Quality build, inexpensive to maintain, good ground clearance on the base 2 wheel drive models, easy to live with in city or country, strong AC.

Very weak 4 cylinder models, tiny rims and tires don't fill the wheelwells on base models, only a semi-smooth manual transmission, needs a little refinement, suspension gives a springy bouncy ride sometimes.

My Ranger is a base 4 cylinder extended cab and man is it lethargic. A low flow filter and muffler have helped, but even with 93 octane I am cursing while Chevrolets and Nissan's pass me on hills. Get a V-6 no matter how much more it costs you. Ground clearance is great and is much more than other stock 2wd trucks, enough to do light 4x4 roads in the mountains. My truck with 70k only costs me .13 cents per mile and is much cheaper to find parts for and maintain than imports. I used to be leary of domestic vehicles, but this one has changed my mind.

Looks great with the factory chrome and that wonderful Ford dark red, lots of room in the bed(long bed version of course), good gas mileage, reliable and inexpensive to maintain in good working condition.

Engine is too weak on uphills, and seems to get too dirty to quickly (it may just be the dreaded Bakersfield dust, you should see all the cars out here), rims and tires are too small, but theres always the option of buying bigger ones, oh yeah and the cab is WAY TO SMALL. even with the seat all the way back i find myself wishing for more room, and im only 5'8" ! That is a definate turn off for car stereo buff like myself :o)

This past year had been great with me and the truck. It looks great and never gives any problems. I have noticed however that it is finicky on the type of gas you use in it. Here in California, whenever i pump Mobil or Arco the truck seems to go into compaint mode, making unessesary noises and running slower, but when i pump in Texaco or Chevron, the truck is responsive, runs quietly, and almost seems like a happier truck. I dont know, you have to experience it to know what i mean. I think its a great truck for starters or for people who are looking for a gift for a 16 year old guy. Of course there are better trucks out there (F-series, Tacoma) but if you get one of these you will not be disapointed

very powerful engine

aboslutely none what so ever

excellent truck no problems

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Good power out of a smaller engine. Good looks of body style and contouring. Great gas mileage.

Poor Turning due to tight rear end suspension. Short wheel-base, poor handling in bad conditions

Overall, a very good truck for a weekend toy, or a week-day worker. A couple of good key areas including gas mileage and looks, but not the kind of truck in the rainy, wintery areas.

boxy front, bumpy ride, horrible gas mileage

for as cheap as it is it isn't bad!!

good looks
good ride for a truck
sits high in stock form
decent gas mileage for fairly heavy truck with a small engine
4x4 works nice
4 door option is nice

low on power
intrument layout is awkward
fron end sag makes body look uneven

I have had my Ranger for a little over a month, and am loving every drive in it. the 4 door option is expensive but well worth it, i use those doors practically every day! It works well off-road, I am going to crank the torsion bars a little lift the front end so as to make the body sit more even.

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1981 Ford Courier

Overall looks are great, well designed, also great fit and finish. Very roomy and all controls are all laid out very nicely. The Ford Ranger has the appearance of a ruggged truck but also kept the sporty look in with the flareside box.

Gas mileage hasn't been the greatest. Current experiences at 5000 kms
is City from 12-15 mpg and Highway 19 mpg. Sticker ratings are not very accurate at all!!! Very dissapointed in this aspect.

I would recommend the truck if you don't mind digging into your pocket to pay for gas all the time. Ford has created a great truck for 2000 and with a few improvements they should have a good shot at being #1 in small picup trucks!

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Cheverolet S10 Supercab LS. Ranger has a better ride to it and overall appearance i prefer. Cheverolet 4.3L offers better gas mileage and alot more power!

It is a good looking truck and the ride quality is pretty good for a truck. The 4 door design is one of the best qualities. There are many aftermarket parts for it. If and when something goes out on it, it's easy to find replacement parts and they don't cost an arm and a leg like the foreign cars. Fuel mileage is pretty good too.

