My Ranger is four years old, 46,900 miles on it, and is cruising along. Nice smaller truck, decent gas mileage for having the Edge package. Plus I love that I can hose out the interior (rubber floors and neoprene seats). Not that I ever have, but, ya know, someone might throw up in there one day, so good option to have VIVA LA FORD!
I have a Dodge. Used to be a Chevy guy but nothing appealed to me from them lately. The only Ford that ever caught my eye besides a Mustang, which I will never own, was whatever the hell European Ford Roger Craig drove in Casino Royale.
My dad just bought a Ford Ranger off of a neighbor, the same neighbor whose daughter I had bought my Jeep Cherokee from back in summer 2007. It has a manual transmission, and I just might ask and see if my dad could teach me to drive it so that I know how to drive a manual... y'know, just in case I get myself a Mustang down the road.
You should know how to drive a manual regardless, in case of an emergency where a manual is the only vehicle and you are the only one able to drive.
Driving a stick is much more fun, lot less boring, makes you more attentive, better or worse on gas pending what you feel like doing. Did I say alot more fun?