2008 Ford Ranger vs Slate

[Letas]

Always gotta be someone who has to interject with negativity and cant just help a fellow human. Why do you care what I drive? What does it really matter?

There are a few hardcore Slate lovers here who will go to all ends to defend the Slate from any ill saying. Most of the forum is pretty rational. A few would excuse the company for shipping the truck with 3 tires to "save cost". Ignore them.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Honestly, that's true of any forum. There are ultra-fanboys who get emotionally invested in a piece of metal and act like attack dogs. I saw it on the Bolt forum. I saw it on the Santa Cruz forum. I see it on the Maverick forum. A sane person just tunes them out. OTOH, most people on these forums are pretty laid back, willing to hear and consider all sides of any discussion.

Happily there is an ignore button. When a thread spirals out of control, "ignore" is a click away.

 

[drizzle]

that's pretty good for the slate i mean i cant seen much more unless you need to tow a lot and if that's the case uhaul trucks are not to much to rent and more and more ev charging stations are poping up i mean look at the app a better route planner just to see if the range end is good for you they recently added the slate

I checked out that app and wow 150 miles can’t get me no where lol looks like the extended battery is almost needed if you plan on leaving your town at all, and only really charge at home, that is pretty eye opening and disappointing.

 

[beatle]

In real world EV driving, always expect the range to be lower than advertised. That's usually the case when you need it the most (higher speeds) and cold will zap even more.

An EV with 150 miles of range can be pretty limiting for road trips in these situations. If this is your only car, I would definitely spring for the extended battery if possible, but I also like road trips. 240 miles is plenty. My first Tesla only had about 240 miles of range and I had no unsolvable issues while traveling. There are more stations now than there were 2019.

TBH I would not go in on a Slate as my only vehicle. I was glad to have a second vehicle when my Rivian was in the body shop for 2 months last year because they couldn't get parts. Rivian is nice about giving you a loaner or rental when things break under warranty, but I can guarantee Slate will not cover a loaner for warranty work. That can be a frustrating and expensive place to be if you just need to get around.

I consider being a super early adopter a gamble, and like any gamble, you should only wager what you can afford to lose.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I was glad to have a second vehicle when my Rivian was in the body shop for 2 months last year because they couldn't get parts. Rivian is nice about giving you a loaner or rental when things break under warranty

I'm praying for a Rivian R2T in the not too distant future. They've hinted it might come after the R2S is safely out the door. Just curious about your Rivian ownership experience. I'm especially interested in service, as I'm an hour away from the nearest Rivian shop. I have read they're expanding service aggressively.

Apologies to everyone for me turning a Slate thread into a Rivian thread. Just curious.

PS: Beatle. You have plenty of company in the Maverick world. Lots of horror stories in the early years of Maverick where they were in the shop for multiple months. Waiting on parts. Or a fix nobody knew how to do. Seems to not happen much anymore.

 

[beatle]

I love the Slate, but an R2T would be my preference too. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like that's in the works right now, though they did renew the trademark. A Maverick is my backup plan.

They have added service, and when I had mine in last week for a windshield replacement they said the wait times were down from a couple months to one. I waited a couple weeks for my windshield appointment. In August my 12v failed and the wait time was initially 3 months. When they saw the truck was borderline undrivable, they picked it up the next day and I had it back in a week. A friend of mine in Mills River had his R1T towed all the way to Atlanta and back.

I don't know how they're going to handle the tidal wave of R2s though.

Slate related, I am wondering how RepairPal will work for Slate and service. I know basically nothing about it, and you can't currently search for shops that would service Slate. There are a few RepairPal shops near me that already service Tesla, so hopefully Slate will follow.

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

I currently have a 2008 ford ranger that is starting to show its age, and was looking for a new truck but as well all know small compact trucks are all pretty much gone, you pretty much have a Tacoma and newer rangers.

I really really want the slate to be my blessing and solution to my needs but I am really worried about being an early adopter.

anyone els feel this way? And are in a similar predicament?

Yep, loved my '06 Ranger. It was RWD and I had many hardware and lumber adventures with it. I got real excited when some friends who worked in Ford R/D told me they were working on a EV version of the Ranger for 2012. That didn't happen but I always had hope. Now with Slate I have my hope up again. Looks like my tool box from the Ranger will fit the Slate.

