How many cars you had in your life?

[jeffandnicole]

I have some overlap as I'll be including both my and my wife's cars...

1987ish Dodge Colt Hatchback (Used)
1992 Nissan Sentra (Used)
1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible (Used)
2002 Toyota Camry (New; eventually had a Lemon Law lawsuit on it separate from the brake issue years later.  Got a settlement; kept the car)
2004 Honda Pilot (Lease)
2005 Honda Accord (Lease)
2007 Honda Ridgeline (Lease)
2009 Honda CRV (New, bought)
2011 Honda Pilot (New, bought)
2019 Honda Insight (New, bought, some day I'll write up a new car summary about it here)

[jemacedo9]

1995 Pontiac Sunfire, bought new, 135K miles, ran until dead (head gasket)
1998 Dodge Neon, bought used with 18K miles, sold it at 120K miles to person to use as a beater
1996 Chevy Lumina, bought from friend's grandmother at 42K miles, 137K miles, ran until dead (blown cylinder)
2004 Subaru Legacy, bought new, gave to my ex wife on divorce, I believe she had it until 120K miles until a bad catalytic converter
2011 Subaru Legacy, bought new, totaled in accident where overturning truck toppled on top at 29K miles (I walked out of that accident uninjured)
2013 Subaru Legacy, bought new, 135K miles and no issues so far at all

[frankenroad]

The list includes all cars in my name, and cars in my wife's name during our marriage (including cars we owned that were driven by our kids).  An * indicates it was bought used.

1972 Chevrolet Vega* (total lemon - I was young and naive)
1976 Dodge Colt
1979 Ford Fairmont
1981 Dodge Colt
1983 Ford Escort
1984 Mercury Lynx*
1986 Chevrolet Celebrity (another lemon - notice a trend?)
1987 Mitsubishi Mirage
1990 Ford Conversion Van*
1990 Ford Taurus*
1997 Geo Metro*
1997 Ford Escort
1998 Ford Escort* - finally died at 240K miles.
1998 Dodge Conversion Van
1999 Pontiac Grand Prix* (loved this car but it was also a lemon - you could not pay me to buy a GM car today).
2001 Ford Escape*
2002 Dodge  Durango*
2006 Ford Fusion
2016 Nissan Rogue

[MikieTimT]

1.  1981 Plymouth Champ  - manual 4 speed, sporty little car with split differential, so could effectively drive it as a 5 speed overdrive before that was a thing.  Also, effectively a 2 speed reverse!  Totalled it out looking for my buddies car in the grocery store parking lot instead of at the 3/4 ton Ford pickup stopped to turn left at the post office.  Had 110K miles when killed by my inattentiveness.

2.  1976 Chevrolet Custom Deluxe Heavy Half ton - 350 2bbl that had to get swapped to 4 bbl Holley with Edelbrock intake manifold.  Also modified with dual exhaust with Turbo mufflers and a flex fan.  3 speed auto.  Vinyl seats and rubber flooring, so could just clean it inside and out at the carwash.  Had 130K miles when sold.

3.  1985 Olds Cutlass Supreme - 3.8 V6 and 3 speed auto.  Only motor I ever had to rebuild despite religious maintenance.  Sold to my dad after his 3rd divorce and ultimately had to repo it from him.  Lots of poor life choices involved there on his part, but tried to be a father to him somewhat that he never was for me and failed as he pretty much drank himself to death.  Ended up trading the car to my best friend for a .58 muzzle loader.  Still have the gun, but he definitely doesn't still have the car.  Had 120K miles when parted with.

4.  2000 Dodge 3500 dually - Cummins 6 speed manual 4x4 - only vehicle I ever bought new, because you couldn't find used diesel trucks in 2000.  Diesel went up in price a couple of years after buying it, but still cheaper to drive than a V10 version.  Hauled a camper and my boat at the same time without much stress.  Still have the truck and in fact drove it to work today since my daily driver is getting a new bumper and paint job.  Has 180K miles and counting.

