A Far Too Brief History of The Ford Ranger - From the Courier to Today!
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- Опубліковано 12 кві 2024
- #ACwJ #fordranger
This.... is a Far Too Brief History of the Ford Ranger!
From it's early days as the Mazda-based Courier to today, the Ranger has been a global sales success.
But it's not always been easy for the Ranger!
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The Ranger and S10s of the 80s and 90s were perfect little trucks. The new Ranger and Colorado are way too big and overpriced.
The Ranger was styled bigger, because, as a 'for the world' design, it is for markets that don't have the full size trucks
The current Maverick is what the Ranger used to be. The current Ranger is essentially what a F-150 used to be.
@@trainglen22The Ranger had a 6.5’ bed. The new Maverick has a pathetic bed and still somehow manages to be nearly a foot longer
@@adeedaas it (the Maverick) definitely looks longer than it actually is.
That's right they need to return to true compact size for customers who don't need a huge full size pick up.
I still have a 1992 ranger I bought new. 2.3 engine and 5 speed manual. Its got way over 400,000 miles still has original motor and transmission.
Have my 92, 3.0 5 speed and 405k miles, daily driver for last 30 years
That’s insane
I got a 1993 2.3 with a little over 500,000 I got it for free a few years ago and everything was all OEM parts things started going bad at 400,000 miles
One of the toughest little trucks ever built I've owned 3 in my life time got one of them now😊
I liked the days when the Japanese and Americans could work together to make compact pickups. For example; Isuzu with GM, Mazda with Ford, and Mitsubishi with Chrysler. Those were the days…
Toyota with lexus
@@kc0lifBoth Toyota and Lexus are Japanese.
Those were some good days though I think their partnerships were more about acquisitions, tariffs and chicken taxes than 'working' together per se.
@@warrennyChiken tax. Yep.
They were reliable compact pickup trucks aside from Toyota Hilux and Datsun 1300, and 1600 trucks. I wish i could have all 5 of those Japanese made compact pickup trucks. 😂😅
The Ranger has grown so big and so far from their roots. I guess the Maverick is now for filling that size gap.
Interesting video. I like compact trucks.👍
Actually Ranger was a fullsize truck! Research it..
@@mypronouniswtf5559 Of course they made a full size, he is referring to the smaller ones as this video is showing. You don't have to use an exclamation mark, when trying to get your point across.
@@Olds_Pwr if they don't use an exclamation point, how can we tell if they are really serious!!?
Jk. Yeah, it's annoying.
I had an 85 ranger in high school until I wrecked it.. loved that truck. Bought a 94 and that truck could drive through anything. Had it for over ten years and eventually gave it to my useless brother. I still see it driving around town every now and then.
Absolutely love Rangers, especially the 83-88 year models. I own a fully restored 88' Extended Cab XLT 2.9L 4x4 '5 Speed.
Always fun when you had to explain to the person at the parts counter why you needed 8 spark plugs for a 4 cylinder engine.
The round areo body and doors combined with the body on frame construction made the 1998 Ranger one of the best little vehicles ever built in America.
I hold the Ranger in very high regard. I learned to drive on my dad’s 1987 2wd S model…a stripped down model with the 2.0l 4, long throw manual shift, no power steering or power brakes. To say it was frightening to drive at first was an understatement! But over time I really enjoyed driving it.
I then bought my own 2000 Ranger XLT super cab as a lightly used model in 2005. It had a few more bells and whistles than the ‘87 with the 3.0 V6 and 4WD. It was sturdy and dependable truck I owned for 10 years.
I really wish these small and affordable trucks would make a comeback. The Maverick/Ridgeline/Santa Cruz just doesn’t do it for me.
87 came with a 2.9 V6. The 3.0 wasn’t introduced until later on
Dad was a roofer and did very well one year with sales. The owner of the company bought him a loaded splash as a thank you. My dad drove it straight to the body shop and had all the decals removed the first day.
