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Compact Pickup Comparison: Frontier, Ranger, Tacoma, S10, Dakota, B-Series, & Hombre - READ ONLY

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What is this discussion about? Nissan Frontier, Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, Dodge Dakota, Mazda B-Series Pickup

Messages Page 22 of 58

#209 of 579 MAZDA or Ford Ranger 1996 - 1998 by laststand

Jan 10, 2001 (6:49 pm)

Hi I am new to the truck world. Actually I am interested in purchasing my first truck. It will be a used one. I need one as a second vehicle to pull a boat (1000 lbs weight total with trailer) and to due the usual light hauling when you live in the country. I am leaning towards a small six engine (3 litre). I have been told that FORD Rangers and MAZDA BXXXX series are basically one in the same truck except for body styling. Can any one provide me with details and opinions on what I should buy and why. I am looking for a basic truck ...nothing fancy...an extend a cab is not required (but nice though). The most important thing is reliability and cost. Is there anything I need to know about these model years in the ranger and B3000(?) Thanks all.

#210 of 579 dewindt by madhatr880

Jan 10, 2001 (8:42 pm)

My 01' Tacoma gets what I consider to be very good gas mileage. Around town i average between 17 to 19 mpg and on a recent road trip i got 23-24 mpg. Pretty good for a 4x4 extended cab V-6 truck.
 
Vince8
 
read the post better. You said 24-27 i told you my sticker price was 24,500. By the way a z-r2 also has bilstein shocks, are you saying it is not a good value because of this. You know most people i have encountered on this site at least are open minded about topics and even if they disagree are still open to the fact that they don't know everything. you on the other hand must be "The Automobile Messiah". you know absolutly everything and everyone else is just ignorant to the truth unless their experience or knowlege is agreed with by yourself. To me this way of thinking and acting is ignorance in itself. Have you ever owned a toyota. The only thing we "Yotaheads" and even webbed have tried to get you to consider is that your odds of having to fix a ford before a yota are cosiderably greater. You may have the money to fix a truck when it breaks. I on the other hand don't. 6,8,10, years from now when my truck is no longer under warranty i will rest better feeling the sense of security (whether it is real security or not) that i won't have to shell the cash for a new tranny or some other major costly problem. Like it or not ford, chevy, and dodge are more likely to have these major problems before a toyota. At the cost of rebuilding a transmission (which i used to do) around 1500 dollars and more depending on problems, that extra money at the purchase just makes a lot more since to me. Consider this also. Statistically the above problems are going to happen to domestics before a yota on most cases. After just two of these problems you have already spent the difference between the two vehicles. I really don't care about my open rear-end were as it makes no difference to me. My truck does everything I need it to. I also think it is sad that you can not compromise to the fact that no one here is saying that rangers just flat out suck. In fact most people I have heard so far have said that they happen to be a very good truck. It just so happens that in their own experiences with the two trucks, they like the yota better.

#211 of 579 bartlinden by allknowing

Jan 10, 2001 (9:27 pm)

Yeh, what really matters is that you're happy with your truck and I'm glad that you are. This forum was originally created by CT as the "War of the Compact Pickups" but has apparently been changed by Edmunds. You should expect some competition because of that, however, people with obsessive mental problems like Vince tend to go too far. He may not even own a truck or even be old enough to drive in reality. I've seen him in other forums and his actual goal is to simply stir things up. Too bad he's not smart enough to say something worthwhile though as he may be more interesting.

#212 of 579 The "Jean Analogy" was solid by webbd

Jan 10, 2001 (10:17 pm)

Moparbad, if you just put on a pair of Levis (kind of like just sitting in or test driving a Toyota) or compare their stitching and denim weight to that of similarly-priced, or even higher-priced competitors, you will see that there is nothing "perceived" about their quality. They've been around for almost 150 years for a reason. I've owned many pairs which have lasted me years now. I can't say the same for some of the competitor jeans I've owned. Jeans, like Tacomas, may be produced in plants alongside competitor jeans or trucks, but it's the methods and parts involved in their construction which make the difference to the owner. Obviously, the Tacoma now uses GM alternators and batteries, and this may account for some of the problems out there, but the Tacoma is a long way from being a 100% replica of an S-10 or Ranger.
 
Seeing as I can no longer quote Consumer Reports or J.D. Powers, both of which handily favor the reliability of Toyotas and the Tacoma, I'm left, like everyone else, to give my personal experience.
 
I owned a '95 ranger. I only experienced two problems with it--the wiper blades came on whenever they wanted and sometimes wouldn't go off unless I pulled over and turned the truck off, and the same thing went for the interior dome light. I got the problem fixed expertly for only $165, so I wasn't too upset. But I moved into a '98 Toyota later on, did 55,000 trouble-free miles, and then traded up for my current Prerunner which has 29,896 trouble-free miles. I will pay the extra money to have a trouble-free experience, and this is how Toyota stays in business. Again, there was nothing "perceived" in my ownership.

