Questions from potential new owner

[Inkara1]

I'm either going to catch a lot of flak for suggesting this or I'm going to be a hero for suggesting this, but here goes nothing.......buy a current generation Frontier. If I was in the market, that's what I'd buy.

I got an insurance quote on one, and the Frontier would be ~$695 more a year to insure. (Obviously that number may be different for other people based on a gazillion variables, but in general the Ranger is cheaper to insure in California.)

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[Burnt Money]

Mine has been similar - My favorite time was when I pulled my friend in his full size Ram pickup up a hill in the snow - he was floored I was able to do that. I've pushed mine hard at times and it has never failed to do what I've asked of it - and I use it as a truck.

If you got a good one, I did too..... Mine was one of the early ones - about 4 months after they started building them.

Between both of our experiences. The secret to longevity, may be the trucks need to be used more for doing truck stuff lol.

 

[Canadian Ranger]

I got an insurance quote on one, and the Frontier would be ~$695 more a year to insure. (Obviously that number may be different for other people based on a gazillion variables, but in general the Ranger is cheaper to insure in California.)

I'd be getting more quotes! Insurance these days doesn't even cover the vehicle anyway, for the most part. It covers personal injury. In a serious accidents the cost of the 'written off' vehicle is peanuts compared to the cost of compensating a person for injury.
I found this out when I went from having full coverage on my '07 Ranger (no lean on it) to having full coverage on my '19 Ranger (with a 35k lean on it) and insurance was the exact same price. Needless to say I had to ask why it was the exact same price, I couldn't believe it!

 

[Inkara1]

I'd be getting more quotes! Insurance these days doesn't even cover the vehicle anyway, for the most part. It covers personal injury. In a serious accidents the cost of the 'written off' vehicle is peanuts compared to the cost of compensating a person for injury.
I found this out when I went from having full coverage on my '07 Ranger (no lean on it) to having full coverage on my '19 Ranger (with a 35k lean on it) and insurance was the exact same price. Needless to say I had to ask why it was the exact same price, I couldn't believe it!

By "insurance quote" I meant I called my current insurer and asked "what would my premium be if I kept all the same coverage amounts but swapped my Ram 1500 for this vehicle with that VIN?" I'm guessing that the Ram driver reputation is biting me here. Or maybe the fact my current truck has 4x4 and all the ones I'm looking at are RWD, but at my current coverages, swapping the 2019 Ram for the 2020 Ranger Lariat 4x2 would be $371 less every 6 months, and the 2018 Tacoma I'm also considering would be $301 less every 6 months than the Ram. I checked on a 2023 Frontier 4x2 in a "tactical green" color I really like with all the safety equipment options, and it's only $5 less than the Ram every 6 months.

I'm hesitant to switch insurers because my home insurance is bundled, and several insurers have pulled out of the California homeowners insurance market, but mine at least hasn't dropped me yet (possibly because I live in the desert far from the forest). I'd lose my bundling discount if I took the auto insurance elsewhere, but would struggle to find a new home insurance company.

 

[Trustable]

By "insurance quote" I meant I called my current insurer and asked "what would my premium be if I kept all the same coverage amounts but swapped my Ram 1500 for this vehicle with that VIN?" I'm guessing that the Ram driver reputation is biting me here. Or maybe the fact my current truck has 4x4 and all the ones I'm looking at are RWD, but at my current coverages, swapping the 2019 Ram for the 2020 Ranger Lariat 4x2 would be $371 less every 6 months, and the 2018 Tacoma I'm also considering would be $301 less every 6 months than the Ram. I checked on a 2023 Frontier 4x2 in a "tactical green" color I really like with all the safety equipment options, and it's only $5 less than the Ram every 6 months.

I'm hesitant to switch insurers because my home insurance is bundled, and several insurers have pulled out of the California homeowners insurance market, but mine at least hasn't dropped me yet (possibly because I live in the desert far from the forest). I'd lose my bundling discount if I took the auto insurance elsewhere, but would struggle to find a new home insurance company.

have you asked them if you can get any additional discounts for the vehicle? I was able to get a good one for safe driver and parking in the garage. The garage one I didn’t know about but when I asked my agent listed off all the discounts they offer.

 

[Chris M]

By "insurance quote" I meant I called my current insurer and asked "what would my premium be if I kept all the same coverage amounts but swapped my Ram 1500 for this vehicle with that VIN?" I'm guessing that the Ram driver reputation is biting me here. Or maybe the fact my current truck has 4x4 and all the ones I'm looking at are RWD, but at my current coverages, swapping the 2019 Ram for the 2020 Ranger Lariat 4x2 would be $371 less every 6 months, and the 2018 Tacoma I'm also considering would be $301 less every 6 months than the Ram. I checked on a 2023 Frontier 4x2 in a "tactical green" color I really like with all the safety equipment options, and it's only $5 less than the Ram every 6 months.

I'm hesitant to switch insurers because my home insurance is bundled, and several insurers have pulled out of the California homeowners insurance market, but mine at least hasn't dropped me yet (possibly because I live in the desert far from the forest). I'd lose my bundling discount if I took the auto insurance elsewhere, but would struggle to find a new home insurance company.

Did you test drive the Ranger? Did you like it?

 

[Inkara1]

Did you test drive the Ranger? Did you like it?

Not this one, as it turns out, but I have driven my dad's Ranger before.

I was about 2/3 of the way through my 2.5-hour drive to go do the test drive when the dealer emailed that when they checked on it in the morning, it had a warning light that needed a part to fix, but the part wouldn't be in until the next morning, so they wanted to reschedule the test drive for the next day. So I went to look at a Tacoma I was also considering, and the dealer was willing to deal, so I ended up driving home in that.

Thank you, everyone, for your help and answers here.

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