Truck advice plz

I had a 2003 Ford Ranger Edge 2wd 5sp. Loved it. Such a good little truck, all manual, super light, locking diff. Best truck for the money.

One dog crate in the back of a ranger and you're out of room.

The 4 litre ranger doesn't get much better mileage than a 4.8 or 5.3 1/2 ton gm

Thanks guys for the input . . .

Don't really need to haul a lot of big stuff . . . Just a pickup could make me so much more independent and efficient as far as moving shit when I need to and not have to depend on others . Day to day I need the space to haul the Ianbunbury Dogschool around which is dogs and dog equipment like jumps and obstacles . I'll be able to grab firewood when and where I see it .
My kids are pretty much out of the house now so I don't need/want the crew cab which I lusted at for years , but I do want more interior space so no single cab .
I've had good experience with Toyota (4Runner has 360,000 km and still runs great with no issues or major mechanicals ) hence my desire to stick with the brand , but I do also question the wisdom of spending 10 g on a truck with upwards of 250,000 km .
I've never been a Ford Guy but those level 2 rangers look pretty capable , ticking my boxes with the exception of fuel efficiency . . . but I guess if you want truck capability . . .

The Tacoma might get 1mpg better overhaul than the 4.0L Ranger. And the Ranger will have a bit more jam.

But as Three Sheets mentioned, sadly, a V8 Chev will get similar mileage numbers.

The Tacoma might get 1mpg better overhaul than the 4.0L Ranger. And the Ranger will have a bit more jam.

But as Three Sheets mentioned, sadly, a V8 Chev will get similar mileage numbers.

Why so sad?

You get more truck,nicer ride quality,more payload and room in a truck that's cheap and easy to fix when it comes time?

Riddle me this……how many fleet providers spec tacomas

…..wonder why…..

I had a 3.0L Ranger and it had plenty of oomph. 150hp and about 180ft/lbs or torque on a really light truck? Not bad. Gotta have a stick though. It had a 55L tank and got decent mileage. Not great, but I also drove it hard.

Plus, its also about purchase value too, and you can have these trucks for a song.

Why so sad?

You get more truck,nicer ride quality,more payload and room in a truck that's cheap and easy to fix when it comes time?

Riddle me this……how many fleet providers spec tacomas

…..wonder why…..

Exactly. It's "sad" how inefficient little V6 pickups are. You get more bang for your buck with a 1/2 ton gasser.

I know you'll be shaking your heads , but I just can't go full size ….

Haven't seen any 3.0 L Rangers … Seen ads for some nice level 2's , have yet to test drive one .

still on the lookout for the 4 banger taco . . . Nice one on kijiji with 140k , but it is in fruitvale

95-04 Tacoma 2.7L is the best choice, nothing wrong with a 98-04 Frontier 2.4L if one came up though. The Colorado/Canyon seem to be pretty crap trucks but newer ones are cheap with low km so who knows, I hear its best to stay away from the 3.5L I5.

I know you'll be shaking your heads , but I just can't go full size ….

Haven't seen any 3.0 L Rangers … Seen ads for some nice level 2's , have yet to test drive one .

still on the lookout for the 4 banger taco . . . Nice one on kijiji with 140k , but it is in fruitvale

Pretty sure 4wd Rangers with the 3.0 V6 don't exist.

I had a 2001 2wd 3.0 that I took from 180,000kms to 300,000kms. Only in the last year of ownership did it need anything major doing. Ball joints, shocks, water pump. It was awesome. I just updated to a 2010 4.0l 4wd sport. Definitely a bit more torque. Gas mileage not great by modern standards, but I fully expect maintenance costs to be equally negligible as my old truck.

