2004 FORD RANGER

Too bad they don't make these any more!

Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 5

I bought this Ranger (my 4th or 5th, can't remember) 5 years ago (2011) with 82K miles on it. I paid $7000 for it at that time. It had been owned by a maintenance fanatic and was absolutely as-new. Every service had been performed on schedule. It now has 109K miles on it and the maintenance has been kept up in the same manner. I've had no problems with it at all. The 4.0 engine has had full-synthetic oil since the first change. Other than regular maintenance, my only expense so far has been for a new battery. This truck has all the toys: power windows, locks, automatic transmission, A/C, cruise-control, the Pioneer sound system etc., and everything has always worked as it should. The Ruby Red metallic finish still looks new even though the truck has been parked outside for the last 5 years. Driving impressions: Nice and quiet, handles well, the ride is great considering the hauling capability. I have a heavy-duty lumber rack on the truck and it often gets some amazing loads on it, which it handles fine. When I bought the truck, it had gone about 5000 miles on a set of new tires. Now, 27,000 miles later, they still look almost new, with no uneven wear. This speaks well for the trucks suspension design. Low-speed acceleration is impressive. Highway acceleration, not so much. It surprised me that on a regular trip I do which includes miles of 50-65 mph mildly curving highway up and down mountain ranges, this thing is flat-out floored to keep up with normal highway traffic. Pulling up a long, mild incline at 55 or 60 mph, when the hill gets a little bit steeper, the truck just keeps slowing down. If I mash the throttle to the floor, it will shift down, make a whole lot more noise, but not go any faster. And this is with no load in the truck! It's been that way since I've owned it. Other than that, I have absolutely no complaints about this truck. Oh yeah, one little one. The seat cushions are really hard, but I fixed that with a foam chair pad. The backrests are great for me. That 4.0 SOC engine gets 18-19 mpg in mixed highway/town driving and 20-22 highway. For a truck, I'm happy with that. I do use premium gas, however, and the mileage is enough better to offset the cost of the gas, plus it performs noticeably better all around. The transmission is terrific. Shifts solidly but smoothly and always right when it should. On a Ranger Forum I subscribe to, there are complaints about timing chain issues on high-mile engines, and getting to the rear timing chain (yes, the right one is at the back of the engine) means removing the engine, as in expensive. I'm hoping that my oil-change diligence and that I keep the RPMs to a reasonable level will make this a non-issue. I really like the convenience of the rear doors, although as other have mentioned, they are cumbersome in a parking lot with skinny spaces. Bottom line: I can't think of a truck I could buy for this money that I'd rather have.