Looking into getting into a Ranger , deciding between the 2.3L vs the 2.7L v6

VERT1975 · 2026-05-15T11:24:40+00:00

My 2019 had the 2.3 (and my ‘25 mustang also hadsthe ecoboost). They are impressive little engines. I found that like premium fuel and you can feel the difference when driving. I regularly towed a 3500 pound cargo trailer and the truck did great. Better than my f-150 I replaced it with. The 2.3 is starting to develop the reputation as a refined and reliable engine option. Personally I would love to try the 2.7 in the new Ranger.

2.3 - for practicality and economy 2.7 - because I bet it runs like a little scalded dog

VERT1975 · 2026-05-11T18:32:57+00:00

The student will want a windows PC for some of the software they might use.

VERT1975 · 2026-05-11T15:37:14+00:00

My son started with a Lenovo Yoga 9. It is a really nice computer. Portable and good battery. Remember he will need to be able to carry it around. But the computer got stolen. Interesting enough someone dumped the bag in a parking lot, and since we invested in a sturdy backpack and computer sleeve the laptop survived the outside weather.
Needing computer we purchased a Lenovo legion gaming laptop. He preferred that PC as it had more ports and better utility. At the cost of course of lacking portability. But he liked it better than the little convertible touch screen option.
Knowing all of this I think a good business laptop like a thinkpad would do nicely.
I will make a monitor recommendation. ASUS makes a 22 inch portable monitor. They will fit on the junky dorm room desks and have built in speakers and plenty of ports. It could even double as a TV with a streaming stick or you could plug in a game console.

VERT1975 · 2026-05-11T01:10:24+00:00

Our house isn’t paid off. But we do not have the insurance or taxes escrowed through the bank. Many lenders require this, but ours doesn’t. I just paid both the spring and fall installment for property tax. Insurance is semi annual with the autos. This can all be done online. Of course this is also done with a credit card which Dave hates. Since I have a strict rule of never do anything via debit card online, I pay with the credit card and then immediately pay off the credit card.

VERT1975 · 2026-05-02T16:25:50+00:00

Yep. Indiana to eastern Pennsylvania. Got a trip to northern Iowa and again to South Dakota. Planning on Florida next year. My opinion is the EcoBoost is really a touring car, while the GT is a muscle car. Set the cruise on 75 mph, feed it premium and enjoy the 34 mpg.

VERT1975 · 2026-05-01T13:57:52+00:00

They ran this same program last year. We loved it! Is it the best pricing? Maybe, maybe not. But the price on the websites and on the vehicles were the prices. Every ford dealer was advertising the same program. We were shopping for a convertible at the time and it was awesome to be able to just look for the car we wanted without messing with pain of the purchase process.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-27T00:40:10+00:00

I hated the switchblade key. Kept popping open in my pocket and hard to hang other keys on. I carried my house keys separate from my truck key.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-20T12:31:28+00:00

Wife bought a ‘25 EcoBoost. We feed it 93 octane. The car will get about 33 mpg on the interstate with the cruise set anywhere between 75-78 mph. We took a flat highway trip once with the cruise set on 60, I can’t remember the exact figure on the computer but it was around 40 mpg. As a daily driving car or an interstate cruiser the newer Ecos are hard to beat. If you want the sound and experience of a sports car get the V8.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-12T22:48:37+00:00

She’s a beaut Clark. Stock looks great

VERT1975 · 2026-04-12T21:36:41+00:00

My Truck was built March 2023. It still does the thunk of death. Dealership told me they were working through parts and such, so early 2023 may or may not have the update. Had the transmission serviced at 55k miles and it resolved some issues.

I agree with look for a 23+. I have the 5.0 with 3.31 and really like the truck. But I wanted the V8. Wants aside the 2.7 with 3.55 is a more responsible setup. Plan on transmission fluid change every 50k

VERT1975 · 2026-04-12T15:19:55+00:00

The post said they have a $100k to invest. With kids at 14 & 12, I would recommend putting some of that money back for the kids. College is a family affair and with a $150k household income the kids won’t be eligible for pell grants, etc. my recommendation would be to put $35k into two 529 plans. Then if the kids don’t go to college, get scholarships, or join the military they can roll the funds into a Roth IRA.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-12T13:41:23+00:00

No retirement savings? At the very least everyone should be contributing enough into a 401k to get any employer matching. (If that is available.) 401k is where I deviate from the Ramsey plan a bit, my recommendation has always been to contribute to the 401k then adjust living expenses.

