Convince Me

[dannyboy3141]

Hey all, I am new here. I am presently the owner of a 1992 Ford Ranger. As much as I love her, she is going to need replaced in the next few years. The thought up til now was to purchase a newer Ranger to replace it. But I regularly drive an elderly gentleman around in his Subaru, and have gotten to really appreciate the quality of the vehicle. I really don't need much of a heavy duty truck, but it is nice to have a more rugged vehicle. I just started contemplating the idea of getting a Subaru Baja. What would you guys have to say? What would be the ups and downs of the Baja? What would make getting a Subaru more worth it than another Ranger? And are there any other Subarus you all would suggest? What do you have to say about the Forester? I am still not sold on the idea of moving from a Ranger to a Subaru, so please, convince me.

Edited September 11, 2016 by dannyboy3141

[matt167]

I actually used to have a 1992 Ford Ranger. Mine had the 2.9L V6 and M5OD 5spd. I also had 2 other Rangers, both 1998's. One was 4cyl/5spd and the other was 4.0L/5R55E Auto..

 

For practical reasons, the Rangers are Impractical.. The 4cyls get great MPG, but limited to 2wd after 1997. The 3.0L and 4.0L are both thirsty engines if you want 4x4 and after 2001 the 4.0L went SOHC which has 2 timing chains and the tensioners can get loose causing an issue.. Pretty much your going to have 6'x4' of cargo room and get 18-20 MPG..

 

I now have a 2001 Forester "S" 5spd. and I don't miss any of the Rangers.. I have had a 1999 Legacy SUS also

 

The Baja is a costly model. It wasn't as popular as Subaru wanted so they axed it. Now there is a large market demand for them driving prices up.. You can jump into many pre 2008 Foresters for under $6k and if your not afraid of miles or possible repairs needed, under $3k can be done, some well under $3k and some just over $1k even

[dannyboy3141]

That is quite helpful, thank you. What else can you tell me about the forester? What mileage are you getting? Is it framed or unibody? Independent or solid rear axle?

[matt167]

All Subaru's are unibody, with IRS.. Essentially the Forester is an Impreza that is lifted with a box wagon body.. The Baja essentially is a truck version of the Legacy Outback.

 

As Far as mine. It gets 23-26 MPG depending on ambient temp and where I fuel it up.

 

Little bit more about the Forester. If you get an "L" or "X" model, that is the base model. "L" went from 1998-2002 and after that became the "X". The better models to get would be the "S" ( 1998-2002 ) or XS ( 2003+ ) since that gains things like seat heaters, leather steering wheel, VLSD rear differential and rear disc brakes. The base models only have drum brakes unless specified and they don't have seat heaters without the cold weather pkg. For the right deal, all of that could be swapped in easy as you want it..  There is also an "XT" Forester which is turbocharged. Kind of an inbetween a WRX and an STI as far as drivetrain goes but they are expensive, also a Baja Turbo which will bring a large chunk of change.

[dannyboy3141]

I am definitely not interested in a turbo. I will be keeping my eyes open to see if I can spot decent deals on Bajas, but I am assuming I will probably end up with a Forester. Personally, I don't much mind a base model, as I don't need all the fancy extras. But the one thing that would bug me is the fact that I really do want the 4 wheel disk brakes. I am planning plenty of work to it, though, so a base model that is a little cheaper would work better. I would rather take a base model of either Baja or Forester and add what I want rather than have something with all the fancies in it already. I would much rather have the small truck bed of the Baja than the enclosed Forester, but I can always plan a little "body work" to a Forester...

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

I know those Ford Rangers, here's one that I've been servicing and repairing since many years ago:

 

~► http://www.ranger-forums.com/member-introductions-12/greetings-honduras-%E2%99%A5-149022/

 

The only two advantages I see from the Ranger, are the size of the Bed, and their Good Brakes, but the four cylinder Ragers are not exactly economical to drive and the Ranger feels Anemic with those four cylinder engines, especially the twin spark 2.3L, noticeable more under load and / or going uphill; also the Rangers has huge blind spots around the rear view mirrors...

 

Subarus really feels more Powerful and Faster, even loaded; also they are very Fun vehicles to Drive, plus they could be Lifted / Modified and get extra ground clearance, extra power, etc... fully customizable.

