Thread: New Ute Dilemma

Personal bias, I like Nissan Navarra and old school.

I drive a 2003 Nissan Navarra 3.0ltr DC manual five speed which I bought at 198,000 and is now approach 240,000 on the original everything. It has absolutely NO bells and whistles, no flashing lights (like in the wing mirror!!!!WTF!!!!), no LCD touch screen or phone Bluetooth, no lane assist, collision warning or even cruise control. And I love it! Being manual I can slip it into neutral and coast the downhill gradients with the engine on idle eg Transmission Gully is 27km long, I can coast 15kms of it at speeds ranging from 130kmh to 70kmh. When I'm on the highway therefore typically not many other vehicles around, so nobody is inconvenienced. I think I'm saving diesel!?

Can you even buy a manual ute these days?

Anyway, back on topic, I agree with @7mm tragic about Rangers giving trouble at 200,000. Reason I say that is when I bought my Nissan I took it to an engine reconditioner to pressure check the turbo operation, it was fine. But his comment was, "The engine I get in most to recondition is the Ford Ranger. It may just be because it is the biggest selling vehicle on the road? But the engines all seem to get to 200,000 then just crap out!"

I know I'm probably going to get knee capped by every Ranger owner whose ute has done 250,000 but that's what the recon mechanic said.

The other thing I don't like about the Ranger, and modern uses general, is they are dimensionally HUGE! To lift something over the wellside you have to be 6ft 8" TALL. There was a sales rep in the City branch who was height challenged. She carried a small wooden box with her so she could climb up into the Ranger!!!

Buy a Nissan!

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

Personal bias, I like Nissan Navarra and old school.

I drive a 2003 Nissan Navarra 3.0ltr DC manual five speed which I bought at 198,000 and is now approach 240,000 on the original everything. It has absolutely NO bells and whistles, no flashing lights (like in the wing mirror!!!!WTF!!!!), no LCD touch screen or phone Bluetooth, no lane assist, collision warning or even cruise control. And I love it! Being manual I can slip it into neutral and coast the downhill gradients with the engine on idle eg Transmission Gully is 27km long, I can coast 15kms of it at speeds ranging from 130kmh to 70kmh. When I'm on the highway therefore typically not many other vehicles around, so nobody is inconvenienced. I think I'm saving diesel!?

Can you even buy a manual ute these days?

Anyway, back on topic, I agree with @7mm tragic about Rangers giving trouble at 200,000. Reason I say that is when I bought my Nissan I took it to an engine reconditioner to pressure check the turbo operation, it was fine. But his comment was, "The engine I get in most to recondition is the Ford Ranger. It may just be because it is the biggest selling vehicle on the road? But the engines all seem to get to 200,000 then just crap out!"

I know I'm probably going to get knee capped by every Ranger owner whose ute has done 250,000 but that's what the recon mechanic said.

The other thing I don't like about the Ranger, and modern uses general, is they are dimensionally HUGE! To lift something over the wellside you have to be 6ft 8" TALL. There was a sales rep in the City branch who was height challenged. She carried a small wooden box with her so she could climb up into the Ranger!!!

Buy a Nissan!

@Hugh Shields

Not any longer ...

just thinking outside the box here Thar what about the new 5 door Suzuki unless you are towing its 4x4 credentials leave all these others stuck in the mud just a thought

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

just thinking outside the box here Thar what about the new 5 door Suzuki unless you are towing its 4x4 credentials leave all these others stuck in the mud just a thought

Cool things those. I have done a bit of driving in the 2 door. They're a bit lacking in the testosterone department, but definitely cool little boxes. Cheap too, at least the 2 door was. It would suit Tahrs self proclaimed 'antithesis of a redneck' theme. Just don't try tow a 2 ton trailer

Can't really speak to any of the other latest utes, but I had a PX2 XLT extra cab from new in 2018 to 2023 as a (corporate leased) work vehicle. Field service work from mining to forestry, bog stock suspension and lived it's entire life with me loaded to GVM or close to it. 156000km of all the jandal she could handle and then some... My only complaints were that the headlights were pox, drivers seat could have done with better lumbar support, and when it cracked a leaf spring (I wonder who's fault that was ) that Ford put new spring packs in it with 5 leaves not 6 - the originals were definitely 6 leaf spring packs but they swore black and blue they fitted the correct parts. Apart from that, the 3.2L donk and 6 speed auto was absolutely grouse and had it been a dual cab I wouldn't have hesitated to buy my own field ute despite knowing the hiding it had been given.

Now into one of the new 4cyl 10 speed auto rangers (2023 XL), and I gotta say I like it. Feels like as much grunt as the 3.2, thanks to the trickery of the 10 speed (Mint). Less engine braking? Sorta. Use the auto wisely and you can kind of work around that. We tow a 2.4T service trailer a lot and it only shows any weakness when taking off in a hurry, engine braking with a braked trailer behind you still works well enough for me.


TL,DR: I'd happliy drive a new plain jane XL ranger dual cab if I was given the choice. Gotta shell out a lot more to get any kind of luxuries that I'd be interested in from an up-spec model (heated seats! Could care less about dual zone A/C)

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

Personal bias, I like Nissan Navarra and old school.

I drive a 2003 Nissan Navarra 3.0ltr DC manual five speed which I bought at 198,000 and is now approach 240,000 on the original everything. It has absolutely NO bells and whistles, no flashing lights (like in the wing mirror!!!!WTF!!!!), no LCD touch screen or phone Bluetooth, no lane assist, collision warning or even cruise control. And I love it! Being manual I can slip it into neutral and coast the downhill gradients with the engine on idle eg Transmission Gully is 27km long, I can coast 15kms of it at speeds ranging from 130kmh to 70kmh. When I'm on the highway therefore typically not many other vehicles around, so nobody is inconvenienced. I think I'm saving diesel!?

Can you even buy a manual ute these days?

Anyway, back on topic, I agree with @7mm tragic about Rangers giving trouble at 200,000. Reason I say that is when I bought my Nissan I took it to an engine reconditioner to pressure check the turbo operation, it was fine. But his comment was, "The engine I get in most to recondition is the Ford Ranger. It may just be because it is the biggest selling vehicle on the road? But the engines all seem to get to 200,000 then just crap out!"

I know I'm probably going to get knee capped by every Ranger owner whose ute has done 250,000 but that's what the recon mechanic said.

The other thing I don't like about the Ranger, and modern uses general, is they are dimensionally HUGE! To lift something over the wellside you have to be 6ft 8" TALL. There was a sales rep in the City branch who was height challenged. She carried a small wooden box with her so she could climb up into the Ranger!!!

Buy a Nissan!

Wife and I needed to upgrade our 2008 Nissan K/C F/D manual to do a month towing 1.7 tonne caravan on South Island trip.

Bought a mint 2019 Mazda king cab? flat deck auto and had a great trip. Towed well but cab noisier than Nissan and harder riding (expected)

Getting home and hopping back into the Nissan which is the lower suspension model they discontinued in 2016 I realised how well it suited me.

Smooth, quiet ride, radio with knobs and buttons, and more storage for "stuff" that lives in your hunting wagon.

Lots of other bits and features were a pain including not really keen on scratching hell out of a $40k vehicle.

The Mazda is going into car sale yard tomorrow.

Will lose heaps but sometimes new ain't better.