by

Narrowing Down the Toad Choices

I think that my choice for a new toad has been made for me, based on what’s available in the market I’m shopping in and how far my money could go.

While I really wanted an import truck, either a Nissan Frontier or a Toyota Tacoma, there are very few older ones for sale in Alberta. Pickings are slims, options are non-existent, and prices with a canopy could easily reach $4,000 for an early 1990s bare bones model. Add another $2,000 for the towing system and $1,000 for the braking system, and I’m at $7,000 for a new toad.

There is another option that is plentiful and cheap in Alberta. The ratings for the vehicle are excellent and I am familiar with the manufacturer. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but right now, the top contender for my toad is a Ford Ranger! It would be hilarious to have my Ford motorhome towing a Ford toad when I’ve bad mouthed Ford so much in the past! But if I go with the Ford Ranger, I’m suddenly looking at a late 1990s or even early 2000s model for $3,000 to $3,500 with a few nice options.

The ads I’m seeing for the Ford Ranger are a lot less depressing than those for the Nissans and few Tacomas, showing newer, cleaner city-used vehicles with less mileage. I’m actually getting excited about the idea.

I should be able to borrow my mother’s car tomorrow afternoon to talk with the RV repair shop and get the ball rolling on getting Miranda fixed up and me back in a vehicle. Hopefully the insurance cheque really is in the mail. 🙂

12 thoughts on “Narrowing Down the Toad Choices”

  1. Rae – the Ranger is a good choice – I’ve owned one and they a a reliable, affordable little truck. Not sure what your bone was with Ford, but I’ve generally found them reasonable to deal with – they certainly haven’t reached the arrogance level of Toyota service dept. (I know because I currently have a Tacoma!). Best of luck in whatever decision you make.

  2. Mike, I had to abandon a Ford on the side of the highway one day after it decided to die on me, solidifying my belief that the brand means Found On Road Dead. 😉 But my experience with Miranda is making me see the brand with new eyes.

  3. All you have to do is go to Cereal 4 years ago, and Ken has the perfect Ranger with canopy for you. Yes, it was a gem, but we needed a larger vehicle as we were a family of 4 at the time. It was a ’94 standard tranny. We had traded it in on the blue truck we were first towing the first Ark with….. tsk tsk. You should have asked… LOL

  4. Understood Rae – we’ve all had “that vehicle/make” that caused us to say never again with that company. Like you, we have a Ford V-10 in our motorhome. It is a solid performer with no problems. We really enjoy your website and your travels!

  5. Mike, and yet, I’m completely rational and have fully made up my mind. Unless I find an amazing deal on a Nissan Frontier, I’m getting a Ford Ranger. I’d be an idiot not to.

  7. We rented several Ford Rangers for long distance camping trips. Never had a problem with them. Drive great and handle great. Drove one from Nashville to Las Vegas to Grand Canyon to Colorado and back to Nashville.
    I think it is an excellent choice, have you checked on insurance differences?
    I bought a Nissan Sentra (in October) after having a Toyota Corolla for 14 years, I get attached to my vehicles. LOL

  8. I can’t imagine the insurance being nearly as bad as that for my Accent ($1,500 a year) since it’ll be an older vehicle worth less….

  9. Son of a gun! I always thought Ford meant Fix Or Repair Daily! That’s what my Dad taught me!lol! Seriously, I own a Ford Ranger. I’m with you completely. Manual transmissions only. Mine is a ’99. Has manual locking hubs and 5 speed trans. Prefer that to all the push button stuff. Have also owned an Explorer and Bronco II with same stong transmission. You’ll be happy with your choice Rae.
    I’ve been busy and haven’t had time to read you for a while. I was very surprised to find myself 16 pages behind! Quite an odyssey of stress, red tape and inconvenience you’ve been on! Glad it has a happy ending!

    • Thanks for your testimony, Kate. So far, I haven’t found a single really negative review of the Ford Ranger, only that I should go with the 4L rather than 3L engine.

  10. I would have a tendency to agree. With the 4L, 4wd and a manual trans. It will literally have enough power to climb telephone poles! lol! All 3 of my Ford vehicles had the 4L engine. I neglected to mention that I drove all 3 of them over 200,000 miles and they were tough buggers that never required a lot of maintenence. I also suspect that it’s cheaper to have it serviced than an import. At least that’s the case here. Also,you probably already know that vehicles with manual trans. have a lower re-sale value than vehicles with auto trans. because most people don’t want them. Again, that’s the case here. Happy shopping! I would buy any of the 3 vehicles again. LOVED my BroncoII. The only reason I stopped driving it was the body rotted off it but all the mechanical stuff was still fabulous. Rangers also get good gas mileage. This is all from a person who always thought she preffered Chevys. lol!

Comments are closed.