New Ford ranger : Kinda good power, but the rear seat is cramp. The ride is abit bumpy for me. FC not sure. But sure above 60k for the new model.

Nissan Frontier : Very powerful, Not commonrail, Interior plastic not so good quality. FC 6xx+- per full tank. Price 4xk to 5xk for 2nd hand.

Isuzu D-max 2.5 : Timing Gear engine which will last u forever. Very good FC, Mine city drive full tank can reach 870kms. Underpower and no 4WD.

Been test out all the ride above as my friend own both and i own an Isuzu D-max 2.5.

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Added on August 18, 2010, 1:00 pm

i have the same thinking before i bought my d-max. At first i tot to take the triton lite. But end up with d-max 2.5L.

i hate Frontier's back seat.

D-max: as stated from above seriously underpowered, not suitable for heavy load/jungle trekking. Good FC , RM100 can last 900km++ depending ur driving style (possible achieve 1k km if u drive smoothly). Sparepart is...  alittle bit of expensive, car itself is bumpy but still comfortable (rear passengers definitely suffer d most due to bumpy suspension)

if u opt for all rounded then better go for triton bro 

all model of Ts mention is same. 

All Toyota's backseat are fine.
The legroom is fine in the Frontier but the floor is too high up when you seat in it its like squatting down like the old Isuzu Invader (Rodeo). Not good for after eating heavy meals & people with bad back.

loan or cash???

D-Max is not that bad.

lack of power and pick up. could u tell me ur purpose of getting pick-up truck?

just a remainder 2nd hand loan interest is higher compare to a new car loan.

then u should not get the d-max 2.5 if u love to get some off road activities lol.

first got maymay, now got wepwep,

okay here is the pro and con

Ranger (latest model) -> The engine output is almost as good as frontier, but better interior, suspension and etc

Frontier -> good engine, but lousy interior, suspension hard like mad (you will need to work on it), wheel alignment very easy to go off

D-max -> I never driven 1 before

Personal analysis -> Frontier is good if you know what to replace (which will cost money), I have climbed slopes where other dare not with a Frontier, some people just love good engine, some people wants a good balance, but is your choice. Common rail or not, it is just a name to describe the diesel injector, actually all these 4x4 have the modern injector that is similar to common rail.

For 2nd hand just check the mileage, diesel engine with big mileage with poor maintanance is totally useless.

How about getting Mit Storm ? sure less than rm60k

These are work horses so expect the mileage no less than 80k for a 3 year old. Look out at their suspension condition especially the front. rear leafspring is quite durable but need to check it too.

between the 3 cars, my first choice will be the ranger, last one will be the frontier. reason for choosing the ranger, the 4wd will come in handy in unexpected time. it also use commonrail engine. i don't think the other two truck have commonrail system though. and i agree with previous replies that the frontier rear seat sucks.

Check the engine condition carefully bro. Diesel engine can be very costly to repair. Don't look at the mileage on the meter, most of the used unit at dealer is already adjust so don't trust them. Look carefully under the car see got alot of mud stain or not, coz most of 4x4 is use by those contractor and offroader. Jacking up the car is the best way. Not to forget to check all those front and rear gearbox if it is 4WD. Also check the interior espeacially those under carpet part c got mud onot. Make sure u didn't bought those off road 4WD.

2nd hand dealer smart ass. All mud would hv been washed away.
How to determine whether it has been offroad or not goes like this,
1. If possible, drive it up a ramp in petrol station, walk underneath it, see if there is any sign of scratches, especially on the sump guard. Any thing that is covered with new paint, haha....u've spotted that 2nd dealer trying to cover up something.

2. Front arm will also get scratches if go offroad.

3. Drive with windows down on uneven road, with pot holes, listen with your ears wide open. Any metal clanking sound means worn suspension bushes, which will cost a considerable amount to replace.

