heyyy everyone...in the next couple of months im gonna look at buying a new ute for work (apprentice carpenter)
approx amount i wanna spend is around 20-25k
im mainly looking at bf xr6's and some ba mk2 xr6's but i noticed that there are some fg xr6's on carsales for 25-27 (which i could probably take some off that if i haggle enough?)
also will want it to be dual fuel...or dedicated gas...opinions on whether its better for dual fuel or straight gas?
anddd pretty much because ill most likely end up towing..is there any major different between the b series and f series with this? would i be better with the auto or the manual transmission? i would be towing a tool trailer as i dont wanna keep my tools in the tray as ill use it for personal driving aswell..and would be a hassle to take my tools out all the time! much easier with trailer.

soo i guess im just looking for some pro's and con's of the different models?
thanks for any help!

I say go for the FG, best to get the most up to date model.
Having said that. Is there a reason they are cheap?
BF Mk11 otherwise.

i cant see why they are as cheap as they are..the cheap ones are private sale...and they have under 20,000ks =S

all seem relatively clean..no damage or anything...but id have to see them in person to have better judgement..

no hail damage? or high k's? id say get the fg with a 6 speed zf auto.

BF2 would be the pick. Unless Ford has fixed up all the ute rear end problems that seems to plauge them.

And you wont get a 6 speed auto on a gas model. They are all still 4 speed BTR/ION's or whatever you want to call them.

Plus I think BF2's look better, specially as a ute.

Current model FG ute can be bought for about $30,000.00 on road, this is a 6cyl dedicated gas 4 speed auto, if you want a XR6 gas you would be looking at $33,000.00 + on roads.

Dual fuel isn't a good idea on new cars as it voids warranty, ask Taxi drivers that have gone that route.
Ford appears to have fixed a lot of the annoying ute problems.

Do you have a tool trailer? Do you have all your own tools?? Are you a domestic or commercial carpenter?

You say you're an apprentice carpenter (what yr?).... and you want to spend 20-25k on a ute for work...
Either you are getting paid quailfied rates, you at live at home and pay for nothing or you are dreaming...

Not having a go at you, but if i could give you some honest advice, buying such an expencive vehicle for work as an apprentice is crazy! Buy an old ute that doesn't matter if it get scrathed or dinted or the interior gets muddy, wet, ripped or damaged.

I drove a 95 mazda bravo (same as a ford courier) during my apprenticeship. It was on gas, cost nothing to run and didn't matter if it got damaged or dirty.

Save your money! Do you want to work for yourself? Set your self up early and then you can have all the toys you want!

Anyway, like i said not having a go at you!

Just dont think its wise to put yourself in so much debt so early in life. And if you have the cash to pay for it!? Buy a house that you can do up instead (should be able to get a loan with 20-25k as deposit) live in it for twelve months, get some mate to board with you to cover repayments and then sell it (no capital gains tax cos you've lived in it for 12 months) and buy a FG super persuit!

END OF RANT....

are you stuck on the na6 idea? Coz for towng i gotta say the 3v motor is ace.

im driving an fg cab chassis ute with factory lpg at the moment as a company car, its a nice car a bit harsh in the suspension (as you would expect with no load on it) as i dont tow or carry anything, i just use it to get to work and back. it still goes reasonable for a lpg motor.the only prob with it is its thirst for gas the best i can do is around 450km to a tank, but in saying that it only has 1300km on it and has been getting better by the week. before this i had a petrol cab chassis with the 5 speed auto which i found to be resonably grunty was getting around 12L/100 around the city which i thought was ok.i can see what the other people are saying when they say not to get the loan unless you can afford it etc, in saying that,when i was an apprentice i was getting personal loans around $5000each (which i was paying back within 12 months each)and in the end i was only driving around old cars that i had to constantly fix small niggling problems and i laughed at my mate who was a 3rd year appentice mechanic and got a $20k loan for a hilux but in the end he had the better car, it was late model with low km, all the modern features and reliable, other than routine servicing he never had to put a spanner on it in 90,000km.when he sold it he still got decent money for it. my point is that if you can afford it and are reasonably mature (dont mistreat it, do burnouts and sh*t) id get the new car look after it and it will serve you well and when you sell it youll still get ok money for it.it makes me cringe when i look back and i know in the last 8years ive had around $40k in loans and all i drive around is an el falcon.i have no debt now but i wish i just got a big loan in the first place and bought something decent and looked after it.instead ive just bought/modified/sold cars and dont have much to show for the money ive spent over the years on them.if i could turn back the clock i would of bought a near new car and paid it off as quick as i could and started saving for a house but hey thats life. tell us what you decide to do

im 2nd year apprentice and i do domestic carpentry! i also work a 2nd job as a manager at mcdonalds (the pay isnt that bad!! and i also seem to do a good job so i usually get a bonus from the store owner every month or two which helps!)
i see the point about not taking out such a large loan because im so young.. but like towball just said before..it would be much better to get a newer more reliable car then to get one that is say 10-15 years old and have things go wrong with it. ofcourse things can go wrong with a newer car but i look after my car atm, regularly service it and fix something before it can get any worse!
i dont reallly want to spend anything above 20k. but im thinking by the time i am ready to buy a new car the fgs may have dropped to around the price i am looking at and i will go with one...but i do prefer the BF2's much better...

my dad has recently got a bf2 xr6 dedicated gas and it seems like a good reliable car...im pretty sure he gets close to 500km per tank..it was him that recommend i try go dual fuel just so that when/if you do run out of gas theres no stress to hurry to the nearest petrol station!
but if it voids the factory warranty being dual fuel then i will just go with the e-gas models which is still going to be a lot cheaper to run than petrol!

if you want reliable, and somewhat new, why not pick up a ba1 or ba2 gas? lower pricing, between 5 or 7 years old, easy to mod, and shouldnt be requiring much attention from the spanner as yet.

Do you know what they have done?

Have they revised the CV's or just gone back to the BF tailshaft?

yeaaa dont worry a ba2 isnt out of the question, definately been looking at those..but some of them just have alot of k's on them which id prefer they didnt..

As no one has really hit on it.

For towing the auto is the only way to go. Look for one with factory heavy tow pack, as you get a trans cooler fitted.

The manuals can tow, but at a much reduced capacity.

i agree with data_mine, id definatly go the auto, if you get the dedicated lpg your only choice will be the 4 speed auto, which isnt a bad thing, being so cheap and user friendly, sevicing costs etc are a lot cheaper than the 5 and 6 speed auto, definatly get a large external transcooler and i recommend bypassing the factory cooler in the radiator if you get the ba as they have a habit of failing.