Ready To Buy... Maybe

[X6StringerX]

How's that for an indecisive title?

I was originally looking at F150s and Rangers, but the additional cost of the F150 wouldn't leave me with much extra for accessories along the way, so I've eliminated the F150 from the equation. I spoke to my sales representative about the Ranger and this is the offer I was presented with.

MSRP:----------------------------------------------$28,050
Selling Price:----------------------------------------$26,061
Total Rebates:---------------------------------------($6000)
Trade Offer:-----------------------------------------($4000)
Price After Rebates:---------------------------------$16,061
Taxes, Tags, and Fees:-------------------------------$1,053
Total Financed:-------------------------------------$17,114

At the interest rate I qualify for, that puts me at roughly $268 a month for 72 months or $315 for 60 months, which is awesome.

Now comes the hard part... actually making the decision. Do I want to commit to a payment for 5-6 years or do I want to keep my '01 Explorer with 150k that is paid off? The kicker is that I've dropped a lot of coin on the Explorer over the last year.... gears, exhaust, wheels, tires, synthetic fluids, tune-up, etc. It is in top shape. I think one of the reasons I'm a little reluctant to get the Ranger is because the aftermarket is similar to that of the Explorer. We have limited options when it comes to lifts, exhaust, etc. Although, the Rangers do seem to have a slight edge over the Explorers.

How many of you guys went from Explorer to Ranger and never looked back?

 

[X6StringerX]

I have to vent here a little because I consider EF to be my safe haven.

I'm a member of a couple different car related forums for Rangers, Explorers, and Focus. I posted a similar version of this thread on those just to gather insight from a broader pool. I know I haven't had any responses to this thread here, but I've had almost all negative responses from the other forums about the price and I don't understand why. Help me understand. I can conclude that the initial post obviously wasn't read in its entirety by some of the replys. For example, one guy responded saying that he would rather make passionate love to a wood chipper than to spend $30k on a Ranger. Well, fair enough, but that has nothing to do with me. I'd never drop $30k on a Ranger. He obviously stopped when he read the MSRP and decided to attempt a witty reply. Had he read a sentence beyond that, he would have realized that I'm getting it for $20,800. That's a far cry from $30k. This brings me to my second point. I keep getting told that I'm overpaying and this is after the actual price is referenced. I don't know what world these people live in, but the invoice on this truck is $26,300 and that's exactly what I'm paying before rebates. I'm getting $5,500 in rebates, so that brings the price down to $20,800. To put things in perspective, I'm buying a brand new 2011 Ranger for less than what 2009-10 Rangers are currently selling for in my area. With my trade, from which I'm getting a very generous $4,000, I feel like I'm getting a great deal. According to current price trends, I could drive the Ranger for 2 years and sell it for more than I bought it. The rebates are more than making up for the anticipated depreciation. Am I missing a huge piece of the puzzle or something? I feel like replying to some of these guys and informing them that this isn't 1995. You can't go buy a brand new fully loaded 4x4 truck for $15,000 anymore. I agree that the Ranger is not the most cutting edge offering at this time, but that is precisely why I'm interested in it. I know the platform and it's capabilities. I also know it is solid.

PS - If you're wondering why the selling price of $26,061 that was listed in my original price has changed, that is because the dealership called and said they made an error. The actual invoice price is $26,300 as I mentioned in this post. They did say the would make it up in another way such as a spray-in bedliner. Those run $250+ around here and it's something I would want anyway, so no harm no foul.

 

[dlk]

I'd rather make passionate love to a wood chipper than to spend 30K on a ranger!


Sorry, couldn't resist.
I didn't realize the msrp was 28K on a ranger, but I guess I don't have much of an opinion on it. I think alot of folks look down on the ranger because they have soldiered on for years with only minor changes. IOW, they're not 'NEW & IMPROVED'! I do know I never want to ride in the back seat of a supercab ranger again,

 

[X6StringerX]

I remember about 3 years ago or so, I was browsing around on Ford's website and decided to build a Ranger with the FX4 package. I'll be honest, I had sticker shock when I saw the $30k MSRP. Then I started looking at other compact/mid-size trucks. Colorados, Tacomas, Frontiers, etc. are all $30k+ when nicely equipped. I've always been one of those guys who suggested skipping the Ranger and buying an F150 for "not much more" and it was my original intent to buy an F150 despite the fact that I don't need that much truck. With that being said, buying an F150 for "not much more" is far easier said than done. When I started shopping around, I found that it basically only applies to the base model F150s. An XLT, FX4, or Lariat F150 easily reaches $35-$45k with a handful of options. Even with the sizable F150 rebate, we're talking roughly $10k or 33% more than the Ranger. To even get close to the price of a Ranger, I'd have to limit myself to a regular cab 3.7 XL with very few options and possibly just 4x2. Ford's rebate structure is very misleading as not every F150 is eligible for the full $7250 rebate. $1500 worth of the rebates are only applicable to XLT trucks with chrome, towing, and convenience packages. You have to finance through Ford credit to recieve one of the $1000 rebates and they only offer $750 trade assist as opposed to $1000 for a Ranger. So, in order to receive those rebates, you're looking at a truck that has an invoice of about $37,500. With the full $7250 in rebates, that brings it down to $30,250. However, the APR through Ford credit is like 8.9% as opposed to the 3.99% that I'm qualified for through my bank. For the F150, my monthly payment would be roughly $575 for 72 months. The Ranger's monthly payment will be less than $300 for 72 months. Effectively, I could finance the Ranger for 36 months and still be paying less per month than I would for the F150 at twice as long. I suppose I could always refinance the F150, but it would still be considerably more.