1996 Ford Ranger - The Little Truck That Could, But Almost Didn't.
I named her Darwin, because she was a gift that was supposed to evolve into money. But she ended up actually evolving. I crashed her into a medium sized tree on a muddy road driving back to college one morning a few years back. She took it like a champ. I saw it coming and had just enough time to aim for that sweet spot on the bed of the truck between the rear tire and the back windows. I got really lucky and only dented the box. Although I was a little surprised when the air bag didn't pop out and hit me in the face. I hit the tree hard enough to rip it out of the ground and land on top of it. I thought she was done, but when a farmer pulled my truck off the tree I was able to drive her away. And continued to drive her after replacing the bed for 6 more years and 180,000 miles.
Story
The first winter I had this truck I had some trouble getting up my driveway. I managed to get myself stuck in a foot deep of snow on a log. I got really mad and started swearing and hitting the gas spinning the tires. I turned the wheel full rotations in both directions faster than would be recommend and ended up bouncing the truck out the woods and off the log back onto my drive way. I then ... (more)
Pros
This Truck had the most comfortable seats, soft and cushy. Made from fabric, not leather, so you didn't burn your skin on a not day. It was rear wheel drive, she could go anywhere, given that you knew how to handle her. She had great gas mileage for what she was and how old she was, 24MPG.
Cons
Changing the oil was a challenge. The filter is kind of on the middle front leftist part of the engine about 2/3rds down and to the left and up, I basically had to break my arm to get at it. Other than that, working on the engine was easy and straight forward. This truck is so light that going over bridge connectors on the highway, at normal highway speeds around 60, might send the truck bouncing sideways. I eventually learned to drive off center to avoid this problem. This truck wasn't 4 wheel drive so she got stuck, a lot, but never in snow. Which is odd because where I live it snows 8 ... (more)
2001 Ford Ranger - Great Quality and Lasts Forever
This is an excellent truck. I have been driving it for fourteen years and I have never had a major problem with it. Apart from a couple of minor incidents the only time it has been in the shop is for routine maintenance. It drives just as good today as it did fourteen years ago. If you are looking for a vehicle that you can put a lot of miles on and still maintain quality year in and year out then this truck is definitely for you.
Story
Driving up to the mountains to go hiking.
Pros
It is very spacious and can haul a lot. I love to go hiking and I can fit everything I need behind the seat and still have plenty of room to haul whatever I need in the back. It is a very practical vehicle. The reliability is great for everyday commuting. I drive about half an hour to work through the country and I have never once been late. It is also very rugged. I drive across a lot of bad road conditions and I have never suffered any damage or poor performance because of it. It is also very comfortable. It is very roomy and I have never felt cramped while driving it.
Cons
The only drawback I can really think of is the lousy fuel economy. It was not very good to begin with and has deteriorated with age. Be prepared to hand over a little more for gas.
2004 Ford Ranger - A Survivor
I bought this truck with about one hundred ninety three thousand miles on it, and knew from the start that it wasn't a great truck. Nothing about it is exceptional, and it has many flaws. Overall, however, I have enjoyed having it. It runs reliably basically no matter what I do to it. It feels sturdy, it handles well for a pickup, and it has enough power to get up and go even while hauling a trailer full of stuff.
Story
I took my wife to see the fireworks on the fourth of July out over the harbor, and we laid a couple of blankets out in the bed and had a nice picnic on the roof of a parking garage while the fireworks went off. It was a great time.
Pros
My favorite thing about the truck is that it feels indestructible. I enjoy driving a vehicle that feels like it could take on anything. The interior is also appealing to me in that it has jump seats behind the driver and passenger seats, which allowed me to build a platform for my service dog to ride around with me on. The amount of room in the interior is just right for what I need.
Cons
The engine is overly difficult to perform maintenance on. I tried to replace the spark plugs and lines in the engine but was unable to complete the task. I successfully replaced two of them, had to call in help for the third, fourth, and fifth, but the sixth spark plug cannot be removed unless you fully remove the entire engine from the car. Not very user-friendly. The stereo is also of a particularly low quality, and has actually begun destroying CDs that I put into the player. The receiver also has probably the only tape deck left in the state. The brakes are weak.
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