5.  2001 Mazda Protege 2.0 - 2.0 l 4 speed auto - best automatic by far that I've had.  My brother got another car and had it trucked to me from Seattle to Fayetteville, AR with the title in the glove box since he couldn't get squat in trade and needed something to drive when he came to visit.  Became my daily driver to save on diesel, until timing belt let go at 170,000.  Got a head job and new belt, but started blowing smoke on startup, likely from valve seal popping.  Donated to my church and had it hauled off after sitting a few months.  Had 198K miles.

6.  2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L - 3.5 V6 VTEC/VCM and 5 speed auto - my wife's van, which I end up driving as much as her for the sake of our family and the motoring public.  Replaced a 2001 Subaru Forester that I totalled out pulling out in front of a Cadillac blowing past a line of traffic turning into Wal-Mart doing about 40MPH.  Flipped us on our side it hit so hard, but not a scratch on any of us.  She got to pick the van since I killed her SUV, and even though it isn't much fun to drive, handles well for a van and will flat out scoot when VTEC kicks in around 5K RPM.  Still have and fixing to haul a bunch of girls to church camp in it.  Has 178K miles and counting.

7.  2013 Subaru WRX hatchback - base model 2.5 flat four turbo with 5 speed manual.  Only options original purchaser got was STI short throw shifter and cat back dual exhaust from factory.  Kept it bone stock, unlike virtually every other WRX.  Car is an absolute blast and I have a tendency to get into a little trouble in it.  My wife got in a hurry a few weeks ago and ran the back half of the right side of the Odyssey along the front left bumper, so it's getting a new bumper and paint at the moment.  Has 78K miles and counting.

[PHLBOS]

1973 Ford Galaxy
1976 Ford Galaxy s/w

You mean Galaxie? Because the Galaxy is a much newer car that's an suv.

If the above wasn't a typo; I'm guessing that the above weren't North American market ones.  For such market, all Galaxies had the 500 suffix (Galaxie 500) from '64 onward and the final year for the Galaxie 500 was '74.  For '76, aside from the fleet & Canadian-only Custom 500s, all full-size Fords in the North American market were LTDs of sorts (base, Brougham, Landau).

[Paulinator66]

Car owned	Year bought
1974 Monte Carlo	June 1984
1979 Olds Cutlass	1986
1980 Olds Starfire Firenza	1988
1987 Ford Mustang	April 1990
1983 Buick Skylark T-Type	???
1987 Chevy Cavalier Z24	???
1989 Dodge Spirit	???
1989 Olds Cutlass Supreme Intl Series (5-speed, rare)	???
1992 Pontiac Grand Prix STE	1994
1993 Chrysler Concorde	1995
1988 Chevy Truck	1996
1990 Ford Mustang	1996
1997 Chevy Truck	2005
2001 Ford Mustang	October 2000
2005 Honda Pilot	April 2015 to June 2016
2007 Ford F-150	March 2011
2008 Ford Mustang	October 2008
2011 Ford F-150 Lariat Limited	Dec 2016 - Currently own
2017 Chevy SS	March 2017 - Currently own

[1995hoo]

One thing about buying new is that you know it's been broken in and maintained properly (assuming you do so), although of course if you buy a car from a family member you'd probably have a good idea on that as well.

"Broken in" new car?  In what way?  A brand new car doesn't have that many miles on it.

Most cars when new have a break-in schedule usually for the first 500-1,000 miles.  Usually the user manual is very specific on how what RPMs to avoid and not going to certain speeds.

Oh, so he's saying that you know that you have broken it in rather than buying it as already "broken in."

That's what I assumed he meant.  Most people don't pay attention to the break-in period which can sometimes lead to engine damage or more typically leaks that might void a powertrain warranty.  That kind of problem is more typical of a performance car where someone is more likely to try to drive it harshly fresh off the lot. 

Yes, that's what I meant–if you buy a new car and you pay attention to the proper break-in procedure, you'll know it's been done properly, whereas with a used car you usually won't have any idea. (Hence why I said "assuming you do so." )

[Thing 342]

I've only had 2 cars properly registered in my name (IE, that weren't shared or parents' cars):
* A 2008 Honda Accord EX-L that I received from my father and drove to ~140K before selling in 2019;
* My current car, a 2018 Audi A5 Prestige that I bought used at 9000 miles in April. I've already put ~5000 miles on it in the 3 months I've owned it.

