Empty pockets and a new car.
After sorting out the suspension, the damned Disco 3 locked me out while I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, then the starter died the week after. The MOT was coming up and there was a list of stuff that needed doing so I cut my losses and stuck it in as P/X on a double cab Ford Ranger. I've been considering a pick up for a while, I wouldn't need a trailer as often so could just borrow the neighbours trailer occasionally, plus I'm selling my current trailer to a mate so will have access to it. Also far better for moving machinery around, a pallet will go in the back. And I can shift a tonne of pellets for the boiler easily. The missus was also in support as she can't get her new tent in the Leaf and the battery range isn't quite there for going into the wilds camping with the kids.
I looked at an Isuzu DMAX, a bit too noisy, the 2021 version should fix that but I liked them a lot, no nonsense engineering. The current Mitsubishi is probably the ugliest car in the world, I had an older Subaru forester that was ugly, but the Mitsi makes the Ssangyong Rexton shed on wheels look pretty. The Toyota needs the upcoming upgrade. The Sanngyong was a bit small and not that cheap. That left the Navara and the Ranger. Older Rangers weren't that good, at least according to a couple of friends that used them for work, but the latest impressed me, still on cart springs but felt more planted than the Nissan which is on coil springs. The Nissan has 5 years warranty, the Ranger 3, but its about 440 per year to extend it. The Nissan also has rear discs not drums, but felt a bit cramped in the cab compared to the ranger. But the two winning features was the Ranger engine, the 213PS motor really shifts considering its 3 tonne of truck, plus the heated screen is so practical where I live. No need to wait for the engine to warm up to defrost.
The dealer had a special in that looks a bit like the Raptor (if you squint) but has the standard load/towing figures. So after working out the pros and cons it was nice to let the inner hooligan make the final decision. Nissan didn't have much stock if you wanted an automatic, probably January of February, the Ranger was in stock and its has the same 10 speed auto as much higher powered cars which I thought was a good sign. So we got a Ranger Thunder with a sliding bed cover, and tow bar, standard features on this version covered everything else we wanted. Arrives Friday or Monday depending on lock-down logistics.
The following picture would look much better if there was a Tom Senior mill on a pallet in the back
View attachment 257991
Cheers
Andy
After seeing my first crew cab Isuzu Dmax pickup in Thailand many years ago I always thought they made so much more sense than a Jeep type vehicle. The same seating space plus a good practical load bed for everything else. In Thailand it was often filled with as many people as they could!
It's a pity it took so many years for the UK to catch on how much more practical they are!
(Well, maybe not the Gen3 
