Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Toyota Tacoma vs. Ford Ranger, Part XII
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Just like saddaddy said.....tires blowing up on the highway underneath Ford vehicles leave a thought in my head about Ford. Couple that with many recalls, and I don't think I'd be buying Ford for a long while.
Publically it may not have been Ford's fault. Who knows. What I remember is 2 guys saying "It is the other guy who is to blame".
That Corolla was 3K more more than the 13K. So you associate the type of vehicle a person owns with a retail store. Does the Highlander fully loaded fit your store profile? BTW I am buying it and not leasing it. Does that count more?
I can hope that some good comes from the Ford & Firestone episode. Ford does make a nice looking product, but the quality was always a bit fuzzy.
So how many here have had problem free Tacos or Rangers?
scorpio- if it was ford's fault, why did firestone recall every wilderness/atx tire that were on explorers and rangers themselves? i mean, at first they wouldn't, so ford did simply to make a statement to their customers that they did care about them. and then, after ford takes the brunt of the recall cost, firestone finally steps up to the plate and admits that their tires were crap and that they even knew it. and as far as the wilderness tires, some tacomas left with them on as oem equipment i know. you too, are simply scapegoating ford. i mean, if recalls is what you're arguing, if not for the tire incidents, what is there that is so overwhelming with the explorer and ranger regarding recalls?
I don't judge a vehicle by just what publicity it gets. I also take into consideration other models made by the same company.
When I hear about 5 Escape recalls, it tells me something is wrong.
Allow me to be paranoid and cynical here for a second:
Ford sees that negotiations with Firestone arent going anywhere, nobody is going to admit the fault. So Ford picks up the tab. After all, they have to keep selling cars, and with the bad publicity they are getting, it's tough. So Ford makes the "We know we arent responsible, but we'll do it anyway because we love our customers" move. Then Ford simply makes a private deal with Firestone where Firestone will take the heat for the problem.
How's that for an explanation?
The hummer, or HMMWV for military use is still alot tougher than any compact truck. It could probably run into a few trees and still drive home, where a Tacoma (or even Ranger) would be totaled. Just an example, as it's not a graceful giant, but a rock solid one.
as an overall company, id say ford has got their crap together making vehicles. just go to iihs.com to check out how good their new explorer fares against toyotas suvs in the same class. the ford is a best buy, where the toyotas are only marginal. ford also has more vehicles with 4 and 5 star crash ratings from the gov't. their vehicles all basically have more powerful engines than toyotas, and they all sell more as well. what more can be said? there really is no comparison. even with all the payouts ford has had this year, they still sold more trucks than any other manufacturer. including gm. that's pretty awesome, and some awesome brand loyalty to boot. what's toyota got? a claimed full-size truck that needs helper springs if you want to tow something heavy, that shares its parts with their compact offering. and no abs standard. thats my opinion on the two. toyota's are nice, but as ive said before, overpriced, and not safe enough. and generally down on available horsepower and towing.
-then why were you shopping for a tacoma DC?? It's been obvious ever since you started posting here that you don't like toyota, which is fine, so I assume you made that story up....
Ford has no blame in the Firestone fiasco? Ford was the one who told the customers to run too low of a psi in the tire, even when Firestone advised against it! You should read the article in Time in its entirety, they are both to blame for this dibacle.
Back to Ranger vs. Tacoma though:)
"Almost as powerful, and almost as portly (compared to the VW GTI 1.8T), is the 175-horsepower Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. We're guessing there are a lot of homebuilts out there that shame the SE-R on many fronts: refinement, shift quality, and stylistic restraint."
