my newest detecting accessory:cheers:

[Neil]

The Frontera is GM, badget as a vauxhall in uk, the motor is a 2.3 tdi(turbo diesel intercooler), and is Isuzi origin. I seem to remember they were sold as Honda in US

that pic is a little small but it does look like a honda pilot.
isuzu is the type of diesel that gmc/chevy uses in their large trucks and rates right at the top with the cummins diesel Im told. fords use the international diesels.
how many miles you got on it? they are famous for 500,000 and up before they need to be reworked.

 

[Critterhunter]

Just remember it hasn't been made by "Geo" in years. It's called a Chevy Tracker in current form and is also made by I think Suzuki. Same platform/motor, just minor cosmetic changes between them, though I like the Chevy better because it doesn't have the dressed up foreign SUV look of the other version. The Geo's back in the day I think had gunk build up problems in the engine which caused them to blow. I think the Geo Storm, which was a cool looking little sports car, also had this problem and that's why you don't see too many on the road these days. If anybody ever gets one of those Geos first thing I'd do is put some motor flush in the oil, run it for about ten minutes, then drain it and replace with a good synthetic which will keep the engine clean and prevent sludge. Since that was back in the early 90's I would think the Chevy jobs made after maybe 2000 would be a new/better motor and such, but just the same I'd read up on one of those and find out if they suffer the same fate. All I know is it's one tough little cheap SUV from what I've been told. It's very tiny, more like a hatch back than an SUV to some people. Smaller than any of the Kia SUVs being made these days. I was looking for one to test drive but every one I drove to a lot to check out was gone by the time I got there. I think 4 to 7 years old or so you can get them for around $3000 to $7000, depending on year and milage.

I know what you mean about tight trails. I used to off road my 94 Ranger acting like it was a 4x4. Can't tell you how many times I got that thing stuck way down some logging trail. I was always worried about scratching the paint in those tight areas and tried to stay away from trails with heavy brush so that wouldn't happen. For that reason I'd buy something cheaper and in less good cosmetic shape where you aren't going to be heart broken if you put a few scratches on it.

 

[kered]

165,000 (265,000km), had it 15 years without a hicup other than a cracked cylinder head(cast iron) at 230000,a design error is that when its hot and got no water in it the temp guage reads normal. When we had the head off you could still see the machining marks on the cylinders so it was hardly run in, 3 ton dry weight is a bit much for the 2.3l and i only get about 36 miles/gallon still not bad compared to the recent 4x4's they make nowadays but it lacks the umph at take off

 

[Critterhunter]

Here's a few pics of my "new" 2000 Ranger. She just took a long trip to VA so it needs a good wash. Paint is in show room condition but the lighting makes it look dull with this camera. It's more of a burgandy red than the lighter red the pictures make it look like...

 

[kered]

You got that for $4400?, unbelieveable, here i would get that for my 15year old banger. Wonder what it would cost to post one over

 

[Critterhunter]

Kered, Rangers are a pretty darn good value in the states, even bought new one like this can be had for about $17,000 or so. What I like about them is they are of course rear wheel drive which means much easier to work on and plenty of room in the engine compartment as well. No need to say lift the motor just to change a water pump or timing belt like a lot of front wheel drive cars. I'll never own a front wheel drive vehicle so long as I can help it.

Not sure but I think Rangers have been the best selling small trucks since the 80's, but they might have traded places in sales with some other small truck here and there for a year or two. Yea, I think I got a real good deal. Like I said, based on the blue book value, pricing on the net, as well as hitting many local lots a supercab (4 door) like this along with the flare sides and this motor/automatic should have gone for somewhere in the $6800 to $7900 price range, and that would be without a hard bed cover and bed liner, not to mention more miles on them than this truck. I was shocked when the guy said he'd let it go for $4800, but I knew that was pretty much what the dealer was going to get at a dealer exchange to sell it to another lot since it was a trade in and all their used vehicles were $10,000 and up. I just got lucky to walk in there a few hours after it was traded in.

The truck was real dirty and they weren't even going to let me test drive it until it was safety inspected. I talked them into not doing anything to do or even clean it up so long as the price was right. I took a good hour test driving it and inspecting it for problems. The only thing I found round was minor stuff. For instance, the driver's seat back wouldn't lock in place. It had a broken bolt that took me no time to fix. I'm still trying to track down why the door adjar light is on. I pulled the door switch and found that was fine. I think it's the GEM module that controls that, so I'll hit a junk yard if I can't rip the GEM box apart and see if it's a stuck relay. Anyway, I told him to fix all these little things and I'd pay $4800, or give me the truck for $4400 and I'd take care of those things. I'm real happy that timing seemed to be with me that day.

 

[Critterhunter]

Although the body/paint on this truck is in great shape, the chrome wheels had some mineral deposits and surface rust stains on them. I used a product called Flitz that can only be bought online, via TV, or at Auto Shows, which is where I picked this stuff up about ten years ago. It's non-abrasive and contains no acid, yet it will polish just about any metal. Also does fiberglass, head/tail light plastic to remove the fog, and so on. I remember the guy having pictures of before and after photos of aluminum aircraft from like the 1950s. He said his dad invented this stuff to restore aircraft and it took off from there. Also protects the metal against further oxidation. Come to think of it, I should try a little of this stuff on a few indian heads or v-nickles. Might also be great for putting in a coin tumbler.

Here's a few before and after photos of a quick 5 minute shine with this stuff on one of my wheels. Later I'll do a better job of it...

