Same reason I bought my ZR2. More play time, less garage time.
Why Did You choose the Colorado over the Ranger
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Because Ford was not an option for me, been there done that (never again). Nissan and Toyota were also crossed of my list after doing a lot of research. The Colorado is just better in so many ways. Jack
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30 Posts
True. To change the oil filter, you had to partially remove the driver side front fender liner.
One of their models. Requires pulling the passenger wheel liner. To get to the low side charge port. (AC)
I won't get into the rest of the stories.
Used to be a time. When you looked at the shops. And most of the cars getting repaired were fords. About 50%.
Growing up, dad and I were into the older Fords, and by older I mean I had a 67 F100 and he had a 68. I ended up in an 85 S10 after that, and it's been Chevy for he and I both ever since. He's got two 1st gen S10s and a 2nd gen S10 in the driveway right now that have somewhere around 700k miles between them and all run just fine. When I decided I wanted a truck, I looked at Silverados and just didn't like the $$ so I ended up looking at the Colorados. Ranger was never on the table. If I HAD to go Ford for whatever reason, I'd go full size.
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3 Posts
CCLB!
I was driving a 2006 Ford Ranger 4x4 extended cab with the 4.0L V6 and I really liked it but the mileage was getting pretty high, so in early 2019 I was looking to trade it in. I was dissapointed that Ford stopped selling the Ranger model in 2012, but I was excited to learn that the Ranger was returning in 2019, so I anxiously awaited its arrival. When the Ranger finally arrived at a local Ford dealership, I went to take a look at them. I wasn't crazy about online pictures I'd seen, but sometimes seeing a vehicle in person changes your perspective. When I arrived at the lot, the Ranger re-design just didn't appeal to me at all. To each his own, right? And I'm sure the turbo charged in-line 4 cylinder provides enough HP, but I'm just not ready to go from 6 to 4 cylinders just yet and I've never been crazy about turbo chargers. It took me a while just to get used to going from 8 to 6 cylinders. So anyway, I had also been looking at the Colorado's and the Canyon's when I was considering a new Ranger, and there just so happened to be a low mileage Colorado 4x4 trade-in at the Ford dealership (probably traded-in for a new Ranger 4x4). I liked it from the get-go. Took a test drive, and I loved the acceleration from the gas powered V6. It had everything I needed. So we worked out a fantastic deal, and I drove home with it that night. The Ford dealership gladly accepted my clean 2006 Ford Ranger as a trade-in. They were happy to get that Chevy off the lot, and I was more than happy to take it off their hands! Purchased in November of 2019 right before the pandemic! Winner-winner chicken dinner. Still happy with it now, 3 years later.
I bought the W/
I bought the wt for towing my 3500 lb camper. So, I preferred the v6. 18.5 mpg towing to Maine last year. No problems.
I was tired of my lifted Ram... too big for my wife to drive / park easily (occasional drives while I was out of the country), too big to git where I wanted to go when deer or duck hunting... the new Ranger was out, and I thought that was the ticket... luckily, I ended up with a Ranger FTX as a rental on a 2 week TDY, and realized it (the Ranger) wasn't what I thought it was... didn't handle well, too much body roll, suspension felt soft... and unimpressed with the power. A week later I test drove a colrado (V6) and it now sits in the driveway. Leveling kit and good tires (on wheels with zero offset) gets me more places in the back country than my Ram on 35's did.
zr2 is why.
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168 Posts
Bought new in 2019.. liked the Ranger but there wasn’t a longbed option. Almost got a Tacoma but no Apple play was a deal breaker. Went to purchase a Canyon I negotiated price on, when I arrived they tried to bait and switch me with a short bed and free bed extender after a sister dealer I had been talking to swiped it from the lot and wanted more than what I had negotiated. Bought a similarly equipped z71 from a different dealer next day.
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749 Posts
Yessir!
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95 Posts
I test drove all the major models. In every category, the Colorado was in the top 2. Ranger seemed a bit overpriced for what you got, and the ride seemed rougher - only advantage is towing capacity and a more comfortable seat.
Did not realize the ranger had a larger tow capacity. I guess it does in comparison to all but the diesel. What is really surprising is that Ford says it can be configured with a payload of 1900 pounds - that is better than many FS 1/2 ton trucks. (My Silverado has a payload of 1924.)