"Funny, because when we think of the SE-R, we tearfully recall the decade old Sentra SE-R, which was as fluent and eager a front driver as you could find back in the day. And when we hear the Spec V designation, our minds call up the mighty Skyline GT-R V-spec. It may be that our fond associations with both labels amplify the disappointment this car brings. Though it has a fine and torquey 2.5 liter four cylinder engine featuring continuously variable valve timing, certain aspects of the Spec V's powertrain limit its usability. The rev limiter cuts in just 100 revs above the car's 6000 rpm power peak, frustrating us on the track. We were always running out of second gear in corners, and banging into third left a gap. And by banging, we do mean shoving, cajoling, cursing its plasticky six speed into gear. Those who pine for the crude pleasures of 1980s Atari joysicks will love it."
"This car returns good numbers, peeling off the second-best quarter mile runs in sixteen seconds flat, third best lateral g numbers of .87, and second shortest braking from 70 mph (184 feet). After a few days with it, though, we were left thinking that good numbers ar this car's main goal. But the raod to automotive greatness does not run through the dyno lab. Great cars reward the human behind the wheel, not the accelerometer inside the g-analyst.
"A more rewarding experience awaits at the wheel of the..."
tbunder, I hate to say it, but you are a compulsive liar with these outlandish claims you keep making about whichever vehicle you like or dislike. Didn't you say the Ranger's rear diff is 2" bigger than the Tacoma's (it's .4" bigger)? Didn't you say that Rangers have lockers? Didn't you say Tacoma's don't have 31" tires? Didn't you over-rate the Ford 4.6's power output? Didn't you claim to jump and haul massive amounts of firewood your Ranger, yet your E-bay advertisement says it's never been abused or off-roaded? Didn't you say Rangers outweight Tacomas by 400lbs? Didn't you say your Ranger had its bed welded to the frame?
CAN YOU SAY LIAR?
Hmmm, my concious is telling me to hit the "send page by e-mail" button...
Explorer 2001: The all-famous Supplemental Tire Inflation Label (sounds like someone is telling customers to change their PSI in tires). Other TSBs that sound awfully interesting:
1. Heater Core: repeated failure.
2. Front Axle: vent tube fluid leaks. Now why is that?
3. Here's my favorite, tells all about "The Ford way": Fuel Pump whine heard through speakers.
Let us try Ranger 4WD 4.0L 2001, shall we?
1. Heater Core failure again. Whats up with that?
2. Drivetrain thump and clunk noise. Whats that? Losing gears?
3. Electrical: water inclusion into connectors. Can you say short circuit?
4. Power windows: clatter when operating.
5. Include all the explorer stuff here.
Take a look at Tacoma 4WD V6 from 2001 then.
Out of 13 TSBs (no recalls), 3 are documentation, 3-4 are replacement plates for VIN, etc.
The only 2 TSBs that I could potentially relate close to anything serious are:
1. New parts for seat belt tongue stopper
2. Brake pedal: linkage update.
3. Seat belt: extenders.
Now. I understand that being a foreign manufacturer, it's easier to hide recalls. We all by now have heard of the gasket and sludge problems in the 1997 Tacomas. Havent heard anything about 2001 ones.
So you wanted to know? Here it is.
When I read through those TSBs for Ford, I don't get a picture of a great company that makes great vehicles. You say Ford has gotten their crap together? Ask a few of those 30000 people they kicked out, see what they say.
Toyota has its own brand loyalty. I mean, its either that, or last year 90K idiots pour into Toyota dealerships around the country to buy that supposed full-size truck. And each year more than more idiots are paying for an obviously overpriced Tacoma, when they can have an affordable Ranger. Ford will make sure to tell you not to run too much of a tire pressure, otherwise your tires will blow right under you.
However, it'd be an abuse if you hauled the maximum payload all the time.
But I do agree about jumping the truck. Its an abuse. It's kinda both ways, tbunder:
If jumping is what everyone thinks (and what we've all told you was abuse), then you should not have said on Ebay that "truck has not had any damage done to it whatsoever", cause you did do damage by jumping.
