The irony here is that Ford had planned to reintroduce the F-100 in that size class to replace the Ranger, but shelved the project (along with a light Diesel engine, IIRC) during the 2009 crunch. Perhaps they should give that plan another look.
I think what manufacturers should concentrate on is longevity. Make a damned transmission that is guaranteed for a minimum 200,000 miles....disc brake pads that last over 100,000 (my F150 at 103K is still on factory pads, BTW). LEDs for everything but headlights. Belts that last a minimum of 100K, etc....I’d buy one. Then, puts some 100K tires on it and you’re good to go.
Also, make one that doesn’t shoot off its 02 sensors all the time because of frigging ethanol gas. My three cents.
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All they need to do is start selling the RANGER sold in every other country in the world here ... it's a great truck with a 4 or 5 cyl diesel engine , looks great ,, it's about 90% the size of a F150 but can do more ...
Even the freaking MONGOLIANS get better trucks than we do!! http://www.asiapacific.ford.com/en/mng/trucks/ranger