LOL!
"I appreciate it, but let's make it look less 'valley girl'?"
With the latest Ford Ranger I think Ford doing away with the extended cab version of the Ranger was a big mistake on their part. Not everyone needs a four door pickup truck with a short bed.
The new Ranger is the european Ranger with the most noticable only two changes is LHD and no diesel option.
@@ItsDaJax the other noticeable changes being SuperCab 6" and Regular Cab 7' 5" bed being available overseas and a 6 spd manual option.
I understand Ford not wanting to bring the regular cab long bed but I saw the previous gen Super Cab quite often maybe 1 out of 5 of the Rangers I've seen in CA so it seemed quite narrowminded to let that 20% of the customers go.
I love the 00s Ford Ranger. Now that is the quintessential truck! Forget a maverick, gimme a 11!
I’m not the biggest Ford fan but much respect to the dependable little truck.
They're not so little anymore. They're about as big as an F150 from a few generations ago.
They were dependable!!!
Easy to fix and strong but, I feel like the Tacoma ate Ranger lunch.
@@tinleo333
Unless the frame rusted in half.
@@jefferyepstein9210 We don't have rust problems in the south!
I miss compact pickups. They are what most of us need when you think about it. The pendulum has swung so far toward giant luxo-trucks, I feel like it will start to swing back at some point. Yes, the Maverick exists. But it needs more competition
Boy did these turn out to be amazing trucks here in the southwest.... Absolutely blew up with aftermarket and dezert racing. Amazing trucks with the I beam and ripping through the dezert with endless aftermarket mods available!
Bought my daughter a 89 xcab, v6, stickshift Ranger from the towyard for $500 for her 1st truck. Father and daughter project and we built it from the ground up in the garage together. Great truck build, amazing memories in the dezert ripping.
My favorite truck and SUV. I have owned 3 bronco 2s and 2 rangers all from the 80s and early 90s. They are easy to work on and have endless modification.
In the hot rodding world, I've never understood why the second and third generation Rangers weren't as popular to V8 swap as the S-10 was. With an S-10, you either had to buy aftermarket swap parts or fabricate your own. With the Ranger, you could do the swap with factory parts robbed off of a second generation V8 Explorer in the junk yard. I also found it weird that Ford only offered the V8 in the four-door Explorers, and not the two-door. That swap is even easier- rob the 5.0, it's mounts, the engine bay wiring and the computer out of a four-door and put it in the two-door. Either way, Ranger or 2-door Explorer, all the popular bolt-on Fox-body engine mods were available for your pleasure. But somehow, V8 S-10s and Blazers are more popular.
My guess is because the S10 already had the 4L60 transmission so it was ready for a V8 swap while the Rangers and V6 Explorers used a lighter duty transmission A4LD/4R44/4R55 instead of the beefier 4R70W that bolts right into any 5.0 EFI / 4.6 or 5.4 engine. Yes you can source the engine and transmission from a junked Explorer, Thunderbird, F150 or Crown Vic but it ended up being more expensive + bolt ons to get comparable power to let's say an LS or SBC with Vortec heads
The Bronco II was replaced by the Explorer in 1991, not '99
Electric shifted transfer cases ("touch drive") started back in 1986. Before the 1989 restyle, the switches were in a small overhead console above the rearview mirror.
I learned to drive in a ‘72-1/2 Courier. Manual everything. Also my introduction into automotive maintenance. Considering how much I punished it, it was a great little truck (minus the rust of course). It had at least as much if not more legroom from what I remember than our 2000 Tacoma did.
@4:47 damn, that’s a sharp looking little pickup… I’d love to find a single cab long-bed first gen Ranger in that kind of shape.
1st gen rangers just had a good look, with two tone paints, lots of trim level variability and all that.
All i know is, I constantly get asked about how bad my MPG is on my 2015 tundra, but TBH, it's equal to or better than the MPGs i got in my 94 4.0 2wd ranger LOL.
