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If you need any more evidence the used truck market is whacky, cruise on over to Carvana. The site is selling an 11-year-old used Ford Ranger Super Cab truck for $27,990. Sure, it only has 16,092 miles. Yes, it’s an XLT, with a six-foot bed. For a Ford Ranger of this era, it checks all the boxes. But a brand new XLT, brand new, with zero miles, starts at $29,765. It sounds like a lot, but similar trucks are selling for similar money.

But that’s only if you can find a new Ford Ranger. At Chalmers Ford in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for example, the dealer’s website shows it has only one new Ford Ranger for sale. It’s a 2022 four-door crew cab with four-wheel drive. It’s $42,945. But that truck’s status is “in transit,” so there’s no telling when it will arrive. The same dealership will sell you a used 2011 Ranger Sport with a five-speed manual and just 32,000 miles on the clock for $19,619.

Ford Rangers in XLT trim were $19,120 new, in 2011. The upgraded Sport package was $22,425.

It’s getting harder to find a new Ford ranger

A blue 2022 Ford Ranger shows off its capability as a mid-size truck.
Ford Ranger | Ford

First, it was the Lincoln Navigator. Then, it was the heavy-duty F-Series trucks. Ongoing supply issues have been plaguing the company as chip suppliers have been unable to deliver. In March the company pushed back dealer allocations blaming suppliers for the issues.

Ford has long made a big deal of the F-150, but it’s sold out of 2022s. The truck has been the best-selling vehicle for years. Now, it looks like we’ll have to wait until June to order a new F-150.

So why not get the last generation?

2010 Ford Ranger from CarMax costs more than a brand new Ford maverick pickup truck
A 2010 Ford Ranger | CarMax

Yes, there was a Ranger F-Series truck that was sold in the 1960s and 1970s as a base model. That name was pulled, and the new compact Ranger was released in 1982 as a 1983 model. From 1983 to 2011 it was one of the most popular small trucks available. The Ranger was never known to be fast, or fun, or even cool. But it was practical, it could be ordered in four-wheel drive, and they were inexpensive to buy new. The new 2022 Ford Rangers are the same. The 2022 Ford Maverick, however, seems to be appealing to buyers of the original Ranger.

In 1983 the base price of a Ranger was just $6,200. It was offered as a two-door truck or a two-door extended cab powered by the 2-liter Pinto four-cylinder.

The truck had a major facelift for 1993 that significantly updated its styling. Ford also offered several special editions of the ranger, like the Splash and the Tremor, that appealed to a younger crowd.

Was 2011 a good year for the Ranger?

A used Ford Ranger that's listed at Carvana for almost $28,000. That's $6,000 more than the truck was worth new, 11 years ago.
2011 Ford Ranger | Carvana

If there ever was a year a collector would want a ranger, it’s a 2011. That was the last year that Ford produced the original Ranger. It will be the newest old Ranger you can buy. The company did make a few 2012 Rangers, but those were reserved for fleet sales.

The 2011 could be ordered with a Mazda-derived five-speed manual transmission that was attached to a V6 that put out 160 horsepower. A five-speed automatic was an option. They were offered in base XL, XL Sport, XLT and STX trim, as well as the Sport trim.  

But for $27,990 at Carvana? It’s a big ask for a truck that was last “all new” when the first Bush was in the White House.

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2010 Ford Ranger from CarMax Costs More Than a New Ford Maverick

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.