Most Reliable and DIY Ford Ute?

[smoo]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

But really, Hilux/ranger/triton will give you less grief in time.

That’s a wild assumption because the six cylinder falcons are a solid package.
Apart from payload rating and ground clearance I couldn’t think of any other benefit those gutless, thirsty, cramped, uncomfortable, noisey, horrible driving & riding Jap Utes will have over a Falcon.

I’d be opting for an FG2 XR6 manual. Awesome engine and trans package. Reasonably attractive interior. Bluetooth stereo, some came with sat nav. Modern enough even by today’s standards. They are a rolls Royce compared to the jap utes mentioned above.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

It really depends what youre after in a car. Comfort, handling, specs, or no nonsense, rugged wash out simplicity.

Buy a petrol work mate hilux 2wd or ranger, triton etc of similar sorts. Theyre more hardy and still simple as easy diy. Typical Japanese durability and they are solid.

If you want a Falcon.
My vote is for B series. Basic motor, easy to get to everything, 4sp very reliable if serviced and has a standalone trans cooler, cheap to replace with a new reco unit. Easily scanned with a scan tool for diagnosis. Modern interior, quieter and smoother, seats are comfier than AU and FG. Have seen these with less rust than previous models.


XG/XH/AU hideously outdated. AU's are at the stage where people drive them into the ground.
FG is really cheap and nasty but the motor and 6sp is very tasty but the 6sp takes more expensive oil and you need to follow procedure to service or it wont shift right. Expensive to replace with a reco unit but is getting cheaper as time goes on.
They are newer so should have less issues. Still nothing overly complicated about them though.

But really, Hilux/ranger/triton will give you less grief in time.

Unless you have problems with a diesel engine, then you may as well just hand over your wallet. Much cheaper to fix a falcon 6.

[78xcgxl]

Originally Posted by smoo

That’s a wild assumption because the six cylinder falcons are a solid package.
Apart from payload rating and ground clearance I couldn’t think of any other benefit those gutless, thirsty, cramped, uncomfortable, noisey, horrible driving & riding Jap Utes will have over a Falcon.

I’d be opting for an FG2 XR6 manual. Awesome engine and trans package. Reasonably attractive interior. Bluetooth stereo, some came with sat nav. Modern enough even by today’s standards. They are a rolls Royce compared to the jap utes mentioned above.

100%. Payload rating on FGs are pretty much on par. 1250kg on 1 tonner cab chassis. My FG2 XR6T ute carrys 750kg all day constant and it loves it. Never given me a single issue and spends 90% of it's time driving around construction sites working hard. I don't know how people drive those single cab Thai utes. A tractor offers more comfort. If i had to drive one it would have to be at least a space cab.

[Giant Cranium]

post 34 and im thinking we should ask for a budget.

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by FordGeezer

They are a nice looking vehicle, he would be after a pretty penny but wouldn't he?

If You're Fair dinkum? send Me a PM !!

His main criteria Is that It goes to a "Good Home" .. But He'll be Fair with the Money...

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

That was the "old" ethos with these transmissions.
They are more affordable 2nd hand if there is a need to replace them.

There are options out there now to remove the milkshake woes. Which ... BTW ... affect BTR/ION 4-speed autos as well ... they are not immune to it.

The servicing costs are a little more ... I do understand that if using the Lifeguard 6 fluid.

But easy to break ... yeah nah.
I've been trying to break mine ..... it still going bloody well. And really aids and awesome fuel economy compared to the 4-speed. And when it comes to drivability ... the ZF is miles ahead.

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

You completely lost me here. The ZF is a much more reliable unit than the 4 speed. Only real issue is the milkshake which can be avoided pretty easily. Much stronger gearbox too. But they are more expensive to fix.

I've had to rebuild 4 speed BTR's too many bloody times.

We've had SIX BTRs. The early ones needed to have a tranny cooler fitted, but other than that never had a problem.
And yes, still have an AU in the family, over 20 years old and never had a problem.
The main issue is that with one of the upgrades, they took out the dip-stick. Unfortunately many owners, and lazy service-mechanics, interpreted this as "you never have to check the fluid."
And then some of those that tried, did it wrong.
Check it once a year when the car's on a hoist, do it right, and those things will last 200kk easily.
The best thing is that they are cheap, plentiful, and any decent tranny mechanic can diagnose and fix them.

The ZFs have several known flaws. In addition they are expensive to service, and when they do break down, most places won't even bother, they just recommend a factory rebuilt box. Which you will need to sell a Kidney to pay for.
Mine was buggered before 110kk, and I am still saving for a replacement.

On the plus side, it leads to some bargains. Dealers selling B-series below the cut-off for statutory warranty, because a replacement box costs more than the whole car.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by smoo

That’s a wild assumption because the six cylinder falcons are a solid package.
Apart from payload rating and ground clearance I couldn’t think of any other benefit those gutless, thirsty, cramped, uncomfortable, noisey, horrible driving & riding Jap Utes will have over a Falcon.

I’d be opting for an FG2 XR6 manual. Awesome engine and trans package. Reasonably attractive interior. Bluetooth stereo, some came with sat nav. Modern enough even by today’s standards. They are a rolls Royce compared to the jap utes mentioned above.

