Pickup Trouble

[nellyp]

I went to see a 2002 ford ranger that was going for 250,000 Thre condition of the car and engine were fine, the gear box was a nightmare. You could move the gear stick back and fore about a foot. I have seen quuite a few pickups now in this price range and they all have something wrong with them. I am now looking at a 2000 mazda 4x4 diesel that is in good nick for 260,000. He has come down by 20,000 which worried me a bit. The motor seems good (pulls well before the turbo and the turbo kicks in with some feel) body is good wheels good and suspension looks tidy as well. But after all the dogs I'm thinking this is too good to be true, and paying over 5K for a car fingers crossed doesn't cut the mustard. Any faults i should look out for. And how fast should I be able to drive in 4 wheel drive????

[nellyp]

From new truck manual trans are crap, so after a few miles god knows how the feel will be. Any second hand ride will be a gamble.

Yeah I know, i've never bought a new car and I'm 46. But i've never been in a country where I haven't got the equipment and parts to work on my motor. That's my biggest worry about this. I actually think the Thais are amazed I check the wheels, suspension, joints etc. I do find the cars structually sound though, it's the gear box and engines that are suspect. Then again i'm looking at 8 year old cars so should expect some wear. not as much as I'm seeing though

[metisdead]

IF you can affort it, just buy new and take all the guess work out of the equation.

[katabeachbum]

you can not drive more than 80 kmh in 4x4, and only on slippery surface

this old tech diesels needs turbodiesel engine oil replaced every 5k km and filter every 10k km. If there isnt documentation of such maintance carried out, expect engine and turbo to be on the edge of its lifetime at 250 k km. If maintained, 4-500k km is normal

Biodiesel damages injection, exepct 4-10k baht for gaskets/orings/valves

[Bobr]

Ford sells a lot of cars in America because they have their own financing arm who will finance almost anyone. They're junk and always have been, and the Ranger has always been a throw away after 3-4 years. There is a reason why all the Baht buses and all the other large fleet vehicles here are Toyotas or Isuzus and not Fords.

Edited September 17, 2010 by Bobr

[billd766]

That's odd as my Ford Ranger 4x4 double cab is 9 years old with 230,000 on the clock from new.

granted the gear change is a bit sloppy but I figure new linkage bushes will fix that.

Quote Katabeachbum

you can not drive more than 80 kmh in 4x4, and only on slippery surface

this old tech diesels needs turbodiesel engine oil replaced every 5k km and filter every 10k km. If there isnt documentation of such maintance carried out, expect engine and turbo to be on the edge of its lifetime at 250 k km. If maintained, 4-500k km is normal

Biodiesel damages injection, exepct 4-10k baht for gaskets/orings/valves

Why would you want to drive at more than 80 kmh in 4x4 drive especially on slippery surfaces? I certainly don't.

Yes mine has been maintained at the dealer and I do have most of the documentation somewhere at home.

It has the odd rattle here and there and a few scratches as well but it goes very well and is likely to do so for a few years more yet.

I am getting an overall 9.5 km/l in local and long distance running.

It is not perfect but good enough for the jobs we use it for.

[hawksway]

I had a Ford Ranger 4 x 2 in 2002. It had a powerful 2.5L engine which was quite noisy due to the very low gearing. But gear change was quite good. The heat generated by U.J coupling just behind the gear shift ensured that you could never get cold. I imagine the sample you experienced had a hard life and was not representative of the model, perhaps having been used by an impatient and sporting Thai driver.

Driving 4 x 4 models in 4WD I have heard should be limited to speeds not exeeding 80 Kp/h at distances of not more than 100KM. You should use 4WD frequently to prevent the facility siezing up. Best 4x4 vehicle for those who use it for non goods work is definitely the Toyota Vigo Hi-Lux 3.0L D4D which is quite, outstandingly comfortable and can cruise all day at 120 Kp/h. Very good on fuel too.

[katabeachbum]

I had a Ford Ranger 4 x 2 in 2002. It had a powerful 2.5L engine which was quite noisy due to the very low gearing. But gear change was quite good. The heat generated by U.J coupling just behind the gear shift ensured that you could never get cold. I imagine the sample you experienced had a hard life and was not representative of the model, perhaps having been used by an impatient and sporting Thai driver.

Driving 4 x 4 models in 4WD I have heard should be limited to speeds not exeeding 80 Kp/h at distances of not more than 100KM. You should use 4WD frequently to prevent the facility siezing up. Best 4x4 vehicle for those who use it for non goods work is definitely the Toyota Vigo Hi-Lux 3.0L D4D which is quite, outstandingly comfortable and can cruise all day at 120 Kp/h. Very good on fuel too.

Vigo can cruise all day at 160kmh at only 3000rpm:)