Good truck, great motor, but man, around town? she'd do 13 on a good day. sold her and got an 87 F-150 with a 5.0 and got the same mileage LMAO
Growing up, I remember our family's workhorse yellow '78 Courier whose cab and bed faded differently. Now I know why.... bed added later- painted separately- likely a different formulation reacting differently as the truck aged.
Rangers were decent. All the little pickups were until they succumbed to the American diet. My 84 B2000 was one of the best trucks I have ever had. It was much better than the 87 Dakota I traded it for.
In late 2014 I bought a used 2007 Ranger with ~123,000 miles on it. It was as basic as a truck could be: rubber mat floorboard, 5-speed manual, 2.3L 4-banger, manual windows, etc.. Prior owner(s) had installed a full bed liner and a truck box tool carrier. Mileage kinda sucked for what it had, but it was actually fun to drive. This did not have extended cab-- basic. The engine was insanely dependable, never had any problems with it for the 8 years I had it. It creaked and groaned as it moved-- there was nothing to lubricate to fix that... progress? All joints were sealed permanently. The starter finally died, and I'm past my prime for such repairs-- sold it and bought a slightly newer used truck 2 years ago. Ford used to be good at bringing out very basic transportation that was budget-priced (like the old '60s Falcons), with bullet-proof engines. But when old badges are later reused, they're insanely upgraded light-years beyond the budget-friendly roots they came from. Disappointing. The "new" Rangers cost both your first-born and second-born sons to buy, and they have teeny-tiny little truck beds-- kinda useless.
Unlike a lot of enthusiasts of the early Ranger I actually really like the new truck of ‘19-23. I’ve driven several of them and find them to be a very solid truck and very maneuverable, especially when compared to the F150 which has become way too large.
Unfortunately with the end of the US built Ranger, Ford's Twin Cities plant in St. Paul MN was closed. The plant was a steady source of employment beginning with Model T production. The site is being redeveloped but the jobs have gone.
Dam shame.
Well the Ranger is also was built in the last Ford plant in New Jersey in Edison.
The new ranger is made in Michigan. The engine is built in Spain.
@@joshuaatkinson5810 You might find ones with engines Made in Thailand, probably the more reliable ones has an engine made in China.
Im still partial to the original 83 ranger. Perfect small pickuo with lots of option availability to personalize it how each owner wanted. I have an 84 reg cab with the 2.8V6 in my fleet.
Dear old dad had a 1st gen Courier. I still haven't forgiven him for selling it just as I turned 16. It was a nifty little truck. An over caffeinated turtle would beat it in a quarter mile, but it was small and actually fun to drive. I don't recall any reliability issues with it, either.
My dad bought the Courier in 79.....sky blue with the long bed. It was still slow. Still ugly. still uncomfortable.
But it is one of the things I remember about my childhood.
@@warrenny Ours was that same color, but short bed and automatic.
@@ianperkins8812 oh, you got the luxury package....with automatic trans! lol.
The manual was not fun. It was the old fashioned kind that required a long travel. It was squeaky and had a pretty heavy spring.
By the time I was old enough to drive it, it needed super unleaded to keep it from clacking under any type of acceleration.....my father regularly exceeded the load capacity and drove across country like that.
@@warrenny Old dad traveled in his frequently - I remember coming home from a trip to the mountains on a Sunday in a snowstorm. He put chains on the wheels, so I don't think we went over about 40 the whole time.
I had a 92 ford ranger back in the 90's and although it was pretty much a lemon I had several issues with it right after I bought and it only had 30,000 miles on it but I I got the issues fixed and over the course of 5 to 6 years of owning it I had to have 3 trannys replaced one of those was due to one of them not put together right. but the 3rd one was a charm and the same year I drove it from Minnesota to Florida and back. It was a great truck and it was tough for the first few years I had it I delivered pizzas with it and it wasn't a 4X4 either I just put snow tires on it or at tires on it and it handled great in the winter here in Minnesota. The one I had was a single cab v6 engine and mine was a XLT and I didn't have a/c or cruise in it either.