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38 Posts
For me it was price I bought my 22 colorado for just under $40k before taxes last aug with covid there wasn’t any rangers or Tacoma's around and the ones that were available were higher end models over $50k . I really wanted a toyota not much of a Gm fan with all the problems i’ve had in the past but 2017/18’s Tacoma's we’re going for $37-38k when I bought my new colorado for not much more .I never really cared for the looks of the ranger and don’t want a turbo powered gas engine
I bought my 2022 Colorado Z71 in December 2021. As background, I had been driving a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac that I purchased new, but passed it on to my 16-year-old son. I absolutely loved the Sport Trac and would probably be driving it today if I didn’t pass it on to my son. The bed was short, but I have a trailer to haul what wouldn’t fit in the bed. For my needs, it was the perfect truck. If Ford still made Sport Tracs, I probably would’ve bought another one. The larger trucks (F-150, Silverado, etc.) are nice, but I don’t need a truck that large and I wanted one that I could fit comfortably in my garage.
Because of my experience with my Sport Trac, the Ranger was at the top of my consideration set when I accepted that I needed a new truck. In a lot of ways, the Ranger appeared much like my Sport Trac but with more towing capacity (and larger bed, of course). One point I really didn’t like about the Ranger was the inability to fold the back seat down flat. When I finally test drove them, my local dealer’s lot was pretty bare and I didn’t particularly care for any of the Rangers they had. Plus, I felt the pricing was high.
Even though I was very partial towards Ford, I next stopped by my local Chevy dealership. I liked the look of the more recent Colorados (including the stamped tailgate). The Z71 the dealer had checked all my boxes, was significantly less expensive than a comparable Ranger would’ve been, and I could drive away with my preferred color (satin steel gray metallic). The Ranger had a 500-pound greater towing capacity, but that wasn’t significant to me; the Z71's towing capacity more than met my needs and was an upgrade over the Sport Trac. Even though I had planned to test drive Tacomas next, I bought the Z71 right then. My one gripe (and it’s minor) is that it doesn’t have rear air vents (excluding the “vents” under the front seats). My Sport Trac had rear vents and I don’t understand why a 20-year newer truck doesn’t. I didn’t notice if the Ranger had rear vents or not.
Overall, I’ve been very happy with my truck. I wish I had at least looked at the Canyons before making a purchase, but I don’t regret the decision. It’s great both around town and is more than capable of meeting my needs during hunting (deer) season.
Because of my experience with my Sport Trac, the Ranger was at the top of my consideration set when I accepted that I needed a new truck. In a lot of ways, the Ranger appeared much like my Sport Trac but with more towing capacity (and larger bed, of course). One point I really didn’t like about the Ranger was the inability to fold the back seat down flat. When I finally test drove them, my local dealer’s lot was pretty bare and I didn’t particularly care for any of the Rangers they had. Plus, I felt the pricing was high.
Even though I was very partial towards Ford, I next stopped by my local Chevy dealership. I liked the look of the more recent Colorados (including the stamped tailgate). The Z71 the dealer had checked all my boxes, was significantly less expensive than a comparable Ranger would’ve been, and I could drive away with my preferred color (satin steel gray metallic). The Ranger had a 500-pound greater towing capacity, but that wasn’t significant to me; the Z71's towing capacity more than met my needs and was an upgrade over the Sport Trac. Even though I had planned to test drive Tacomas next, I bought the Z71 right then. My one gripe (and it’s minor) is that it doesn’t have rear air vents (excluding the “vents” under the front seats). My Sport Trac had rear vents and I don’t understand why a 20-year newer truck doesn’t. I didn’t notice if the Ranger had rear vents or not.
Overall, I’ve been very happy with my truck. I wish I had at least looked at the Canyons before making a purchase, but I don’t regret the decision. It’s great both around town and is more than capable of meeting my needs during hunting (deer) season.