Other cars I've daily driven:
* A 2003 Honda Civic LX that I shared with my sister until she totalled it in 2013;
* A 2012 Honda Civic EX that I drove for a couple years before swapping it with the '08 Accord.

[AlexandriaVA]

One thing about buying new is that you know it's been broken in and maintained properly (assuming you do so), although of course if you buy a car from a family member you'd probably have a good idea on that as well.

"Broken in" new car?  In what way?  A brand new car doesn't have that many miles on it.

Most cars when new have a break-in schedule usually for the first 500-1,000 miles.  Usually the user manual is very specific on how what RPMs to avoid and not going to certain speeds.

Oh, so he's saying that you know that you have broken it in rather than buying it as already "broken in."

That's what I assumed he meant.  Most people don't pay attention to the break-in period which can sometimes lead to engine damage or more typically leaks that might void a powertrain warranty.  That kind of problem is more typical of a performance car where someone is more likely to try to drive it harshly fresh off the lot. 

Yes, that's what I meant–if you buy a new car and you pay attention to the proper break-in procedure, you'll know it's been done properly, whereas with a used car you usually won't have any idea. (Hence why I said "assuming you do so." )

Your logic is circular:

1) New cars are properly broken-in
2) Used cars weren't necessarily correctly broken-in

But, all used cars were at once new cars. So where do you distinguish between "new cars that are properly broken-in" and "new cars that are not properly broken in and then make their way to the secondary market"?

[1995hoo]

One thing about buying new is that you know it's been broken in and maintained properly (assuming you do so), although of course if you buy a car from a family member you'd probably have a good idea on that as well.

"Broken in" new car?  In what way?  A brand new car doesn't have that many miles on it.

Most cars when new have a break-in schedule usually for the first 500-1,000 miles.  Usually the user manual is very specific on how what RPMs to avoid and not going to certain speeds.

Oh, so he's saying that you know that you have broken it in rather than buying it as already "broken in."

That's what I assumed he meant.  Most people don't pay attention to the break-in period which can sometimes lead to engine damage or more typically leaks that might void a powertrain warranty.  That kind of problem is more typical of a performance car where someone is more likely to try to drive it harshly fresh off the lot. 

Yes, that's what I meant–if you buy a new car and you pay attention to the proper break-in procedure, you'll know it's been done properly, whereas with a used car you usually won't have any idea. (Hence why I said "assuming you do so." )

Your logic is circular:

1) New cars are properly broken-in
2) Used cars weren't necessarily correctly broken-in

But, all used cars were at once new cars. So where do you distinguish between "new cars that are properly broken-in" and "new cars that are not properly broken in and then make their way to the secondary market"?

It's not circular at all. I said if you buy a new car and break it in properly, you know it's been properly broken in. Surely you aren't going to disagree with that rather obvious proposition.

If you buy a used car, you don't know whether it was properly broken in unless you know the prior owner and know he did so (example: I know my father broke his cars in correctly). The used car MAY have been. It may not have been. Doesn't mean buying a used car is a bad thing, of course.

[AlexandriaVA]

The price will reflect it - if the used car lot knows it was handled poorly, it will price it to move.

[oscar]

The price will reflect it - if the used car lot knows it was handled poorly, it will price it to move.

Unless the lot doesn't know, or doesn't care. How obvious to used-car buyers that a car wasn't properly broken in? I have a mechanic check it out to catch stuff like that, but not everyone is that careful.

[AlexandriaVA]

The price will reflect it - if the used car lot knows it was handled poorly, it will price it to move.

Unless the lot doesn't know, or doesn't care. How obvious to used-car buyers that a car wasn't properly broken in? I have a mechanic check it out to catch stuff like that, but not everyone is that careful.

When I bought my used car, I insisted that the dealer include a rider on the sale contract that I could take the car to an independent garage, with a full-price return contingency upon the mechanic's suggestion. Gave me piece of mind at the time, the dealer didn't hesitate (which was an encouraging sign), and car still runs great 8 years later.

[Brandon]

^ I agree that the depreciation hit upon driving the car off the lot isn't a big deal, if your plan is spread that hit over 200K miles or longer.

