Best used utes in New Zealand

Utes are the hardest used vehicle to buy well in New Zealand. They are worked, they are towed with, they are often ex-fleet, and almost all of them are turbo diesels with expensive fuel systems. The documented faults on this page are not minor. Several of them are five-figure repairs on vehicles people buy expecting bulletproof.

The single most useful thing to understand is that on a ute, the engine code matters more than the model name. A Hilux is not a risk profile. A 1KD-FTV Hilux is.

Toyota Hilux

The most documented ute in the catalogue with 58 faults across 1984 to 2019, and the reputation is only partly earned. Several of its known faults are severe.

• The 1999 to 2005 1KZ-TE is documented for head gasket failure and head cracking, described in the record as endemic. Typical repair $3,500 to $9,000.
• The 2000 to 2016 1KD-FTV is documented for cylinder head cracking between combustion chambers, $3,500 to $8,500, and separately for head gasket failure at $3,360 to $6,720.
• The same 1KD-FTV, 2005 to 2015, is documented for common rail injector cracking causing fuel dilution of the oil, $2,000 to $5,000. This is a very common fault.
• The 2015 onward 1GD-FTV is documented for premature timing chain guide wear, $2,800 to $5,500.
• The old 1984 to 1997 22R petrol is documented for timing chain guide collapse and wear-through of the timing cover, $1,200 to $3,500.

A Hilux is a good buy when the engine is right and the service record is real. Pull the oil filler cap and look for fuel smell and thin oil on any 1KD. Toyota Hilux inspection guide.

Ford Ranger

Better to drive than most of this list, and carrying the two most expensive documented faults on this page. Which engine you are buying decides everything.

• The 2011 to 2018 3.2 TDCi is documented for high-pressure fuel pump failure that sends metal through the entire fuel system, $4,500 to $15,000. Logged as very common. When this happens you are replacing the pump, the rail, every injector and the lines.
• The 2018 onward 2.0 EcoBlue bi-turbo is documented for catastrophic CP4 high-pressure fuel pump failure, $9,000 to $22,000.
• The same 2.0 EcoBlue is documented for wet timing belt and oil pump belt breakdown causing oil starvation, $2,600 to $14,000.
• The 2015 to 2019 3.2 is documented for water pump impeller fracture, very common, $650 to $5,500. The wide range is because the water pump is internal on this engine.
• The 2011 onward 3.2 is documented for injector cup cracking letting coolant into the cylinders, $2,500 to $6,000.

The Ranger is a case where the fuel system service history is more important than the odometer. Ford Ranger inspection guide.

Nissan Navara

The most heavily documented engine problems of any ute here. Four separate very common critical faults, all on the diesels.

• The 2001 to 2015 ZD30DDTi is documented for cracked pistons and head gasket failure, $7,000 to $18,000. Very common.
• The 2005 to 2015 YD25DDTi is documented for rear timing chain tensioner catastrophic failure, $5,000 to $14,000. The chain is at the back of the engine, which is why the figure is what it is.
• The same YD25 is documented for a cracked cylinder head and coolant loss, $3,500 to $8,500, and head gasket failure between the bores, $2,800 to $5,500.
• The 1997 to 2004 D22 is documented for chassis rail corrosion behind the cab and at the front rear-spring mount, $1,500 to $9,000. This is a structural issue, not cosmetic.

If you are looking at a Navara, the chain tensioner and the head are the two things to satisfy yourself about, and on a D22 the chassis is. Nissan Navara inspection guide.

Isuzu D-Max

Generally the calmer choice, with faults that are expensive but not usually terminal.

• The 2012 to 2020 4JJ1-TC is documented for injector cup erosion, $2,500 to $5,500.
• The same engine, 2012 to 2019, is documented for timing chain elongation and cam timing drift, $2,200 to $5,000.
• Injector O-ring external seal failure, 2012 to 2020, $700 to $1,800. Cheap by the standards of this page.
• Denso high-pressure fuel pump internal failure, $3,500 to $9,000.
• Rear leaf spring main blade fracture under load across 2003 to 2019, $600 to $1,400. Look at the springs on any ute that has been worked.

Listen for a diesel rattle at cold start that settles as it warms, which is the timing chain symptom. Isuzu D-Max inspection guide.

Mitsubishi Triton

Usually the cheapest way into a modern ute, and the fault list is more manageable than the Ranger or the Navara.

• The 2015 onward 4N15 2.4 diesel is documented for timing chain stretch with a cold-start rattle, $2,500 to $6,000.
• The 2005 to 2015 4D56 is an interference engine on a timing belt, $450 to $900 to service, far more if neglected.
• DPF clogging on short urban trips is logged as very common on 2015 onward cars, $400 to $3,800.
• Chassis cracking in the rails between the back of the cab and the front of the tray is documented on 2006 to 2023 cars, $900 to $7,000. Worth getting underneath for.
• A genuine accessory towbar wiring harness fire risk on 2015 to 2019 MQ and MR models was subject to a 2020 safety recall. VIN-checkable and free.

Mitsubishi Triton inspection guide.

Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok and Holden Colorado

• Mazda BT-50: shares much with the Ranger. The 2006 to 2011 WLAT 2.5 diesel is documented for head gasket failure, $1,800 to $3,500, and the 2020 to 2023 3.0D for injector copper seat erosion, $1,200 to $7,500. See the Mazda BT-50 inspection guide.
• VW Amarok: the 2011 to 2022 2.0 BiTDI is documented for rapid high-pressure fuel pump cam follower wear, logged as very common, $400 to $15,000 depending on whether it is caught before it contaminates the system. Also timing chain stretch at $2,800 to $5,500. See the Volkswagen Amarok inspection guide.
• Holden Colorado: the 2012 to 2020 LWN 2.8 is documented for EGR cooler internal failure contaminating the coolant, very common, $1,800 to $4,000, plus DPF blockage and injector tip erosion. See the Holden Colorado inspection guide.

Buying an ex-fleet or worked ute

1. 1.Look at the leaf springs and the chassis rails, particularly behind the cab. Cracking is documented on the Triton and corrosion on the D22 Navara, and both are structural.
2. 2.A ute that only ever did short town trips is the DPF risk, not the one that towed. This is the opposite of what most buyers assume.
3. 3.Get the engine code, not just the model and year. On the Ranger and the Hilux, the engine changes the worst-case repair by an order of magnitude.
4. 4.Ask specifically about fuel system work. On a Ranger 3.2 or an Amarok, a pump replacement in the history is reassuring rather than alarming.
5. 5.Check the plate for money owing. Utes are financed more often than any other body style, and the security interest follows the vehicle, not the seller.