ABS sensor went bad at 60k.
This truck dosen't handle as well as my Tacoma. It rolls more around turns, but I know both of them are NOT cars. The body quivers a lot more on washboard roads, and the rear end will slide sideways slightly on very bumpy roads, where my Tacoma wouldn't even think twice about.
But other than that, I like my Ranger MUCH better. The Ranger feels like a real truck in comparison. I like the layout of the interior better. I like the side facing back seats. If theres only one passenger back there, they can stretch out their legs.
Gas mileage is comparable to my Tacoma, and my Tacoma had the 2.7 liter 4. I wish the 4.0 in the Ranger would rev more freely like the Tacoma.
Overall, I like my Ranger better. My Tacoma was falling apart at 109k (that's why I bought my Ranger).
One big advantage to driving a design that has been around for a long time (the Ranger has not had a redesign in 15 years) is that it has become very solid and reliable. After that long all the bugs are worked out.
I've owned 4 Rangers since 1992 and none ever had a single repair. Our family's companies use Rangers and some of the fleet are 15 years old. Going 300,000 miles with no major problems is typical for Rangers.
I looked at Tacoma before buying my last Ranger, and wasn't particularly impressed, especially at $7000 more for an identically equipped truck. After reading about the drop in quality and reliability at Toyota, it was not even a remotely hard choice to make.
My son bought a new Ranger back in June 2001, he spent 5 years up in the NWT and northern Canada (gravel roads and 40 below winters). In winter he, d be driving across ice bridges, in Spring the water would be up to the hubs, he returned down south (Calgary area) couple years ago, and is still driving the Ranger everyday. His soon to be 8 year old truck has had one wheel bearing replaced, "and that's it".
So impressed was I, that I went out and bought a 2008Ranger, mine has the 2.3 liter I4 while his has the Vulcan 3.0 V6. If more people knew how great these little trucks were, it would save Fords bacon.
22:23 makes an excellent point. Too many people base their buying decisions on ad hype. The Ranger is a really great little truck. Our family companies have used the Rangers as company vehicles for almost 22 years now. There are still some '93's in the fleet. Getting 300,000 miles out of the very reliable 4 cylinder engines is typical.
I've owned 4 Rangers as personal vehicles since 1992 and none has ever required a single repair.
The October 2007 issue of Consumer Reports features a Ranger with 477,000 trouble-free miles on it.
As a mechanic I'd choose a Ford Ranger over any small pickup on the market. The design may be dated, but the engines and drive trains are rock solid.
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