Ford Ranger is Officially Back

2ndhalf · Jan 27, 2018

Hope it has good leg room. I could see myself picking one of those up in about 4 years when my ride is a ghost.

It looks like a Tacoma to me.

MossRoad · Jan 27, 2018

Thinking about it, it's shaped like a truck, I guess. Just like tractors are shaped like tractors. Only so much original design. :confused3:

Larry Caldwell · Jan 28, 2018

motownbrowne said:
I doubt we can just blame the government on this one. Yeah, they probably have something to do with why we couldn't buy a truck like that with a sweet little 4cyl diesel, but Toyota could sell the thing here with whatever they put in the Tacoma if they thought people would buy it.

Ford and Chevy both make sweet little trucks that we can't buy here also, and the reason is just that not enough people want them. I hear a lot of guys in this thread saying they want a bare bones truck, and I get that, but the average buyer wants a comfort cruiser with all the fancy features. They want a high HP, high profile, luxurious grocery getter.

You can blame the government, but I think it's more like the culture that's at fault. That and the auto companies that really encourage that behavior..

Once upon a time, a pickup was the cheapest vehicle you could buy. I bought a brand new 1974 Chev 1500 for $3500. If I still had it, it would be worth the same, because a working man can't afford a new pickup. Vans are the same. Have you priced a new van lately? I have a tile setter working in my bathroom right now who drives a 15 year old van, because he can not afford to replace it. He's a craftsman known as the best in the business around here, but he can't make enough to pay for a new van.

Larry Caldwell · Jan 28, 2018

PILOON said:
I had a Ranger with the 6 cyl, gas guzzler but I liked it to drive.
The automatic frt axles both gave up the ghost and that was costly.
I then discovered that the Ranger was actually a re badgered Mazda but the only problem was that nobody could cross reference any parts. Mazda parts were much more affordable than from Ford but the gamble was mine to take.

The current question is if the new Ranger is pure Ford or is it re badgered Mazda.

Ford sold Mazda to stave off bankruptcy.

Turbys_1700 · Jan 28, 2018

Larry Caldwell said:
Once upon a time, a pickup was the cheapest vehicle you could buy. I bought a brand new 1974 Chev 1500 for $3500. If I still had it, it would be worth the same, because a working man can't afford a new pickup. Vans are the same. Have you priced a new van lately? I have a tile setter working in my bathroom right now who drives a 15 year old van, because he can not afford to replace it. He's a craftsman known as the best in the business around here, but he can't make enough to pay for a new van.

I know what you mean. My son just purchased a 60K mile Silverado for his family because he needed a 4 door unit. 25K and clean as a pin. Pretty tough when a 60K mile truck brings 25K. Compared to a new one at over 50K I guess it's all comparable.

As far as the Ranger is concerned I don't know if I would consider it as a viable option for me. I've always run full sized pick ups. I'm actually going to purchase my son's old 06 F150 from him since he bought a newer truck. My wife and I bought it for him 8 years ago and now I am buying it back. Something about that just seems wrong. LOL