So while the economy was still strong the late 200x rangers were 20K+ then car sales went in the dumper after the down turn so in 2010 Ford stripped the spec and slashed the price

Not sure how that would affect the price of a used ranger now but in 2010 used rangers with more bling were being advertised for the same price as a new stripped ranger cuz Ford knocked 6600$ off the Rangers on the Ford.ca so they were selling those bone stock power nothing/AC/4x4/4.0L/ex-cab for slightly narth of 19K … curious what you paid after 5 yrs?

200hp out of 4L is hardly earth shattering and face it the design is 20 yrs out of date, the ride is 20 yrs out of date but its a good cheap reliable truck, I think at the time it may have been the cheapest new 4x4 I could buy

So while the economy was still strong the late 200x rangers were 20K+ then car sales went in the dumper after the down turn so in 2010 Ford stripped the spec and slashed the price

Not sure how that would affect the price of a used ranger now but in 2010 used rangers with more bling were being advertised for the same price as a new stripped ranger cuz Ford knocked 6600$ off the Rangers on the Ford.ca so they were selling those bone stock power nothing/AC/4x4/4.0L/ex-cab for slightly narth of 19K … curious what you paid after 5 yrs?

200hp out of 4L is hardly earth shattering and face it the design is 20 yrs out of date, the ride is 20 yrs out of date but its a good cheap reliable truck, I think at the time it may have been the cheapest new 4x4 I could buy

Absolutely agree. I paid $13k for a 2010 truck with 110,000kms on it. Comparing to the price they were being sold for new in 2010 is a little painful, but I didn't need a truck in 2010, so c'est la vie. Based on options available today, this is by far the best value, so long as you don't need modern luxuries like electric windows and heated seats.

And yeah, it's a feat of engineering how Ford extract so little power out of a 4.0l V6 but, at the end of the day, I suspect the low compression tune contributes to the reliability and longevity of the motor, so again, I'll take it.

For all the Ford Ranger fanboys on here (and with no help to OP) Car and driver reported that they may return to North America in 2019, so if you've got time, it might be your next truck
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/2019-ford-ranger-25-cars-worth-waiting-for-feature

And yeah, it's a feat of engineering how Ford extract so little power out of a 4.0l V6…

:lol:

Probably as you stated, and maybe for gas mileage.

Absolutely agree. I paid $13k for a 2010 truck with 110,000kms on it. Comparing to the price they were being sold for new in 2010 is a little painful, but I didn't need a truck in 2010, so c'est la vie. Based on options available today, this is by far the best value, so long as you don't need modern luxuries like electric windows and heated seats.

And yeah, it's a feat of engineering how Ford extract so little power out of a 4.0l V6 but, at the end of the day, I suspect the low compression tune contributes to the reliability and longevity of the motor, so again, I'll take it.

Yeah but 13K is probably what a 5 yr old ranger is worth, consider it could be worse, say 5 years ago if you were trying to sell a loaded but used 2008 you paid 26K for, you might well have been underwater on the loan. The advertised price on a 2010 was 19K and if you had a costco card it would be close to 18K, they were shipping them by the auto-carrier load to the Ford dealers

I wonder how this ^^ affects the used price on [HTML_REMOVED]2010 rangers and I think some of the older rangers would be more loaded, my neighbor has a 2007 with more options and I think he paid 15000 a couple years ago

Ford is getting 368hp out of their eco boost which is only 3.5L I duno how much maintenance they need, I know I haven't done anything to the 4.0L motor just oil/airfilter/ and maybe a gas filter and it feels the same as it did 5 yrs ago, I only drive 15000kms a year but if I was spending a lot of time in front of the windshield I would buy something a little nicer

the 4L gets about 27 on the highway 18 towing a boler but it is the same really stable power with absolutely zero costs after 5 yrs

In comparison 27 was about what I got on the 3L V6 Toyo in my 4-runer with much less power IF it was in good tune SO that meant how good were the valves adjusted/what state are the plugs/ and then the cost of timing belts cost/ pay to re-grease the hubs …much higher cost of ownership

I am assuming the newer toyos are also more refined and cost less??