Like I said, it depends what youre after in a car. If old mate doesn't care and just wants a basic horse that wont break much, then its a good option. Not that wild an assumption, Falcon was never known as a super high quality car.

FG is plenty modern enough yep! Its a passenger car interior in a commercial body so its probably as good as they come.

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Unless you have problems with a diesel engine, then you may as well just hand over your wallet. Much cheaper to fix a falcon 6.

Base model 2wd commercial utes are typically petrol standard which is why I wasn't specific but yes you are correct. Modern diesels aren't worth it unless youre towing all the time or always have a heavy payload.

[FordGeezer]

A lot of FG recommendations here, looks like I'll be setting my sights for one of those at the end of the year then.
Anyone know if the Gas run ones are temperamental?
Cheers Fellas

[Mechan1k]

Normally I would have chosen an LPG variant.
But .... the price had jumped dramatically at the moment ... and especially if going and EGAS mixer style model... the economy is worse then petrol.

And the savings it used to bring really isn't there anymore .... those models were 4-speed only.

Later ECOLPI models were 6-speed ... but not really that many of them out there.
not really too many issues reported ... there have been some though ... but they didn't get long enough run to get too many of them on the road compared to the old EGAS models.

[FordGeezer]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Normally I would have chosen an LPG variant.
But .... the price had jumped dramatically at the moment ... and especially if going and EGAS mixer style model... the economy is worse then petrol.

And the savings it used to bring really isn't there anymore .... those models were 4-speed only.

Later ECOLPI models were 6-speed ... but not really that many of them out there.
not really too many issues reported ... there have been some though ... but they didn't get long enough run to get too many of them on the road compared to the old EGAS models.

Bugger, I better just go with petrol then.
Cheers

[98TLS]

Fwiw a BA XR6 gets my vote,will confess to some bias re BAs as ive owned 3 and had a good run with all,1st was XR6 ute followed by XR8 ute and currently a GT-P...awhile back after owning the GT-P after the two utes really had a yearning (and need) to have something with a deck and it was going to be an XR6 all day until we had a little windfall and shelled out (rightly or wrongly) for a fairly new 2WD Triton which is doing eveything well but so it should age/kms done considered.Mate of mine recently sold his BA ute with well over 250 clicks travelled and never a problem we couldnt fix ourselves, it just kept on keeping on and looked good doing it,all down to personal experience i guess but mine was bulletproof and when i come across a nice one i kinda wish i had gone that way again fwiw.

[guzzis3]

As always opinion worth what you paid for it...

I have an AU3 auto 6cyl 3 seat steel tray. I've also got a EL we bought in 2002 ad had an NL and a EF.

The NF tranny was on the way out at 320k kms. All the others have been fine. The AU has a cooler and a 2300 kg tow bar.

I thought the brakes on my au3 were different to AU2 ? I do come across a lot of parts listed as fitting AU3 but not earlier cars, but parts lists are unreliable these days.

I would not have a manual. I have enough trouble towing as is. Some jobs on the AU are pigs, like the intake manifold. Generally they are easy enough to work on and well understood here. I doubt a B series would be easier.

Personally I prefer riving the EF/EL to the AU,and absolutely hate the B series. YMMV. Initially I didn't like the AU, but it was a tool to do a job.Over time I've grown to like it more and more. Did brisbane to tassy, 3 weeks and home again 2 years ago. I let it get hot, did a coil, took me a while to get to the bottom of what was wrong. Now it's good. I wouldn't want to drive all day in a jap/tai ute.

Economy depends on how you use it. Low k diesels eat fuel savings in maintenance. My neighbour is a builder does 15k/yr. I recommended he get a petrol hilux and it works well for him.

Geelong isn't a country town anymore. Do you really want to face that traffic in a manual ? The boss is born and bred there and we stayed a few days before boarding the ferry. Traffic is shocking. Not brisbane shocking but shockingly shocking anyway

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by FordGeezer

A lot of FG recommendations here, looks like I'll be setting my sights for one of those at the end of the year then.

Comes down to your budget, and how DIY you're prepared to be.
AU's are great, but they're 20 years old, and will be less reliable than a newer ute. They are cheap and easy to fix, but only if you DIY. If you have to pay somebody to fix it, then go the latest/ lowest km B-Series you can afford.

If you have the money to splash on an FG, then go for it, but they are still in high demand and therefore overpriced.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Normally I would have chosen an LPG variant.
But .... the price had jumped dramatically at the moment ... and especially if going and EGAS mixer style model... the economy is worse then petrol.

Depends entirely on where you live, whether you would run regular or PULP, and how long you plan to keep the car for.
Perth and Melbourne are net exporters, so the price of LPG is reasonable. Sydney has massive import infrastructure, so should be ok. rest of the country, and remote areas, not so much.
In Perth, the advantages of LPG are:
I can fill up any day of the week, and don't have to queue for half an hour on Mondays;
Even factoring in significantly higher consumption, its still cheaper than the cheapest ULP price;
It's substantially cheaper than PULP;
The price doesn't go up every time somebody takes a dump in the Persian Gulf; and
I'll be LMFAO when Oil hits $200 a barrel.