Why would you spend money on a small truck that gets the same gas mileage, cost about the same brand new, can't haul as much, doesn't have the same amount of power etc. My dad wanted to buy another ranger (he had one at the time), after making the above points and a few others he now agrees driving a brand new f150. Now back on topic, I wouldn't buy one. I don't like seeing our tax money / future sent to other countries let alone send my hard earned money to some other country...

 

Maybe because I don't like driving big trucks?

My next vehicle will not be a F-150 built within the past 10 years. Too big. It may not even be a small truck, I may go back to a car.

 

I try to make those exact points to people all the time, and some folks just don't care and like those baby trucks. XLT-equivalent quadcab 4x4 Tacomas cost over $40k. Who in their right mind is going to spend an extra $10k over a supercrew F150 for just as much? If ya gotta have a Toyota, spend the same for a Tundra. It makes no sense to me.

I'd be driving a lifted, supercrew diesel right now if I could. Cars, small trucks, and single cab trucks are too claustrophobic for me. I can't stand being low to the ground unable to see.

 

Modern vehicles are built everywhere with parts from everywhere. The last Ranger I saw for sale said on the sticker that the engine was made in Spain and the transmission was made in France or vice versa. The Crown Vic was made in Mexico as was the Focus I believe. It's a modern world with most countries tied together economically. This is good. One of my favorite sayings is that if we ever have world peace, it will be because of economic dependence, not because of religion or politics.

 

I wouldn't own a VW-anything, no matter what they put under the hood. Those things are about as cheap as they come, and always have been. The Nissan/Toyota brands pretty much have the smaller-truck market locked up since Ford/GM got out of the game, and Dodge (Ram) never had much of a foothold anyway. There was talk of the Nissan Frontier and 2015 Titan having a small diesel in it which would go over well, especially in the European market.

I have no problem with small trucks for those that only need that capability. For the record, I think the Nissan/Toyota small trucks have always been better than their American couterparts, but the big trucks it's reversed. A small truck doesn't have the towing capacity or payload I require, so I'd have to pass no matter the brand.

 

Would I trade my truck for that?

MMMMM, NO!


It is a cute little THANG though

 

Even the discontinued Ranger? I don't think so - and I'm not impressed with the Frontier. I do agree with you as far as the Tacoma goes, that's a Hilux, which has a long history of being a rugged little truck worldwide.

 

I'm not ******* on the Ranger, I just didn't feel that it was any better than a Frontier or Tacoma. All are generally very cheap interior feel (lots of plastic) and were typically 4-cylinder powered. Granted I never rode in a 2006+ Ranger, but the exterior was never that exciting, either. The V6 in the Toyota and Nissan was as stout as what Chevy/Ford had, so even match there, too. Nissan had the tubular roof rack, bed storage systems, etc. prior to Ford and others joining the party later on. Again, not ******* on the Ranger or Canyon (or whatever GM was calling it), I just didn't see them as any better than the competition aside from maybe pricing.

To be honest, I always like the interior/exterior of the SportTrac more than the Ranger by far, if only the SportTrac had a bigger bed. The Adrenalin could have been an real hot item if they had kept with the performance package in it instead of the aero-only kit.

 

The Ranger engines would last a long time after they started using Mazda engines or at least in the 4cyl versions. Those early 2.3L Pinto engines were not the best.

 

I think Rangers are POS's as far as quality goes. Good vehicles, but cheap crap. If you get a baby truck, the Tacoma is by far the best and none of the others even compare IMO.

All Nissans are horridly cheap.

 

I wouldn't touch a 4 banger Ranger - I'd even take a 3.slow over it. The 4.0 was a very peppy engine in it, especially when they went to SOHC.

 

It looks like the Explorer Sport Trac.

And, no I wouldn't buy one.

 

I wouldn't go that far. The Altimas are as nice as the Fusion is, the Maxima is as nice as the Taurus, the ZCars and Skylines have always been great (and better than anything Ford had, sans GT40). I do agree about their trucks though, at least on the interior. The Xterra, while plasticy, has a great reputation as an stable off-roader in stock form.

When I was looking at trucks in 2008, it was down to the Titan and F-150. The only thing that really swayed me was the interior quality of the Ford Lariat being hands-down better than the Titan SE. To boot, Nissan wanted another $4-5K for it over the Ford, so I passed.

 

That's a big No for me! I love my full size pickup.
My Dad is interested in a new small or mid-size truck. The full size trucks are just more than he needs. He is waiting on the 2015 Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon to be released. For those interested, they are planning to put a diesel in those in 2016. See USA Today article link...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...anyon/4435385/

 

After having seen and driven 100s of Nissans of all years and models, I don't care for any of them. Their interiors fall apart and I've not gotten a solid, quality vibe from a single one. I'm not one to be picky over interiors, but even I hate Nissan interiors, even the new ones. I think the Maxima is an excellent looking car, but get inside and . . .

Serious question, no sarcasm: How did the Titan make it to your final two? I unbiasedly think it is and has been the worst full-size truck offering, from nearly every aspect, since it came out.

Nissan also hasn't changed a damn thing on the Titan for 11 years. An 04 looks exactly like a '14. So anyone dumb enough to buy the worst truck available can have fun with their 11 year old new truck that gets horrible gas mileage.