I tend to buy new just to get exactly the car and options I want. In one instance, what I wanted was at a dealer on Long Island, so that was transported (cost me a few hundred dollars) to a local dealer in the D.C. area.

Likewise, but I'm a bit surprised they charged you for it.  I did the same through the same dealer twice for my vehicles and wasn't charged at all for the service.  One, the Caliber, was on a lot in Springfield, Illinois.  They traded a minivan (Grand Caravan) for it.  Those move faster than manual transmission Calibers.  The Renegade was on a lot in eastern Ohio.  I think they traded a minivan or a Cherokee for it.  Either one goes faster than a manual transmission Renegade.

[J N Winkler]

Just four on my list, two of which I still drive:  1978 Chevrolet Impala, 1986 Nissan Maxima, 1994 Saturn SL2, and 2005 Toyota Camry.

I maintain my vehicles, so I have never gotten rid of a car as a result of powertrain failure.  The 1978 Impala went because it was an under-featured base model, and the 1986 Maxima went because it was 22 years old, had been parked outdoors for 12 years, and had developed increasingly intractable body systems problems such as wheel arch rust, indelible staining on the driver's seat, etc.  The Saturn is my current daily driver and turned 25 last February.  I think it is good to go for at least another five years, though it too has body systems problems (peeling headliner cover, unsecured trim pieces, etc.) and non-functional A/C that I do not think can be economically rendered leakproof unless I train myself to undertake all of the work and invest in (expensive) tools for auto A/C repair.

As for buying used, in my family we typically buy new but have had good experiences (late 1990's) with low-mileage used.  Low mileage cuts down on the possibility of problems due to variability in maintenance, but I think it is still worth investigating repair histories associated with a given candidate make/model/design generation, to ensure you aren't buying into design mistakes you are not prepared to deal with.  With recent vehicles, a lot of maintenance tends to fall due at around the 100,000-mile mark--things like brake pads, possibly brake rotors, coolant (at least the first change, if not the second), spark plugs, and timing belt if the engine is so equipped.  If I were buying used to keep for an extended time, my starting point would be to buy before much of this maintenance is performed, to ensure it is done correctly and with parts and fluids of good quality.

As for Formulaone's observation about 60% of Americans being able to get by with subcompacts, I agree in general, but in the American market subcompacts are so strongly positioned as entry-level vehicles that I have to move up to compacts to reach my personal sweet spot in terms of features and NVH suppression.  I don't like rear drums and 3-1 downshift logic.

[Max Rockatansky]

As for Formulaone's observation about 60% of Americans being able to get by with subcompacts, I agree in general, but in the American market subcompacts are so strongly positioned as entry-level vehicles that I have to move up to compacts to reach my personal sweet spot in terms of features and NVH suppression.  I don't like rear drums and 3-1 downshift logic.

Sub-Compact or Compact tends to be what I'm buying nowadays for daily drivers.  The only stipulation I'm finding is that I do get a lot of use of things like four wheel disc brakes and I'm finding AWD very handy since it lets me avoid low level chain controls in the winter.  Either way I don't feel so bad about an entry level car getting some cosmetic damage, being sold off on the cheap or handed down to a family member.

[gonealookin]

1.  Hand-me-down from Mom, a 1979 AMC Spirit.  She didn't give it to me for free, I had to pay $1500 which was about $1400 more than that POS was worth.

2.  1986 Honda Civic CRX.  I drove it for about 100K miles.  Mom returned from overseas after she and her then-husband broke up and she had no money and I gave that thing to her for free (though it had some mechanical issues at that point, which was my revenge for the AMC thing).

3.  1996 Toyota RAV4 which was one of the first RAV4's ever sold by that dealership.  I had considered a Ford Explorer but wanted something smaller, saw that this new thing called a RAV4 was about to come on the market and waited about 3 months without any car at all after giving the CRX to Mom until a RAV4 finally showed up in America.  I drove that one until 2012, about 180K miles.

4.  2012 RAV4 now has a little over 80K miles on it.

[Richard3]

Why do you need so many cars if cars generally last about 10 years?

I bought almost all those cars as wrecks (under 500$), so at a certain moment, I changed car twice a year.