4. If possible, drive it offroad, say sandy road, engage 4wd check if it's working, try to turn with full lock, any abused 4wd will hv klak klak sound on it's front drive shafts.
Make sure the engine is running well. Otherwise, it cost a bomb to repair.
1. Before u start engine, check oil, n coolant level. Note the level in spare coolant tank. Start the engine, it should start up immediately upon cranking. Prolong cranking to starts means problems. Drive at least 15km or more, to ensure that the engine is fully warmed up. Ford Ranger is famous for cracked engine head if abused.

Recheck engine oil level, and coolant in radiator. There must not be any drop in coolant level in radiator n spare tank. Coolant goes missing means trouble.

Check bolts on engine, c if it has been opened before.

If u hv no experience with 2nd hand car, maybe u can drive it to your mech for better evaluation.

I would vote for ford ranger tdci here.

Why don't want go for DMAX 3.0? Power is all there maa... But not as powerful as the mothertrucker 2.5 Navara.

I do have one DMAX 3.0, good FC, powerful.. Going up genting can smoke alot of merc, etc..

Not to mention the DMAX 3.0 can be even more powerful if it's chipped !
2.5 cannot install tuning chip since it's not common rail engine.

Just make sure u got the 4WD ones... You will find it useful when going downhill or going off road. Mine 2WD stuck on mud and it just won't climb back

that would be a good choice too 

Triton (not the Lite) is a good choice if u want easy maintenance. The engine for 2.5 is an old engine tech, the infamous 4D56 which is used on many Mitsubishi lorries. Parts easy to find and quite affordable.

Only the DOHC head and electronics are difficult and expensive to find.

I have 2 units of Triton (2007 and 2008) and have done some basic mods for it. The 2008 is left untouched.

In terms of FC, the A/T model is quite thirsty if u always burn rubber or speeding 140kph all the time. And yes, with a common rail interceptor, u can increase the power from 136hp to 160hp easily. Truck will now accelerate up to 175kph (reading from GPS). However, u will need to add some stabilizers for the rear end or put 200kg of weight to keep the truck down.

2nd hand will go for RM 70k below for A/T 2007 model but watch out for blown or leaking turbo chargers. Except mileage for 2007 to be around 60000 km.

Some 2008/2009 models have tilting problem where the truck is slightly tilted to the right - probably bad batch or manufacturing as 2006/2007 do not have this issue.

For accessories, plenty for Triton from originals to imitation copies.

The ride for a Triton is medium comfort, way better than Hilux or DMAX. The rear seats are angled slightly for maximum comfort. Even has a rear armrest to boot.

Yes, DMAX is very very very bumpy for my ass in the rear seat. Even going over bumper on 15kph, it's still very bumpy. (at least for me)

Triton is so far the best for least bumpy pickup truck.

Those are not electronic board thingy, those are commonrail tuning box. They're use to tune the common rail by over writting/control over the common rail sensors to inject more fuel accurately & sufficiently for giving better FC and power.. Doesn't did any damage to the ECU and can be revert back to original once u unplug the tuning box.

Hitting 185km/h with my stock 4x2 3.0 DMAX is no problem, but any mistakes you're gone case !

ello
pinjam thread

I'm looking into Triton Lite or Triton Standard
Will load up few hundred kgs of goods sometime,
mostly on road drive.

my loading is not so frequent also la. around around 10days in a month will be loaded up to that weight and space.

Shd go for Lite or Standard?

Alikato

For Triton, different case as many only use on roads rather than off road. So, buying one used is OK. Remember to check the turbo for signs of leakage or tilting body. Accident on Triton is easy to spot so don't worry. Remember, a truck is using ladder chassis and everything is replaceable.

Disconnect the rubber hose at turbo intake, see if there's any oil stain there. If there's oil, it's leaking.

Turbo will leak after certain time or mileage.

Of course, since u can choose, choose the best possible.

Quite simple. Look out for turbo intake hose, if it is dirty and oily, it is leaking.