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Ford ranger v Freelander 2


islandgun
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Bit chalk and cheese really, one the Ford pickup a work horse the other a gentleman farmers wheels.

I don't own either but have driven both, the ford a little rough around the edges but a solid work horse that you can hose down, the other much more refined but a bit to posh for muddy boots, both very capable off road, depends on what you will be using it for.

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cheers Steve and oldun,  I will need something for taking machinery equipment etc off road when my present vehicle dies. also a few trips down south per year [mostly winter] a crew cab pickup would do both as would a freelander with a trailer.. Im concerned mostly with reliability and rot .as i want a few years use out of it. budget £ 10,000 approx 

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I had a ranger for work. I think it was an 05 (this was 10+ years ago now) thunder, 2.5 had all the leather interior, big truckman canopy. It was not bad to drive actually, even on longer journeys. Towed OK. Main problem was rust, especially on the body panels. Farmer mate had a 09 plate 3.0 wildtrak, same problems with rust, his was chassis rust. I think it's fairly common with them, but if you can have a good look before making an offer, an easy problem to screen for, and a good one looked after will give you years of service. 

As far as I know, the fl2 is a good all rounder. The engines are strong, and your money will get you a decent one. 

I think the pickup is more practical, but the freelander would probably be nicer to own. 

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19 minutes ago, adzyvilla said:

I had a ranger for work. I think it was an 05 (this was 10+ years ago now) thunder, 2.5 had all the leather interior, big truckman canopy. It was not bad to drive actually, even on longer journeys. Towed OK. Main problem was rust, especially on the body panels. Farmer mate had a 09 plate 3.0 wildtrak, same problems with rust, his was chassis rust. I think it's fairly common with them, but if you can have a good look before making an offer, an easy problem to screen for, and a good one looked after will give you years of service. 

As far as I know, the fl2 is a good all rounder. The engines are strong, and your money will get you a decent one. 

I think the pickup is more practical, but the freelander would probably be nicer to own. 

expand

Thats it in a nutshell. Blackbird has pointed out the lack of boot space with the freelander which might be an important issue for a week or two a year ! 

Rust is a problem.  My thoughts are that a freelander is less likely to have been abused than a ranger or other pickup [school run lady owner]  .........perhaps a school run pickup !!

Edited by islandgun
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2 hours ago, islandgun said:

My thoughts are that a freelander is less likely to have been abused than a ranger or other pickup [school run lady owner]  .........perhaps a school run pickup !!

Daughter in law has a Freelander only used for school runs. Completely trashed!!

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2 hours ago, 39TDS said:

Daughter in law has a Freelander only used for school runs. Completely trashed!!

Tell me about it.

My truck was 6 tears old when I got it. The interior was in great condition. 2 years of 3 kids in it... now looks like it’s been used to transport livestock around in for a decade 😬.

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I would have the ranger but I am biased as thats whats sitting on my drive. 10k should get you a decent truck just look around for one thats not been too abused, there are plenty to choose from For your budget I would look for the 2.2 Limited spec, it offers a decent level of kit and engine is more than capable. I have the 3.2 but thats only because it spends 70% of its life towing large trailers.

 

Budget in a new hard top if one is not already fitted, the roller shutters are carp and let too much water in even from new.

 

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20 hours ago, islandgun said:

I will need something for taking machinery equipment etc off road when my present vehicle dies. also a few trips down south per year [mostly winter] a crew cab pickup would do both as would a freelander with a trailer..

I own an L200, so can't comment on either vehicle, but I'd suggest a crew cab pickup is a far better choice for your envisaged use.

Honestly, it was a bit of a revelation when I got mine.  All the dirty stuff, tools and kit is confined to the rear, and keeps the cab clear.  There's a reason the crew cab pickup has replaced the Land Rover as the farmer's vehicle of choice - and  not just that they could go 80% of the places a Landie could go but were 2/3rds the price, and also had such luxuries as a heater that worked...They actually fit a farmer's needs better, in my view.

I do have a love/hate relationship with hard tops though, but I suppose it depends on the crime level in your area, and what you need to transport.

I helped a friend do some running repairs on his Freebie2 - and honestly I wouldn't entertain one.  Lacking in practicality for me, but as others have pointed out, makes for acceptable transport if doecoying is your thing.

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just a point that you mentioned in an earlier post about rust problems with the Ford Ranger, well out of curiosity I did a search on rust problems with the Ranger and yes it does seem to suffer with rust problems but so do other 4x4, if you can get a good pickup I would be tempted to give it a good coat of waxoyl (still the best).