Ah yes, I owned a 1972 Courier 1.8L. That thing had to rev REALLY high to (barely) make expressway speeds. Clearly we have gone too far, as there is no such thing as a new small truck in the US.
Due to conflicting Government regulations. Small, lightweight trucks fall under passenger car regulations re safety and emissions. Larger, heavier trucks are exempt from many of these. In order to get more people into safer, more efficient vehicles, these regulations and exemptions have done the EXACT OPPOSITE!
@@danielulz1640 Screw the Chicken Tax!
Over the years I've had a 83 xlt an 87 xlt both with the 7' bed with the 2.3 right now there's a 04 with the 3.0. loved everyone one of them
It's really sad you can't get a manual transmission on a Ranger anymore. You can get a 7 speed manual on the Bronco and they are both built on Ford's T6 platform, so it's not going to increase engineering and manufacturing costs. I just dont get it. There are plenty of people who want a manual. Before any idiot chimes in about it sucks driving a manual in traffic, go drive one with a modern hydraulic clutch. It takes about as much effort as the gas pedal.
Kinda hard for the average American to shift gears while eating a Big Mac drinking a big gulp and posting to social media while driving around 😂😂
@@jefferyepstein9210 That might be true for the average American, but there are outliers. There has to be some money to be made by offering a manual to maybe 5% or more of buyers who would want one considering it is already an option on that platform. There are sales that could be stolen from Tacomas, especially considering they only offer a MT on their high end trims. 15% of Bronco sales have a MT and it's only available on the 4 cylinder. It would be even higher if it was offered on the V6 engines,
@@Noneofyourbusiness2000 as much as I would want one, Ford seems to want well beyond 5% of the sales for a business case. If they let go the Super Cab 6" bed which was over 10% of sales I don't believe they care for 5% for a manual transmission they'd have to certify and EPA rate for the Ranger which is an expense they don't think they can get a payback from.
On paper the 2024 Ranger is underwhelming. I like the truck but it's got a few missed opportunities which I would order like this (my opinion):
1. No Super Cab 6' option anymore
2. No Crew Cab with longer bed
3. No split rear bench seat nor rear A/C vents. This criticism was made with the last gen so Ford didn't listen. And the overseas trucks can have rear A/C vents to add more insult. Maybe these will be added on a refresh?
4. No V6 at launch
5. No Manual transmission
6. Power and torque unchanged from last generation. The Mustang is getting dual injection for the 2.3 Ecoboost, why didn't the Ranger get it as well?
I could live without any of these but when some competitors offer a few of those items while being the same price (or less) than a new Ranger it makes me wonder why would I settle with one of these?
@@engineer_alv the Raptor is pretty cool, but still wouldn't get one with an automatic.
My American grandpa has a early 2000s Explorer pickup.
You forgot in 2003 they had a FX4 Level II option that was a carry over from the 2002 FX4 package renamed.
I had a 97 standard cab, stepside (non splash) with the 2.3 and a 5 speed, and this thing was S L O W. But this little turd was more dependable than gravity and THRIVED on neglect. A very tough little guy that I beat on daily like it owed me money.
A very good episode (I LOVE your “far too brief” videos. Always well researched and well laid out.
My only complaint… the Lima engine… it wasn’t built nor named for Lima Peru, it was built and named for Lima Ohio. If you’ve never been there, don’t go. It’s a merged up crime ridden shithole. I live there a couple years and never felt comfortable nor safe.
BUT… it’s not pronounced the same. In typical yankee fashion, we screwed up the name and it is pronounced Lima… like the Lima Bean.
Thanks for the info. I mispronounce things here in vids (I know...) but for words I'm unsure of I now always go try to find it spoken so I know how it's pronounced.
