Why I Will Go Midsize Truck

The Toyota dealership here is pretty bad as well. I've purchased vehicles from them before and every time I had to deal with the service department it was a pain in the ass. Just like your experience, the dealership here is bad about not listening to the customer when they bring a vehicle in. For the most part they just default to the mindset of "oh you have no idea what you're talking about" when in many cases the owner knows exactly what is going on with their vehicle. I'm sure it doesn't help that they are constantly covered up with customers who bring their vehicles in for basic maintenance. The Ford dealer here actually implemented a Quick Lane service center for basic stuff like oil changes etc etc and that takes some load off of the guys in the main dealership who are focusing on warranty claims and so on. This doesn't mean the Ford dealer is awesome by any means. I usually end up having to get into it with the service department there too.

 

Ford didn't always make crappy A/C Compressors. My '89 5.0 still has the factory compressor and it blows cold to this day. I do agree quality has gone down in "American" made vehicles recently.

Onto the fullsize trucks of today. They are BIG monsters. I drove a '10 F-150 for about 2 years and it felt way larger then the '02 I had. Both were Supercrew short beds. I did however find it to my advantage at times. For instance, I live in Houston and my daily commute then was in highway traffic. Getting on the highway in the morning, with traffic moving at 5-10mph, was a pain. No one wanted to let you in, so I would just "force" my way over. Same with switching lanes at these speeds, I'd sit with my blinker on for a few miles, then just "force" my way in.

 

Government fleet sales in the U.S. are low bid. I once worked for the BLM, the had gm and dodge low bid pickups, no fords. It appeared to me that the gov vehicles were so bad they were afraid to sell them to the public so they sold them to the taxpayers. Repairs were full price of course. There were jeep pickups being retired at 10,000 because they weren't worth fixing. Note that this was long ago however I doubt the situation has changed.

I wouldn't buy a truck because the government did.

 

Is that price in Australian $s?

 

I considered a ranger but I was fixated on a toyota due to past good experience. I came here and saw a post "The only good thing I can say about my ranger (vs a tacoma) is it cost less to buy." That ended my considering a ranger.

 

That would make a difference. One U.S. buck is currently worth about $1.39 Aussie bucks

 

Concerned about fuel cost and power, then go get 2.7 Ecoboost F150. Forget about parking as easily as tacoma or ranger

 

Fuel costs on the F150 Crew Cab I am currently driving actually aren't that bad. I'm averaging 19.3 mpg. To me that's acceptable in a big truck like this, but yes the hassle with parking and navigating parking lots etc etc is a pain in the ass. I would prefer a midsize truck for daily driving.

 

An engine designed for CAFE would be more appropriate. If it was truly designed for mileage it would be a FWD unibody monstrosity that's known as the Ridgeline. Which is a great rig if you occasionally drive over leaves and need something for your trips to home depot.

 

Hello fellow GTO owner ^_^ 06 6MT here

 

Is that the v8 or ecoboost ?

Significantly better mpg than my lx570

 

I will probably go back to a full size as I near retirement. Drove F150s all my life until I bought my 2009 Tacoma. I will have no need for a Crew Max but will probably get a 2x cab Tundra. I plan on buying a bigger boat and maybe a larger RV than what I have now. I have not parallel parked in over 15 years and do not plan to so parking is not really an issue. I also stay away from parking garages. I use to park my F150 4x4 in the garage at the airport on occasion and it was pretty scary at times. Roof was about 2" from the beams.

 

I think the Double Cab, 5.7L 4x4 Tundra is an incredible value.

 

Looks like 54000 Australian is 39500 American. Not a bad deal if that includes the diesel or a v8 ecoboost. With incentives may be worth a look. However the style is reminiscent of a heritage f150. Not digging that at all. Beef it up, give it an ecoboost v8 with lighter aluminum body, more torque, more towing capacity, better payload, less chrome than an f150, and make an off road version, give me some incentives and I may think about it. F150 reliability has increased significantly in the past 5 years.

On a side note: The VW beetle was the longest running car in production without any major redesigns, well after the model T. I wonder where the ranger is on that list. Makes the redesign Tacoma looks like a fresh sheet design.

 

Ford doesn't make a ecoboost V8. If I had to guess the I4 2.3 ecoboost or V6 2.7L ecoboost will be the flagship engine.

 

5.0 V8

 

The 3.2 diesel used in the Ranger overseas is already used here in the U.S. They offer it in the Transit van. I recently read on a Ranger forum that Ford will offer the 3.2 in the Ranger here as well.

 

American v8 often seen more efficient than Japanese v8?

I have owned 3 Lexus LS, 1 v8 land cruiser, and one lx570. Your 5.0 is better than all of mine have been