 

I believe that your decision should be based upon your needs: If you need to haul big things in regular basis, the Ranger might be better, due to the long Bed; however, if hauling things is sporadical, the Subaru might be more than enough, and you will enjoy more the Subaru than the Ranger, especially in Muddy / snowy conditions.

 

There are much more advantages and disadvantages for both cars, I only mention the more noticeable ones; in my own humble opinion.

 

Kind Regards.

[dannyboy3141]

The Ranger that I have now is a 1992 Ranger XLT Supercab with a 3.0L V6 in it. It is slowly dying, despite my babying of it. I do like it, but honestly, I feel I could get by with a smaller vehicle. I would like a small truck bed (I don't need to haul anything big, but I do like having at least a little space outside the vehicle to put things)so a Baja would be the most obvious choice. But if I end up with a Forester, it would be cheaper than a Baja from the getgo, and there are always some body modifications I can make to give it a bit of a bed. I could probably turn a Forester into a Baja of sorts. Probably. But that means I need to look for an old, cheap Forester with a beat up body that would need work anyway. I don't want to chop into a perfectly good body. I have a lot of modifications planned whichever one I would get.

[matt167]

Turning a Forester into a 'ute' type vehicle would be harder than it looks. If you look at the construction of the Baja Vs the LOB wagon, it is double walled in the bed area and everythings tied togther that way. Being Unibody if you just chop off the roof and add a window, it's gonna get floppy, and since Subaru Never offered a convertible, there are no structure braces that could be added.. The best way to go about it would be a trailer hitch and a 4x8 flat deck trailer. The Forester will tow roughly the same weight that a Ranger can legally carry.

 

 

I mentioned going for a S/XS mainly for the brakes and the rear having the VLSD rear diff.. Power windows, and A/C are standard equipment unlike a Ford Ranger, which you have to have got the " Power Equipment Group " for the windows, and then I think a comfort group or something like that to get A/C.. Otherwise the XLT was a carpet and chrome package

 

Rangers are swappable just like the Subaru's. 1983-2011 they changed very little, very slowly

This is the 1998 2wd I had. I put a 2001-2003 2wd front end on it with a 4x4 bumper and an Edge ( painted, not textured ) valance.. It was a great street cruiser but when it came to winter and it wouldn't get out of the driveway it got sold in the spring.

 

My Rat Rod is even Ranger based ( I still have this. Probably end up Subaru powered )

 

[dannyboy3141]

Already thought about the floppiness. I have methods of taking care of that. It's not double walled, but I can add that second wall. But if we're getting on the subject of doing an "ute," is there another Subaru, even a car, you would think would be best for a conversion? Something that would be well priced? I could successfully do an ute conversion to a car as well as a Forester.

[matt167]

Not anything Subaru since they are all the same. I mean, you could buy a Cheap Outback and source a wrecked/ totaled Baja and make it happen. You would need the bed interior sheet metal and the rear cab wall would make it nice.. Subaru is probably still making the stuff as replacements, but you will need a Vin because they won't sell you that stuff knowing your putting it on a different car... I looked into doing the exact same thing before I got the Forester and it just wasn't practical.

 

I think Audi made the A4 as a Convertible/ Cabriolet as far back as 2004. Seems as though you could add an A4 Sedan roof/ pilars to the front, and make a rear cab wall for an A4 Ute but, I'm not too fond of Audi/W and a 'vert model would be expensive to start, let alone needing a sedan as a parts car

[AdventureSubaru]

You would no doubt save some $$$ in gas by switching to a forester or baja. The subarus are better in snow over a ranger. Overall I rate the Subaru as much more dependable than rangers as well. (Turbo models being less so.)

 

If you do go for the subaru - read up here on what to look for on signs of head gasket failure as most of the foresters/bajas fall in the years in which the gaskets usually fail once. For the best of the best reliability find a 1998 forester with a bad DOHC 2.5 motor and swap in the smaller but much more reliable EJ22 motor from a 1990-1998 subaru.

 

Your only disadvantage as mentioned is that you wont have a full truck bed. I prefer outbacks over foresters since you can fold the back seat down and have a similar amount of hauling ability as a small truck.

