BUYING A SECOND-HAND 4X4 UTE
HAVE YOUR FINANCES BEEN HIT BY CORONAVIRUS AND A NEW UTE SUDDENLY LOOKS OUT OF THE QUESTION? HERE’S HOW THE CURRENT UTES SHAPE UP ON THE SECOND-HAND MARKET.
HISTORICAL commercial alliances – and rivalries – within the global ute market means that now, in 2020, all the popular new utes currently on sale are all either near the end of their generational life or midway through a generation. In broad terms that means they are all near 10 years old, or five years old, with none of the current popular utes being new-generation designs.
In simple terms, the ‘oldies’ are the VW Amarok, Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Holden Colorado and Isuzu D-MAX, which arrived in Australia in that order in 2011/12. The mid-generation utes include the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Toyota Hilux, all of which arrived here in 2015.
Of course, things haven’t remained completely static with those utes since their respective initial arrivals; although, some have changed more than others. Courtesy of a potent V6 diesel, the Amarok is the most changed; although, the 2016 re-engineering of both the Ranger and the Colorado also brought significant changes, as did the optional 2.0-litre 10-speed powertrain in Ranger in 2018. Even the mid-generational utes have seen evolution and changes in the last five years, with Triton receiving a mid-life refresh last year.
All of this bodes well if you’re looking to buy a secondhand ute, as you can go back a good number of years to something that’s more affordable without having to settle for a previous generation design, which, by and large, lack the performance, safety, equipment, general amenity and, in some cases, the cabin size of the current generation utes.
So here’s a rundown of the current 4x4 utes and how they shape up as a second-hand buy, and presented according to new-sales popularity.
BUYING second hand and making sure you get a good ute is not rocket science but does require patience, perseverance and, above all, a plan! You might be thinking of either buying privately or buying through a dealer, as both have advantages and disadvantages, but it’s best to explore both. The wider the net you throw, the better chance of catching the best fish. The main carselling websites, which are the best place to starting looking for a second-hand ute, tend to combine private-sale and dealer second-hand cars anyway – unless you select another level of sorting – so that wider net is automatically thrown for you.
Dealer cars come with certainty of title and ownership, and generally with some warranty, but will cost more and may not necessarily be a good car, depending of course on the diligence of the dealer. Private-sale cars are generally cheaper, but come with no warranty and you’ll need to thoroughly check that the person selling the car actually owns the car.
On the subject of throwing a wide net, those same websites allow you to select a ‘distance from you’ as one of the search criteria. No point in even considering utes that are too far away to inspect with reasonable convenience unless to get a better idea of average prices for the type of ute you’re looking for. If you live close to a state border, the ‘by state’ searches are also irrelevant and another reason to use ‘distance from me’.
Once you have selected your preferred price range, the next key search criteria you need to use is ‘lowest mileage’, which is generally far more important than a ute’s age in years given all utes have a finite mechanical life – hopefully at least 400,000km – and the more of it that is used up when you buy it, the less that is left. The only qualifier on this is you may have a low-mileage older ute that’s been out in the weather all its life and its poor exterior condition overrides its mechanical youthfulness.
As ever, a documented service history is close to being essential (dealer car or not), while a documented ownership history is also important although not as vital as the service history. A professional road-worthiness inspection by a mechanic is also very worthwhile if you’re not mechanically minded. Even having a friend along when inspecting a potential purchase is a good idea if, for no other reason, they may notice something you don’t.
‘LOWEST MILEAGE’ IS GENERALLY FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN A UTE’S AGE IN YEARS, GIVEN ALL UTES HAVE A FINITE MECHANICAL LIFE