:::Why Ford Made An INCREDIBLE Blunder (RE 2019 Ford Ranger)

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NDL

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The blunder that Ford's market research team made with the 2019 Ranger is astronomical!

For years, I have heard and read dribs and drabs from automakers, who acknowledges that a strong, and underserved, segment exists, for buyers that want an inexpensive, yet durable, basic work truck.

I am such a prospective buyer, as the current and very happy owner of a Ford Ranger.

After a ridiculously long wait, I look at Ford's official Ranger page today, to find that the least expensive Ranger costs around $25,300 for a base truck, with steel wheels (!)

This is a colossal mistake!

I've heard for months, Ford bragging on the fact that the new Ranger is equipped with steel bumpers. This is true, but buyers of the base $25.3k Ranger (price with destination), have to make due with plastic bumpers. They also must know that the majority of optional feature content requires bundled packages, that hike the price by over $1,000-1,500 dollars.

Why so little standard feature content on an expensive smaller sized truck? Because of the powertrain. Again, the folly of offering a nearly 300 horsepower engine/10 speed automatic combination - surely to be a HUGE attraction to fleet buyers.

Thank you all, for bearing with my rant. Hopefully, Ford will get it's act together quick, and offer a normally aspirated/6 speed manual powertrain, that will appeal to the lower end segment of the truck buying public. If not, I guess I will have to settle for a Colorado, and pocket the 5,000 dollar difference.
 
Saw several of these in Africa over the past few weeks during a business trip. They seem to be nice vehicles, but I have no idea of the cost locally there--obviously they cannot be too expensive or people would go for Toyota or Nissan which are also plentiful. The price of all vehicles is too high in my opinion, but they are what they are.
 
I agree with you.

I bought my Ford Ranger NEW in 2002 / $13,000 Out the Door Price
The reason I liked it was that it was just a 'delivery' vehicle.
NO Carpeting
NO Cruise Control
NO Power Seats
NO Power Windows
 
There is a disconnect between the automakers and the general public on the small pickup sector. I agree, there is a market for a plain barebones pickup truck.
 
There is a reason trucks like the old Ranger don't exist anymore. You make very little margin on a truck like that. 98% of the buying public in the US doesn't want manual door locks and or windows.
 
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We will see.

If they sell every one they make, no blunder. If they don't, we'll see the rebates.

The blunder would be to price them low and have more demand than supply.

It is easier to adjust prices down than it is up.

I don't blame them for trying to get what they can for them.

The marketplace will determine the right price.
 
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Yet another blunder, in a long chain of blunders that Ford has been making lately, such as eliminating all cars from their lineup except one.


They have more PR blunders than anything. The Fusion is staying at till 2020 in its current form. It will become a Suburu wagon fighter, whatever that means. Focus active will be a 4 door hatch lifted about an inch. Also, can't forget the Mustang. Nobody was buying the Taurus anymore so whacking that made sense.

It pains me to say, as I am a car guy, but cars sales are dictating what automakers are making. What people buying are CUV/SUV's. I don't get it but the consumers dollars are speaking. Heck, even Honda and Toyota are taking huge hits on the car front.
 
Plus, the pictures show that it is uglier than a mud fence.

Stop fooling yourselves. Ford would be a lot happier if you just went ahead bought an F-150, and got it over with.
 
Dealers will initially sell Rangers at or very close to the full sticker price, making an F150 cheaper due to it's deep manufacture and dealer discounts.
They don't offer one with a regular cab on the Ford website.

Australia, with it's population of 25 million can buy this, but we wont be able to.

29f2moo.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Dealers will initially sell Rangers at or very close to the full sticker price, making an F150 cheaper due to it's deep manufacture and dealer discounts.
They don't offer one with a regular cab on the Ford website.

Australia, with it's population of 25 million can buy this, but we cant.

29f2moo.jpg




And about 15000 units a year would be sold to the public and it would still cost north of 15K. Americans in general do not want a truck like that.

What posters hootin and hollering should know your less than 1% of the population who will purchase a vehicle in the upcoming year.
 