Have you given the old X-Trail any thought? They made them up till 2014 and you would get a good one for your budget, bags of room in them and very good off road.

good luck with your search Steve

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48 minutes ago, old'un said:

just a point that you mentioned in an earlier post about rust problems with the Ford Ranger, well out of curiosity I did a search on rust problems with the Ranger and yes it does seem to suffer with rust problems but so do other 4x4, if you can get a good pickup I would be tempted to give it a good coat of waxoyl (still the best).

Have you given the old X-Trail any thought? They made them up till 2014 and you would get a good one for your budget, bags of room in them and very good off road.

good luck with your search Steve

hi David, I wont restrict myself to just rangers it will be all comers and yes it would receive some copious amounts of anti-foul, I reckon the pickup would be most suitable as i will be able to stick a wet spaniel,  animal food, bales, rotovator and a box of fish in the back without the muck/smell..😀

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Owned a Freelander2 for 2 months back last May/June. It was a nice place to be, HSE so had all the toys too but in those 2 months the dealer had it more than I did, rear diff, haldex pump and then front PTU, but by the time I’d driven it home it had started making a new noise, dealer just said to bring it back and he’d give me my money and old car back. It was immaculate and had only done 62k miles. Maybe it was a bad one but I was too scared to buy another so I’ve just bought a Q5.

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I have a 58 plate Ranger 3.0 wildtrrack that I’ve owned for the last 5 years.  It’s a second car so it doesn’t get used every day but it’s a great vehicle, comfortable, nice to drive on road and very capable off road.  I’ve spent a couple of weeks travelling around Harris and Lewis and I honestly think a Ranger would be perfect on those roads and tracks.  For the longer runs, I have stalking in Argyle & Bute and the truck sits happily at 70-80 on the motorway on my regular trips up north from Yorkshire, it’s definitely not a chore to drive longer journeys.  I may have got lucky with mine, but in the last 5 years, apart from servicing, it has cost me a set of tyres, a set of pads & disks and three bulbs - every service, my mechanic mate reminds me that if I ever want to sell it, he has first dibs.   Personally, I’d thoroughly recommend a ranger to anyone.

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Owned a Freelander 1 TD4 for around 80000 miles commuting without a problem apart from a pita brake sensor. My Freelander had less ground clearance than RRs/Discos etc which was a bit of an issue on badly rutted tracks.  I drive a farmers Freelander 2 and it is pretty good on slippery mud, all computer controlled you just press a mode button, it is a joy to tow with. Sold my F1 because an L200 truck came up at a price not to be missed. I concur about the roller covers leaking but they do go nicely over a plasterer's tub to cover up dead deer. Have sold my trailer as simply do not need it with the truck happily transporting timber, paving slabs, corrugated, sheets of ply, top soil etc. Used a Ford Ranger to tow the beaters wagon, it went pretty much anywhere. Doubt I will return to a Freelander.

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I’ve recently purchased a ranger wildtrack 3.2 manual.  I can’t comment on its reliability having only owned it for less than a week but, what I can confirm is it’s absolutely lovely to drive very smooth with plenty of power and I’d highly recommend test driving one. 
 

one thing I will say is watch your speed 👀 I looked down earlier thinking I was doing 65/70 ish only to see the needle at 80 😐

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On 12/02/2021 at 15:51, old'un said:

just a point that you mentioned in an earlier post about rust problems with the Ford Ranger, well out of curiosity I did a search on rust problems with the Ranger and yes it does seem to suffer with rust problems but so do other 4x4, if you can get a good pickup I would be tempted to give it a good coat of waxoyl (still the best).

Have you given the old X-Trail any thought? They made them up till 2014 and you would get a good one for your budget, bags of room in them and very good off road.

good luck with your search Steve

I've had both the Ranger and Freelander and from those two for your needs I'd have said the former. However, I've also had the X Trail - 3 actually. The only reason that I don't have one now - if we ignore my normal usage which didn't suit diesel - is because I've got old and have slowed down and a smaller version - Yeti - suits me better.

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i have a b2500 same as a ford ranger rebadged a £1000 cheaper  now at 26800 .00   miles one head gasket starts every time  front clean back carcases right tyres go anywhere    owned series 2 2a 3 soft dash range rover  no regrets  my go to b2500 a true workhorse  if it dies i wouldn't  know what to choose  given electronic gremlins   who can fix  mechanically         me        electronicky  only god knows      buy old anyone can fix           freelander have their own problems not for me  rd unit failure   £1000 .00   excess tyre wear       head gaskets water pump failure leading to head gasket failure  lacking in room a tescos trolly    buy anything else it will be cheaper in the long run 

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