[PHLBOS]

As for Formulaone's observation about 60% of Americans being able to get by with subcompacts, I agree in general, but in the American market subcompacts are so strongly positioned as entry-level vehicles that I have to move up to compacts to reach my personal sweet spot in terms of features and NVH suppression.

Sub-Compact or Compact tends to be what I'm buying nowadays for daily drivers.

As far as buying new vehicles are concerned; trying to buy a new domestic-branded subcompact or compact car recently became harder if not impossible.  Dodge (& Chrysler) don't have anything in that category (the last year for the compact Dart was 2017 IIRC).  Chevy just recently killed off its Cruze (for a shortened 2019 model year) and I believe (not 100% sure) the subcompact Sonic & the Spark are also gone as well.  For 2019, the only small car available at Ford is the subcompact Fiesta; I would've thought the compact Focus would've outlasted the Fiesta production-wise due to its higher sales numbers.

Should gas ever soar past $4/gallon nationwide again; the so-called Big-Three may regret their recent IMHO penny-wise/dollar-foolish manuvers

[DaBigE]

As for Formulaone's observation about 60% of Americans being able to get by with subcompacts, I agree in general, but in the American market subcompacts are so strongly positioned as entry-level vehicles that I have to move up to compacts to reach my personal sweet spot in terms of features and NVH suppression.

Sub-Compact or Compact tends to be what I'm buying nowadays for daily drivers.

As far as buying new vehicles are concerned; trying to buy a new domestic-branded subcompact or compact car recently became harder if not impossible.  Dodge (& Chrysler) don't have anything in that category (the last year for the compact Dart was 2017 IIRC).  Chevy just recently killed off its Cruze (for a shortened 2019 model year) and I believe (not 100% sure) the subcompact Sonic & the Spark are also gone as well.  For 2019, the only small car available at Ford is the subcompact Fiesta; I would've thought the compact Focus would've outlasted the Fiesta production-wise due to its higher sales numbers.

Should gas ever soar past $4/gallon nationwide again; the so-called Big-Three may regret their recent IMHO penny-wise/dollar-foolish manuvers

I can't speak for the others, but Ford is still making those cars overseas in some form or another. Should gas trends rise significantly, they'll just ship those designs to NA. Ford's current Ranger largely came from abroad, as did the first gen Focus and Fiesta. However, it seems like they'll electrify or hybridize their current CUV/SUV/truck line-up before going back to small cars.

[briantroutman]

I can't speak for the others, but Ford is still making those cars overseas in some form or another. Should gas trends rise significantly, they'll just ship those designs to NA. Ford's current Ranger largely came from abroad, as did the first gen Focus and Fiesta. However, it seems like they'll electrify or hybridize their current CUV/SUV/truck line-up before going back to small cars.

You're right that the Ford Motor Company isn't getting entirely out of the business of producing smaller cars on a global level, but I think it's a bit of an oversimplification to say that Ford will just "ship those designs to North America"  if and when fuel prices spike and demand for smaller cars increases. In addition to the major effort associated with modifying a vehicle just to comply with U.S. safety and emissions regulations, automakers go to considerable lengths to tailor designs, equipment packages, marketing approaches, etc. to meet the specific demands of the North American marketplace. And with little exception these days, North American-ized versions of global designs are assembled in North American plants to take advantage of favorable trade agreements.

To the best of my knowledge, the closest America has seen to an unmodified, untailored import in recent history was when GM rebadged the Belgium-built Opel Astra as the Saturn Astra in 2008. Auto enthusiast magazines praised the car's undiluted European handling and styling, but American consumers complained about such ancillary points as the Astra's awkward, small cupholders and the lack of iPod integration–and the car didn't sell.

But even a quick badge engineering job like the Astra takes a little bit of time. And if Ford is already up against stalwart competitors like Honda and Toyota–still churning out American-tuned Civics and Corollas from plants in Indiana, Mississippi, and Ontario–the blue oval brand will be starting a small car sales race that it routinely loses from even farther behind.

[DaBigE]

I can't speak for the others, but Ford is still making those cars overseas in some form or another. Should gas trends rise significantly, they'll just ship those designs to NA. Ford's current Ranger largely came from abroad, as did the first gen Focus and Fiesta. However, it seems like they'll electrify or hybridize their current CUV/SUV/truck line-up before going back to small cars.