#213 of 579 The chip on your shoulder by scape2

Jan 11, 2001 (11:55 am)

gets larger and larger allknowing. I must have really hit some soft spots and popped that "Toyota is god bubble" but good. )
Toyota has lost its edge in the Quality and value equation. In the 80's and 70's Toyota had the quality and value edge hands down over the domestics. Today however its a different story. I'm telling you read Motor Trends truck of the year article. They don't like the interior quality of the Tacoma at all! Cheap plastics and quality!
As far as resale, I will say it again. I have punched so many damn times the same numbers it just plain getting old. The resale of a LIKE Toyota is a bit better but in no way 4-5K better. Where the heck are you getting your numbers from? Please list what you punched in and I would like to see this 4-5K resale difference. The resale is a bit better on a Tacoma, but not the thousands of dollars you hope for. And as I keep saying until my face is blue, RESALE SHOULD BE BETTER ON A TACOMA, YOU PAID MORE AT PURCHASE. Now, if I take the 3-4K I saved in NOT buying a Tacoma and invested it at a 15% return over 5 years. Who is going to be ahead then ? Vehicles are NOT investments they are a depreciating asset, ask any investor. Unless you own a 1957 T-Bird or a 57 Belair in prime condition, your car is going to depreciate not appreciate as some Toyota owners wish and want you to think.
And a new Ford Ranger owner has entered the room. A owner who has had great reliability/quality. How are you Toyota boys going to shoot bart down now?
Some of you veiw me as narrow minded. You may want to take a step back and look at yourselves. This stigma of "Toyota can do no wrong" is old and crumbling. Better take a look around the net and visit other rooms. There are plenty of dissatisfied Toyota owners out here.

#214 of 579 by allknowing

Jan 11, 2001 (1:39 pm)

No bubble to break my friend. You are somewhat entertaining as much as an exhibition of "dorkiness" can be entertaining. If you enjoy being the "Ford Ranger God" of stupidity as well as continuing having no respect from even the Ranger guys, go for it. For a while back a month or so ago you almost acted human and had a few posts worth reading. I guess a continuation in that direction will not be in the cards for you though.

#215 of 579 ZR2 package by barlitz

Jan 11, 2001 (3:34 pm)

The package includes,instatrac 4x4,4x4 flat five spoke aluminum wheels,reinforced wide stance chasis w/46mm blistein gas charged monotube shocks,vortec 430V6 SFI engine 190 HP/250 lb tque,revised frame for wide tread 3.9" wider than standard,ground clearance 11.4" front and 9.1" in back,strengthened front differential and drive axles,unique rear suspension with revised multileaf springs and added rear axle track bar,unique rear axle w/ an 8.5" ring gear,larger bearings and larger diameter axle shafts,28mm front stabilizer bar,31"x10.5" R15 BFG's,locking differential,4 wheel antilock brakes,driver side 3RD door. There's more to an offroad vehicle than just putting a trd sticker on it,I'm curious to know what the trd includes other than a sticker thats missing a u. BTW JD powers rated the Mazda B4000 best compact followed by S-10,Toyota wasn't even mentioned

#216 of 579 I agree with Vince8 (am I losing my mind!?) by webbd

Jan 11, 2001 (3:39 pm)

I agree with Vince that the value, if value means getting more options for less money, of Toyota vehicles has eroded over the last decade or so. But the quality still remains. Check out the latest Consumer Reports issue which is on the newstands now, and you will see that all the toyota vehicles rank "better or much better-than-average" meaning that less than 5% of owners ever experience problems. Ford, specifically the F-150 and Ranger, as usual, rank "Average" meaning 5 - 9.3% of owners have problems. But if you flip over to GM, you will find the Silverado, S-10, Suburban, Sierra, and on and on all rank "Much-worse-than-average" or more than 14.8% of owners experience problems. DaimlerGerman managed to eek out a "worse-than-average" rating with their Ram trucks, but that just means that between 9.3 and 14.8% of owners had problems.
 
But it's not just Toyota who've raised prices and lowered equipment offerings. The average price of a new vehicle was something like $14,000 earlier this decade, and now that figure is hovering around $20,000. The manufacturers are not to blame for this as they're just taking advantage of our insatiable hunger for more and more automobiles.

#217 of 579 webbd by cthompson21

Jan 11, 2001 (4:19 pm)

I also had a 95 Ranger with the exact same problems. So, just FYI in case you didn't know:
 
-The windshield wipers were caused by a defective turn signal stalk (I had mine replaced under warranty with an updated design produced by a different supplier).
 
-The dome light/door chime is caused by a sticking switch that is inside of the door latch mechanism. In most cases, a judicious application of WD-40 will cure it. In a few instances, the switch must be replaced. (I went the WD-40 route).

#218 of 579 laststand by cthompson21

Jan 11, 2001 (4:25 pm)

As previously noted, I would avoid '95 Rangers. There aren't really any bad years for the 3L. Your worse case scenario would be having to use mid-grade fuel because of pinging that some 3L's experience on low-grade. I think it's due to the FFV experimenting over the years.
 
I'd recommend a '96 or newer Ranger with the 3L and the 5-speed. They mate well together.
 
Other than that, there's not really much to report. Just follow the general stuff when buying a used vehicle.
 
Good luck
-Colin

Messages Page 22 of 58

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