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2008 Ford Ranger reviews

Ford Ranger reviews by year of make: 2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2011  Read all reviews

Jon, Lancashire

Ford Ranger Thunder 2008

1 star review

Having bought a second hand 2008 Ranger I’m less than impressed! I’ve had the car less than 2 weeks and the gearbox has gone with only 31500 miles on the clock, even though it has been dealer serviced! This motor is not fit for purpose and does not do as described! I shall be getting refunded and sending the car back! For anyone else having problems with garages or dealers please refer to the ’Sale of Goods Act 1979’. I had to give the car a 1 star rating only because it wouldn’t let me rate it as zero!

Submitted: 28/01/2012 21:02:12

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Stan Duke, England

Ford Ranger Tipper 2008

2 star review

In a nutshell the Ranger is utter rubbish, I will never buy a Ford commercial again! I invested in a brand new 2008 Ranger 4x4 tipper. The tipping frame rusted terribly in no time , as did the chassis worryingly especially along the welds, the leaf springs have rusted to a bright orange glow, the paint on the Ford fitted tow-bar came off in sheets after a few months, the tool boxes rusted and the cheap locks seized up. I have started to notice a panel in the engine compartment is rusting too. Now for the clutch, what a joke! I bought this truck on the basis it was meant to be the class leader for towing capacity I really need to tow for work, I towed with the truck several times, I had to give up towing with this vehicle, each and every time I reversed an ’’empty’’ tandem axle trailer, the cab and immediate vicinity would fill with the stench of burning clutch, this truck is NOT fit for purpose! The truck had a starting problem too if the vehicle sat for more than 5 days, Ford could never put their finger on problem, overall I’m very disappointed.

Submitted: 17/02/2011 15:12:45

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Alan Brown, Leicestershire

Ford Ranger xlt 2008

4 star review

Had my Ranger 2yrs now, 180,000 on the clock and still drives like new. The only problem I’ve had was with the gearbox cost me £600 to sort out but I did fit a new clutch at the same time. The Mazda engine is bullet proof, not the most powerful or economical, but you read the reports on the Nissans etc and see the problems they have. Parts are cheap, service it regularly and you won’t have problems.

Submitted: 11/01/2011 22:05:54

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Dave Newsham, Inverness-shire

Ford Ranger Thunder 3.0 auto 2008

3 star review

This is my second Ford Ranger. I prefer Auto’s so when the new 3.0 auto was launched I traded my 2.5 manual in for it. I am a fan of the car for a few reasons, its great value for money, nice to drive and a fairly quiet and civilised cruiser. The ride is a little bouncy but it is designed to carry loads, so to be expected. Could do with more toys, cruise control, heated mirror / screen, steering wheel radio controls, trip computer etc. However I have one major gripe with this car, and the reason I am considering swapping it for a Hilux after just 13 months, is the dreadful fuel consumption. I am averaging less than 20mpg. My previous 2.5 manual was managing 30mpg. Take a look at the brochure and it tells you that the 3.0 auto manages the exact same combined mpg as the 2.5 manual of 31.7mpg. I feel like I have been ripped off by Ford. I could live with this fuel consumption better if it had a bigger tank, however I am looking for fuel ever 250 miles. Towing a car transporter and I’m not kidding you when I say it goes through a tank full of fuel in 150 miles... Its a real shame and I will be sad to see the car go. If you want one, I would urge you to avoid the 3.0 Auto.

Submitted: 26/12/2009 21:57:06

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Justin Miles, Devon

Ford Ranger Thunder 2008

4 star review

I woke with bleary eyes and a heavy heart - it was the day for me to be test driving the new Ford Ranger Thunder, but the thought of getting behind the wheel of a car carrying the blue oval on the front grill was not filling me with enthusiasm. I swung my leaden legs out of bed, creaked upright, splashed about in the shower, showed a razor to my stubbly chin, threw on some Ralph Lauren labelled rags, fed the dogs, and made my way into the office. At eight am, as promised by Ford, the buzzer on the door "buzzed" to herald the arrival of my nemesis. Now a few weeks ago, when a sexy little BMW 125 was delivered to the office, no-one even raised an eyebrow. This morning the boys were in early - not just early for them, I mean early! Even more surprising was the way that they snaked down the stairs behind me to witness events. It could have been a genuine interest in the truck, or wanting to mock me behind the wheel despite me very vocal antipathetic view of the entire Ford range (apart from the Transits!), or it could have been just a bloody good excuse to stop work (or should that be "not to start work"?!). I nonchalantly strolled around to the rear car park where, I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the masculine aesthetics of this new Ford Ranger. In fact, at first glance, this Thunder really did look the part; the metallic Titanium Grey paint did the truck plenty of favours - drawing the truck away from the plain whites and reds of the utility truck and into the realms of the much more highly regarded, and higher priced, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi L200. Two circles of the Ranger confirmed that everything was as it should be. It was a double cab, it had lights, alloy wheels, glass in the windows, and a well sized and accessible load space (simple latches on the drop down tail-gate that even cold and gloved hands could operate with ease). It was very tempting to put a little tape over the blue Ford oval before I headed off, but I took the mind over matter approach, swallowed the bitter little pill, and hopped into the drivers seat. Craig and Tom were already seated and buckled up, bouncing up and down like kids, opening every compartment and pushing every button (and I can confirm that the sound system is efficient enough to blare out some track by the Blackout Crew at an astonishing level of decibels). The cab was well laid out, surprisingly spacious, and had that "new car leather" smell that I adore. Everything was well finished and was very conspicuously absent of the "plasticy" interior that I have come to expect from Ford. One thing that really drives me potty in any car is engine noise. In this case the engine noise in the cab was minimal and in no way interrupted the noise emitting from the standard fit CD player (courtesy of a CD provide by Craig and Tom). The first thing to strike me about driving the Ford Ranger Thunder was how simple it was. The car didn’t feel "heavy" at all; it felt more like driving a large car and reminded me of the first time I drove a Vauxhall Vectra - but bigger and with a much better field of vision. One of the best things I like about driving Land Rovers and pickups is the visibility. You can see all four corners of the vehicle so despite them being much larger than a standard car they’re still easy to manoeuvre, and the Ford Ranger is no exception. We took off along the dual carriageway to open the engine up a little. It flew along quite comfortably in fifth gear, with a little positive acceleration still available for overtaking. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to take the Thunder off road, but I did check out the selectable four wheel drive box. It’s difficult to tell how well the four wheel drive works when you’re on a freshly tarmacked road, but all of the gears were easy to select and the instructions for use were clear and precise. I tried the Ranger Thunder, which is towards the top end of the Ford pickup range, but even in it’s most basic form the Ford Ranger is a great truck offering good "workable" functionality. The Ford Ranger could be the unsung hero of the working pickup truck - the saviour of its breed, the last of the true working vehicles. All in all, despite carrying the blue Ford oval on the front grill, this Ford Ranger Thunder is a fantastic piece of kit and offers terrific value when compared with other trucks in the category such as the Hilux and L200. Look out for deals around the £13700 (plus VAT) mark; they are few and far between, but they are out there. I really did enjoy driving the Ford Ranger Thunder, and at this price it knocks spots off of it’s competitors. Could it be that, thanks to this one truck, my nemesis is transmogrifying into my nirvana? Check out www.bestpricedvans.com for more info.

Submitted: 10/02/2009 09:13:38

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