And no, that is not surface dirt in the before photo. What you see there is for the most part what wouldn't wash off with even after a good prior wash a week or so ago. I did run some water over the rim after the (before) photo because I wanted to make sure I got any grime off it before polishing to avoid scratching the surface. It still was just as "dirty" looking due to the rust and mineral stains. Imagine how good it will look when I take more than five minutes to shine it up. Looks better in person than the photo even shows.

 

[Neil]

Here's a few pics of my "new" 2000 Ranger. She just took a long trip to VA so it needs a good wash. Paint is in show room condition but the lighting makes it look dull with this camera. It's more of a burgandy red than the lighter red the pictures make it look like...

Critter thats a real nice truck you got there. I agree with kered, you got a heck of a deal on it.

I had a Toyota tacoma awhile back, extended cab also, but there werent doors for the extended part, just the two basic doors. I would never get that setup again, a real pain to access behind the seats. those extra little two doors really make a difference.

when you use the synthetic oil, how often do you swap that stuff out?

Best of luck with that truck!

 

[Critterhunter]

Thanks. With only 92,000 miles she's a baby yet. These things can easily get some very high mileage. Glad I found out the 3.0 V6 is just as long lived as the 2.3l 4 banger with some checking on the net.

Some of the supercab Rangers also don't have the doors. Not sure if they all have the doors these days but I know some had none before and some had only one "3rd" door, which I would assume would be on the driver's side. Yea, I simply can't live without the extra space and doors. Even has jump seats in the back that fold down for 2 more people, and 2 more cup holders back there, which I've already found to be a huge bonus for a place to always store my travel mug.

Often with my old regular cab Ranger we'd find ourselves sleeping in the seats because we decided to camp on a whim after a fishing trip and were too tired (or drunk) to drive home. You couldn't recline those seats without moving them all the way up and that left no leg room. On this one I can get the seats nice and far back to crash for the night if I had to, or I guess I could just climb under the hard bed cover. Amazing how many times we didn't plan to camp out for the night but decided to. Should start just keeping a tent with me all the time.

I've always been an "every 3000 miles" oil change guy until I bought that 94 Ranger, which called for changes every 5000 miles. The oil looked brand new after 3000 so I decided to go every 5000 like the manual says. Then, when I started running synthetic in it after it was broken in (about 30 to 40 thousand miles) I kept the 5000 mile schedule even with the synthetic. They say you can double or triple your oil change miles once you use synthetic but I figure it's cheap insurance against engine wear by still changing it that often. Synthetics really retard engine wear. Break an engine down after 100,000 miles and it won't even look like is been ran yet most of the time. Just have to be sure you break it in first with regular oil so the rings seat properly and such. Synthetics are so slick that you'll burn oil because the rings never seat if you don't break it in first. After personal trial and error with a 72 Impala that ran hot the only oil I found that wouldn't burn black after a thousand or so miles was Castrol GTX regular non=synthetic. After I saw that I became a fan of their oil and their synthetic, but Mobile 1 is also a favorite of mine for synthetics. As for high mileage oils that stop leaks and oil burning I really like Valvoline Maxlife, and you can get that in full synthetic to at some stores. On an old engine I'll use that in a bit thicker weight (like say going from a 10w30 to a 10w40) in it to prevent burning and leaking. Works real well.

 

[Critterhunter]

One more of my new baby...

 

[Neil]

Critter thanks for the info on the oil.

Ive been looking on craigslist, have a look, in NJ where I live, and theres a few rangers in the 100,000 mile range for about $5000. I emailed one guy, its a 4x4supercab he has, looks like yours but its green, 1999, has the V6, 3L. Ive got to read up on these a bit. do you get your car/truck info from edmunds or do you have another site?

 

[Critterhunter]

That's a decent price for a 4x4 supercab being a 99. Like I said, most non-4x4 supercabs (make sure it has 4 doors, some don't) with the 3.0 and automatic are going for about $6900 to $7900 in my area, and that's with more miles than the 92K mine came with. Flare sides/bed liner/hard cover also drives the price up, and most of the ones in that price range didn't have these features. Remember too that prices will vairy from one state to another, but that's what they are going for around here. Most of my Ranger info is just from being a fan of them over the years. I did price mine on Kelly Blue Book (nice site!) and I think it put it at somewhere in the $6900 to $7900 range as well. Can't remember, but it was right in line with the prices I had been seeing.

I know you are looking for a 4x4 but I didn't want one for better gas milage and less things to service. For a 4x4 they are also great trucks but for what you need I'd look into those Chevy Trackers and compare.

 

[Neil]

Your right on all accounts Critter. Not many trackers are available, Im gonna have to do some research and see how long theyve been made. If I cant get one of those I might seriously look into the Rangers. If I went that way the best would probably be a regular cab so the body is short with good turning radius and maybe just some fat tires on a 2 wheel drive model. although a regular cab and a supercab may actually be the same length if they shortened the bed for the supercab. and on those 4 doors your right also, some dont have it.

 

[Critterhunter]

There are two bed lengths for Rangers, most being the shorter length. But, I think the supercab can also have either bed length so it might be no longer than say a normal cab that has the longer bed. I used to "off road" my 2 wheel drive Ranger and it will get through most dirt/mud. Trick is to keep moving slow and never stop until you are on higher/drier ground. Still, got mine stuck more than once, mostly due to my own stupidity.

I'm not big into off roading but I've heard some say that a big fat tire is a bad thing for a light truck because it won't bite down into the muck. On my previous Ranger I put thinner tires on it for better gas milage/handling (less bouncy). It wasn't for off roading purposes but I did notice it seems to get more traction with those than the stock wider tire size. Most important tool would be a come-a-long (wench). With something like that you can pull your truck out of just about anything without having to get help. Too bad I never got around to buying one but I plan to some day. Would have saved me a lot of trouble.