If jumping the truck is what you call it...what was it? getting out of a ditch? Then you should have said that you've been offroad at least once, since obviously, you don't find ditches on highway, where the truck is "mostly driven on highway". I'd be more honest on Ebay. When I was selling my Blazer, I've described every problem that I knew of that it had, because I didnt want people to get into a situation they didnt know they were getting into.
And since the Ford/Chevy guys have such a problem because of the Tundra's not so accurate advertising campaign that says it's full size, I think it's only fair to bring up their trucks' advertisements. Ford's is "Quality is job #1" and Chevy's is "Like a rock." Yeah, give me a break! I think those advertisement slogans are much more misleading than Toyota's...
Sure, this could happen to anyone, but interestingly enough, didnt happen to my 2 cars that I had prior to this time.
as far as the lies you posted earlier, please go to ford's site or yahoo's site and check out the numbers on the 4.6, you'll again see that your stupid [non-permissible content removed] posted the wrong information-again. haven't you realized that edmunds posts very inaccurate info all the time? get a brochure if you want. you're so naive my man.
also, visit car and drivers site to see what they say about the nissans. what, you want to race a celica against one? what a joke. you would though wouldn't you? doh!
as far as my truck being abused, it is OBVIOUSLY clear to me that you guys never use your trucks for what they're meant for. you paid for that 4x4 t/c, try using it sometime. just because you've hauled or wheeled in anything, doesn't mean it has been abused. and yeah, my truck has mostly highway miles on it, maybe 100 off-road miles. is that a lie? jumping? ditches are abusing? maybe for a toyota, but not a ranger. no wonder they sell hundreds of thousands more rangers, people aren't scared to wheel with them, or use them to work with.
and as far as the wilderness tires, you're wrong again. i do believe that tacomas once came with firestone wilderness tires stock. doh! get that foot out of your mouth you idiot. research my man. you need to learn a little.
after all, you're the king dumbo who thought you could install a lsd alongside with your locker. and you claim to be part of a club of off-roaders? whatever. i think your truck is getting tired of that drive to taco-bell every morning pluto, try using the little lever next to the console. after all, you paid for it.
scorpio- as for the recall stuff, notice that all the toyotas have to deal with safety issues, seat belts and such. and that the ford's are relatively small issues, that im sure dont affect every vehicle. i personally haven't had any of those things wrong with my truck. but i hope you have got your new parts for your brakes and seat belts. did you know what you posted? id rather have a heater core fail than my brake linkage or my seat belt stopper. doh!
for producing millions more vehicles a year than toyota, i find it pretty impressive that the ranger has only 3 more tsb or recalls than the toyota. and im sure ford is a lot more thorough on listening to their customers, i mean, ive heard the horror stories toyota owners have with their service departments. i think you two have posted a couple. toyota guys don't like to hear of problems with their vehicles. it will ruin this "understood" claim that they only have maintenance on their vehicles, and not service. ive visited a couple toyota dealers, and both were stuck up m-fo's, who obviously believe that they're selling hand made ferrari's.
here's a couple facts you guys hate-
#1 selling compact truck for over 15 years
more power and torque
those two things get to you guys i know. you're wondering why toyota won't sell as much as ford, and why doesn't toyota come out with an engine as powerful as the 4.0.
oh and pluto, one last thing- a couple days ago you posted that ford "upgraded" their 4.0 to achieve the 210, 207 horsepower ratings it owns. i guess you didn't know that this is a totally different engine than the one that outsold the tacoma before the 2001 model year. overhead cam vs overhead valve. please, educate yourself before you post info. that proves how much of an idiot about vehicles you are. just like the rear diff thing. that was hilarious, and you're joe off-roader, or so you said.
since my ranger will be gone, my days will be limited for posting here, but ill still read your bs. hehe.
ps. pluto, the tacoma does NOT have 31" tires, it uses metric tires now. i know your old '98 uses the flotations, but how many times do i have to tell you to go look at a new one, they now have 16" wheels (optional of course, while ford uses 16's as standard stuff) and use 265/70/16's. which are wider than a 31 and have a noticeably smaller sidewall.