You're right that the Ford Motor Company isn't getting entirely out of the business of producing smaller cars on a global level, but I think it's a bit of an oversimplification to say that Ford will just "ship those designs to North America"  if and when fuel prices spike and demand for smaller cars increases. In addition to the major effort associated with modifying a vehicle just to comply with U.S. safety and emissions regulations, automakers go to considerable lengths to tailor designs, equipment packages, marketing approaches, etc. to meet the specific demands of the North American marketplace. And with little exception these days, North American-ized versions of global designs are assembled in North American plants to take advantage of favorable trade agreements.

I never said it would be an overnight process, neither in manufacturing nor long-term fuel price changes. But I think you're over-complicating the situation and not giving these now highly global companies enough credit. Moving a vehicle from one market to another is nothing new. The base design/R&D is largely done (chassis, major body components, engine), a process which sucks up a lot of time, resources, and money. Both the Ranger and Focus took time to adapt the design to the US market and didn't hit the streets immediately following the press releases that the models would be coming to the US, but it didn't take a decade either. Similar could be said for the Transit and Transit Connect vans. As far as regulations go, in some cases, US standards are behind those of say, Europe.

[PHLBOS]

I never said it would be an overnight process, neither in manufacturing nor long-term fuel price changes.

That's just it; most if not all of the fuel price changes (mainly increases) during the last 46 years usually happen with very little advance notice.  Auto manufacturers that already have production models in their line-up that can better cope with high fuel prices were already ahead of the game.  While we can laugh & mock at vehicles like the AMC Gremlin, the Chevy Vega, the Ford Pinto and the then-newly-released Mustang II (one of the better-timed new-car releases); sales of those models soared when gas prices skyrocketed during the fall of '73 and Chrysler, which had no real small cars of their own in their line-up outside of the Mitsubishi-based Colt & the British-built Cricket, was literally caught with their pants down & bled the most red ink during those years.  The subcompact FWD-based Omni/Horizon wouldn't roll out until the 1978 model year; they needed such a car in their line-up 4 years earlier.

Conversely & in reaction to gas prices soaring in 1979-1980, as well as increasing CAFE standards for each model year, Ford planned to offer a very fuel-efficient diesel variant of their upcoming US-marketed Escort; but the release of that option wasn't offered until the Escort was already in the market for 3 years and gas prices started crashing down (something that nobody predicted would happen just a few years earlier).  As a result, sales of the diesel-powered Escort weren't enough to keep it around & Ford quietly dropped that option after two years.

Both the Ranger and Focus took time to adapt the design to the US market and didn't hit the streets immediately following the press releases that the models would be coming to the US, but it didn't take a decade either.

In the US-market, the Focus had/has a continuous model run since 2000.  While it may have taken longer to bring the newer-design model into the US market (for 2012); Ford still offered its existing Focus model during that time.  So while such was an older-design vehicle at the time; the market was still covered.  When gas prices ballooned circa 2007-2008, the Focus became Ford's best selling model.

Such was the opposite in the case of the Ranger, there were still a several year gap period between when the prior Ranger truck was offered and when this new one rolled out into the US market.  During those years, Ford literally had nothing to offer for those wanting a non-full-size pick-up truck.  As a result, Toyota, Nissan & even Chevy/GMC were probably more than glad to accommodate those would-be customers.

Similar could be said for the Transit and Transit Connect vans.

In the case of the full-size Transit van; Ford was still offering its older E-series vans (which were still best-sellers in their class) during the Transit van's development.

As far as regulations go, in some cases, US standards are behind those of say, Europe.

Actually, the US has had safety & emissions/pollution controls standards since the 1960s (maybe even earlier for safety); and such were upgraded/added multiple times since their inceptions.  Standards for fuel economy (CAFE) were initially signed into law circa 1975 and have been in effect since the 1978 model year.  Over the years if not decades, such IMHO has indeed created the unintended consequences of manufacturers designing & selling larger, heavier vehicles in the form of SUVs and CUVs.  And while some will say oh those can be offered in electric and/or hybrid form; the truth of the matter is until such is perfected, the gasoline-powered variants will still dominate the sales under normal economic conditions.