At no point did I ever question how I said "Lima". Geez...
Appreciate it!
@@AllCarswithJon
LOL!!!! You’re good Jon! EVERYONE says it wrong.
They made the top half of military tanks there… the turret. I was a tank mechanic so it was mentioned there from time to time. I was told I was wrong… even though I lived there!
I've owned my 2000 3.0 4x4 since 05, best reliable vehicle I've ever owned..it's gonna be my sins first truck.
Not normally a truck guy, but for 6-7 years, had a Ford Ranger, 1992 STX, 4.0 L V6, with 5Spd, 2WD. It did me good during the time I had it, got it to about 237K before I traded it in, and lasted several snows, including the 2008 Snowmageddon that fell upon Seattle, the snow/ice/freezing rain storm of 2012.
Part of why it did well in the snow was it had the matching color fiberglass canopy that put the weight over the rear wheels.
That truck grew on me and have a fond spot for it. Now I drive a 2003 Mazda P5 wagon.
I checked out the new Ranger when it was rereleased, but the dealer mark-up made it more than the F-150 (4x4, 4 door, with the big entertainment center) was going for $80,000 here in Oklahoma. At the same dealership an F-150 with a few more bells was around $40- $60,000.
In 1984 I was working at a hotel and the elevator mechanic had a 4x4 Ranger lifted with big tires. It looked awesome and I wanted one. In 1986 I bought a brand new Forest Green Ranger for $7,200. Unfortunately I didn't get a 4x4 so I had to use air bags in the front springs to be able to clear the 31" tires. I chose the American Racing wheels that look exactly like the wheels Ford started putting on the Ranger a year or two later. (as seen at 6:47) Mine was a 5 speed manual and I learned to drive manual on that vehicle. It was a fun little truck. I just wish it had more power because those 31' tires didn't make getting up to highway speed very easy.
i had a ranger but liked my chevy luv much more
I love Ford Rangers! The trucks from the 80’s and 90’s were the best in my opinion. Dad had an 86 Supercab that I learned to drive on and then drove it through high school and college till the little 4 cylinder finally gave out in 1997 after a lot of abuse. Later on I bought a used 1995 Ranger Supercab with the old 3.0 Vulcan v6. That was a great truck that was a lot more confident on the highway with the V6 than my 2.3 truck had been. That 95 was also a much more comfortable truck too in terms of noise and ride. Not to disparage my beloved 86 though. Among all my friends at the time “Grumpy” was a legend in his own time!
The company I worked for in the early 1980’s had a Ranger as a run around vehicle. They sent me out a windy day to deliver some documents. I remember driving into a headwind and barely being able to achieve highway speed with the 4 banger and auto transmission. Being young I did not consider dropping the tailgate to improve aerodynamics.
Cool Mazda truck starring in original H50 episode Hawaiian Nightmare co starring James Olsen Thanks!
I haven't seen a Sport-Trac on the road in so long I forgot they even existed.
There are entire aftermarket catalogs for the Sport-Trac... rebuilding one is still cheaper than a new Ranger!
Bought a 94 4.0 5spd new with 16 miles after test drive and still original transmission and motor with well over 300,000 miles and always been a good truck with few issues and has out lasted many s10s 😂and other makes and models of vehicles...I can't drive anywhere without seeing many other 20 and 30 yr old rangers ❤ #FFR 💪😁
You are a very good commentator, specially how you cover them all and the history, I thought you would miss the Sport track variant but you covered it very very well!
Appreciate that! When covering long histories I sometimes forget to add some offshoot, or if it's a different but related vehicle and don't mention it, the audience always points it out!
@@AllCarswithJon absolutely I cannot think of the many accounts I follow where a lot of the special credits or variants of things get left out, love your channel!
My first Ranger was a '94 Splash. Loved that truck. Was useless in the snow. Traded it for a new 2000 4x4. Still driving the 2000 & my old '94 was bought by a guy in my town & is still on the road! I run into him periodically; we're thinking of starting a Ford Ranger club...😊
I had an 88 stx 4x4 supercab....It was the best put together most dependable truck I've ever had....and I've had a few.
