Midsize trucks never get the rebates/incentives that full size trucks do.

They're advertising up to $16K off F-150s and Ram 1500s right now. When was the last time you saw $16k off a Ranger, Colorado, Tacoma, etc? Never. It's virtually impossible to even get $5k off a midsize truck.

 

Yeah but you're not comparing equivalent trim lines.

an STX F-150 is still an XL...that $40k ranger is almost certainly a Lariat with more features. I know a lot of us prefer a more basic truck, but for the average consumer, it's about the toys and gizmos. The midsize truck segment is exploding for a reason....lots of people in cities who need a small pickup to accommodate their lifestyle/hobbies, but don't need one as big as an F-150. And parking can be a real nightmare in some cities. In Vegas I get along just fine driving an F-150 everywhere, but I could see how it would be a pain in the Bay area or back east somewhere.

Different tools for different jobs.

 

I spotted a 3 Rangers in the wild when I was in Indianapolis last week. All super crew, couldn't tell if they were XLT or Lariat.

 

But...that STX XL F-150 is equipped more nicely than the Lariat Ranger. And don't forget that even the XLT Ranger can hit $40K VERY quickly. The guy still saved $10,000 on a nicer, more capable truck.

The midsize truck market is certainly growing. No doubt about that. But sales are still WAYYY below full size trucks.

I know a lot of guys that went to the dealership to buy midsize and left with a fullsize. Reason is because the midsize isn't much smaller at all, and the fullsize can be bought for the same or less money.

 

How do you figure? Led headlights/foglights, heated leather seats, b&o sound system, remote start, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise. I am missing something I know. Sure an XL STX f150 today is a nicely equipped truck, but it is not by any stretch of the imagination a luxury oriented truck.

"Value" isn't what is driving the majority of the sales in this market, its want. People want a smaller truck option.

 

Equipped like that, you're talking a top of the line Lariat model, and then you're well north of $40k. Probably north of $45k.

I agree that guys want the smaller truck. Which is what all of the guys I mentioned wanted when they showed up at the dealership to look at them. But $10,000 isn't anything to sneeze at, and you'd have to want that smaller truck really bad to pay more money for less truck.

When I bought my Ranger new, value was the key. And I personally don't think that's changed as much as some folks believe.

 

A base Lariat is still much better equipped than an STX F150, hell carpet is an option on the STX. I can tell you the person looking for leather seats, push to start, led lights..ect is not the same buyer looking at a STX F150.

I did a build and price for both trucks as comparable as I could.

f150, crew, 4x4 5.0 XL STX came out to $48,500

ranger, crew, Lariat, 4x4, navigation, b&o sound, tow pkg, fx4..ect came to $43,300

I can tell you if I was looking at a high end Ranger I would be cross shopping a minimum Lariat F150 that would be touching 60K if not higher.

compare apples to apples XL STX trucks and we are talking 10k price difference. Nothing to sneeze at.

 

 

Sure, and I understand that. But again apples to apples the Ranger is still cheaper. Now is it cheaper enough to justify? Thats strictly a personal question. I know for me cross shopping Lariat trucks the F150 with every dollar you can get off it will still be a mid $50k truck, vs a Lariat Ranger I've got a price on locally with no rebates or incentives at $42k OTD. That plus the smaller size may be enough to sway some, some are willing to pay whatever to have a smaller truck (I know a few) and then some find it a huge waste of time and money with the "might as well get a full-size" opinion. None of those thoughts are wrong as they are all an opinion.

 

I would guess that the problem is not the lack of "cooled seats" or a manual sliding rear window. Smart truck shoppers are:

1. Waiting for Ranger prices to come down (aka rebates and discounts will increase), and

2. Waiting for a while to see if there are any problems. Being the "first one on your block" to buy any new vehicle means that you become a guinea pig for possible problems. The Ranger is not all-new, but with its new US production, has many new parts, systems, and suppliers. If Boeing can mess up 737 Max 8 angle of attack sensors and software, Ford's suppliers can also mess up some electronic parts or systems somewhere...

 

all them korean electronics dont add any value to me.

 

I did see one Ranger on the road this past weekend, a white crew cab. That's the first I've seen in the wild. I know in my area of Pittsburgh, many of the large volume Ford dealers are just now starting to get any kind of selection. This is almost April and there are some smaller dealers who still don't have any. Those big volume dealers might have 4 or 5 Rangers in their inventory, compared with 2-3 dozen F-150's. That's why we're not seeing too many on the roads just yet. For whatever reason Ford is taking their sweet ol' time in rolling this one out.
As Russ was saying, if you compare equal trim lines on the Ranger vs. F-150 there is at least a $10-15k difference in STICKER PRICE. I don't care what some local dealer is advertising F-150's at in your neck of the woods, because his price may only apply to one particular truck at that one particular dealer. If that's the case it's most likely a fleet special with crank windows and vinyl seats that no one else wants. There are some dealers where you're lucky to get more than $5k off an F-150, regardless of trim. I know of one here in Pittsburgh that is advertising brand new XLT's at or near $50,000! According to Ford's website a Ranger XLT 4x4 starts in the low $30's and goes up to almost $40k depending on cab configuration and other options. I've seen some dealers already offering as much as $1200 off a Ranger while some are demanding not a penny less than full sticker. And that's a brand new model that has been much anticipated. If you're going to compare prices you need to compare full MSRP on both trucks of comparable trim lines. Out the Door price varies too much depending on any number of factors to be considered a reliable source of information.
So when you take all of this into consideration, there is a lot of value in the Ranger already. There will likely be even more in another year or two after this model has been around for some time; after the hype cools off, and Ford has had some time to make whatever small improvements to it that need to be made.

 

F-150s for $13k-$15k off MSRP is pretty standard around here. And these are not strippers. XLT SuperCrews, 4x4, 2.7 EB, Chrome and tow package, etc. MSRP between $45k and $49K.

Sorry if I offend, but anyone who pays anything near MSRP for any brand of 1/2 ton is a fool.

MSRPs on 1/2 ton trucks are complete fiction. I have bought numerous pickups over the years, 1/2 and 3/4 ton. 25% off MSRP is my starting point and I usually get 30% off. Yes, you heard correctly. My last F250 was a 2016 XLT, Crewcab, 6.7L, 4x4. MSRP was almost $57k. I bought it for $40k. OK. Not quite a 30% discount. I guess I was having an off day.

There are a lot of good reasons to buy any of the smaller pickups, Ranger, Colorado, Ridgeline, etc. But value is not one of them , unless you stick with a base model 4 cyl, stick shift.