About "why doesnt Toyota come out with engine as powerfull as 4.0?": when exactly did the Ranger get its 207 horses? 2001?
About TSB: note that Toyota TSBs don't say "Failure", unlike Ford ones. The brake one is "Update", whatver that means. What bothers me is that TSBs that I've looked at span a lot of vehicles. It may be an error on the part of the site, or is it that Ranger is sharing a lot of parts with the Explorer?
I don't have any horror stories about service department. I've never been to one. Just like your Ranger, mine is running flawlessly. Whatever your experience with Toyota dealers is, sure it may be true. I know a guy who works for a Toy dealership here. I'd not go to buy a truck from him. I know him more or less personally, and he's just a bad type of a person. However, my experience when I bought the truck was very excellent. I'd go back to the same dealership when I need to get the next truck, how many years from now it'll be.
It's not that all Toyota dealers are pricks. I'd give you an example of a Ford dealer like that, however, I've stayed away from Ford dealerships completely. I wasnt even remotely considering buying a Ford. I guess I'm the idiot here, not wanting to be the part of "big Ford family and millions of people who continue driving best vehicles in the country". I'll pass, if I want tires exploding under me, I'll let you know.
Again, as for power and torque, when did Ranger get the new 207hp engine? It's rather funny, Ford continues to sell its old 3.0L engine with 150hp, and the 4-banger version. The reason why its funny is that you keep bragging about power, and Toyota's 7 year old I4 engine is better than Fords' one, and as good as the Fords' 3.0L. I guess we missed that.
as far as the 3.0, i would think that the majority of ranger 4x4's sold have this engine in it. this engine is bulletproof and very torquey for its size. and with the 5-spd auto or 5-spd manual, it gets going pretty quickly for only having 150 horses. why get an I-4 (with toyota for more money) when you can have a small V6 which will last longer? also, ford doesn't insult its buyers by offering a 4 banger in a 4x4. for toyota, this is what the majority of their 4x4s get. and they're even more expensive than ford's V6s. sure its a good engine, but its still a 4-cylinder. and they're dogs. also, last time i checked, you couldn't even get a tacoma 4x4 regular cab with a V6. at least ford offers this, along with a manual with both V6s and the off-road packages, both of them. TRD off-road in a reg. cab? dream on. and YOU guys talk about toyota giving you choices. what are they, a clock for $85?
you claim that the toyota I-4 is as good as ford's. you are insulting your own engine. ford's I-4 is only used in its base 2x2 trucks. toyota on the other hand depends on their I-4 for the majority of their builds. at least ford has an optional smaller V6 for 4x4's. toyota's small I-4 HAS to be good, it's their main engine in their trucks.
I'd also, once again, caution the Ford guys here from praising the Explorer's quality history. It's a big seller but it's had a lot of consistent problems other than the tires. The SOHC 4.0, for example, had many years of failed engines from the timing chain situation. Ford eventually took care of the problem (apparently..time will tell) and refunded the money of previous repairs (typically engine replacements). That took about five years of ignoring the problem though. I've read several posts here attempting to claim that the problem only made the engine noisy of which the writers are completely misinformed. The noise was typically a prelude to extensive engine damage if left unattended.
The Ranger, on the other hand, has a very good reputation so I'd stick with defending the Ranger if I was a Ford guy.
http://www.motortrend.com/oct01/ser/ser_f.html
I'm not insulting the Toyota I4. You should have read more carefully. I said, Toyota's I4 is as good as Fords 3.0L V6. And last time I heard, the 3.0L was not the bulletproof, I think even you admitted that there were numerous problems with it.
Ask any RegCab 4x4 owner in the ttora forum: would they switch to V6? You'll get a vast majority of people say that no. At this point you are making things up, tbunder. Anyone who asked the "How potent is I4?" has gotten the answer that it is very potent. Look at it this way...the I4 is only 20hp rated less than the Nissans' V6.