Expensive compared to what? Go price out an entry level Tacoma, and tell me again that the Ford Ranger pricing is out of line. The Colorado starts at 22k, about 3 grand less. And Yes, you can get a Nissan Frontier for less.

On a new vehicle, does anyone honestly think they are going to set their pricing lower than the competition?
 
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Expensive compared to what? Go price out an entry level Tacoma, and tell me again that the Ford Ranger pricing is out of line. The Colorado starts at 22k, about 3 grand less. And Yes, you can get a Nissan Frontier for less.

On a new vehicle, does anyone honestly think they are going to set their pricing lower than the competition?


according to the Chevy website, the Colorado starts at $20,200...and its not hard to find brand new ones on the lot priced in the $18k range...

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/714398849/overview/
 
All trucks (including smaller ones) are optioned with nice equipment because that is the way buyers want them.

That's why the average vehicle transaction price is high these days-because buyers want the nice options.

The exception I guess are guys that change their own oil.

They will sell A TON OF THEM.
 
At the F150 site, it says starting at $27k.

The average vehicle sale price these days is north of $30k.

So how is the starting price of a ranger at $23k that bad?

Is it more than 1/6th less capable than a base f150?

Vehicles are expensive. Trucks are profit makers because people will buy them at any price. Look at how many people live in $100-200k homes but will buy a $50k full size pickup (on the excuse that they occasionally need to haul stuff). That is a depreciating asset valued at a substantial fraction of the value of their home... bought on payments!!

I’m sure Ford did plenty of market research. What one paid for a truck in 2002 doesn’t really apply 16 years later.

My S-10 ZR2 cost a bit over $21k when I purchased it new in 98.

I’ll bet the new ranger even in cheap base form is more powerful, more economical,and outfit with many of the creature comforts like power windows and door locks, which were options back in 98.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Dealers will initially sell Rangers at or very close to the full sticker price, making an F150 cheaper due to it's deep manufacture and dealer discounts.
They don't offer one with a regular cab on the Ford website.

Australia, with it's population of 25 million can buy this, but we wont be able to.

29f2moo.jpg



As the owner of a regular cab S-10, I can’t say that NOT offering a regular cab compact truck is a bad idea.

The practicality for anything but the most basic of uses is pretty low. And that’s coming from someone who loves their truck and will never sell it if I can help it.
 
For every person that cries about the price, there are plenty more willing to pay up.

You can always buy a used truck. Everything I see used is a bigger rip than this.
Used financing is a rip too. I'm not in the market for one. If i was I'd either pay up or move on. If Ford did the M1 rebate trick it would be the only truck talked about here
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: DriveHard
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Expensive compared to what? Go price out an entry level Tacoma, and tell me again that the Ford Ranger pricing is out of line. The Colorado starts at 22k, about 3 grand less. And Yes, you can get a Nissan Frontier for less.

On a new vehicle, does anyone honestly think they are going to set their pricing lower than the competition?


according to the Chevy website, the Colorado starts at $20,200...and its not hard to find brand new ones on the lot priced in the $18k range...

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/714398849/overview/



Are you comparing MSRP or dealer lot price? Since the Ranger isn't on the dealer lots yet, saying you can get a Colorado for 18k means little if you can't compare it to the Ranger. The same ad on cars. com you show states the MSRP on that unit is $24,475.

FWIW,the Colorado MSRP starts at 20,200 plus a 995 delivery charge, making the apples to apples price comparison $21,195 for the Colorado versus the original price the OP posted (which included delivery). The starting MSRP quoted on the Ranger (with Delivery) was $25,300, for a difference of $4,105, not the 5k as on the OP's post.

That's part of what gets people riled up - comparing apples to oranges.
 
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This is Ford pricing. Much the same as on the F150. No one has paid MSRP on an F150 that I've heard of. Just wait, rebates and financing will make the sale price nicely equipped around 23-24K. Three trim levels and most will be XL's.

The price of F150 will move up and buyers will be left with a mid size Ranger at a price point under 30K.
 
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