1994 Ford Ranger Splash review from North America

The only problem I ever had of my truck was one dead battery and a broken seat-adjustment lever, but that was my fault.

At the age of 16, I had been looking for an affordable vehicle that I would actually like to drive. I was about to buy a GMC Sonoma when I saw my lil red baby sitting on the lot and fell in love with it.

Much to my dismay, it was a 5 speed manual and I had no idea how to drive a stick, but I bought it anyway. My dad drove it home that day and I drove home his truck.

Flash forward to July 2002: I still have my truck and I am still loving it. I've ridden her hard a couple of times and even though her 2.3 liter four-cylinder isn't the most powerful, I have never had any major mechanical problems out of her.

The only thing I have ever done to her is remove the factory cassette/radio and replace it with a CD player and lowered the truck an inch or so for aesthetics and handling purposes.

Sadly, July 17, 2002, a woman talking on her cell-phone and driving erratically crossed the centerline and hit me head-on as we rounded a curve in opposite directions. My truck was totaled just nine months before I was going to retire it from everyday use. I was so devastated that I couldn't get out of bed for a week. Seriously.

"Lil Red" is currently sitting in the garage in the process of restoration. I just couldn't bear to part with it. Hopefully it will return to the road soon and all the voodoo curses I have placed on that woman will come true.

In summation of my rambling, the Ford Ranger Splash makes an excellent first vehicle. If there is any boy (or girl) out there that has ever dreamed of being a a pick-up man (or woman), then this is the place to start.

It's stylish, reliable, relatively inexpensive to purchase and maintain, and if you become attached to one I'm pretty sure you won't want to let go of it.