Ford Ranger $30k budget

It might be worth posting the question on newranger.net. It's a good Ranger/BT50 owners forum.

Cheers

I have a 2012 PX Ranger supercab (4 door) suicide doors IMO the best option if you're not carting around Xtra people . Paid around the 30k
Ex government with steel tray.
A lot will depend on what it's going to be used for , the later model you get the more chimes & such annoying gadgets.
Wildtrak are top of the line and I think you will pay a lot more for .

When it comes to fords they all get the same running gear and safety gear in the px1. Model differences is largely interior trim and wank factor as opposed to hilux which gets short changed on important safety gear in the workmates. I would beg him to consider an auto, they are that good. I know guys who bought the manual then traded for the auto. There was a small run of XL’s with the 3.2 engine which did not allow the diff lock as an option. Mine is one of them. Obviously a locker is a good thing. The traction control off road is pretty impressive.
Mine is 5 Y.O, 140 kms, 3.2 auto XL. Work vehicle, tows big weight on and off road. It Laps the work up no problem. Apart from suspension nothing has been done on it. It got a lead frame assembly under warranty at about 60 km. We changed the gearbox oil at 100km on advice and it was in good condition. I tow in sand a bit so we were worried about the box heating up. No need as it turns out. People towing in high range in soft sand cook them pretty quick but it wouldn’t matter what brand they drove.

Last year we went away for a few months with another couple, we have a PX1 XLT Ranger and they have a 'Yota D4 Hilux.
All his Mrs did was complain about :-
1; the lack of power ,( where I was cruising at around 90 Kph and in 5th his was still trying to sort out which gear to drive in ) both vans were of equal weight ( give or take 50 Kgs @ a weighbridge when leaving )
2: Uncomfortable seat and had to use cushions.
3: Noisy motor even under a load and slight incline.
4: rear end sagging excessively when van was on with 260 Kgs on hitch
All I heard was
"We shoulda bought a Ranger like yours"

I'd be getting an early PX2 auto with low Kms, either a dual cab ( for 4 people ) or an extended cab ( for 2 people)
The extended cab will give more tray space as the tray is longer than the dual cab so a lot would depend on what his demands for it are.

As for pulling power a lazy 5 cyl will do the job better than a flogging 4 cyl would.
There are some that say a good 4 is equal to the 5 but my mates D4 had an ecu tune and still slaved at any small hill.

ron

I have a Mazda BT50 XTR, a Ranger stablemate. That is one model below Mazda's top, the GT. I think it represents best bank for buck.

The current Rangers are designated PX. PX1 is 2011 to sometime in 2015 (early, I think). PX2 is 2015 to present

Ranger's Wildtrack, I think, is a bit of a suburban poseurs truck. It's nice, has lots of appointments and bling and gadgets if you like that sort of stuff, but it may bring the boy grief when he gets in the bush and starts making the truck do what it's designed to do.

Next down is the XLT, which in that year model is comparable to Mazda's GT. Then comes the XLS. IMO the XLS would be the better value.

By late 2014 most of the bugs in the PX1 had been ironed out.

If you want to spend a bit more and are thinking of the XLT, then perhaps try to find a PX2 XLS instead. PX2 appeared sometime in 2015, I think, and are a significant development over the PX1.

Must it be a Ford? In that 2014 era, the BT50 and the Ranger are almost identical in running gear. The Ranger is a bit better appointed but you'll pay a significant premium over the Mazda for a vehicle that in day to day touring and 4WDing performs the same. Get a Mazda with an ARB Delux bar and that ugly front is fixed.

However, Mazda did not get the improvements that Ford built into the PX2, so if you're thinking of stretching the budget to an early PX2, then I'd suggest the Ranger.

I've had my BT for 100,000 hard km. It spends its life at max weight and when we tour we add another 2200kg hybrid van behind so it is not too far below GCM. It has never let us down. We've just returned from a 16000km half lap, 12k of which was desert and outback dirt. The truck did not miss a beat.

A lot of people replace the OEM water to oil transmission cooler with a conventional air to oil cooler, particularly if towing. I did that, having experienced an overheating transmission when towing in hot weather.

Cheers

Thank you so much Frank Les Gbc and Ron
Clear honest advice, helps me heaps, it reminds me of the forum of old!!
All comments noted and all helpful
Cheers

CJ, I have a 2012 px space cab that has given excellent service with no faults at all.

I has over 80000 towing K's on it and is now a long way over the 100000k mark, I would go and have a look at the speedo but I am a long, long way from the vehicle.

The auto box is strong but a couple of things can cause problems. The first is the lead frame where the gear control valves stick, this seems to have disappeared now and most of the older ones have been replaced or they never have the problem, the second one is if the torque converter fails it puts metal through the box and it is all over rose for that box.

I couldn't be happier with mine and I hope it keeps going as is, for a long time to come, as we are going to do a really big trip next year.

As quoted earlier, register on the newranger forum and ask there, you ill also see where problems and perceived problems are less and less. Many complain about a problem but many times it comes down to not reading the owners manual front to back.

I got a PX Wildtrak auto 6 years ago this week. It is now at 188000km. Solo Simpson crossing, Cape York and OTT twice, tows a big boat regularly, lots of beach and bush bashing farm trips, countless dirt roads and corrugations. We love doing dirt roads and remote travelling. Wife loves driving it as she says it drives the same as her 2016 Exceed Pajero.
The Wildtrak has the Best drivers seat for me personally in any car I have rented and owned and thats a lot of them and apart from the big motor the seat was the main attraction for me. I can drive 12 hours straight and my back doesnt kill me after 30 mins like other cars I have had .
Those leather seats clean easily . The heated seats are awesome in the Simpson in winter when you are soaking wet ...
The reverse camera is nice to hook up the boat and to avoid prams in the shopping centre or gumtree stumps on the farm...
It has had a hard life. Still dust free after 6 years and no rattles which can drive me nuts.
It still drives like the day I got it and I just enjoy it every time I get into it.
It has almost 500kg on the back permanently and my economy in city is about 10l per 100km.
Beach driving takes it up to 15 l per 100km and the same with the 2 ton boat in tow.
Extended Ford 6 year warranty expired last week and they fixed everything without arguing every time but I always service it at same dealer.
My Ranger had common faults that was fixed every time so its not perfect but no brand is.
My oldest son sawmine being tortured and was so impressed he got a 2015 Xlt PX 1 Ranger manual which is a nice drive too. 3 years later he has had minimal faults .
My second son almost also went the same route but 3 months ago he got a 2018 BT XT auto which is really nice too and was a much better price and looks than the XLS Ranger with the ugly nose and tubs tie downs. The Bt 50 is almost identical in the way it feels and drives .
Last week I had a brand new XLS auto Ranger as a loan car and it really is nice and smoother than my 6 year old one but my Wildtrak seat is still the best .
I plan to drive it for another 6 years or so then maybe the NewRanger will have a V6 td in it by that time for me to upgrade to.
There are good dual cabs in all brands for all tastes but my first Ford has been an absolute pleasure.
Happy car hunting