA. You guys pay 60 cents a litre almost meanwhile I just gased up my ranger at 1.25/litre. Let me know how many people would be driving around in F150s in your town to get groceries if gas was that price.

I'd say 80% of the cars on the road here are luxury sedans, mostly because its federal government here as I stated above. The rest are smaller cars, usually Civics, Golf TDIs, Fiestas, Nissan Versas, Toyota Corollas, etc

most days I'll be sitting in traffic in my ranger and look around and the only trucks around me have "Such and such construction" stickers on the side of them.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

No most people around here drive CARS because we cant afford the gas on trucks. People outside of town drive Rangers and small trucks because we can haul around snow blowers, tow small boats, campers, utility trailers with firewood, ATVs etc.

F150s or bigger are quite rare around here compared to small trucks.

You need to remember Canada =\= USA. You guys pay 60 cents a litre almost meanwhile I just gased up my ranger at 1.25/litre. Let me know how many people would be driving around in F150s in your town to get groceries if gas was that price.

I'd say 80% of the cars on the road here are luxury sedans, mostly because its federal government here as I stated above. The rest are smaller cars, usually Civics, Golf TDIs, Fiestas, Nissan Versas, Toyota Corollas, etc

most days I'll be sitting in traffic in my ranger and look around and the only trucks around me have "Such and such construction" stickers on the side of them.

Now the funny thing is, on the highway my F-150 gets better milage than my college roomate's '00 4.0 Ranger... major reason I didn't get a newer Ranger. I figured if I am going to be in the 15-20mpg range either way I might as well herd another ton of truck down the highway and be able to actually pull something out of the box. As luck would have it mine was closer to the 20mpg mark than his was...

If people are buying luxury sedans they could afford to feed a fullsize, they just have no use for them and/or they are not in style. A lot of those people with high end cars are more worried about image than anything else, and a truck of any kind projects a much different image than a luxury car.

Here in this small farming town, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are pretty common, there are farmers with half tons and Ranger sized pickups but they hire a lot of stuff done rather than do it themselves if they don't have an old beater 3/4 ton + lurking about. They just don't haul pallets of feed/seed or pull anhydrous tanks and bale toters all that great...

 

[DoctorPhate]

Yeah here, those luxury sedans (for me luxury is Ford Fusion and better) and they all get 30mpg.

Also keep in mind trying to park an F150 in a spot my Ranger barely fits in downtown.

Yes for sure outside the city if you have a need for it then go for it but most people live within city limits and work in the city so big truck for them is pointless.

I see very few trucks and I suspect it has a lot to do with fuel prices. 32mpg city vs 14mpg city is a big difference at 1.25 a litre vs your 60 cents a litre.

Sometimes americans forget what its like to be paying DOUBLE what they do for gas.

You're paying about 3.10-3.20 a gallon right? Would you still drive that big ass truck if you were paying 6.40 a gallon or more?

 

[kemo]

Yeah here, those luxury sedans (for me luxury is Ford Fusion and better) and they all get 30mpg.

Also keep in mind trying to park an F150 in a spot my Ranger barely fits in downtown.

Yes for sure outside the city if you have a need for it then go for it but most people live within city limits and work in the city so big truck for them is pointless.

I see very few trucks and I suspect it has a lot to do with fuel prices. 32mpg city vs 14mpg city is a big difference at 1.25 a litre vs your 60 cents a litre.

Sometimes americans forget what its like to be paying DOUBLE what they do for gas.

You're paying about 3.10-3.20 a gallon right? Would you still drive that big ass truck if you were paying 6.40 a gallon or more?

I don't live in the city... so yes I would buy a "big" truck since I need it.

 

[DoctorPhate]

but thats I guess the point I'm trying to make. I wish Ford would have kept the Ranger. makes a nice little truck for those of us who pay insane fuel prices and dont necessarily need to tow 8000lbs or even 5000lbs regularly. Works nicely for us I wish they would have kept it going with one of those nice Ecoboost engines.

2.5L Ecoboost would have worked nicely in the ranger keeping decent towing capacity, ability to actually park in the city and nice mpgs.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah here, those luxury sedans (for me luxury is Ford Fusion and better) and they all get 30mpg.

Also keep in mind trying to park an F150 in a spot my Ranger barely fits in downtown.

Yes for sure outside the city if you have a need for it then go for it but most people live within city limits and work in the city so big truck for them is pointless.

I see very few trucks and I suspect it has a lot to do with fuel prices. 32mpg city vs 14mpg city is a big difference at 1.25 a litre vs your 60 cents a litre.

