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Ford Ranger AND Toyota Tacoma AND others

midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
edited March 2014 in Ford
Ok, a new approach to a old idea/forum.

We had an old forum that involved a discussion of Ford Ranger vs Toyota Tacoma. There was plenty of good and bad times there, but I think at the core of it we had a group of individuals who enjoyed the conversation. So in the light of sharing ideas about compact trucks in general, and also having some fun, let's keep this forum civil. Thanks in advance!
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Comments

  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    I agree I stopped coming to edmunds after they closed the thread. I enjoyed reading the thread, and even thou there where some heated posts there was a lot of useful information too. Also you all can check my Tacoma at
    http://www.sounddomain.com/id/kbtoys
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    This is mine, back when it was stock height.
    Here
  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    Who made your sliders?
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    TX TTORA members in San Antonio. I didn't buy them from AJ or Demello...was too much. Mine were essentially a prototype for an Xtracab, so they cost me only $150 alltogether.
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    The minute this forum gets outta control, it'll be gone faster than you can say "D'oh!"

    It might just be shut down on principal.

    Obi
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    BUT... if it turns into a pissing contest, you are correct, it will be shut down.

    Carry on!

    PF Flyer
    Host
    Pickups & News & Views Message Boards
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    If you have a question about how the boards are moderated, please use email and we can discuss it there. Leave the boards for discussion of the trucks!

    Thanks for your cooperation and participation!

    PF Flyer
    Host
    Pickups & News & Views Message Boards
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    and we'll try not to turn this into a urinating contest ;)
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Good to see some familair faces come back...

    I am debating my first performace mod to my truck. I am think a set of Ceramic coated JBA Headers would be a good start. My truck is only barely over 4 months old, but I think I would enjoy the extra power... :) Can never have enough... Poor thing got a few dings in the roof from golf ball sized hail. My bed rails look fine, but amazingly the hood was perfect! The raised "power dome" hood found on Edge and XLT models are fiberglass.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    We had a guy in Dallas area who had his brand new Taco with 8000 miles on it all banged up.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Well I got him beat... still under 2500 miles... :'(
    I ran out there with a blanket to cover it up halfway through the ordeal. I got thunked pretty good a couple of times just trying to protect my truck. I still have yet to wash it to see the full extent of dents. Hopefully the good ole Texas heat will pop out the majority of them. My truck got off lucky, compared to some other vehicles I see in the area...
  • krisak26krisak26 Member Posts: 6
    Does anybody know when the next generation Ranger is due out. I have heard anywhere from 3 to 4 years but with Dodge, Chevrolet, and Toyota debuting all new trucks in the next year or so, Will the old design be able to compete.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    2005 OR 2006 before any major redesign.
  • dmoulddmould Member Posts: 76
    For 2004, basically the only changes are a new grill, new seats, and an optional 290 watt sound system with a sub (not the Tremor).
    The next major redesign will probably be 2006.
  • ronmcqronmcq Member Posts: 16
    Hi, I've posted this in the other Ranger board also but...
    I was close to purchasing an '03 Ranger Super Cab with the 4cyl 5spd for light duty hauling and commuting. The 29mpg highway looks very appealing. I decided the cab was a bit cramped and thought an extra cab would provide more dry storage and seating for the young ones. The problem is Ford only makes the X cab in 6cyl. Looking thru this site on a whim I found Mazda does have the X cab 4cyl available. Does anyone have any experience with this setup and are the posted mpg figures achievable? I don't need it for towing as I have a V10 F250 for that. They're also offering a $3500 rebate thru this month making it look more attractive. Sorry for the long post and Thanks,
    Ron
  • tbunder1tbunder1 Member Posts: 257
    you guys back again.
    i guess this current ranger design just won't die. i wonder if it's sales numbers will stay #1 with all these other new trucks coming out.i think i'll go the new F150 route unless the new tacoma doesn't look like the new forerunner.
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    ... when will the new F-150s hit the dealers?
  • tbunder1tbunder1 Member Posts: 257
    it is supposed to be out this fall. probably by august or so. it is an awesome truck imo.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Hopefully my insurance company will write me a nice check for the hail damage. I will then goto paintless dent repair, and have them pop out the dents, and maybe have enough left over for a cat back and line-x. My parents accord had an estimated $2200 damage, and they got a check for that minus deductable... Sweet! I won't get as much, but hopefully over 1 grand...
  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    I got lucky we did not get any hail damage, but lot of people I know did. Hope everthing works out.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Got a check for $411 bucks! Let's see if the bank will let me spend it, or if I'll be forced to fix the truck... If I do, it'll be paintless dent repair.
  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    Where is everybody? It's been quite here. Well just put some BFG MT 32's on my Tacoma and they are sweet. Here is a pic

    http://images.cardomain.com/member_img_a/256000-256999/256584_41_- full.jpg
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Waiting for my next paycheck to buy new rims and launch a new set of upgrades before the end of July, when TTORA is going out to Gilmer, TX, for 3 days of TTORA TakeOver.
  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    Ya I was thinking about going to the takeover but that would be a long drive from Ohio. I will have to take a pic of my new mod I did to my truck. It is great when camping.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Truck is looking good KB! There is nothing like fresh tires to have fun with. So what's this latest mod of yours?

