Which 4WD?

Thanks Bosum,

More info to digest. Having always driven Nissans and three Toyotas I will have some adjustments and change of expectations to deal with. I appreciate the comment.

Regards,

Mike.

Thanks Tuck,

I appeciate your input and agree with your last sentence

Mike.

Thanks DZ.

Looks like I should investigate the auto, my wife would appreciate an auto. ???

Mike.

After my son bought the Ranger the West Australian paper in their auto section had a review on the Ranger and their closing comments were that the Mazda/Ranger had an excellent 6 speed auto but the manual was the worst in their class. When I drove my friends BT50 manual I kept missing 3rd gear and I agree they are a very ordinary manual gearbox.

I've driven a variety of tiptronic 6 speed autos over the past few years and I reckon they are the ants pants. You can drive them like manuals if you want, the 6th gear gets great economy and the gear changes are smooth as. No more manuals for me. Trying to clutch start one is a problem :-)

Andrew,
With the uhf it will fit in the front of the console out of the way and I have just double sided taped the microphone mount to the top of the radio. Yes the brake controller is a bit of a pain and I have mounted mine on the left side in front of my knee, the only problem with this is you can't read it at a glance or activate the manual brake controller easily. I have mounted my gps on the dash by cutting a neat hole in the dash protector mat and lining the edge with rubber grommet material, the gps base is then secured to the dash with the 3m picture hanging tape that can be pulled to remove.

Yes the Ranger factory rear tow bar bull bar is annoying and even with my lift I have bumped it a few times, it has never hung the rear end and guess it does protect it.

The Ranger does come with extra protection underneath with a substantial cross member so it may pay to have a good look underneath and compare both.

The smart charge alternator is not a problem as Ford will software disable it free of charge. One annoying thing is the cigarette power outlets are live all the time. I have had mine changed so they only activate when the ignition is turned on.

Auto wipers aren't a problem as you still have full manual control, with the intermittent control you can set the wiping speed but the auto rain sensing takes over and wipes when it wants to.

The Ford and Mazda do share same engines/ boxes and drive line components and a few other things but that is where it ends.

I have had my Ranger for a couple of years now with no problems at all as would be expected.

Hope you both choose the best vehicles for your purpose.

Thanks Andrew and Slow one (?). I will certainly take into account what you have both said, good advice is always helpful.

Regards,

Mike

Ps I seem to have started a bit of controversy about Chinese made goods.