 

[E90400K]

OP, if you have 1st- adopter and range anxiety issues with the regular Slate battery and want a 6-foot bed, just go buy a Nissan Frontier S King Cab 4x2 truck. Every dealer sells them for just over $30K.

300 HP V6 (non-turbo)
9-sp auto transmission
7,100 pound towing
1,590 pounds payload
21 MPG (way better than an 18 year old Ranger)
Recharges in 5 minutes
Thousands of Nissan dearlers across the country
Built in the USA

My 2 cents. Not dissing on the Slate.

 

[drizzle]

OP, if you have 1st- adopter and range anxiety issues with the regular Slate battery and want a 6-foot bed, just go buy a Nissan Frontier S King Cab 4x2 truck. Every dealer sells them for just over $30K.

300 HP V6 (non-turbo)
9-sp auto transmission
7,100 pound towing
1,590 pounds payload
21 MPG (way better than an 18 year old Ranger)
Recharges in 5 minutes
Thousands of Nissan dearlers across the country
Built in the USA

My 2 cents. Not dissing on the Slate.

I know I was looking into them as well but love the customizable nature of the slate.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I had a 98 ranger 4.0, 5spd, 4x4 that I got with 100k on it, and put another 150k on it. I bought that after delivering car parts in RWD single cab rangers. I eventually replaced it with a Tacoma. I've always had multiple vehicles, and I was typically well covered with a "fun" car and a "get shit done" car. I still have my "fun car", and a Slate fits my needs for a "get shit done" car, but there's a lot of factors that go into that.
I have a garage with a level 2 charger, and I lived with a short range EV before, so the small battery doesn't phase me. I'm still considering the big battery depending on how price/voltage/charging all shakes out, but even the small battery truck is able to go on longer trips, and probably still quicker than an original Bolt.
The fact that it's a new product that will definitely have some issues right away is absolutely a concern that I would warn other people about, but I hate myself and love tinkering, so again, it still works for me.
The other thing is that directly comparing costs, the Slate will never make sense on paper. If it costs a little more and lasts a lot longer, then it's worth it. But right now that's a gamble. It could still end up a Fiskar Ocean without a stereo.
So, I don't blame anyone for wanting to wait to see how the first batch goes.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Us cautious types should get together to mint a "Slate First Adopter" medal and award it to all you super brave early buyers.

 

[E90400K]

I know I was looking into them as well but love the customizable nature of the slate.

But what really is customizable vs. add-on because the Slate doesn't come with it as standard equipment? If you want a different color than gray you have to wrap it, but you can wrap any car any color. If you want an audio system, you have to buy the components and install them, but you can upgrade nearly any car's audio system with amps and better speakers. If you want electric windows, you can add them to a Slate, but nearly every vehicle sold in the US comes standard with electric windows, so you don't have to add them. If you want a screen interface, you need to bring your own, either a phone or a tablet. If you don't want any screen, then Slate has all other manufacturers beat on that front.

If you want an SUV, sure you can convert the Slate, but then and with the 84kWh battery (for better range), you'll be up in the $34K price range, which gives a lot of choice either EV or ICEV.

I just suggested the Frontier as a near-best replacement for your 2008 Ranger.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

Honestly, that's true of any forum. There are ultra-fanboys who get emotionally invested in a piece of metal and act like attack dogs. I saw it on the Bolt forum. I saw it on the Santa Cruz forum. I see it on the Maverick forum. A sane person just tunes them out. OTOH, most people on these forums are pretty laid back, willing to hear and consider all sides of any discussion.

Happily there is an ignore button. When a thread spirals out of control, "ignore" is a click away.

It's not a real automotive forum until infighting causes a split and a second forum is started.

 

[ezjob]

I'm not worried about the quality of the Slate Truck, I believe they are using quality parts and motors and batteries. It's the business side that worries me.

If they go bankrupt after a few years; where do we get parts or a new battery years later?

Of course they won't go out of business if we the people keep buying their trucks.

 

[E90400K]

It's not a real automotive forum until infighting causes a split and a second forum is started.

Because, you know, critical thinking automatically makes you a "hater" on the internet.