    My truck is only about to get it's 2nd oil change, just got clear corners on the front, got my hail damage fixed, added a 4 channel (75x4rms) amplifier, and will be ordering a gibson exhaust this week. I am quite supprised how well the stock CD-Changer handles about 800 total watts in amplifiers using a 4 channel line converter. No static, or distortion, but I do think I have my regular cab filled up with about all the electronics it can fit.
  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    2ND OIL CHANGE! It's still a baby. Well what I added was a power invertor and worked out great when I went camping last month. Used it to power the blender to make marquarites. Can't go camping with out making frozen drinks. The only problem now is if someone where to glance inside my truck they might mistake the invertor for a stereo amplfier. Oh-well I have a surprise for whoever breaks in. I as a few pizeo sirens inside the cab, and strobelights on the outside. What kind of am is you 4 channel? I am in the market to replace my amp.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Was a Jensen LXA600 (I believe) 75watt RMS x4. I saw it at walmart on sale for 120 bucks. It may have been a model from last year or something, but since I am building a house early next year I need all the money I can get. I hooked it up last weekend and was suprised everything was hooked up right the first time and no interference or eletronic hum. The sucker is loud, and actually overkill for my speakers. So I have my gain set to about 10-15% which makes for a very cool running amplifier. That is a must because it's behind the seats in a regular cab...

    imagehttp://images.cardomain.com/member_img_a/329000-329999/329486_33_- -full.jpg
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    bump, come on, we need some more flames here!
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    It was a V6, extended cab, but he drove it like an jerk and deserved it. One of those guys who pass you 100 feet before the stoplight only to cut in front of you so he doesn't have to be behind anyone. If he was in such a hurry, he sure did take off slow. So at the next stoplight I pulled up next to him, and he jumped the light by a fraction of second. He got about a 2 foot lead, but then I walked right by. By third he was nothing but a memory.

    Flame away... :)
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    A V6 XtraCab Tundra weights more than 4K lbs...of course you spanked it. And I do pass people like that, I really don't like getting stuck behind grandma-on-her-way-to-Sunday-church drivers :)
  • tbunder1tbunder1 Member Posts: 257
    yahoo has the taco xtra cab at 3540 lbs. ranger at 4002lbs. hmmmmm.
  • footpoundsfootpounds Member Posts: 22
    I really don't want to inject myself into this little arguement BUT you are quoting a TACOMA weight, tbunder1 while the original post was discussing a TUNDRA.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Uh uh, so according to Yahoo, Tacomas ARE made of tin, while Rangers are made of real steel! Hehe, how's life, tbundy?

    Btw, the # quoted for Taco is accurate. It's the Ford they are misquoting.
  • tbunder1tbunder1 Member Posts: 257
    i know what is being discussed here. but basically, a tundra is REALLY just a tacoma with a bigger body. it uses all tacoma underpinnings. this is why it is not considered a 'full-size' truck by real truck people.

    scorp- doing fine here. jeep's holding up well with no problems. how do you know yahoo is wrong? i knew that the weight of the ranger was more than the tacoma months ago, but no one would believe me. all that stuff i said about thin metal and larger frame and axles is true about ranger. that adds up to more weight. you should be happy your truck is light. that way that puny 3.4 doesn't have to work as hard since it is down on torque.
  • footpoundsfootpounds Member Posts: 22
    Arnold Schwarzenegger is REALLY just Danny Devito with a bigger body. This is all starting to fall into place for me now!
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    We know where that's going.
    Actually, I could not even find Ranger curb weight on fordvehicles.com.....isn't that nice. They list things like legroom and cupholder size (j/k), but not curb weight of the vehicle.
    No problems with Taco here. Going on 27K miles now, about to put 3" of lift on it.
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    How does your Ranger handle? For a 4x2 that sits up like a 4x4, are you gentle on your turns? Does the rear want to give out & slide around? I'm having problem w/ my cornering or when my tire contacts a slick lane marker when my Ranger wants to snake on me.
  • stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    weigh around @2850 lbs (accoding to the registration)
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    That will be nice if I average 6-7,000 miles a year, but sadly I am building a home that will be finished Dec/Jan and is about 30 minutes farther away from my work. Fine by me, I was getting tired of doing oil changes by the 3 month interval instead of the 3,000 mile.
    My truck handles very well on turns. I typically make right hand turns at 20mph or lower, and that places me in the middle of 2nd gear nicely. The only problems I have with traction is when it's wet out. The rear end is so light, I have to start out real easy. I have a manual, so it's realy easy to break them loose if I want to.
    Edmunds also says my curb weight should be 3085. I'm 200 pounds, and about another 50 pounds in audio and other random items.
    Still if the Tundra driver didn't drive like an butt, have the sticker "UNF*NLVBL" on his backside, I might have ignored him.

