Truck advice plz

well yes milage is one reason and that shitty milage applies to any of the small PU's not just Ranger but I still don't think the small PU's in general carried enough, IME 5 adults in a Ranger sucks, whereas everytime I've been in a Taco its been going skiing or picking up skiers with 5 adults which is just OK so just big benough for the average family of 4 and the dog

SO IMO the new ranger has to have the same interiour size as a taco

I disagree. Sure, more than two adults is a bit of a squeeze in a Ranger, although one in the back isn't too bad. I rarely need to transport more people than that though, and that, in my opinion, was the Ranger's strength. It's far easier to park downtown or in a tight underground apartment building lot than a Taco and, with a more modern engine, could be quite a good bit more efficient.

so ted . . . Is that a vote for the ranger then ?

Um, I've lost track of what the OP's needs were… :D

My point was that the things XXXer is suggesting need to change about the Ranger are exactly what differentiated it from the Tacoma, Frontier etc, other than the outdated and inefficient engine.

I just sold a 99 Ranger 3.0L 4wd. To a guy in town here. I sold it because 400,000 km. But it is still on the road getting the guy around. I replaced with 2004 Ranger Edge 2wd with a mere 200,000 km. New one gets waaaaay better gas mileage. Both single cab. You gotta think of this like a motorcycle. You can take a lunch, or a passenger in the cab. If both, one has to go in the back. A small lunch could go behind the seat. I bought another one because they are good trucks. And small like a car in the city.

Is the new ranger a unibody? Like the Avalanche and Ridgeline? No more body on frame I think.

I'll throw my hat in the ring with a recommendation of a Ford Ranger. I've owned mine since 2000. They only thing I have replaced or repaired are the parts that have worn out - tires etc.

It's low maintenance, and it's reliable.

It used to be great for hauling bikes. I built a wooden rack in the back that could accommodate more bikes than I had comfortable seating for - but the little jumps seats in the back worked well enough for shuttle runs, so that was alright.

Lately I've been using it more for hauling. It is limited in its capacity - I can carry a yard of top soil, about a half a yard of gravel/drain rock, and barely enough wood and yard waste to get me over the minimum charge at the dump.

Mine has the 3 litre V6. It's apparently a more reliable engine than Fords 4 cylinder - but it's not that great on gas. When we used to have to Aircare it would always pass but be middle of the pack in economy and emissions. In "real word" figures it costs about $70 - $80 to fill using 87 octane gas, and I get maybe 400km to the tank driving around town. It does get better mileage on the highway. I seem to recall being able to haul the bikes to Kamloops using a little more than half a tank - but for some reason the first half of the tank lasts much longer than the last half…

thank you mad' . . . that does look nice , now I gotta spend a buncha time researching Nissan !?

Paging Adam West.

thanks daryl' . . . current front runner ( which I haven't actually seen yet ) is an '04 level 2 with 124k , canopy and rack ( things I need ) , automatic , 7000 $ .

second is an 07 level 2 , automatic , no rack/canopy , but only 64k . . . 8300 $

for some reason the first half of the tank lasts much longer than the last half…

Ah yes. The logarithmic Ranger fuel gauge! :D

I am pretty sure 5 yrs ago there would have been way more people calling the ranger a POS in a small truck thread but now its considered a good truck probably because the beloved 199x Toyotas are mostly just too damn old 16+ years later and the last rangers have proven themselves to be good trucks

A good truck is not necessarily gona be a truck that sells good, Look at the sales figures for small trucks, people quit buying small trucks, they weren't selling and the reason IMO would be they don't carry enough for the N.A. buyer

I was driving people in an out of the heli drop for a BC lodge last season using a tacoma, I was always completely loaded with skis gear and 5 people on a forestry road, it had to be comfortable cuz people are paying money so a mini PU wouldn't have cut it we would have had to rent a big crew cab PU

same for a family I would suggest if mine had stayed together I would have needed a truck that seats 4 people and the ranger seats 4 midgets, kids under 10 are ok in the back

but if a small truck will work for you they are still a good truck

yup , kids are gone ( but close by ) , got their own rides , so it's just me and the wife ( or a client ) , dogs and shit in the back

I had a Ranger a while back. I really liked it but my job changed and I had to drive around Vancouver a bunch and the truck, even being a small truck was not maneuverable enough. The 3 litre was a little underpowered but that had more to do with gearing I think. 5 speed manual. Seats were comfy. A couple times with heavy loads of dirt I had a hard time driving steep North Van hills. I replaced it with a Honda Element which had similar horse power and weight but it handled hills far better. Seats in the Honda became a medical issue though. An hour or so of driving and I had sciatic nerve pain.

doing research on ford ranger fx4 level 2 . . . my 300 meter , steep driveway can get pretty burly in winter , and firewood is just up the hill from my place on a pretty rough road . I like the idea of a little extra 4 by capability that model has .

there are several ranging around 10 g , [HTML_REMOVED] 150 k . . . manual or auto ? would prefer manual , but auto more reliable ?

'Sheets , there is a nice lifted one in PG , can you go check it out for me :lol: ?

150,000kms is right when a bunch of issues will pop up. Like the slave cylinder on the standard trans, the part is cheap but you have to pull the tranny. The 4x4 shift motor will usually pile up around this time too, sometimes taking out the 4x4 pcm. Parts are pretty easy to change but fairly expensive. The rear diff seal will probably be leaking too. A cheap and easy fix. The 4.0l is a bit of a leaker, watch for that. If there is a lot of engine oil leaks walk away. The engine has probably been overheated. And a bunch of little things will fail. PW switches and pw door lock switches etc.

None of this stuff is a deal breaker just have a little set aside for repairs.

As far as standard vs auto Ford has had slave cylinder issues for a million years on the Rangers. The auto seems pretty robust and is relatively cheap to get rebuilt. The auto tranny is actually rated to tow 1500lbs more than the standard if I remember correctly.

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Nissan-Frontier-1999-5-Speed-4x4_27673948.lite

Came across this in my search for a used canopy. Looks good!

Had that same truck, very reliable. But $8k seems steep