The Sportsman's Corner

A couple years ago, my mechanic warned me that I was soon going to have to put some serious money into my 2010 Ford Ranger, the best fishing/hunting truck I’ve had. It needed a clutch, there were places rust was beginning to form, and it needed some other body work. At the time I thought I would put the money into the truck and even had a clutch installed.

However, this year the Ranger had another major issue. My mechanic took a stab at fixing the problem. He got the truck working properly for a while. However, when the problem recurred, he couldn’t fix it and told me I’d have to take it somewhere else for repair work. I knew that was going to cost me “big bucks.” In addition, the rust problem had grown worse, and I anticipated other mechanical issues popping up. I also needed a set of new tires.

Although I’ll be 75 this year if I make it to Christmas, I decided it “was time.” I was disappointed that the sport trucks of 15 years ago had grown. My friend Scout, who had bought a new Ranger a year ago, told me his Ranger was as big as the F-150 he had owned years ago. My fishing truck didn’t need to be that big.

The only small truck I could find was another Ford, the Maverick. My friend Brady had bought one, and he liked it. Another friend, Barry, had ordered one. Both men were delighted to buy hybrid trucks that would get over 40 miles per gallon. However, these were front-wheel-drive vehicles. I knew I would get into situations when fishing or hunting where I would need all-wheel drive, which is available on the Maverick and still is rated at 22-29 mpg. So, I decided on an AWD Maverick. I was not thrilled with the four-door cab; but when I discovered I could store most of my gear under the rear seats, I decided that cab style would be acceptable. I could lay a day’s fishing (or hunting) equipment across the back seat. I had to give up a foot and a half of the bed; but since I don’t haul much there other than brush from Donna’s shrubbery and flowers, it, too, was acceptable. I dropped from six cylinders to four and from a 4.0-liter engine to a 2.0-liter, but with the turbo, it is adequately powered. I’m not sure I like independent rear suspension and thin axles though.

I hope the little Maverick proves to be durable.