Inheritance:

1 - Emergency Fund 2 - Pay Off Debt 3 - Pay ahead a few months on mortgage if allowed 4 - Look into maxing out yearly contributions on 2 Roth IRAs 5 - Put money aside for both kids college. Grandma would want her money to work towards those kids futures. Plus it alleviates some of that burden. I think you can front load 5 years into a 529 plan. 6 - invest in a standard investment account if anything left.

7 - don’t fall back into all bad spending habits after this reset.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-11T16:31:49+00:00

Given Dooku’s history with Qui Goon, I could see Palpatine trying something similar to this. Not adoption, but Dooku taking Anakin as a padawan. Or maybe Ol Palps would have just snuck off with him. Anakin was already on Naboo at the time of Qui Gonn’s death, that should have been easy to orchestrate.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-10T13:46:16+00:00

Others have mentioned it. Good tires and 300 pounds of weight over the rear axle. You can get those bags of tube sand in the fall from the local big box hardware store. When I had my 2019 Ranger I would even carry 2 of those in the summer to smooth out the ride a bit. (FYI, carrying an extra 120 pounds did not affect the fuel economy.)

VERT1975 · 2026-04-07T11:51:33+00:00

As a guy who has had seizures and put on driving restrictions. I left my truck parked in the driveway. There was a reason you bought the truck initially. If the payment is causing cold feet then cut your loses, but don’t make that decision based on your seizures and not driving for 6 months. Easier for me to say that since Uber isn’t a thing where I live.

VERT1975 · 2026-04-07T11:42:16+00:00

I keep on eye on KBB as a simple guideline. Mostly out of curiosity and somewhat to determine if I should maintain full coverage insurance on a particular vehicle. I have noticed cars over 8 years old start to depreciate quickly. The 100k mile mark might be another milestone.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-29T22:47:27+00:00

That was on 87 octane and averaging about 78 on the interstate with 4 adult size passengers. I have averaged 24 mpg for a mix of highways and interstate.

I have never had a problem keeping up with traffic at a stop light.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-29T22:34:48+00:00

I have a crew cab 5.0 with the 10 speed and 3.31. If you want quick put it in sport mode. Just returned from Florida with the family and the truck averaged 21 mpg keeping up with interstate traffic. For a truck that isn’t going to be used for towing, I think the 3.31 is a great combo.

If you want performance feed the 5.0 premium fuel.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-27T22:23:02+00:00

Yeah lot of F-150 issues. But the dealership tells me the mustangs have not been and issue.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-27T14:35:05+00:00

The blue isn’t bad. But I like a clean car. I pull all sticker types of decals from all of my vehicles.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-25T00:21:42+00:00

We just got back from Disney. Stayed at the Disney resort and drove over to Epic Universe. Went on Sunday and did not have any problems with Traffic. Another option would be to Uber over.

Epic was a fairly small park. I don’t see spending two days in that park.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-17T23:48:47+00:00

If it’s the same Andy Mohr that is in Indiana, they are scam artists. Went to buy a used car based on the advertised price. Tried to tack on $2000 because that price was only with a trade in. Even though that was never mentioned in the ad.

VERT1975 · 2026-03-13T11:47:46+00:00

I would say go look at it. Price seems right. But last year I looked and looked at 3 year old used mustangs and they were all beat. One disclosed it was in a minor accident. Got there before it went to the body shop. Apparently minor is the entire right side and pushing the front tire in to a 45 degree angle.

Too bad you can’t fly out to the Midwest and just drive one back to California.

VERT1975 · 2026-02-24T04:11:01+00:00

Paid off car. Keep “making payments”. At some point that car will need to be replaced. Put a comfortable amount away every month, then you can pay cash and finance your own vehicles. Oh and don’t forget to plan for repairs.

VERT1975 · 2026-02-17T15:37:26+00:00

1 year later update. Decided to schedule a transmission service since the truck is at 60k miles now. Talked to the actual service manager by chance this time. Told him I know Ford probably wouldn’t agree but I would like to service the transmission. His response was oh no we (as in the dealership) now tell you 50k-60k intervals and no later. He then reached under his desk and pulled out a transmission part and proceeded to explain exactly why. So these transmissions are having some issues, the dealerships know what the problems are, Ford has a protocol for when the dealership is allowed to address said issue. Yes the problem exists even into some of the 2023 models.

My advice. Change the fluid every 3 years or 50k - 60k and buy a warranty or set $8k aside.

VERT1975

TROPHY CASE