Unfortunately, I like V6, and don't particularly like the regcab looks. RegCab is also 500 lbs lighter than Xtracab, weights only 3000 lbs. So an I4 is very much enough for it. I do wish there was a V6 for it. But Toyota has stopped making those in 97.
Trying... to... breathe...
Too... much... testosterone...
Where can a girl go for some air?
Watch the personal attacks. I'd hate to have to put this one in a deep freeze.
kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
Someone should just tie the back of a tacoma to the back of ranger and let'em rip. That would the end of the disscusion.
A 265/70/16 is the metric equivalent of a 31x10.5 tire. A "flotation" tire is another term for a tire that's rated "LT," which stands for light truck. LT tires have tougher sidewalls and are generally more rugged, although they give a little stiffer ride on the highway. A tire rated "P" means passenger. It's less durable than an LT but gives a smoother ride. I'm not sure if the Tacoma's tires are P or LT, or if the Ranger has P or LT. Maybe tbunder is trying to argue that the ranger has LT and the tacoma doesn't?? either way, whether it's a metric tire or not has nothing to do with whether it's P or LT.
Last month I purchased a 2001 Mazda B4000 Dual Sport (Mazda's edge version).
Now, I can appreciate the quality arguments some of you have brought up. I don't like to buy cheap crappy stuff either, ie: pressed wood furniture, etc. but the reality is that autos are outrageously expensive these days and and I need some money left over to be able to actually have fun with my new truck! I have heard alot of people (off these boards) that owned ranger/mazda and loved them, so I wasn't convinced enough to spend way more to get less (less stuff that I care about). I think the toyota (prerunner, not the wimpy looking regular one) is a great looking truck, but my truck looks pretty darn good also.
(monochromatic black and just added a Jason dimension hard lid - SWEET!)
I know you've argued prices here before(and the toyota guys don't care), but for what it's worth:
For $18,800 out the door I got the 207 HP, 5sp auto tranny, 4 X 4 suspension (not 4 wheel drive), full power stuff with remote, cruise, cd player, sliding rear window, bedliner, receiver hitch and wiring, LSD, fog lights, passive anti theft device, 15" alloy wheels, but best of all, and an option I personally love is the rear doors. don't think I would be happy without this, it's too handy.
The closest prerunner I could come up with was an invoice of 19,513, then I guessed around 700 to add bed liner, hitch, and LSD. Now were at
20,213. I have no idea what fog lights, antitheft would add, and you can't even get 4 doors on this one. Even if you could buy it at invoice (ha) add fees, 6.5% sales tax and I'm estimating around 21,900. Just seems awfully steep for a compact pickup to me. I got everything I wanted at a more palatable price. If it ends up sucking I guess I've learned a lesson. Right now I'll take that chance.
Well, I hope everyone enjoys the ride they have and they all last a long time.
Peace.
Ive been a auto tech for many years,wouldn't you think i would have a ranger if was the better of the two?I'm not saying that the ranger is a bad vehicle or anything but it just doesn't compare to the quality you get with the yota.That old saying "you get what you pay for"
Now part of my daily routine will be looking at the responses to your ad in E-bay and e-mailing the bidders. Maybe you would have better luck advertising your truck in the newspaper classifieds, where your lies will not catch up to you.
Pluto--->I guess you don't have anything better to do, since you're a government employee... oh never mind. You're just placing yourself on the short end of the karma stick, imho.
anafofana--->That's what I'm talking about. All the toyota fans here keep preaching quality, peace of mind, and the god given locker. I own a 1993 Ranger that still runs great, and is practically earning me money now because of the low maintenance, the very durable design, and of course the lower payments(or lack there of now). You don't see any Toyota Pickup (Tacoma showed up 1995ish) owners here saying the same.
