'01-'05 ST or '01-'04 Ranger?

[JohnnyO]

I have to go down a long and very steep hill from my house to the river with my jetski. It's in town so we're not going fast at all. Trailer and jetski with a full tank of gas is around 1000 lb. With the Rangers I'd be dragging my feet at the bottom of the hill. With the Sport Trac I don't even know it's back there.

 

[Hokie]

Well I put this search to rest for a while until I knew where I was going to be when I graduate in a few months...

Today I drove an '02 Ranger XLT 4.0 Auto with a camper shell, a '98 Tacoma 3.4L 5spd TRD with a camper shell, a '02 Wrangler 4.0L 5spd (not really interested but it was on their lot and it was a nice sunny day ) and right now I have a '03 Sport Trac XLT on an overnight test drive.

To be perfectly honest, the ST is the nicest of the bunch. Its got power everything and the seats are significantly more comfortable than the others! I also like the easy clean vinyl floors of the ST. With the sun roof open, all 4 windows down and the rear window down there very much of a 'open air' feel to the ST. I'm really diggin' it

The bed is still 6-10" shorter than I want but I'm going to try tonight to see how/if I can get my bikes to fit in it. Thats the big iffy question for me right now. But I really, really like the ST

EDIT: The dealer tried to tell me today a ST can get almost 23 mpg on the highway... I find that very hard to believe. I was figuring 20-21 would probably be the absolute best it could do. Any feedback?

 

[adrnlnrush]

Here's my 2 cents, I've had 2 Rangers a 93 XLT and an 04 Edge. Both had 3.0L engines that ran like a sewing machine and they were fairly comfortable. Both were great little trucks but that is what they are little trucks.

I've also owned a few F150s which I loved but I decided they are just too bulky for my tastes and needs.

I now have an 08 STA, it is much more comfortable than the Rangers, I won't even mention features cause hands down the STA takes it. The hard tonneau that came with it is a fantastic idea plus it just feels much bigger than the Rangers did.

As far as hauling goes I have a hitch rack for the bikes and I'll rent a trailer if it's too big for the bed plus I don't worry about scratching the truck.

The Ranger can't fill the void of not having the larger truck but the STA does perfectly, it seems to be just the right size.

 

[Hokie]

Back to the drawing board...

I tried today but the ST just doesn't meet my needs. If Ford had designed it like the Avalanche and given fold down rear seats with a pass through to the bed I'd be buying a ST tomorrow. But my bikes, my skis, my kayak... all don't fit in the bed as well as I want ~ My priorities are to be able to carry any of my toys securely or be able to carry friends. My toys fit just fine into an Explorer/Mountaineer with one seat flopped (allowing for 1-2 friends to ride) but none fit into the ST as is

 

[section525]

 

[Hokie]

Ha! Trust me, I've thought about it... That'd be a PITA to park in downtown Charleston, SC

 

[ProjectAviator]

Hokie, How's the search going for a Ex?

Brent, Have you found your Explorer yet. We all would like to know.

Tim

 

[JohnnyO]

EDIT: The dealer tried to tell me today a ST can get almost 23 mpg on the highway... I find that very hard to believe. I was figuring 20-21 would probably be the absolute best it could do. Any feedback?

You might see 23 in a stock 2wd Trac on a flat road doing a steady 65 mph, a 4wd has no chance without a few mods.
When I was in Florida last July I saw 22 on the highway but I have a Gibson exhaust on mine (it's a 4wd) and the roads there are flat. Back home in PA I don't stand a chance at that because there are too many hills.

 

[Flounder]

Best I've done was to and back from Louisville, including climbing the Allegheny mountains, averaging about 21 @ 70-75 MPH. 23 might be possible on flat roads at 55. Who knows.