Sometimes americans forget what its like to be paying DOUBLE what they do for gas.

You're paying about 3.10-3.20 a gallon right? Would you still drive that big ass truck if you were paying 6.40 a gallon or more?

What kind of milage do you think anything but a four cylinder Ranger gets in town? Most V6's get about 15-17 highway, considering the limited capabilites of the truck that isn't that great of a deal.

A car would beat the tar out of a Ranger for milage in or out of the city. My old car (1990 Plymouth Laser RS turbo (see also Mitsubish Eclipse)) wouldn't get less than 24mpg no matter how I drove it in Omaha when I lived there and would bump 30mpg on the highway... and it was an all around superior driver than a Ranger. It was more comfortable to drive at a 100mph than any pickup have been in is at 55 (what wind? What hill )

I have no idea what kind of milage my tractor gets toddling down the road at 10mph but I suspect hauling it with the truck will still be more cost effective... and a lot more comfortable (the tractor seat rather sucks at flank speed)

If it absolutly came down to not being able to afford to drive the F-150, I would keep my old Ranger for hauling off branches, hunting and otherwise sit while I didn't need it and get a car for a dd. Since I can go a month on a tank of gas with my '150 I ain't that worried though.

We as Americans have nothing to remember as far as paying double for gas. As screwed up as our govt is, it apparently ain't that screwed up.

 

[DoctorPhate]

My point is that not everyone is a farmer or lives on a huge patch of land needing to tow a tractor or whatever.

Some people like my stepfather for example cant drive cars because hes always camping and towing around his little camper so he has a nice little ranger, V6. Yeah its not awesome mileage but the insurance is a hell of a lot less than an F150, so is the price tag at roughly half the price and it does everything he needs it to and more.

Some people need a pick up but not necessarily a half ton pick up.

I'm only saying I think theres a market still for 1/4 ton pick ups and ford could easily cover it by offering 4cyls and 4cyls only in the ranger. an NA version and an ecoboost. It keeps the ecohippies happy and also allows us to have a nice little truck for moving stuff around.

I cant even count how many people I've moved with my little ranger, many times fitting just as much stuff in mine as the big boys in their F150s. Yeah I cant tow a trailer but for daily driving and the odd need for the bed and all the other nice features the Ranger has over the F150 I prefer the Ranger.

Do I want an F150? Not really... for any real towing I'd go up to a 3/4 ton diesel and just be done with it. For me it goes Ranger - F250, I dont really see the F150 on my radar.

 

[kemo]

F150 still gets better gas mileage than the ranger...
1: more fuel efficient
2: F150 can haul more
3: ???
4: Profit!

 

[DoctorPhate]

1. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Powe...2&make=Ford&model=F150 Pickup 4WD&srchtyp=ymm
vs
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=30706
2. Which is only useful if you NEED to haul more
3. ??? Not sure how to answer that lol
4. Profit only happens in a business, vehicle is an expense no matter how you look at it.
5. F150 is double the purchase price similarly equipped.
6. More expensive insurance
7. Bigger, which makes it more difficult to drive in the city. Not everyone lives in the country.

I'm not sh*ting on the F150... I'm just saying by your logic you'd be better with a F350 7.3L dually because its similar mileage to the F150 but you can haul more.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Insurance ain't bad on a '150, it went up $20 every six months compared to my 15 year old (at the time) Laser. I could have gotten a new Ranger for the same $$ I got my 3 year old F-150 for with 25k miles on it, but the '150 was still worth the same dollar figure when I pulled in my driveway afterwards.

IMO they are a nice balance, I drive a '04 F-250 quite a bit at work and they are much bulkier and all around less fun to drive than a '150 for a dd. It almost feels like as big if not a bigger jump than going from a Ranger to a '150.

The compact truck went from almost something to just about noting, that is why Ford got out of it. The Ranger was still the #2 selling small truck by a long ways but was a small fraction of what it was in its heyday. The Tacoma that took the #1 spot still isn't close the Ranger when it was on its game.

They probably didn't want to get caught like the Tundra did by dumping a brand new truck (and updated factory) into a vastly shrinking market... just in time to be too late.

 

[DoctorPhate]

Thats true, and I suppose its not a big deal for me anyway. I don't buy new anyway and I dont think I'll own another ranger besides my current one. For me its either 4 door Sedan or F250 next on the purchase list. But thats a long ways away I think.

I just feel like its doing well in europe, why cant it do well here?