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844 Posts
So, technically I have not bought Colorado yet, but I was considering all options to upgrade from my 3rd gen Tacoma. I made the mistake of going to Ford for an Escape instead of waiting for an AWD PHEV/Hybrid Rav-4/CR-V. I actually placed an order for an AWD Camry but backed out because I felt it was too much of a city car for me. So I have both an Escape and a Tacoma currently. One year of ownership with the Escape and it feels like I bought a DIY project from Harbor Freight. There are just so many negative things I don't even know where to begin. So when I looked at the Maverick, I saw an Escape with a truck body/box. Because that's exactly what it is. As for the Ranger, didn't even consider it because of how ugly it is, but I did look for ***** and giggles - same damn thing. It's like they said "what is the cheapest design we can use" and then used it both outside and inside of every vehicle.
I previously had an F150 5.4 3V before the Tacoma, so I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking going back to Ford, but I will never do it again. It's really that simple. Ford just plain old sucks.
I've kind of always wanted a Chevy and would honestly love to get back in a full size truck, but for the price, that will never happen. I think GM did almost everything right with these mid size trucks and it seems like any nitpickings I may have will just be chalked up to personal opinions or things I can work around, like the 4cyl. But what really drove me towards them was basically how short everyone else is missing the mark, especially Toyota (and they 100% will flop with the new Tacoma's), and how overpriced every other option is. My Tacoma, as much as I enjoy it, has never felt like a truck worthy of what I paid for it. So I dumped a bunch of money in it trying to force that enjoyment and I just can't do it anymore. With the Colorado, I am not interested in changing anything. It comes with a full size spare, it comes with leather, it comes with a great interior, it comes loaded and actually looks like a '23 should. The only thing I plan on changing on this truck are the tires, and that is once they need to be changed.
It seems like a rare things now days, in the world of personalization. I'm sure I can find liltte things here and there to add/subtract but overall, I don't feel like I need to do anything. I actually feel like I am getting what I am paying for.
But again, I don't actually own it, nobody has experienced them enough yet, so who knows... I'm piggybacking off current owners and their reports of the transmission issues being fixed in later models and hoping its the same thing for the '23's. I know if it was a Ford, I would have no faith in what a biased forums reports. So I'm staying optimistic and hoping I made the right choice. I really want this to be my first 200k+ vehicle and I've never had any plans on doing that for any other vehicles, even if it takes me 20 years to hit 200k lol (I average about 8-10k a year now days).
So I guess it's a mix of being unimpressed with the competition for the past 5 years, optimism, and a bit of wanting to settle down behind a bow tie rather than an import.
I previously had an F150 5.4 3V before the Tacoma, so I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking going back to Ford, but I will never do it again. It's really that simple. Ford just plain old sucks.
I've kind of always wanted a Chevy and would honestly love to get back in a full size truck, but for the price, that will never happen. I think GM did almost everything right with these mid size trucks and it seems like any nitpickings I may have will just be chalked up to personal opinions or things I can work around, like the 4cyl. But what really drove me towards them was basically how short everyone else is missing the mark, especially Toyota (and they 100% will flop with the new Tacoma's), and how overpriced every other option is. My Tacoma, as much as I enjoy it, has never felt like a truck worthy of what I paid for it. So I dumped a bunch of money in it trying to force that enjoyment and I just can't do it anymore. With the Colorado, I am not interested in changing anything. It comes with a full size spare, it comes with leather, it comes with a great interior, it comes loaded and actually looks like a '23 should. The only thing I plan on changing on this truck are the tires, and that is once they need to be changed.
It seems like a rare things now days, in the world of personalization. I'm sure I can find liltte things here and there to add/subtract but overall, I don't feel like I need to do anything. I actually feel like I am getting what I am paying for.
But again, I don't actually own it, nobody has experienced them enough yet, so who knows... I'm piggybacking off current owners and their reports of the transmission issues being fixed in later models and hoping its the same thing for the '23's. I know if it was a Ford, I would have no faith in what a biased forums reports. So I'm staying optimistic and hoping I made the right choice. I really want this to be my first 200k+ vehicle and I've never had any plans on doing that for any other vehicles, even if it takes me 20 years to hit 200k lol (I average about 8-10k a year now days).
So I guess it's a mix of being unimpressed with the competition for the past 5 years, optimism, and a bit of wanting to settle down behind a bow tie rather than an import.
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