Mid-size pickup decision - Ford Ranger v. Toyota Tacoma??

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I think you're probably right. But in 40-60 years there will likely be very few internal combustion engine vehicles of any kind on the road. Classics, collectors, and special purpose only. Look at the demand for hybrid Maverick and F150, and the Lightning.

Electric cars are definitely the next big thing (After all Henry Ford bought his wife one). However some issues still remain to be solved.
 
Hi everyone,

I am looking for some thoughts on something. I am in the market for a new pickup that is sub $30K for a daily driver and the occasional weekend trip to get mulch, home supplies, etc. I have narrowed it down to the Ford Ranger 2.3 ecoboost, and the Toyota Tacoma with the 4 cylinder. Both of these are right around $29K in the configuration I am looking at. I drive 80 miles/day on my commute - all highway

I have driven both, and am conflicted. The Tacoma has a weak engine, but it has a nice interior and a hear the 4 cylinder is bulletproof. The Ranger is quick off the line, and has a decent interior; not as nice as the Tacoma.

In terms of longevity, durability, and overall satisfaction, can anyone comment on the Ecoboost in the Ranger versus the 4 cylinder in the Toyota?? Thank you!
Having OWNED a Tacoma and a Ranger, avoid the Tacoma. They are becoming so much less reliable and are quite expensive to fix. Not to mention Toyota isn’t very good with customer service with them since they too, have acknowledged more issues with them. Plus the EcoBoost has proven itself as quite the bulletproof engine
 
I bought a brand new 3rd gen Tacoma that I kept less than a year. It might be reliable, but I couldn't suffer through the driving experience any longer. Lesson learned, don't buy on reputation alone, take a LONG test drive.

I haven't driven the new Ranger, but I like the Ecoboost in my F150. I know for certain I wouldn't buy another 3rd gen Tacoma.
Exactly my case. I had my Tacoma for 24k miles which was about 18 months.. it was an AWFUL ride at best, noisey, and both of my axles had to be replaced (the dealer wouldn’t initially). I was so happy the day I traded it in. I bought it brand new and that is the last Toyota I will ever own. Their customer service is second worst, only to Hyundai/Kia.
 
Having OWNED a Tacoma and a Ranger, avoid the Tacoma. They are becoming so much less reliable and are quite expensive to fix. Not to mention Toyota isn’t very good with customer service with them since they too, have acknowledged more issues with them. Plus the EcoBoost has proven itself as quite the bulletproof engine
Does the ecoboost still have the internal water pump?
 
Does the ecoboost still have the internal water pump?
No, it is external on the 2.3L. Belt driven. Also, no stretch belts.

I would say the only thing that bugs me about my truck is the stupid 2 piece driveshaft bump. It's a problem Ford has had for ages and ages (In almost all of their trucks), but for some reason, it is still there. And yea, I've pulled mine apart and lubed it with the Ford special lube. It still comes back. I just ignore it these days.

Other than that, I've towed harder with mine than a huge percentage of owners probably have and it still impresses me.

I am a proponent of early and often D&F of the 10R80 though.
 
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I’d pick the one that’s more comfortable.

That said, the right car would be more comfortable and economical as an all around daily driver. Hauling mulch and basic home improvement items isn’t really a reason to own a truck. Cars have trunks and folding back seats. Hauled an 8ft stick of lumber and some paint from Home Depot in my Fusion just last month. It did fine.

Unless you just absolutely want a truck of course

Not around here. You gotta have a 3/4 ton diesel with monster truck tires and obnoxious LED light bar to blind the peasants at night while aggressively tailgating them.

In all seriousness I agree. I haul more tools and equipment for work on a daily basis in my Mazda6 than most trucks ever seen in suburbia. Large trunk and folding rear seats allow me to put piping, lumber, mulch, whatever.
 
The Tacoma is still a good truck, just nowhere near the truck of previous generations. Those set on buying one expecting to have to never maintain or repair it will be disappointed. The new trucks are not the same as the early 2000's Toyotas. All brands of vehicles break, find the one that you like most, that way you will be less annoyed fixing something you enjoy driving over a penalty box that will still need maintenance.
 
No, it is external on the 2.3L. Belt driven. Also, no stretch belts.

I would say the only thing that bugs me about my truck is the stupid 2 piece driveshaft bump. It's a problem Ford has had for ages and ages (In almost all of their trucks), but for some reason, it is still there. And yea, I've pulled mine apart and lubed it with the Ford special lube. It still comes back. I just ignore it these days.

Other than that, I've towed harder with mine than a huge percentage of owners probably have and it still impresses me.

I am a proponent of early and often D&F of the 10R80 though.
Thanks for answering!
 
the taco will prolly be more reliable BUT for a little more $$$ you get a lot more TRUCK check out a nissan frontier + for economy a Maverick if you can actually get one
 
I’d pick the one that’s more comfortable.

That said, the right car would be more comfortable and economical as an all around daily driver. Hauling mulch and basic home improvement items isn’t really a reason to own a truck. Cars have trunks and folding back seats. Hauled an 8ft stick of lumber and some paint from Home Depot in my Fusion just last month. It did fine.

Unless you just absolutely want a truck of course
This^^^^^^^^^^^^^+ you need to get the most comfortable ride. The most comfortable rides mentioned, above, would be the Ridgeline or the Ram. Most important thing is you gotta "like" the vehicle.
 
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Looked at the Ranger and GM options, and bought the Tacoma. Family experience with Toyota trucks on our farms was the #1 reason, followed by leather, 6 speed manual, sun roof, and ground clearance.
 
I owned a 2018 Tacoma SR with the 2.7L 4WD, utility package. Just sold it last week due to the trans line deciding to bust during a long drive, running the trans low on ATF. I would still get a Ranger hands down even if the trans line didn’t rot out.

The 2.7 is slow. it’ll get you around just fine like it did for me during my 2 year/20k mile ownership, but I wouldn’t say it was enjoyable. The transmission loves to stay in high gear and requires significant throttle input to get the engine to its peak power band(roughly 4500rpm). I purchased it 2 years old with 10k miles, had horrific V8 like MPGs but as I got past 25k miles my MPG consistently averaged 18.5-20 depending on ambient temps. Motor gave me no issues but I had to replace the fan clutch due to the thermostatic spring seizing up due to rust. That was $350. AC condenser went bad right after the warranty expired. $1100 repair(runs R1234YF). A couple of other things went bad, minor, but still disappointing for a 3-4 year old vehicle. Every single exhaust heat shield corroded and started rattling, driver door panel insert started lifting, paint on the hood above the headlight started peeling off.

I’m 5’9” and the seating position is fine. Getting in & out takes getting used to because of how low the seat sits relative to the cab floor. It’s not hard, it’s just feels different. Being a truck it was bouncy on the interstate, especially during turns on patched surfaces. The 2.7 will lose speed over grades and will require considerable throttle input to maintain speed, if you have cruise control it’s not uncommon to see it pin itself at redline to maintain 75 MPH up a grade. When the motor is at redline it’ll burn more fuel than a V6 at 3000rpm so keep that in mind.

I replaced it with a F150 5.0 V8. Other than the problems I had with my Tacoma, it really wasn’t big enough for what I needed although I planned to keep it for a long time and always took good care of it. Payload was good, roughly 1300lbs but 500lbs would make the rear end sag a lot. Truck looked like it was overloaded. It also lacked a lot on the towing side. The engine had to work pretty hard to pull a 3300lb boat. And being a 4 banger it didn’t have enough power to be a good plow truck either. So there was no point in doing a trans repair.
 
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