Another what pick up thread!

[robinh73]

Evening all and happy Good Friday! I am going to sadly sell my immaculate VW Touareg and get a pick up as a mixed work/day to day vehicle. I need a crew cab with a budget of £15k and ideally mileage at 60k or less. I have a Toyota Hilux, 2019 model with the 2.4 in the business already and it is the most woeful pile of junk ever, so I won't be adding a second one of those. I did previously have a 2016 Nissan Navara which was superb and never missed a beat, so those are a good contender. This leaves either a Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi L200, Fiat Fullback or Isuzu. Does anyone have any tips, pointers or ownership experience to share please. Thank you!

[ZX10R NIN]

With your budget in mind I'd say the 2.2/3.2 Ranger is a very good shout:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603120...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603130...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602230...

3.2:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509196...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512248...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602180...

The Navara would be the second pick a good pick up:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602260...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603210...

You'll get a nice Fullback/L200 at this price point:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202604021...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603261...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601279...

[robinh73]

Some good choices there, many thanks indeed for those. Do you know much about the 3.2 engine in the Ranger? I like the idea of the larger engine as I do need to tow from time to time and the extra cubes are always useful. A guy who works with me has a 2010 L200 with 184k hard miles on it and it has been superb, hence my adding them to the list.

[General Price]

I always thought a hilux was 1st choice,what was wrong with it?

[robinh73]

General Price said:

I always thought a hilux was 1st choice,what was wrong with it?

It is badly built, absolutely gutless, massively over geared and the gearbox itself is a nightmare when doing a lot of manoeuvring and trying to go from reverse to first several times. I had a 2010 Hilux and that was in a different league. Plus the new one averages 21 mpg, whereas the older one was 33 and the Nissan was 38. Terrible vehicle in my opinion.

[Mammasaid]

We've had 5 L200's over the years, still got one for general farm use, etc. Nothing's ever gone wrong on them.

Advantage they have over most of the rest is the Super Select 4WD, that allows you to run in 4WD on tarmac, most of the others don't as they haven't got a centre diff, the L200's have a torsen one.

Oh, and compared to the Ranger, a L200 is under 2040kg unladen, so can do car speeds on single and dual carriageways.

Edited by Mammasaid on Friday 3rd April 22:47

[robinh73]

Mammasaid said:

We've had 5 L200's over the years, still got one for general farm use, etc. Nothing's ever gone wrong on them.

Advantage they have over most of the rest is the Super Select 4WD, that allows you to run in 4WD on tarmac, most of the others don't as they haven't got a centre diff, the L200's have a torsen one.

Oh, and compared to the Ranger, a L200 is under 2040kg unladen, so can do car speeds on single and dual carriageways.

Edited by Mammasaid on Friday 3rd April 22:47

What age L200s were you using? My budget gets me 2016ish.

[Mammasaid]

robinh73 said:

Mammasaid said:

We've had 5 L200's over the years, still got one for general farm use, etc. Nothing's ever gone wrong on them.

Advantage they have over most of the rest is the Super Select 4WD, that allows you to run in 4WD on tarmac, most of the others don't as they haven't got a centre diff, the L200's have a torsen one.

Oh, and compared to the Ranger, a L200 is under 2040kg unladen, so can do car speeds on single and dual carriageways.

Edited by Mammasaid on Friday 3rd April 22:47

What age L200s were you using? My budget gets me 2016ish.

We started with a user M reg 2 door in the mid-2000s to replace a series of Subaru Brats that had rusted into oblivion!

Then a 2004 Extended cab up until 2016, which was great mechanically, but was starting to rust!



Then 2 2016 Series 5 on lease as we got a great deal from the local dealer and it was very tax efficient;



Then another Series 5 in 2019 (no need for 2 now) which we purchased after the lease was up. It's now coming up to 7 years old, and all it's needed is tyres beyond normal servicing, and it doesn't have an easy life.

[robinh73]

This does tend to be what I hear about the L200. Up here they do tend to be used for the proper purpose by people rather than school run etc which always speaks volumes to me. I will look at these and the Fiat version in detail I think. Many thanks for the input.

[Snow and Rocks]

robinh73 said:

It is badly built, absolutely gutless, massively over geared and the gearbox itself is a nightmare when doing a lot of manoeuvring and trying to go from reverse to first several times. I had a 2010 Hilux and that was in a different league. Plus the new one averages 21 mpg, whereas the older one was 33 and the Nissan was 38. Terrible vehicle in my opinion.

Is your an auto?

Don't want to argue but we've had a great experience with our 2.4 active spec mk8 Hilux.

It's been perfectly reliable over 150k miles of regular towing and daily off road - honestly haven't even changed a bulb.

It's obviously not fast but pulls well with plenty of torque between 1.5 and 3k revs. It actually has more torque than the previous 3.0. It is high geared but that just means you only use 6th once you're properly up and going.

It's averaging about 30mpg around rural Aberdeenshire with all terrains which isn't bad at all.

All anecdotal but neighbours and friends seem to have no end of trouble with Rangers, Navaras and L200s. Neighbours 3.2 even had a new engine while thankfully under warranty. A good friend has a 2020 lowish mileage L200 and it won't stay in 3rd gear - common problem, needs a gearbox rebuild and Mitsubishi aren't interested.

The one "complaint" I did have with my now 10 year Hilux was the chassis looked a bit crusty after many years of Aberdeenshire road salt - mentioned it to my local dealer and they sent some pictures off to Toyota. They took it down to their Derbyshire factory and replaced the chassis along with a fair bit of the running gear. Absolutely exceptional service on a 10 year old 150k mile farm pickup. Even got a courtesy 4x4 while it was away. Can't see any other manufacturer doing the same tbh.

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Saturday 4th April 19:54

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Saturday 4th April 20:05

[robinh73]

Snow and Rocks said:

Is your an auto?

Don't want to argue but we've had a great experience with our 2.4 active spec mk8 Hilux.

It's been perfectly reliable over 150k miles of regular towing and daily off road - honestly haven't even changed a bulb.

It's obviously not fast but pulls well with plenty of torque between 1.5 and 3k revs. It actually has more torque than the previous 3.0.

It's averaging about 30mpg around rural Aberdeenshire with all terrains which isn't bad at all.

All anecdotal but neighbours and friends seem to have no end of trouble with Rangers, Navaras and L200s.

The one "complaint" I did have with my now 10 year Hilux was the chassis looked a bit crusty - mentioned it to my local dealer and they sent some pictures off to Toyota. They took it down to their Derbyshire factory and replaced the chassis along with a fair bit of the running gear. Absolutely exceptional service on a 10 year old 150k mile farm pickup. Even got a courtesy 4xr while it was away.

No mine is a manual. It really is such a contrast compared to my old 2010 model. I guess I have got a pup as yours does sound as though I was expecting mine to perform.

[Snow and Rocks]

Yeah, maybe worth trying another, I had a mk7 3.0 before and far prefer the newer truck. Seems better off road than the competition and earlier models too in my experience.

[robinh73]

Snow and Rocks said:

Yeah, maybe worth trying another, I had a mk7 3.0 before and far prefer the newer truck. Seems better off road than the competition and earlier models too in my experience.

I may well do but they are out of budget. That is the other that drives me mad, engaging the 4wd and low range. You have to push the clutch and brake through the bulkhead and hope it all works out.