I went to the local Ford dealer and test drove a new Ranger. I liked it. It was comfortable and the engine responded very well to throttle input. If felt like it had a V8 under the hood and not a 4 banger. The turbos come on strong at low rpm with light throttle. I'm sure it will beat all the other small trucks to 60mph. I remember seeing a TFL video where it ran away from a Tacoma. The transmission shift points are well matched to the engine for great response. The stop/start feature didn't bother me as much as I thought because it worked so well. The engine is direct injected and would have carbon buildup on the back side of the intake valves after 50k or so miles I would suspect.
Then I drove a F150 crewcab with the 3.5 ecoboost. It was so quiet and comfortable. The transmission upshifted so soon during normal driving that I couldn't really feel the turbo like in the Ranger and it doesn't have a sport mode setting but a manual mode. It felt so big and heavy. I liked both trucks but probably not well enough to buy one? Then I got back in my 2002 with the 5.4 and superchips tune. It felt quite strong in normal driving around town compared to the new trucks even though it is rated with less hp than either of the new trucks. My old truck just doesn't have the passing power on the highway like the new ones. I've got to get busier with my hobbies and quit thinking about buying a new vehicle.......

 

Your old truck weighs a lot less than the new F150 and probably less than the Ranger. The 5.4 also is no slouch in the low end torque department, it just doesn't have the high end horsepower.

 

I'm shocked that my 07 F-150 still runs fine, and it doesn't need to be replaced yet. I will keep driving it, and doing maintenance. Until such time that it cost more to keep the truck running, than I'm will to spend. Big decision will be if the engine and/or transmission go out. Then I have to decide how many thousands I want to spend on an old truck. Versus the cost of a new truck. So far, only light maintenance. Fluids. Tires. Brakes. Lamps. Plugs. Wires. Ignition. Wipers........Nothing really expensive yet.

 

Yeah, reliability is why I haven't replaced my old 2002. I'm worried a new truck would not be as reliable. Knock on wood. I haven't had anything expensive go yet or anything I couldn't repair myself, bearing hubs, rear wheel bearing which meant replacing the axle too, tie rod ends, idler arm, ball joints. It left me stranded one time that turnied out to be a PCM relay. After the tow home, it cost about $8 to replace. Well, I did pay the Ford dealer to replace the first bearing hub because my temp contract job in FL was ending and I had to move back to NC the following weekend and I just did not have the time to replace it myself. At 165k miles, I suspect it will still be running well when I'm not since I'm 76 now.

 

Stopped at my local Ford dealer last weekend for some parts and the first thing I noticed was how thin their inventory was! Lots that are usually jam-packed with trucks had only a smattering of vehicles - kind of shocking compared to how things normally are!

I like the new Rangers and have noticed that the pricing on them has gotten more competitive compared to how things were when they first came out.....💰

 

Imagine trying to sell new cars in the Covid economy. People are unemployed. They don't have money. People working from home don't need to own a car, much less a new car. Large companies which used to place fleet orders are trimming down the budget. Luckily, protestors keep burning police cars, so you can expect to move a few Interceptors.

This is a turning point in history. Separation of haves, and have nots. Working class people are unemployed. Dow Jones is soaring to new heights. Rich are getting richer. Poor are getting poorer. So while the guy in a polo shirt at the dealership is not able to sell enough cars to meet his commission goals, Ford stock holders have seen the stock go from about $5 to near $10. We won't even talk about Tesla stock.

 

The local dealer here where I test drove the trucks only had 4 new F150s and of course they were loaded with options. The factories fell behind producing new vehicles due to the china virus.