If you need the fuel economy then save the four thousand and spend it on gas. The Tacoma is a much better truck overall, but it depends on your needs. If you can get by with the Ranger and save four thousand that might be your best bet. If your going to keep the truck well past the warranty, get the Tacoma...which also has much better resale value. G/L either way.

 

yes, it is more than worth the extra when you consider the amount of time/money the ranger will cost you in repairs during it's (short) life time. not to mention, the quality of the ride and feel of the toyota is SO much better (have you driven both trucks yet???)
the ranger is a garbage truck from garbage company. you may think that you're doing yourself a favor by saving a little cash off the top-but it WILL cost you in the long run.

 

fords do make decent fleet vehicles. But coming from a family who's always owned rangers, and owning an 07 tacoma myself, do me a favor and just trust me...

BUY THE TACOMA


I guarantee you're going to be in the shop alot more with the ranger, and everything thats going to... will fail about 10 miles after warranty expires. Toyotas will run forever, and still look sexy. I've owned and driven alot of rangers in my life. Decent trucks, fun for wheeling too, but tacoma is better hands down.




what kind of answer did you expect when you post in a Tacoma forum?

I'm sure you got the same exact opposite answer in the ranger forum

 

I think I'd go with the Tacoma, I've had a few Ford products in the past 4 to be exact and I've also had 3 tacomas and I can say I will never go back to Ford.

 

Toyota has a huge incentive program going. It's called resale. Something to consider.

 

Thanks for the replies! I checked out the resale and believe it or not, as a percentage of purchase price, the Ranger is higher due to the substantial discounts/rebates presently being offered by Ford.

Toyota has a huge incentive program going. It's called resale. Something to consider.

 

i'm curious what the boys over at the ranger forum had to say. especially since so many ford techs that i know drive toyota trucks themselves.

 

Aloha 6shooter! As one might expect the overwhelming majority recommend the Ranger on that forum. If you want to read their replies you can follow this link:

http://www.rangerpowersports.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215105

i'm curious what the boys over at the ranger forum had to say. especially since so many ford techs that i know drive toyota trucks themselves.

 

Thanks for the replies! I checked out the resale and believe it or not, as a percentage of purchase price, the Ranger is higher due to the substantial discounts/rebates presently being offered by Ford.

It depends on how long you plan on owning the vehicle. 50k, 100k,..200k? Do you think the ford can hold up to 200k and still hold value? Toyota has been doing it for decades.

 

that's funny. only one guy had anything "bad" to say about the toyota and that was that it "rode like a car" ouch. everybody else was praising toyota as a product then saying they bought the ranger because it was cheaper. ha! now compare those responses to ours about the ranger. is it not obvious that rangers are total junk? anyway, looks like you're leaning towards a ranger. all i have to say is good luck!

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say the ranger is total junk. It's built on OLD and proven technology. Granted the quality of materials is not the same as the Toyota, but to call the ranger "total junk" is a bit of a stretch IMO. That being said, you get what you pay for, and I didn't even consider the Ranger.

 

Yes, I'm leaning toward the Ranger but still unsure. As I mentioned in my first post my main concerns are fuel economy and reliability. This is by no means my dream vehicle and will be used primarily as a business service vehicle. I currently drive a Jeep Commander 4X4 Hemi and with fuel at $3.40 a gallon and mileage at ~13mpg I'm estimating that what I will save in fuel will almost pay for the Ranger and allow me to keep the Jeep mileage low. If only Toyota could come out with a $1K - $2K rebate then it would be an easy decision as the total 5 year cost would be very close.

 

Step away from the FixOrRepairDaily showroom...

Seriously, I may be biased because I was from a family of stolid FORD buyers -until FORD screwed me. I don't mean the dealership (they were just incompetent), I mean FORD. The regional rep made a deal w/ me to rectify the situation, then screwed me. (it goes so far as me notifying him of the appt he had me make at another dealer,then getting a call from the dealer after my vehicle sat for 3 days saying that the guy didn't approve the work - His response when I called and calmly asked if there was a problem was that he "changed his mind" -although he didnt bother to tell me.) And the FCAB consumer appeals is another 4-letter F-word.

However, that being said, if you buy the PreRunner,you're getting a vehicle that is purpose built and engineered to be that way. If you lift a (R)anger vehicle, you'll have something that is never gonna be what it was intended -at best.

I have no facts, but I would guess that resale on a PreRunner will be more than a lifted (R)anger if you take into account your parts, labor, alignments, etc.


But mostly - you couldn't give me a Ford if the deal required me to drive it.
(Now, if someone wants to give it to me and I can sell it, that's fine.)
And in the interest of fairness (more than they gave me) that was 1984.
I won't say I'll never buy another Ford -but it still ain't in my foreseeable future.
(You get the feeling I got really ticked?)