 

Bajas are great cars - just outbacks with truck beds. By comparison they are a lot more expensive than an outback of same year and mileage. But they sure are head turners.

 

Good news is you cant go wrong. Rangers are great little trucks and subarus are versatile, tough cars that are easy to work on. Either is a good option. If you were a kia driver, I'd try harder to convince you of a subaru, but I've loved Rangers as well.

[CNY_Dave]

I went from a '92 ranger 4L 6  5spd to an outback 3L 6.

 

Loved the ranger, love the 'roo.

[dannyboy3141]

I would honestly like to attempt an outback ute. Because that's basically all a Baja is. And I can 100‰ fabricate a complete truck bed interior to give it the double wall it needs . I can fab all the parts needed for the conversion

Edited September 12, 2016 by dannyboy3141

[dannyboy3141]

Well, I still like the idea of a Forester ute. I have ideas

[AdventureSubaru]

It's doable. If you have some decent welding skills and some spare time, the end result is pretty nice.

 

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f115/forester-drift-truck-437857/ has some pics and process for inspiration

[RobertLee]

Hi.... I own a 1990 ford ranger.... 122,000 original miles and quite like it... and still have it.  I also have a 1998 Subaru Wagon and it is my work vehicle.  The biggest difference for me is winter driving..... during moderate to bad weather (I live in the Philly area) I drive some 100 miles a day and with weather the Ranger is all over the road to the point where I don't even want to move it from the field if there is snow(I live on 2 acres so parking is where I want..... lol).  My Subaru is nothing but dependable under these conditions....... If I only had one vehicle to choose I would have, with regret, to let the Ranger go.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with a Subaru

 

cheers

 

Rob

[dannyboy3141]

It seems you all see the dilemma I face. Ranger... Or subaru... Hardest choice on earth

[dfoyl]

Why not a BRAT ? You are looking for a small ute, the BRAT is the ideal choice. Plenty of upgrade options, will continue to increase in value, the only downside is you are going to an older vehicle (and a 1992 Ranger is probably no more modern inside than a BRAT).

 

The only modern replacement for the BRAT is the Proton Jumbuck - not sure if they are sold in the US though - and although this is only 2WD it also has plenty of upside in the mechanicals are Mitsubishi Lancer based and gives (almost) drop-in upgrades up to Evo spec...

 

If you do decide to go the Forester route and make it a ute, pick the more powerful engine as you'll be adding weight...

[dannyboy3141]

The brat is just a little too old. I would have to redo the drivetrain entirely. And the all wheel drive is a must

[CNY_Dave]

The ute idea, I like!

[idosubaru]

Nice keep us updated if you head the ute route...or any Subaru route of course. 

 

This is one of the most practical and talented car goups i've seen, you've started at a good place.  I'm shocked how many times I ask american made vehicle questions and can't find any information...Subaru's have a great following of capable, helpful, well versed people who are on the internet and create great resources like this website.  Of all the Subaru forums this one IMO has the highest density, by far, of talented people who know Subarus really well.  Engine builders, shop owners, decades of experience, it's hard to find an issue you can't get an answer to here. 

 

For the same cost - are the Ranger and Subaru comparable in year/mileage?  

 

That's usually the biggest hurdle making the switch when I help people buy cars.  "holy smokes i have to get a 5 year older car with 100,000 more miles on it to make that jump?"

Full size trucks hold their values, not sure where Rangers fall in that?

 

Baja is based off the outback - outbacks are easier to find and i think a better overall platform, i'd lean that direction if you go Subaru conversion route.

 

Can you keep the truck as a back up second vehicle for hauling?  Or do you mean you like to just stash stuff in the bed like on a weekly/daily basis?

 

how about a small trailer to make up for the lack of a bed or cargo carrier/roof box, carrier?  i have a full size ford but good grief i don't like driving it, it's only if necessary. 

[Subaru_dude]

Well said grossgary. This forum gave me the confidence to tackle a headgasket job on an ea82 with NO prior mechanical experience and was helpful enough that I actually got it back on the road. You will also grow to love and respect the horizontally opposed engine. It's a workhorse and Subaru did an excellent job with the rest of the car too.