 

[kemo]

1. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Powe...2&make=Ford&model=F150 Pickup 4WD&srchtyp=ymm
vs
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=30706
2. Which is only useful if you NEED to haul more
3. ??? Not sure how to answer that lol
4. Profit only happens in a business, vehicle is an expense no matter how you look at it.
5. F150 is double the purchase price similarly equipped.
6. More expensive insurance
7. Bigger, which makes it more difficult to drive in the city. Not everyone lives in the country.

I'm not sh*ting on the F150... I'm just saying by your logic you'd be better with a F350 7.3L dually because its similar mileage to the F150 but you can haul more.

- http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=30712&id=31043
2. I NEED to haul more.
3 & 4.
5. You couldn't be more wrong. See my url... since those are actually "similarly" equipped, unlike your pick (you took 2 premium engines for a 4wd F150 and matched it to the base engine in a 2WD ranger)
6. hardly
7. city people almost never use trucks, nor need one. (unless it is used for work, or fleet trucks)

 

[DoctorPhate]

Although I lawled at the video it still doesnt make a point. but I'll concede you win on those points just for making a south park reference. lol.

5. I didnt mean to link those two for the price point, My step father purchased just 6 months ago a top of the line everything included ranger for 18,500. CHEAPEST f150 on the lot i can find for 22k and its base, short cab 2wd, base interior no options.

6. Well it is quite a big difference for me, 80/month

7. I live outside the city but drive into the city every day, I need a truck but cant possibly park an F150 at work, I can hardly park the ranger in there.

(I know I went backwards)
2. You NEED to haul more yes, for you the F150 is perfect but I know a lot of people who dont need 9000lbs towing capacity and are perfectly happy with 2000lbs for their little pop up camper.

and the towing capacity of the F150 you just posted is only 5500lbs btw. If you need to tow more than the ranger you picked then you didnt succeed. The Ranger you posted is 6000lbs, F150 you posted is around 6000lbs aswell. Bigger motor in the smaller truck made me lawls.

I do see your point man, for you, I 100% agree the F150 is the better choice. I currently have my Ranger, the Jeep and the DD I share with my girlfriend. If I could afford to add an F150 to that roster I would but 1. I dont have the parking for that because my damn septic is situated RIGHT behind my driveway... why I dont know so please dont ask. lol and my driveway can only hold maybe 4 vehicles? its a single laneway.

I'm outside the city but only on a 1/4 acre sort of slim long lot like many around me. All of us have some sort of pick up, those who work in the city either bitch constantly about parking their F150, Ram, or silverado or they have a smaller truck and deal with the fact that they cant tow a house. lol

Although those Dodge dakotas are down right mean. crazy good at towing.

Edit: I forgot to link my source for the ranger towing capacity. here you go. http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/11FLMRVTT_RangerNov18.pdf

 

[kemo]

Personally, I'd get the 5.0 or ecoboost F150 (if i was in the market again for a new truck), the 3.7 is ok if I want it to be similar to the ranger's capabilities... but I am frequently finding myself in need of a bigger truck.

If ford doesn't fix the MT82 transmission in the mustangs by the time I plan to buy one, I'm getting a new F150.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

How much do you suppose the Ranger would cost if the dealer wasn't trying to dump them before they became last years leftovers?

The starting MSRP for a XL on the "build your own" thing on Ford's website is $18,160.

The Sport I built (nothing crazy fancy) was $29,308. $1500 in options (hitch, tinted slider window, automatic trans, cruise, bedliner and remote start)

http://bp3.ford.com/2011-Ford-Range....50P.52Y.44D.~DR--E.776.6IB.99E.X96.672.SSC.]

They don't even show then in green anymore.

A bottom of the barrel F-250 will still tow better than a top of the line F-150. it has a better frame, suspension setup and brakes. A top of the line Ranger has the same hurdles to overcome when it tries to compete with a bottom of the barrel F-150 (which even with a smaller engine still puts out 100 more hp) It doesn't have the frame, suspension setup or brakes of the bigger truck.

Personally, I'd get the 5.0 or ecoboost F150 (if i was in the market again for a new truck), the 3.7 is ok if I want it to be similar to the ranger's capabilities... but I am frequently finding myself in need of a bigger truck.

If ford doesn't fix the MT82 transmission in the mustangs by the time I plan to buy one, I'm getting a new F150.

The dealer my brother works at hasn't sold a 3.7 truck yet, the 5.0 is just a couple hundred bucks more and the EB isn't much more yet.

Has any other problems cropped up on the Mustang that can't be blamed on people not knowing how to use a clutch? My brother has 5k on his '11 and it still shifts perfect.