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say the ranger is total junk. It's built on OLD and proven technology. Granted the quality of materials is not the same as the Toyota, but to call the ranger "total junk" is a bit of a stretch IMO. That being said, you get what you pay for, and I didn't even consider the Ranger.

the reason i say that is i worked for ford for about a year inbetween two jobs for two seperate toyota dealerships. and, the toyota store i'm at now has a ford store directly next door to it. i have been on both sides and know everybody on both sides of the arguement. i know from experience that the rangers are a poor product at best. oil leaks galore and very poor reliability just to start with. i see the ford techs sitting in there toyotas during lunch in the employee parking lot and know 5 seperate techs that came from ford to our toyota store and all 5 have bought toyotas and sware by them-all the while promising never to buy another ford again now that "they know"
AND i too, though i don't want to admit it-had a ranger 4x4 when i was 16 (before I "knew")
all i'm saying is that ford techs themselves will tell you they're junk.

 

Yes, I'm leaning toward the Ranger but still unsure. As I mentioned in my first post my main concerns are fuel economy and reliability. This is by no means my dream vehicle and will be used primarily as a business service vehicle. I currently drive a Jeep Commander 4X4 Hemi and with fuel at $3.40 a gallon and mileage at ~13mpg I'm estimating that what I will save in fuel will almost pay for the Ranger and allow me to keep the Jeep mileage low. If only Toyota could come out with a $1K - $2K rebate then it would be an easy decision as the total 5 year cost would be very close.

07's have a $500 rebate on them right now. It could go up on the 07's when more of teh 08's hit teh dealer lots....

 

ford still makes the ranger?

 

There are no 2007 PreRunners left in the islands that meet my prerequisites so I have to order a 2008. Negotiating with Toyota is another negative as these dealers in Hawaii think they have a legal right to steal. I was looking at one non PreRunner version last week and the salesman insisted on MSRP plus some inflated rustproofing crap and other dealer installed ripoffs. I told him only an idiot would pay MSRP as I laughed at him and walked out. I believe I can order this vehicle for $250 or so above invoice. With Ford I can buy any car at no more than $100 over invoice and still retain all the rebates.

 

I had a 4cyl 2wd ext cabRanger years back, that model hasnt changed much... It was ok, unlike the 4wd one that I had later. Slow, but manageable with a stick. Avg'd 23 mpg, best was 25 on long trips. If you get a great deal, its hard to pass. You can fix them cheap.

WHy did I get rid of my 2wd Ranger? I got stuck in the mud at a my friends old farm. We were trying to get an old car going in the maple shed. BUT we forgot that among the cows on the farm was a Jersey Bull. He saw us from high on the hill and that was it. He smashed my truck for hours (with us inside and a 12 pack thankfully) until a finally help arrived with a snowplow on the front to drive the bull away.

I didn't get much for that truck, had some dents.:lol: But we were ok. Irrelavent, but a brought back memories... Good luck

 

i have a 2006 ranger 4cyl auto(6000 miles) and a 2008 tacoma trd v6 tdr lwb(500 miles) and there is no comparison..the ranger is a rattle trap, but was bought for daughter so i look at it as disposable...with great mileage...best luck..also have 2006 4runner ltd v8 4x4(22,000 miles ,best vehicle ever) and 2001 tundra trd v8(115,000 miles new)...just keeps on ticking

 

Is there any real comparison? It's not fair to compare a ranger with a tacoma. I can't imagine that the people in the tacoma buyers market would even consider a ranger. Maybe an F150.

 

My Two Cents

I had four vehicles in mind when I bought the Taco. Here are the Reasons that led me to a TOY

1. Jeep Wrangler
Just too small and heavy (can't do anything BUT off roading). Kind of a chick car. No place to rest let arm.

2.Ford Ranger Ext cab 6cyl, FX4 off raod package, with SUPPLIER DISCOUNT! For the same price as my reg cab 4cyl 4x4 Taco.

Again, way too small. Cab not comfortable to ride in. The truck felt pretty strong but lacking clearance and looks. (not the biggest deal, but for 18k I better like it) It was just nothing special. kind of boring.

3. Chevy Colorado.
Junk was the biggest impression I had. Flimsy junk. Expensive and I think they spent time to make it non-ergonomic. Crap. Total crap.

4. TACO.
Tight. Looks great. Better resale. Huge cab space for a reg cab. :whatwhat:And less likely to spend time in the shop...Minus TSB's of coarse.

 

Buy the Toyota !! I had a 2003 Ranger which spent most of the time at the dealers'. They ended up replacing many, many parts, from wheels and tires to injectors, drive shaft, torque converter and on and on. My 2006 Tacoma with 30,000 miles had a bad gas cap !!! There is no comparison.

 

Tacoma all the way imo.

 

From the Ranger forum...

Toyota to me is like a neutered dog.. faithful but no personality and sheesh its ugly!

I stoppped reading after that post. :lol:

 

I have a 95 Mazda B2300. Essentially a Ranger. My father bought the truck new. It's a 2wd 4cyl with 5spd manual. I bought it from him in 2001 and we haven't had a single problem with it. 230,000 km and it doesn't burn any oil or even make a squeak for that matter. I love that truck just as much as my 06 Tacoma. Fun to drive and as mentioned in a previous post, very easy and cheap to find replacement parts.

I really like the looks of the Ranger. It is a timeless classic but my experience has been that they are very well built. I was planning on getting a new one but ponied up and got the Tacoma. Some mornings I have a tough time deciding which one I will take to work (I'm sure I'll get burned for that comment).

My honest opinion, you can't go wrong with either one. Both are great trucks and certainly have the fun factor.

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