    I put the asterick in so PF_Flyer wouldn't freak.
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    that may be true, but someone is welcome to try and find even one case of a Tundras *underpinnings* (admittedly borrowed from the Tacos) failing. That will tell you how overbuilt the drivetrain of the Tacoma is.

    Since everyone is here Ill give an update. My tacoma is proving to be WAY too dang small. It has just gotten the dash rattle which is easy to stop and more than acceptable after 30k miles. And that is my only beef. The engine runs unbelievably good - and I don't even think the tranny is broken in good yet. Still, I am counting down the days that I can buy a bigger truck -- and I will never look at another truck or SUV that has the word "compact" anywhere near the title, unless Im rich enough to buy one to leave at the deer camp.

    I mean I have an ext cab but still needed room -- so I got a toolbox. Now the bed isn't big enough for jack. The thing runs like a scalded ape and is so much fun to drive because its soo nimble compared to fulls sizers. Dilemmas. Oh and since we are talking about racin -- I ate up a new Ram single cab that had v8 badging from a stop to about 80 mph when we both slowed down.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    I hear you saddaddy, everytime the girlfriend gets into my truck all I hear is "I should have gotten a extended cab". I personally am fine with the regular cab, even if the subwoofer box makes things a little tight. But one thing I don't understand, and it may just be me personally, is why not keep the vehicles for as long as you can. Once I get my Ranger paid off, I hope to pick up either a motor cycle or maybe some type of 'project car' to restore/build up. I know you guys are all about having a high resell value on your vehicle, but I am all about not having a truck payment and being able to have cheap, reliable transportation for many years to come.

    Anyways I am finally moving out of an apartment and into a brand new house being built. Should be moved in next January.
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    Houses are where its at anyways. No lack of room there!!!
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    giving a Tacoma the worst rollover rating in the batch of vehicles it tested!?!? I'm sure Tacoma did better than all the sedans and few "low to the ground" SUVs they have tested.

    Now, without sarcasm, what exactly is NHTSA smoking?
    Testing 1 pickup with a bunch of cars, and of course it makes headlines b/c "Toyota Tacoma got the worst rollover rating".
  • rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
    I'm not so sure bigger will be more satisfying. I know the big extra cab trucks are roomy, like the Silverado, but they have drawbacks. Although they sit up nice, they don't handle well in traffic. And they can be a b*tch to park. Then there is the matter of sky-high gas (Tundra owners, don't cry).
    A Tacoma xtracab with a L4 beats them hands down in the city, and mine rides decent on the highway too, although I had to scrap the factory seats to make it that way.
    I have a snap on cover on the bed, so I can throw stuff in there when I need to and I can pop it off for hauling plants and things when I need to. And when I build up too much stuff in the cab, I throw something away.
    Still, I understand where you are coming from, and the big boys really don't cost much more.
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    I know scorpio, I was gonna post that but you beat me to it. Kinda unfair when they take one truck -- let it be a high riding, compact, with close to the best ground clearance in its class -- and put it against cars and crossover SUVS. Then on top of that, they post all over the internet and news channels on TV just this phrase, "Toyota Tacoma gets worst rollover rating in NHTSA test." How gay is that!

    Oh well, I couldn't care less, cuz anyone with any sense would realize what I biased test it was. I mean I didn't even see any vehicles with a rollover rating of less than 4 and the Taco got a big fat 2. Hehe, kinda funny to me.

    And rlafaver -- yup, you just about summed up the whole dilemma in one paragraph. I agree totally -- it just comes down to what is more important, and after owning a full size for awhile, I might very well be singing a different tune.
  • midnight_stangmidnight_stang Member Posts: 862
    Last I checked the 4x4 Rangers had a 2 star roll over rating too. But hey, that doesn't matter since the "Tacoma got the worst rating in the test" hehe.

    I could be in marketing.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Must have been a slow news day here in TX (who cares about a hurricane)....of course, they had the "New NHTSA ratings are out" newstory and guess what was the first bullet item?
    Toyota might just want to send an angry letter, b/c this certainly doesn't help. How many people are going to go to NHTSA site and actually LOOK through the entire list to find out "Oh...are there any other pickups tested?" I'm sure there's some kind of legal case here.
  • rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
    The NHTSA results discussed here are for the fourth group tested for 2003 and was for the Tacoma 4x4, not the 4x2 non-Pre. In earlier test groups the Ranger and Mazda 4x4's got the same rating of 2. The Frontier and S10 4x4's got a rating of 3. But surprise, the Ford F150 4x4 got a 2. These vehicles boast ground clearance and are not made for high-speed turns, so there's probably no reason to feel slighted. For instance, the S-10 4x4 has less ground clearance than a Tacoma 4x4, so the S-10 is probably better handling in turns, and the Tacoma is better to jump stumps. I guess it's just a matter of what you want from the truck.
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    if they had tested a S-10 ZR2 with ground clearance similar to that of the Ranger/Tacoma it would have gotten a 2 as well, if not worse. Same with the Frontier -- its really short.
This discussion has been closed.