I see the new Ranger as a perfectly capable vehicle, but I'd love to have a Maverick-size truck with a longer bed. Possibly a new member of the Bronco mini-brand? I like the front of the Bronco Sport better than the current Maverick.
I'm pretty sure it will be several years before small trucks start reappearing, though.
I bought a short bed Ranger in 88, it cost around $8700 new. It was a very basic truck.
I have a 99 ranger i will never get rid of but my favorite model is the 2011 4x4 ranger
The 2nd gen ranger looks similar to the 88-93 fox body mustang.
I have an 83 Ranger I've owned for 34 years. It has over 400K miles on it (yes, engine and trans have been rebuilt). Still my most reliable vehicle. I'll probably be buried in it, LOL.
Would love to get a ford everest, which i believe you dont get in the states. Its an suv based on the ranger platform
I had a 2007 sport Trac and it was more gas efficiency then a Mazda b3000. And it handled better. Not putting ranger down tho I own one and I love my new danger ranger 2019.
I had a 1971 Ford Ranger F-250 390 4bbl..also a few mid 70's Ranger's all fullsize trucks they shrunk them in the 80's..I bought and sold them never daily rides for me.
I had a 98 long bed 2.5 4 cyl and an 04 super cab 3.0 6 cyl
I still drive my B2300 2006. It’s a Mazda but the door sticker says built by Ford. It has 351000 miles and runs great no rust never wrecked. Yes it burns oil but it doesn’t leak oil. 5 speed manual. Great little trucks. 😊
Thanks for posting this, it's a very interesting video. Last September, I bought a 2004 Ranger from my neighbor so my teenage boys and I would have a project to work on together and bond in the garage. We were super lucky to find a replacement pickup box for it since the original one had really rusted. A flare side box gave it a whole new look. I also wanted to teach them how to drive a stick shift. The older one already knows how to drive it and is really starting to have fun with it on the road. The truck was taken care of very well and the darn thing just runs great!
I'm guessing that it's nostalgia, but everywhere we go, there's always someone asking if we want to sell it.
I've been driving the rangers for 24 years since the 2000 model 😎
I had a 1986 Wheel Drive Ford Ranger. Great little truck. First new vehicle I owned. I looked at one on dealership lot,but it wasn't 4 wheel drive. I needed 4 wheel drive to pull a portable sawmill. I believe mine had the 6 cylinder with the towing package. When I ordered it I forgot to order the air conditioner. It was added by dealership. Only issue I had was being too close to steering wheel although I had seat all the way back. I regretted not getting the larger cab.I paid around $10,000 for it. I drove it for over 12 years. It had around 75000 miles when I sold it.
Didn't know that they made a ranger with that many wheels🤯
Drove a ranger for years comfortable ride and great gas mileage.
I have a 1979 f250 ranger it originally was a full size truck
ALL CARS-- 8:14--Well in my opinion the 2wd splash was MORE than just a trim level.
It was a sportstruck. 2wd splashes (1993 to 1995) got there own 235/60R-15 size tires and have a lowered (1-1/2 inches) suspension that was VERY stiff with its own size sway bars front and rear. It would zing around a corners no proplem without leaning over. But both regular rangers and the splash had the exact same seats that did nothing for holding you in place going around corners.
The flareside/stepside bed is the auto industry's 1st compact stepside bed. The bed sides were made of a composite plastic/fiberglass construction...you forgot to mention that.
Thanks for the clarifications!
Ford disiponted me with the 2024 Ranger with only one cab configuration with no 6ft bed.
If you want to talk Ranger package the F100 Ranger was probably the best package Ford ever produced
I won't even consider a new Ranger until it has 6 doors with reclining 3rd-row seats.
