And before you say it, I know full well that FORD stands for, "Fix Or Repair Daily".
You see, my Daddy had a Ford truck . . . actually it was my GrandDaddy Cecil's truck and Pops bought it when GrandDad died. It was a 1986 (or 87) red 2WD F-150 XLT regular cab with a long bed and red interior. It drank gas like a sieve, and was beat all to hell from going everywhere (the truck had nearly 500,000 miles on the odometer when it met its untimely end).
The truck totally rocked.
Alas, Dad wrecked "Big Red" a month before he died. And there was no repairing the poor twisted beast. I really do think a little piece of Pops died that day. It was like a spark went out.
I bought another Camry instead of a Benz or Beamer a few years back because I figured I could ultimately get two good/durable/sensibly-priced/reliable vehicles (a car and a used or small truck) for the price of one "doctor" car. I had actually planned the truck purchase last year, but when the financial and housing markets did their Titanic sink, I decided to wait. My money went into much-needed home repairs.
I am not looking to purchase until later in the year. But I am starting to look.
And I am torn.
On the one hand, I could go all nostalgic and try to find an old truck like Dad's - and fix it up. I love the red interiors in the old F150's (not available anymore - I think they stopped doing that some time after '91 or '92). I've been following auctions on E-Bay. And old Ford trucks are very easy to find in Eastern North Carolina. Indeed, I found an old red & white beast on a lot this morning . . . in reasonably good condition (on the surface) . . . for next-to-nothing (of course, it would be a money-pit to get into the pristine condition I want it in). But re-habbing an old Ford in Daddy's memory - and giving it a new & loving home - is very tempting.
On the other more modern/practical hand, I am drawn to the smaller, more compact Ford Rangers. My brother sneers at the model (indeed the entire Ford brand) and calls it a "girly truck", but hey, I am a girl. And I could design/order a brand new one - with all the bells and whistles - and a five-speed manual transmission - and four wheel drive - and an extended cab - and rear jump seats - and all the other snazzy extras exactly as I want them. There is a really cool "redfire metallic" color that rocks. The "Sport" model does seem to be calling my name.
I want a red Ford truck.
Any suggestions (either as comments or e-mail) would be appreciated.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
You don't want a Ranger.Take it from one who knows Rangers. Talk about F O R D. It appears that the acronym for Rangers should stand for Found on Roadside Dead since fixing is out of the question. As my daughter use to say when she was a wee little thing, Boke- no fissit Daddy.
Words of a child in this case are sufficient.
Go with the old standard 150. Maybe move it up to a SuperCab for extra seating. It comes in 16 models.
I frankly enjoyed my GMC Sonoma much better than the Ranger and had zero trouble with it.
Well, we know how P feels;)
Actually you're the first truly unhappy Ranger owner I've talked too. Everyone else I've asked about it (I stop people in parking lots) says they'd buy one again.
FYI, I am looking at the new F150's too. But they're much bigger than I need - and they still seem a bit pricey considering the recent gas ups and downs.
My brother says I should consider a Toyota. But it's a family loyalty/sentimentality thing.
Plenty of old F-150's out there. Wanna really go back to the future? Try and rehab an F-100, or waaaay back and go for an F-1. I've had three Rangers, you name it..regular cab, extended cab, automatic transmission, manual transmission, two wheel drive, and four wheel drive. Nary a problem.
And, tell your brother that if I ever hear him say that a Ranger is a "girly" truck, I'll scratch and kick him, but only until I break a nail, or one of my stiletto heels.
Interesting mental picture.
Thanks for all the input - online and off.
Having looked at two old (glorious) F150's this weekend (on different lots in the same town) . . . as well as the newer (simply massive) version . . . I still think I'm going to go with a new Ranger. I want a truck to play in/with . . . but I don't need too much truck.
If I had money to burn and more mechanical knowledge, I might go with an older model. Like I said, I love the older body style - especially the red interiors.
But I travel quite a bit, and my vehicles need to be reliable. P's the only person I've talked to who was unhappy with the Ranger.
I have a cousin and had an uncle that would tell you the same thing about the Ranger. The first was a 1987(?) "highrider" 4x4 which had terrible problems with lock in and the transmission.
The next was a 1996 and if anything could go wrong with a truck this one took the cake.
I had one of the Splash models which I kept 8 months and sold to the nearest illegal I could find. I saw it parked on the side of the road more times than I saw it actually running.
Ranger is basically a Mazda with some fancier trim work.
My favorite was a 1948 Ford Pickup and a 1956 'bigwindow'. I learned to shift gears on the 48 while driving through the fields at my uncles farm. The 56 was a "toy" that I owned for only a short time while in the military. I PCS'd before having time to really do anything to it other than put some nice wheels on it and a cool paint job.
The Ranger is the only Ford Truck that I ever had problems with. I bought a 98 Sonoma rather than chance another Ranger. The Sonama was a 4 banger 5 speed, hardshell hydralic bed cover and I drove that little jewel to the Dakotas and back in 2002. I traded it in 2006 for my Buick. The lil jewel had only 34K on it. The dealership owner bought it for one of his kids to drive. I frankly wish I had kept it now even with the 5spd and the mess of traffic here in Dallas, Tx.
I am currently considering a truck for me to drive . I am looking hard at the GMC Sierra 1500 series. Unless Ford can come up with something to beat it on price I'll go GMC. My boy says go Toyota but I don't think so.
I may look at some Toyotas (again), before I make a final decision.
My problem in the past with the Toyota's and Nissans and such is that the floorboard does not accomodate my long legs - your legs tend to sit flatter/straighter across. The Ranger is a much more comfortable fit in that regard.
There's also the big draw of family loyalty to a brand/tradition - one that carries back many, many years.
If I were you young lady, I'd find me an old hotrod Ford F 100 and fix it up to prime condition and ride the roads. For what you can buy a new Ranger or certainly an F-100 you can find an old Ford truck in very good shape. I looked on e-bay just a few minutes ago and they have a beautiful hotrod 56 "big window) yellow with flames, dropped front end, A/C rebuilt Windsor (I'd rather have the Cleveland but....)for $15000/ So far no one has made reserve on it. Might be a steal. It has been a show winner so it will be in good shape.
P, you are so bad.
They are cute;)
Yea, I bad, but you'd look so gooooood ridin in that yaller truck with them red flames and red interior. Bet the mufflers on that thing sing when it rolls down the road. Not only would we see ya coming but hear you before you got in sight. MMMMM um UMMMMM MMMM
Now that's HOT! LOL
Post a Comment