I'm happy with my Ranger. When I got it it was a toss up between it and an F-150. I chose the Ranger because it does a lot better on gas. I get up to 22 mpg on the highway (before mods), where I'm guessing most F-150's would be at best 17-18 with V-8's. I know my boss's 99 5.4 gets about 16 with 3.55 gears. Don't even consider the 3.0 IMO, it doesn't do much better on gas than a 4.0 and has no power in comparison, especially if you're going to be hauling several people around a lot. I don't really like Dakotas, get horrible mileage and not much more room inside than a Ranger eeven though they are wider and longer.