Great video as always Jon! My father owned a business for over 40 years and as a result was well acquainted with compact trucks used for around town delivery. He had Toyotas, Nissans, Rangers and S10s. While, much like myself, my pops isn't a Ford fan at all. However, he thought the Ranger was the best constructed of all of them (frame, chassis). Bodies and frames seemed thicker than the competition and seemed like they could haul more and take more abuse. However, much like all Fords, the powertrains were the weak spot. The 4.0 is a bomb waiting to blow up and the 4cyl models were dangerously underpowered.
Even though I had been been a long time Chevy truck owner I’ve got a lot of history with the Ford Ranger over the years It was what I actually learned to drive manual with using my cousins truck and later fine tuned my extreme slow speed clutch control with the one owned by my automotive trade school even later I had one as a company work truck at the dealershipI worked for (technically a 2000 Mazda B2500 because Mazda dealership 🤷♂️) and currently own a 21 Lariat Tremor
Have you own a LUV before?
I remember a friend of mine bought a new 1983. Yellow with the 2 liter 4 4 speed. I think he had it about 3 years. I bought my First Ranger (New) in October of 1997 It was an 97 XLT dark green with green interior, 2.3 5 speed manual. It was my daily driver till 2014. Do to a issue with a family member (brother) I bought a 2014 Fiesta. In March of 2019 an 18 year old kid, Driving a 20 year old Buick T-boned the Ranger. 5 miles short of 250,000. I then bought a well used 1995 XLT V-6 Automatic. Same shade of green. It just wasn't the same. Then in August of 2019 I had had enough of the Fiesta. I traded it in on a 2019 Ranger XL Super Cab. And that is what I'm currently driving. I also owned another Ranger that was built by Ford. That was my first Edsel. Edsel Ranger was built by Ford 1958-60.
Would you recommend the newer truck? I liked the older Rangers since my dad owned an 89 2WD XLT long bed and some relatives owned 4 of them. Even I owned a 99 XLT Supercab with the 5 spd for a brief time and loved the size, nimbleness and capability but something tells me the newer trucks don't feel like a Ranger anymore. Maybe I'm wrong, I like the Ecoboost's performance everyone talks about and towing capability but I didn't pull the trigger last year when I was in the market for a pre-owned truck. Has it been reliable? How about the comfort, are the seats any good for long-ish trips?
It fascinates me why Ford basically brought a Mazda platform to market when they were already producing similar sized trucks outside of the US. But that's something they appear to have done several times in different market sectors.
I bought a '95 Ranger 4.0 and liked it until seeing the new '97 Dakota. Ended up with a "97 Dakota 318 and then a '99 R/T with a 360. Those Rangers were great, but the late '90s Dakotas were bigger and better IMO. Both Ford and Dodge let them languish, to get those sweet profits on the full sized trucks.
I always wanted to change the 'R' on the Ranger to a 'B'.
Ford missed big in the 1998 redesign. From the middle of the door forward the 4x4 and Explorer share parts. A 5.0 V8 from an Explorer is a bolt in swap. Ford should have offered a V8 performance package like the Dodge Dakota R/T
they lost me when theyput the clutch slave cyl inside the bell housing!
That's oddly specific....
Owned one for 17 years before the rust got too much to keep up with
I liked the Explorer Sport Trac but it unfortunately cannibalized into the sales of the Ford Ranger. In hindsight, I think Ford should’ve integrated the Sport Trac model and resources into the Ranger.
Falcon Ranchero first in my book....1960
Ssssssoooo true
before chevy s10. 6200$ is 500$ today.
I wish the new US Ranger was offered as a crew cab, 6ft bed... like Colorado/canyon, Tacoma and Frontier.
the Colorado hasn't offered that cab/bed configuration for a couple years. The only ones left are the Tacoma and Frontier.
