What is the best year Ford Ranger to buy used?

The Ford Ranger and the Toyota HiLux have long battled for the top spot in the annual VFACTS report of Australia's best-selling cars.

The HiLux held the gold for seven years in a row (2016–2022) with the Ranger nipping at its heels, but 2023 finally saw the Ranger take the top spot, with the HiLux demoted to second place.

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This came after Ford released the current-generation Ranger to the Australian public in 2022, and it soon became Australia's favourite ute and overall car.

Originally going on sale in 2006 to replace the prehistoric Ford Courier, the Ranger started as a no-frills work ute, but quickly transformed into a luxury option for tradies looking to go to work during the week and take the family out for a camping trip on the weekend.

With nearly two decades of Rangers to choose from, finding the right fit for you can be tricky. We have you sorted with our Ford Ranger buyer's guide.

The Ford Ranger has come in several different specifications since its Australian launch in 2006.

For the early 2006–2011 PJ/PK models, you had the option of 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel models in a base single cab, hi-rider single cab, hi-rider super cab and hi-rider twin cab for 2WD models. The 4x4 models were 3.0-litre turbo diesel-only single, super or dual cab.  

The 2012–2021 PX Rangers were available in the same cab configurations as a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel, 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol for the 2WD. Meanwhile, the 4x4 models only came in 2.2-litre four-cylinder and 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel.

For 2022-current (RA) models, Ford only has a limited stock of single and super cabs for the base XL models. The XL with its 2.0-litre turbo diesel is on the market as a 2WD from the base but has the dealer option to change to a part-time 4x4, and the XLT with its 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel is available for upgrade to a V6 turbo diesel.

The XLT, Sport, and Wildtrak are all 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with part-time 4x4 and the option for a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel. Meanwhile, the Platinum comes with a V6 turbo diesel and full-time 4x4 from the factory. The range-topping Raptor has a petrol 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo EcoBoost and full-time 4x4.

If you're after a safe, technologically advanced, and reliable Ranger, it's hard to look past the current generation of Rangers (2022-onwards). Even the base XL model has enough grunt to pull a large trailer and enough tech to keep you safe while your family is in the car.

Across the board from the base XL to the Platinum, you have a massive 3500kg braked towing capacity (2500kg for the Raptor), and a payload capacity that Ranges from 985kg in the Wildtrak up to the single-cab XL that has a maximum payload of 1327kg!

These utes are built for more than just work. The XL, XLS, XLT and Sport models all come with a massive 10.1-inch centre dash with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Wildtrak, Platinum, and Raptor upgrade this screen to 12 inches.

All trim levels offer adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, reversing camera and blind-spot indicators; the XLT, Sport, Wildtrak and Platinum go a step further by offering traffic sign recognition and lane centring with its cruise control.

It's also a good idea to aim for a Ranger that is 2019 or newer, as it will be covered under the five-year, unlimited-kilometre factory warranty.

If you're on more of a budget, it's also worth noting that even though some PX Rangers are now 13 years old, they're still an excellent buy if you go for the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel or the 2.5-litre petrol. They seemed to dodge most of the issues the 3.2-litre five-cylinder had throughout its life. However, they don't offer the same level of technology as the current models, and the looks are dated by 2024 standards.

The PX Ranger also offers a massive 3500kg braked towing capacity (besides the XL base and 2.5-litre petrol models at 2500kg). They tend to hover around $15,000–$25,000 for the early models and represent excellent value for money.

The PJ/PK Rangers are extraordinary value for money if you're in a real pinch for cash. Most of these can be picked up for under $10,000, which is crazy low for a diesel ute that can tow up to 3000kg.

You sacrifice a lot of the interior comforts for cloth seats, a grey interior and average styling, but there aren't many sub-$10K used utes that are as capable as an old Ranger. We've seen these pop up with 500,000km+ on the odometer, so reliability appears to be solid too.

Our local mechanic told Drive that the 3.2-litre five-cylinder PX Ranger can be troublesome if not serviced and maintained properly.

"The PX Ranger has to be serviced differently to other cars. They aren't allowed to sit for more than 10 minutes without oil in them; you have to get everything ready to go before you drop the oil, put the sump plug back in, change the filter, fill it with oil and start it all within 10 minutes to ensure that the oil pump stays primed," they said.

Ford used a variable-pressure oil pump in an effort to put less strain on the engine and bring down fuel economy, but these are more prone to failure. If the air gets in the pump, the pump will fail, and when there is no oil circulating the engine, you can tell your engine goodnight.

While it is common knowledge amongst all mechanics to speed up an oil change on one of these, a home mechanic or less-experienced mechanic can end up costing you a new engine.

Our local diesel tech also told us, "The top turbo hose is prone to splitting. You will lose power and put the Ranger into limp mode".

"The [diesel particulate filter] (DPF) also tends to get clogged on these from drivers who mostly use their Ranger to get around town and not do many highway kilometres. The build-up may cause damage to your engine, but it'll most affect your fuel economy."

The exhaust-gas recirculation valves (EGR) cool via coolant; the pipe is prone to splitting, dumping all your coolant, overheating the engine and blowing your head gasket.

The transmissions have issues due to their 'fill for life' service intervals that mean the gearbox oil 'doesn't need to be changed' (here's a secret: it does. Do a max of 80,000km between changes).

This isn't the end of the issues for the PX Ranger; there are full guides online and plenty of forum posts that point towards issues with this model.

The current-model Ranger scored some excellent ratings on the ANCAP safety tests, winning a five-star overall rating and a seriously impressive 93 per cent on the child occupant protection side of the test.

Ticks across the board for the safety assist technology side of the tests (besides the Auto Emergency Braking Backover test on some variants). You can breathe easy knowing that no matter what variant you choose, you will get excellent protection.

Most of the PX Ranger range also got a five-star safety rating when it was tested in 2011, 2014 and 2015. The single cab only scored a four-star.

The PJ/PK Ranger copped a dismal three-star score when it was tested in 2008.

It should be noted that the ANCAP testing evolves each year, so new testing considers things such as driver aids and employs more stringent crash-testing scenarios.

With that being said, the current generation was tested in 2022, meaning its rating will expire at the end of 2028.

Most Ford Rangers you come across on the used market will be turbo diesel. However, there are still a few options for those looking to go down the petrol route.

For the current generation, you only have the option of the range-topping Raptor with its bi-turbo 3.0-litre V6 EcoBoost engine in a dual-cab configuration.

The PX Ranger came in a 2.5-litre four-cylinder non-turbo in single, super, and dual-cab configurations. The 2.5-litre also comes with the option of a manual gearbox.

The PJ/PK is turbo-diesel only.

Looking to buy a Ford Ranger? At the time of publishing, Drive's used-car marketplace currently has more than 900 Ranger listings – with many examples from the current generation.

Conveniently, there are used Rangers available in almost every state and territory! Click here to browse the used Ford Rangers for sale near you.