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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Trucks / May 2007

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Decisions, decisions... F150 or Ranger

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Lars Thorwald - 25 May 2007 03:17 GMT
Howdy all,

On Saturday, I totaled my 2000 Ranger in a really horrible accident and Im
lucky to be here.  I believe that from every bad experience, something good
happens.  In my case, I get to buy a new truck.  Im totally sold on the
Ranger especially due to the safety features, but I wouldnt mind a F150.
Both are kind of close in cost to the version and features Im looking for
with the 150 being a bit more expensive in comparision.  Between the two, is
one better than the other for reliability or performance.  Whats your
opinion on both?  Anything will help me in my ultimate decision.

Thanks

Steve
JohnR66 - 25 May 2007 03:43 GMT
> Howdy all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Steve
Both trucks seem to have good crash ratings. It depends on what you collided
with. Colliding with other vehicles, the heavier vehicle (F150) would be
safer (in general people, let not argue about rollovers and such). Colliding
with an immovable object makes little difference. I saw a tractor trailer
rig collide with an apparently pretty strong steel electic pole. The pole
didn't budge and the tractor was demolished.

The next question is if you will need to tow anything or have a need for a
larger bed. For me, I'm sticking with my 4 Cyl Ranger. I don't tow, the bed
is large enough for my needs and I get 27 mpg and once got 34 on a hiway
trip. Very nice when gas is 3.50 a gallon here (freaking insane).
John
Lars Thorwald - 25 May 2007 04:46 GMT
Hey John,

I should have mentioned that I dont tow anything and use my truck for the
typical use of the average driver...hauling purchases, moving every now and
then etc.  My wrecked Ranger got great gas mileage and Im hoping whatever I
get will be ok by comparision.  Safety features are a huge concern to me.
When I had my accident, I hit a Toyota 4 Runner and Im pretty sure I totaled
it as well.  I figure if Im in another Ranger, Ill be at least as safe as I
was in the 2000 model and if Im in a 150, I might even fare better.  Its fun
to have to make this decision though. :-)

>> Howdy all,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> hiway trip. Very nice when gas is 3.50 a gallon here (freaking insane).
> John
Eisboch - 25 May 2007 08:10 GMT
>> The next question is if you will need to tow anything or have a need for
>> a larger bed. For me, I'm sticking with my 4 Cyl Ranger. I don't tow, the
>> bed is large enough for my needs and I get 27 mpg and once got 34 on a
>> hiway trip. Very nice when gas is 3.50 a gallon here (freaking insane).
>> John

The four cylinder may give that kind of mileage, but the 4.0 L  V6 sure
doesn't.

I just bought a new, Ranger FX4 Level II.  I like it so far and the fact
that it can tow light trailers, but the fuel mileage is not any better than
the F-350 Powerstroke monster that I traded in.
JohnR66 - 25 May 2007 12:50 GMT
>>> The next question is if you will need to tow anything or have a need for
>>> a larger bed. For me, I'm sticking with my 4 Cyl Ranger. I don't tow,
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> that it can tow light trailers, but the fuel mileage is not any better
> than the F-350 Powerstroke monster that I traded in.

I had a 4.0 L 4x4 '98 and I got between 15 and 20 mpg.  The 3.0L is not much
better. The 4 Cyl has 5 less HP yet far better fuel economy than the 3.0L
The 3.0L does not make any sense these days.
John
DanKMTB@gmail.com - 25 May 2007 14:13 GMT
> I had a 4.0 L 4x4 '98 and I got between 15 and 20 mpg.  The 3.0L is not much
> better.

I've got a 98 3.0 4x4 ranger that gets 20ish.  If I spend a lot of
time in 4x4 & city I can get in the teens, but commuting I'm in the
low 20's.

> The 4 Cyl has 5 less HP yet far better fuel economy than the 3.0L
> The 3.0L does not make any sense these days.

While it's only got 5 more HP, HP is not always a big factor buying a
truck.  For the daily driver that hauls some groceries HP may play a
decent factor, but for traditional "truck" uses (i.e. hauling a heavy
load in the bed, towing, 4x4ing, etc) torque is the number to look
at.

You'll notice the 3.0 has 26 more lb-ft of torque, which is just over
17% of the 4cyl's overall torque.  That's a difference you can feel,
and a big deal with a full load or heavy trailer when coming into a
hill.

The 4cyl's HP also comes in later than the 3.0, requiring you to rev
the engine more to get that HP for passing & accelerating.  Many
drivers, especially truck drivers like the power on demand lower in
the RPM's.  The 3.0 delivers that package far better than the 4cyl.
DanKMTB@gmail.com - 25 May 2007 14:01 GMT
> >> The next question is if you will need to tow anything or have a need for
> >> a larger bed. For me, I'm sticking with my 4 Cyl Ranger. I don't tow, the
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> that it can tow light trailers, but the fuel mileage is not any better than
> the F-350 Powerstroke monster that I traded in.

What is that mileage?  My father drives an 06 F250 FX4 Lariat and gets
10mpg.  I drive a 98 ranger w/ a 3.0L 6 that gets 20ish.  Granted, his
truck is twice the size.  I'm curious how your new truck is doing for
mileage.
Eisboch - 25 May 2007 21:12 GMT
>> I just bought a new, Ranger FX4 Level II.  I like it so far and the fact
>> that it can tow light trailers, but the fuel mileage is not any better
>> than
>> the F-350 Powerstroke monster that I traded in.

> What is that mileage?  My father drives an 06 F250 FX4 Lariat and gets
> 10mpg.  I drive a 98 ranger w/ a 3.0L 6 that gets 20ish.  Granted, his
> truck is twice the size.  I'm curious how your new truck is doing for
> mileage.

So far the Ranger is getting around 17 overall.  The F350 was a diesel
(6.0L) and it got about 17 overall as well.

I suspect your father's F250 is probably the V10 gasser.  My son had one and
also got about 10 mpg.

Eisboch
DanKMTB@gmail.com - 29 May 2007 17:55 GMT
> <DanK...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> Eisboch

Thanks for the reply.  My dads truck is actually a V8 gasser, but it's
a 4 door w/ the lariet package (which I hear adds a bit of weight), a
tool box, tools & lumber, etc.  It's never empty, it's definatly a
work truck.  I imagine the truck would get better mileage as an office
commuter, but probably not too much better.
Jeff Strickland - 25 May 2007 16:05 GMT
If you REALLY need a truck, the F150 is the better choice. If you just want
the features of a truck -- ability to haul stuff once in a while -- the
Ranger is probably the way to go. I also need a truck -- I'm currently out
of a '95 Bronco -- and the F150 or F250 is my target. The Ranger is no
better for me than the Bronco.

> Howdy all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Steve

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