I just noticed the Frontier Crew Cab 6ft bed's WB is 139.8" virtually the same size as the 2014 Ram Quad Cab with 6'4" bed I owned until last year. The Crew Cabs with 5'7" and lots of room in the back seat used the same WB. That's humongous for a midsize.
Now you do know, the Rangers started as an F100 in 1966
It was a trim package offered on the F series. I have a 1971 F100 Ranger. Ford also offered a Ranger XLT trim in the early 1970s for the F series.
The Explorer debuted in 1996, replacing the BroncoII and coinciding with new platforms ditching the TTB for them all but the Econoline.
How can the explorer debute in 1996 when they were in the 1993 jurassic Park movie?
The 1st model year of
The explorer was 1991.
The bronco II was discontinued in 1990.
@@coletrickle-km7cl Yeah I made a mistake on that. It replaced the Bii and the Expy replaced the Bronco in 96, and that was the debut of the 2nd gen Explorer.
I am not a fan of Ford products, but I have always loved the Ford Rangers but only the older ones the new ones are a no.
datsun trucks next!
I'll add it to the list, as it's a natural next-next one. Next up is the Dakota, then I need a *bit* of a break from trucks for a while. :)
(and I assume you do mean early Datsun pickups through the Frontier?) :)
In the 70's, both the Ranger and Explorer for that matter, were both F150s
Ranger is gone forever, Kemosaby....
I love how everyone in pickup commercials drives like an insane asshole 😂
The Latin American and South American markets got a quad cab Ranger in the early 2000’s, and Ford was foolish for not offering it here. Their bean counters said that consumers would pay more for the Explorer badge, so we got the Explorer Sport Trac instead. Great job, idiots. I’d love to have one of those quad cabs.
I had "about" a 2008 Ranger XLT with the 3.0 two wheel drive. It would not pull our camper very well so we sold it and bought a F150 4 wheel drive with a 3.5 eco boost. We still have it today.
It's beyond grotesque that the third generation ford ranger lasted through the 2011 model year.
Really sad that there wasn't much for upgrades since about 2004 until the end of production. My 08 Ranger seems primitive compared to my 08 F350. Other models were getting trinkets like fancy instrument clusters, delayed accessory power, electronic climate control, heated/power seats, etc. They did the bare minimum to meet safety standards (side curtain air bags, traction control, TPMS, etc) until they milked the platform for all it was worth.
99? The Bronco II was last built in 1991.
yeah, I caught that too. I figured he meant 89.....but the years don't jive even then.
I hate the 90s clutch slave cylinder
Bad design hard to bleed
To say it all Ford’s latest Ranger where built in Thailand and designed in Australia, even though their was a Mazda version of it and Colorado comes out from the Isuzu MAX Pickup truck yet it is Isuzu technology that helped the Colorado.
To say Chevy needs to make Colorado LUV well why not the Chevrolet California LUV the California LUV is a pickup Truck from Chevrolet to say a Chevy commercial playing TuPac should introduce the Chevrolet California LUV Pickup truck.
Completely forgot about the 5th generation 05/06 thru to 2011 First World Ranger Model . You skipped this model totally . Also sold by Mazda . First with Direct injection diesel available in 2.5 ltr and 3.0ltr South America ,,Asia ,,Africa Europe
The last 1-2 years of the 4th generation were heavily upgraded to prepare for the transition to the 5th gen
After the 5th gen lastly came the 2012 on T6 generation complete redesign World car . Started to appear in the USA
In 2024 it's a standard as a super crew they did like shabby and 2023 he made it a standard crew cab like the gladiator a standard crew cab and the Toyota Tacoma took away the half doors for their access cab and the back seat so it's a two seater now Andy sounds going to be discontinuing their king cab
All these companys need go back to small trucks / No not crap of today/ the small trucks / i buy one if they did Ford/ Chrysler/ Gm & e.t.c
Exploder
I would like you to explain how the 1993 2.3L Lima motor is in any way different from the 1992 2.3L Lima motor.
The Ranger was once a full size Ford truck package.