5th May 2009, 18:30
I agree with the last commenter on Toyota quality. I bought one of these trucks back in 05 and it still runs fantastic. As a honest reviewer, I'll admit it has had a few minor issues but nothing major.
My Tacoma is still running strong at 60,000 miles and feels solid, despite this frame issue that I've never heard of??? Actually expect to get 200,000 miles out of it before trading it in, probably on another Tacoma. Wonder why my frame didn't collapse after I had that fender bender a few months back...
12th May 2009, 12:18
"A Ford Ranger will crap out on you before the factory warranty expires"
Please back this up with some supporting data. In October 2007 Consumer Reports did an article on long-lasting vehicles. The longest lasting vehicle featured was a Ford Ranger with 488,000 trouble-free miles. If memory serves me, I don't believe Ford has a 500,000 mile warranty just yet.
In addition, I recently did some searching for an old used Ranger for a friend's son. I was amazed how many of these trucks had well over 200,000 miles on them. One had 310,000. All of them looked and ran great.
It gets tiresome reading comments that have no basis in fact. The Ranger is an incredibly reliable little truck and is a far better value than the grossly over-priced Tacoma. I've driven both. There is not a dime's difference, let alone $7,000 difference.
15th May 2009, 22:02
About Ford Rangers. Maybe they did have that many miles on them, but I bet they also forgot to include the receipts for all of the work done to get that many miles out of it! I've been around trucks all my life, and the "Ranger" never stood out as a capable truck or long lasting by any means.
16th May 2009, 19:49
Really?? Well our family companies DO keep repair receipts for repairs done on our fleet of Rangers. There are VERY FEW. 300,000 miles out of a 4-cylinder XL service truck is typical with virtually no problems. We have NEVER replaced an engine or transmission in any Ranger. We also use full-sized Ford, Dodge and Chevy trucks and vans for heavy-duty hauling. They are likewise virtually bullet-proof. We still have one 1983 Chevy truck still in service. That's 26 YEARS. It still has the original engine and transmission.
It gets a bit old reading all the domestic bashing on this site. No evidence or sources are ever cited. It's always strictly opinion. It actually does more to PERSUADE people to buy domestics because it is so obviously biased and unfounded. There are literally thousands of testimonies on here from people who own the vehicles that import fanatics constantly try to discredit. That includes people like me who drive all types of vehicles and who know cars and trucks. I KNOW domestics are a better value. So do all the company owners who spend their hard-earned money on fleet vehicles. How many Toyota fleet trucks do you see? In our case the answer will always be "none".
17th May 2009, 12:24
Well I have owned Chevys, Fords, now the Tacoma.
Can't beat the old school domestic 70s that is, however will never buy a new again, currently own an 08 fx4; nice truck, but heat vents and AC not working at 50000km.
Chevs computers can't handle the cold up here in Northern Alberta, time for a rice burner I guess, they hold the resale and refinance as well. What's a 08 09 domestic gonna be worth in a year,10 grand, maybe another 50 thou investment gone. Unlike Chev the Ford never quit on the highway.
22nd May 2009, 10:11
Comparing a Ranger to a Tacoma is kind of a joke. For one thing, Rangers lose their value the second they leave the lot. Look online for used trucks. Used Rangers are often 50% less than the same vintage Tacoma. I suppose if you wanted to buy used, you could get more bang for your buck going with a Ranger, but the bottom line is that Rangers lose their value rapidly and it's because there is poor demand for them. Why do you suppose that is? It's because they do not have the same quality ratings as the Tacoma does and people know it.
My Brother had a 94 Ranger. It lasted about 170,000 miles before the transmission blew. That and it had a bazillion other problems. The brakes were always giving him issues. It used coolant, oil, and transmission fluid. The wiper relay went out just about every 6 months. The frame and underside rusted badly.
On the other hand, I still have my 96 Tacoma with well over 230,000 miles and the thing still looks and drives like new. Never had a lick of problem out of it. It just goes and goes and goes. When I finally get bored of it, I'll buy another Tacoma.
22nd May 2009, 21:30
When you pay $7,000 less for a vehicle and sell it for $5,000 less, you are STILL ahead by $2,000. I ran the numbers on identical Rangers and Tacomas three years old before buying my Ranger. Taking into account purchase price (the Ranger cost $7,000 less) I would come out AHEAD on resale value by $1600 with the Ranger after three years. Toyotas initial purchase price more than offsets any resale advantage.
25th May 2009, 17:50
"Comparing a Ranger to a Tacoma is kind of a joke"
I totally agree. When the Toyota dealer told me how much they wanted for a Tacoma, I laughed all the way to the Ford dealers where I bought my Ranger.
26th May 2009, 10:46
10:11 - the Ranger only made it to 170K miles "before the transmission blew"?
What a lemon!
26th May 2009, 11:25
To 10:46: I'd be pretty upset if I had a transmission fail at only 170,000 miles too. None of our domestics ever had a problem like that in up to 325,000 miles. That Ranger must have either been horribly abused or was one of the rare "Monday" units that had a problem. No domestic transmission should ever require any work before 300,000 miles if it is properly cared for.
27th May 2009, 17:11
The transmissions on these Rangers have the notorious problem of having rubber seals dry rot which causes the transmission to leak, typically when it is warm. The result is that you lose massive amounts of fluid on freeways without even knowing it. That's what happened with my Brother's truck. He was totally unaware that the thing was leaking away until it just basically locked up one day.
Domestic or foreign is a non-issue. It's a mechanical object and thus prone to failure regardless of national origin. Most of the Ranger is comprised of foreign components anyway. The engine is originally an engine developed in the 70's by Ford's German unit. The previous Ranger used an engine developed by Mitsubishi... which might explain why the older Rangers were a bit better.
29th Mar 2009, 19:19
A Ford Ranger will crap out on you before the factory warranty expires. Not to mention, if you financed it, you're already upside down on your loan, so, good luck refinancing it. As we all (most of us) know, Toyotas will outlast and outperform any other vehicle on the road. That in mind, I'd rather pay the $7k extra for the Toyota than $7k in mechanic or parts bills.
Trust me, I have/have owned both.
I am sorry for your purchase. Let me know if you need help working on it, I spend lots of time under my Explorer.