They have faulty wiring, the CD player doesn't have any rca jacks on it so that you can easily add an external amplifier so I had to fix that problem with an aftermarket CD player. The 3.0 doesn't have quite enough power. The ones I looked at either had power windows and locks or cruise control. it is hard to find a used one with all of these features. The ride height isn't high enough for me...I like to be way up in the air. The door ajar light comes on and stays on all the time. When you park it you have to be sure that the dome light went off. There is some kind of a magnetic field that tells the computer that the door is shut and a lot of the times it cannot read it right. I just got mad and took the bulbs out of my dome light so now I use a spotlight for an interior light

For anyone who is looking to buy a compact truck the Ranger is the way to go. I would however plan on spending some money on a higher suspension and a different CD player. One more thing if you start having problems with the wiring in the truck (tail lights, instrument panel blowing fuses) check the panel right under the steering wheel and there will probably be a wire there that isn't connected to anything. Me and a couple of friends that have the same model Ranger have had the same exact problem with that. If power in a small truck is what you are looking for then I wouldn't recommend the 3.0L.

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1991 S-10, was a piece of crap. The S-10 was falling apart when I traded it off. I didn't used to be a Ford fan but after that S-10 it will be hard to go back to Chevy's

The 4.0 has great power, I have over 103,000 miles on it and it still runs like new. The steering and suspension seem to be holding up great. Very good off-road performance. The Rangers come with 3 engine options, if you want power get the bigger motors, don't buy a 4 cylinder then get on here and complain there is no power... that's why they have options!

Factory fog-lights are too low and are easily broken on rugged terrain. Manual 5 speed transmission and clutch have been very disappointing and troublesome.

I would, and recently did, recommend buying a Ranger. I did have some problems in the past, but I don't know anyone who bought a new vehicle and never had to get repairs done sometime or another. Most of my problems were detected in the beginning and covered by warranty. The main problem was the manual transmission, it was overhauled 5 times. The 4th time it was fixed the dealer, in a round about way, admitted that the service tech wasn't quite as good as they thought he was....so basically it has never been right since then. One thing I am sure of, after driving an S-10, Sonoma, or even a Dakota I am glad I bought the Ranger.

"Built Ford Tough"

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I had a 98 GMC Sonoma (rental) when my truck was in the body shop, and it didn't impress me at all. The over-all integrity of GM products is disappointing. I had 4 GM vehicles in the past and they all seemed to be falling apart all the time; eg. door panels, dash, knobs, vents.. Drive the Ranger, then the S-10, you can tell the Ranger is "Built to Last!"

This is a very sturdy truck, has a good solid feel to it in the way it drives and handles. The engine is small but great for freeway driving and getting around in a city. It is also a very simple truck, not a lot of stuff to go wrong. My truck has been extremely reliable, and sounds great. I also think it has a great set of brakes on it, I can always stop very quickly, even with little weight in the back. I've got over 110,000 miles on it, and I haven't had any major repair costs. About the only thing I do is wash it, and keep it filled with gas and oil.

For a 2 wheel drive pickup truck I think it should get a little better gas mileage. I have been keeping track of it since I bought it and I'd say I average about 23 mpg (and that is with a lot of freeway driving). Also, because of the smaller engine, going up steep grades often slows me down.

Bang for the buck, I'd say this is a perfect truck for someone looking to save money and get from point A to point B without any hassles or worries about getting speeding tickets. My truck has been repair-free and I drive it quite frequently (~20,000 miles per year). It has also held up very well in the bad weather. So if you are looking for a small, economical truck, this one will more than get the job done.

(Please e-mail me with your questions or comments, I'd love to hear from other Ford Ranger owners! My e-mail address is baseman14@aol.com)

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Toyota Pickup (100 hp): Very similar, but has a much stonger feel to it. Its also a little bit heavier so it handles a little better. The bed is slightly smaller, but thats only a minor thing. Overall I'd say the Toyota might last a little longer, but it'll cost a tad more, so it just depends what you are looking for.