I'm selling my bronco tomorrow morning and hopefully getting another job here soon, I wanted to either get a late 90's to early 2000s f150 or ranger. I don't really tow anything, maybe a really small uhaul trailer once a year, so nothing big. I go offroading and shooting a lot, and I don't haul a whole lot in the bed, sure , I run the occasional couch of mattress to a friends, that kinda stuff, but its not like i haul a bed full of rocks are something.

So at this point I'm thinking a ranger, but what are your guys input on this?

 

As somebody that used to run a Ford Ranger club, I'm a little impartial to the smaller truck. But I have also owned effies. Rangers do have some good off-road capabilities, the idea that they get better mileage however is a myth, the slight bit that they may be better is barely noticeable. The main advantage to the smaller truck is that you can get into tighter spots with it (i.e. while off-road or in mall parking lots)

I know you mentioned that you rarely tow but in those years your looking at, the Sport 4x4 with the 4.0 has the same rated tow cap. as an f150 with a 4.6 and 3.73 gears (7000lbs)

 

Truck size for size and capability, I feel the Ranger is over priced for what you get.
Anything but a 4 cylinder manuel 2 wd won't be much better on fuel mileage.
Good luck.

 

Depends on your area, up here in the land of salted roads and rusty rockers Rangers stand up to it way better then effies and are a dime a dozen, where if you can actually find a 10+ yr old F150 that isn't rotten beyond repair you pay an arm and a leg.

 

I'm not worried about mpg. Just what will last longer and be more reliable.

 

In case you aren't aware, the 1997-1998 F150 4.2 had a intake manifold gasket problem that has left many a truck stranded do to hydrolock. Affected some 250,000 F150s....and counting. My low mileage 1997 died last year and I actually purchase a very nice 1998 that hydrolocked just so I could do a V8 swap. Very happy with that.

 

How bout the 98-2005 rangers?

 

My brother has a 2003 Ranger with over 205,000 and still going strong.

 

Rangers are pretty bullet proof. My cousins 95 has around 200k and still going strong (3.0 5spd) he beats the living **** out of it. actually he just broke a leaf spring because he over loads it so much, but the drive train runs perfect. Rangers are great, but I personally just like full size trucks. As mentioned, the 4x4 4.0 rangers don't get any better mileage than the 150s my 97 4.6 4x4 gets close to 17 in the summer, very similar to what a 4x4 4.0 ranger would get. my cousin says he gets about 20-22 with his 3.0 5spd

 

I'll probably get a ranger then, in this area a early 2000 ranger is a little cheaper and less beat up then a 150. My dream is to have a 350, like my brothers, but that's not practical for me, and to costly.