I have owned four Ford rangers and one BroncoII. All have been fun to drive, powerful, economic, reliable.

My current 2004 Ranger is by far the best. The ranger has come a long ways in the things that make it an excellent truck since the first 1988 four cylinder I bought used, or the 1985 BroncoII I owned as well. The 1989 extended cab I owned refused to die even after 175,000 miles of rough dirt roads, with little repairs and not much more than routine maintenace. It gave way to my 1999 4.0 extended cab ranger, which met a fatal (for it) crash at 145,000 miles with only having to change the brakes and shocks in all that time. I survived the crash with only minor injuries, even though the person who hit me head on in the Nissan Altima had to go to the hospital. The crash was severe enough that one of my front wheels with axle still attached landed approximately 50 feet from where my truck stopped. Both my passenger and I were able to open the doors on the truck and rush to the aid of the persons in the Altima, whose passenger door would not open as the frame had been crushed down on it.

My newest truck, the 2004 FX4 is by far the most fun to drive. It is the first time I have opted for the automatic, as I usually carry heavy loads and prefer the control of a manual tranny, but the five speed automatic functions awesome for hauling my toys around. Set the cruise control at 80 mph with two atvs and an all steel trailer in tow, and it will laugh at any hill on the freeway. Not to mention those windy curvy roads, but I generally don't use the cruise control when navigating treacherous mountain passes. Don't have much problem with other drivers coming up behind me and flashing their lights, as many passenger cars can't seem to keep up with the Ranger while it is fully loaded in the mountains. The limited slip axle helps keep the power going to the wheels that grip when things get slick.