[DaBigE]

Both the Ranger and Focus took time to adapt the design to the US market and didn't hit the streets immediately following the press releases that the models would be coming to the US, but it didn't take a decade either.

In the US-market, the Focus had/has a continuous model run since 2000.  While it may have taken longer to bring the newer-design model into the US market (for 2012); Ford still offered its existing Focus model during that time.  So while such was an older-design vehicle at the time; the market was still covered.  When gas prices ballooned circa 2007-2008, the Focus became Ford's best selling model.

Such was the opposite in the case of the Ranger, there were still a several year gap period between when the prior Ranger truck was offered and when this new one rolled out into the US market.  During those years, Ford literally had nothing to offer for those wanting a non-full-size pick-up truck.  As a result, Toyota, Nissan & even Chevy/GMC were probably more than glad to accommodate those would-be customers.

I'm focusing purely on product development and where they were developed, not design refreshes. The original (pre-2000 US-model) Focus was originally a European vehicle brought over and adapted to the US. As for the Ranger, IIRC, the 2019+ version the US knows today originated from Australia. The years 2012-2018 for the Ranger in the US are largely irrelevant to the discussion, as Ford purposely ended US production. How long it took to reappear in the US market isn't the point of what I am talking about. Similar with the Transit & Transit Connect - yes, the E-Series is still in production, but the Transit & Transit Connect vans were models created elsewhere and brought to the US market. Conversely, the Mustang was designed in the US, but is now available in markets outside the US.

[PHLBOS]

Both the Ranger and Focus took time to adapt the design to the US market and didn't hit the streets immediately following the press releases that the models would be coming to the US, but it didn't take a decade either.

In the US-market, the Focus had/has a continuous model run since 2000.  While it may have taken longer to bring the newer-design model into the US market (for 2012); Ford still offered its existing Focus model during that time.  So while such was an older-design vehicle at the time; the market was still covered.  When gas prices ballooned circa 2007-2008, the Focus became Ford's best selling model.

Such was the opposite in the case of the Ranger, there were still a several year gap period between when the prior Ranger truck was offered and when this new one rolled out into the US market.  During those years, Ford literally had nothing to offer for those wanting a non-full-size pick-up truck.  As a result, Toyota, Nissan & even Chevy/GMC were probably more than glad to accommodate those would-be customers.

I'm focusing purely on product development and where they were developed, not design refreshes. The original (pre-2000 US-model) Focus was originally a European vehicle brought over and adapted to the US. As for the Ranger, IIRC, the 2019+ version the US knows today originated from Australia. The years 2012-2018 for the Ranger in the US are largely irrelevant to the discussion, as Ford purposely ended US production. How long it took to reappear in the US market isn't the point of what I am talking about. Similar with the Transit & Transit Connect - yes, the E-Series is still in production, but the Transit & Transit Connect vans were models created elsewhere and brought to the US market. Conversely, the Mustang was designed in the US, but is now available in markets outside the US.

The bottom line here & in the eyes of the general public who typically don't give a flip about a product that's in the design process (they're only interested in what's available today not three to five years from now) is that when there's a sizeable time-gap in a manufacturer's product line-up, like there was in the case of the fore-mentioned Ranger; such can have a lasting consequence in both current & future sales. 

A would-be Ranger buyer shunned by Ford (before the new Ranger rolled out) would probably go to a Toyota dealer and buy a Tacoma truck instead.  Years later, if that said-customer want to upsize to a full-size truck & is happy with the treatment that Toyota gave; that individual's more likely to look at and even buy Toyota's larger Tundra truck instead of a Ford F-series.  As a result, Ford just lost that potential customer because they didn't have something smaller (& cheaper) in the mix.

Yes, it was Ford's own decision to end production of the old Ranger without having a successor truck immediately ready for the US market.  More recently, it was also their decision to not sell nor offer most car lines in the US market anymore.  The sales fallout from the former could possibly be repeated for the latter (this is why such is relevant for discussion) should fuel prices & the economy go the wrong way... even for a short duration (months).