F150 vs 5th Gen Ranger

Joined
Jun 12, 2004
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Location
Athens, GA
There aren't a lot of pictures online of the 'new' Ranger sitting next to an F150 for comparison. A buddy of mine happened to park out back where I normally do, so I snapped some pictures. I'm pretty sure the F150 is a 2020, as is my Ranger.

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I like the current gen Ranger and test drove one. I critiqued the ride quailty but would get over it. My home is on 5 acres and it sucks not having anything to haul or tow with. Money isn't the problem, just never been a truck guy. I would get a Ranger with the 6' bed, 4X4 and a locking rear diff. I researched the heck out of the current Ranger. There is even a 320 HP tune Ford offers for it that the dealer can install at an MSRP of $825 albeit premium fuel would will be required.

 
I had a 1992 Silverado 2500 Extended Cab (with a 5 speed manual trans) in a very similar color.

Still like that color.

Edit: And it had a BLUE interior as well... Blue seats, blue dash, blue carpet, blue headliner...
 
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I like the current gen Ranger and test drove one. I critiqued the ride quailty but would get over it. My home is on 5 acres and it sucks not having anything to haul or tow with. Money isn't the problem, just never been a truck guy. I would get a Ranger with the 6' bed, 4X4 and a locking rear diff. I researched the heck out of the current Ranger. There is even a 320 HP tune Ford offers for it that the dealer can install at an MSRP of $825 albeit premium fuel would will be required.


The only problem I had with the SuperCab model was the back seat was bolt upright. Just didn't seem like a place for any human to ride even if there was decent space back there. But, if you don't need that, they offer a rear seat delete on that model.

Yea, that Ford tune is interesting. I might look into it simply from the warranty aspect, but I'm going to wait until we buy our RV before I make any of those decisions. I'm picking up my brake controller tomorrow and will probably get that in over the weekend. Only thing after that is the spray-in bed liner and bed-cover. After that, I'm done.
 
I had a 1992 Silverado 2500 Extended Cab (with a 5 speed manual trans) in a very similar color.

Still like that color.
I'm fighting the battle to bring back colors. Standing beside the roads in this area and watching cars pass you have. Black, white, silver/grey, and...that's about it. Rarely do people buy cars with color these days, so when I found one in blue, that's the way I went. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it sortof matches my other car. I'm not one of 'those people' that has to have everything match, but I do like a nice blue.




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You can get a second row delete on the Ranger SuperCab but only with the XL trim.

Ahh, didn't know that.

Sometimes it baffles me why Ford does what it does. Like only offering the HDPP on XL's and XLT's with lower option packages, and then only in the US. Last I heard they offered it on the Lariats in Canada.

Course, you can always take them out yourself....
 
Consider me a Ranger fan. I hope it does well.

ctechbob, are you planning to use forscan to activate the brake controller?

m
 
Consider me a Ranger fan. I hope it does well.

ctechbob, are you planning to use forscan to activate the brake contoller?

It's the factory separate brake controller, which is a Redarc with an add-on box that Ford developed with Lumen to interface with the truck. It's a little janky to install, but it interfaces with the automatic emergency braking of the truck and as far as I know, is the only one that does it at this point.

 
The new Rangers aren’t the same.
Thank goodness.
On the contrary, the old Rangers were actually a small-midsized truck, not a full sized truck like the modern day Rangers, that just isn't as big as the F150 has become.

The old ones were more cost effective to haul lesser loads, less expensive and easier to repair. The current new Ranger, steaming pile of bleep if you ask me, zero reason to get it instead of an F150 unless you just happen to have a tiny garage that an F150 won't fit in and there's not that much difference to really argue that compared to the cab or bed choice.

I'd gladly take the old ranger, in like-new condition, over the new one for a long term ownership, at the adjusted (for inflation) fair market value. Because it's a pickup truck, not a geek toy that I want in a shop to fix xyz module every few years, instead it should just function as a truck for 30 years. Will the new Ranger function for 30 years? We can speculate one way or the other but it is fairly clear that it will be cost prohibitive unless you devote your life to becoming a ranger electronics guru to get there. A truck should serve me, not I, it.

It's not that I hate the tech, rather that I deal with it constantly and recognize the problems long term. KISS has more value for a tool/appliance purpose vehicle than it does for a luxury sedan you replace more often.
 
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I bought a 1989 Ranger from my Dad that he ordered new, sold it to me in 2002 with 75,000 miles. I drove it from 2002 until 2017 when I had it towed due to worn out front suspension, rear main seal leak, windshield cracked, and numerous other problems at 336,000 miles. The transmission was rebuilt at 237,000, otherwise engine intact. Both of us got our money's worth. This may have changed but I read that to change the oil you have to jack the left side, remove the wheel, and remove some kind of shield. Anyone know if that is the case? That may be myth or has been changed?

Scott
 
On the contrary, the old Rangers were actually a small-midsized truck, not a full sized truck like the modern day Rangers, that just isn't as big as the F150 has become.

The old ones were more cost effective to haul lesser loads, less expensive and easier to repair. The current new Ranger, steaming pile of bleep if you ask me, zero reason to get it instead of an F150 unless you just happen to have a tiny garage that an F150 won't fit in and there's not that much difference to really argue that compared to the cab or bed choice.

I'd gladly take the old ranger, in like-new condition, over the new one for a long term ownership, at the adjusted (for inflation) fair market value. Because it's a pickup truck, not a geek toy that I want in a shop to fix xyz module every few years, instead it should just function as a truck for 30 years. Will the new Ranger function for 30 years? We can speculate one way or the other but it is fairly clear that it will be cost prohibitive unless you devote your life to becoming a ranger electronics guru to get there. A truck should serve me, not I, it.

It's not that I hate the tech, rather that I deal with it constantly and recognize the problems long term. KISS has more value for a tool/appliance purpose vehicle than it does for a luxury sedan you replace more often.

Sure there is. A $10,000 price difference and no need for a fullsize truck sealed the deal on that, and its not because of garage space. The truck lives outside. I would say a full 60% of everyone out there driving a fullsize truck either doesn't 'need' a truck at all, or never comes close to using their fullsize to its abilities. I wanted a truck to do around the house stuff, the original intent was to buy a Ridgeline which would serve as both a hauler and a replacement for my Accord. The Ranger worked out to be a better deal, while still serving much the same function.

As for electronics, well, welcome to 2021. Electronics are inescapable, if you drive something new, you're driving a computer with wheels. Most likely also carrying a turbo, a 6 speed+ transmission, and many safety systems. This is where regulations have pushed us to, and even though I'd like to hold on to my 'simple' TL and Accord forever, even in the south, there will reach a point where money in doesn't equal benefit out and they will be retired and replaced with something newer, which is going to come with more electronics, more nannies, and more complicated systems.

I'd love to have an old 'simple' truck, but could I pile in it and take the family on vacation if there was something wrong with the 4 door cars? Nope. I needed this vehicle to fill multiple rolls other than just being a beast of burden, that's why the decision was made as it was.
 
I bought a 1989 Ranger from my Dad that he ordered new, sold it to me in 2002 with 75,000 miles. I drove it from 2002 until 2017 when I had it towed due to worn out front suspension, rear main seal leak, windshield cracked, and numerous other problems at 336,000 miles. The transmission was rebuilt at 237,000, otherwise engine intact. Both of us got our money's worth. This may have changed but I read that to change the oil you have to jack the left side, remove the wheel, and remove some kind of shield. Anyone know if that is the case? That may be myth or has been changed?

Scott

No, you just reach in through the wheel well and pop off a cover, the filter is right there.
 
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