2k1trd--->Spent 2 years of my life working as a mechanic as well. I've seen enough toyota's in the shop to know that it's not all it's cracked up to be. I'd say the ratio of Fords to Toyotas are very close to the same ratio of sales. Go figure.
saddaddy--->Better hope nobody upgrades their "stock" equipment if they meet you off-road. Because that my friend is a whole new ball game, no? That may also be one great use for a the extra thousands of dollars.
4 dodge
8 Ford
1 datsun/Nissan (1982)
0 Toyota
stang - I have no problem accepting that your Ranger has given you a lot of trouble free miles. If you've really never seen anyone claim the same about their Tacoma, however, then you need to look other places than a Ranger page. This forum has several past regulars with similar claims as well as the many consumer rating pages, Tacoma pages etc. I've only had mine two years but it's been trouble free so far.
it has bilstein shocks, 2 foot water fording capability backed by ford, modified intake for water driving, alcoa stock wheels- yep the same alcoa company that makes semi wheels, LT rated 31" tires, and a torsen lsd, which im not sure if you know it or not, but acts as a locker when locked in? u no that? and let's not forget the extra 20 horsies the ranger has. here's some info i got straight from torsen when i asked a question pertaining to my lsd and the fx4's lsd:
Installation of this differential is only slightly different then it would be for the stock differential. Rather then having to remove a cross pin to install the C-clips, there is a center block instead. Other then that, there is no real difference.
We have a differential that fits that axle that is available aftermarket which sells in the $450-$500 ballpark (depending on who you buy it from). However, the specific differential used in the FX4 is sold only to Ford for assembling into new trucks or for their service-parts organization. The key difference between the two is the addition of a spring preload to the FX4 differential. This improves wheel-in-the-air mobility over the standard aftermarket unit. If you wanted the FX4 unit, you would have to buy it from a Ford dealer. I have no knowledge of what they would charge.
If you installed either one in your truck, you should notice a significant reduction in wheelspin, either going around a corner, off-road, or in poor road conditions. You might also notice an improvement in handling as well, due to the torque-biasing nature of the Torsen, but in pick-up trucks this is less noticeable.
I hope this helps,
Rick Barnes
Zexel Torsen Inc.
rbarnes@torsen.com
the FX4's lsd is specially made for wheel in the air action. yep, a locker is awesome, but why have one when you dont need one all the time? a lsd kicks in automatically when needed.
pluto- you're a riot. and guess what, the guy that is buying it did NOT bid on it, he made a private offer. and he knows i took it off-road. some of us actually know how to use our trucks off the road. unlike yourself, joe-4wheeler.
do all of us a favor, and get a life, grow up a little. don't you have anything better to do than email strangers? its not my problem everyone wanted my truck, i think you may be jealous that you can't have a newer truck, eh? whatever the case, you seriously need to get away from edmunds for a while. i think it's driving you crazy my friend. you fit all the diagnoses. internet junky and big time troller seeking big time attention. that's you bud! get some help.
ochizon--->I bet it doesn't have a spot of rust in the bed too. Original belts, battery, and pads(shoes?) too. About the rust on your bumper. There are several chemicals out there that can remove/restore rust. I forget the name, but it comes in a little jar a little smaller than a coffee cup. Any Autozone, pep boys, or o'reilly auto parts store should carry something. Then I would sand out any rough spots, primer it, then use your flat black to hide it.
saddaddy--->Good point, and it's that is a reasonable choice. I just choose the opposite as there isn't really a right way or the wrong way. If I wanted the ultimate off-road vehicle, I would sure be looking at some after market parts. Seeing the picture once online of a late 60's mustang fastback ontop of a F-250 frame, with all kinds of modifications comes to mind. But it seems to me it's just two different methods of reaching the same goal. One store bought, the other built.
smgilles--->You forgot the 9 good Fords in the lemon forum. When you consider that the number of Fords posted in a lemon folder outnumber the ones called a lemon, that's pretty good. Good no toyota owners posted their problems. Either from lack of problems, or lack of people posting.