Buying first frontera

[FrontySteve]

Hi guys

Going to look at my first frontera on saturday its a 2001 2.2 petrol sport with 55k on the clock and looks standard, its up for just short of £1.5k which seems a little high but leaves room for haggling.

Now not knowing much about fronteras or 4x4s would this be suitable for green laning etc or will I be limited in what it can do compared to a diesel?

Thanks Steve

[fogman]

hi mate for light green laning any version of the frontera would be ok the diesel version is better on fuel and on average is a better & more reliable engine than the petrol .
things to check other that the usual things are that the 4wd system works as it should so by pushing the button on the dashboard you should get a solid green light which shows 4wd has engaged, if it flashes then it has not and theres obviously a problem. but be warned 4wd should only be selected when on slippery surfaces, its ok to check while driving slowly in a straight line, turning on hard surfaces can cause damage.
normal operating temperature is approx 85 degrees but standing traffic conditions will see the temp rise to approx 100 degrees when the fans should cool it down to 85 ish again, being a ford man i found that quite an eye opener when i brought mine if it runs much cooler than that the stat may of been removed to hide cooling problems, the 2.2 petrol is renown for head gasket failure which with that engine is a case of when and not if so id see if theres any history to show its been changed, mine went at 56k and it had quite a bit of service history.
when starting the eml should light up and go off after starting so if it dosent the bulb may of been removed again to hide any faults.

[FrontySteve]

Thanks fogman
Great detailed answer, after reading that im steering towards a diesel after doing some further reasearch confirming what you have said about hg failures and other reliability issues, but im still going on saturday to have alook and have something to compare to. Im now undecided whether to gofor swb or lwb, is theremuch difference offroad between the two?

Cheers Steve

Edit

Ive found mixed reviews on auto boxes any personal opinions?

[hipo1024]

The main problem with the Bs off road is the centre chassis X member because its bowed downwards for reasons best know to only Vx. The swb has this X member nearer the rear axle so is less likely to get you beached...plus a swb is less likely to get beached anyways. However the lwb's have 3 seats in the back plus a massive boot...and you can lift them slightly higher too (due to the UJs on the rear prop being at a lesser angle). So really if u want a off road play thing then I'd go for a swb. If its the family car that will go off road now and then, go for a lwb.

I had a lwb diesel B and I loved it to bits...and in all fairness it was f-ing reliable... Only time it game up the ghost was when I did things with it that it just wasnt buit for...ie driving it thru heverly silted clay water that covered the bonnet with no snorkel. It made it thru fine...but the grit killed both the crank oil seals. I wouldn't recommend doing this with yours!

Have a look at the link in my signature for my old DTI to see a small glimpse of what I put that poor machine thru

[fogman]

the 2.2 dti isnt without its faults, they can suffer from fuel pump failure, the cost of repairing that is similar to h/g replacement on the petrol version so you pay your money and take your choice, however once repaired they can both give many years/miles good service
id say for general green laning theres nothing between swb or lwb theyre both very capable

[vauxsqueeks]

Hi,
I run a 2.2 petrol LWB B on a set of General Grabber AT2's and it hasnt really been stuck much at all, maybe on a couple of really deep ruts that would slow a tractor down, but overall its been great and there's plenty of room for the camping gear in the boot.

I bought the car with a blown headgasket which made it nice and cheap and repaired it.. though if your ok with spanners - change the oil pump and definately after doing a head gasket if its not been done before.

I've done 20K now since rebuild and no problems with reliability at all.

Currently fitting LPG so cheap fuel is not too far away either!

[ghosthunter]

I too run a 2.2. I bought it cheap with the usual HG problem long tax and test, 2000 reg for 500.00 four years ago. I've now done 46000 miles in it without a problem. I've also got a 3.2 to replace it.....But I like the 2.2 so much I've kept both and both are used daily.....and used off road with no problems. Just bear in mind that a good 3.2 can be had for half the price of the 2.2 your looking at and they are just as economical,I've got both and seriously they use the same amount of fuel.....the 2.2 has the edge around town and the 3.2 easily beats the 2.2 on longer runs!
Good luck!

[FrontySteve]

Thanks for all the advice guys, after reading all that I think id be suited to a lwb, need plenty of room for baby buggy and car seat, and then on weekends I have all my match fishing gear to cart around, and it will only be used for occasional off-road action. Ive traced a 2001 2.2dti lwb for sale with 90k on it for £1.2k hopefully going to see it on wednesday.
Im also eyeing a 3.2 but can't see me buying it

Steve

[hipo1024]

Like fogman said the dti's have a fuel pump problem that stricks without warning. And they go anywhere between 80k and 130k miles depending on the quality of the fuel its been fed throughout its life. So if you're going to go for one near or in the above milage range then you want to budget up to 500 to get the pump rebuild plus labor if you can't do it yourself. Or best bet is to buy one that already has the fuel pump problem (ie it cranks but just won't start) for next to nothing and getting it fixed, that's what I did, cost me about 1200 by the time it was drivable (700 for the truck and 500 for the pump) but I knew it was going to be good for at least another 80k miles. 2 years and over 40k miles later I sold it with 175k on the clock still going very strong. Or buy one that's already had the pump rebuild...but ask too see proof of it.

Just to compare the DTI will average about 50 to 60 miles to 7 litres of diesel (about a tenna) I think that works out to be low 30s mpg
From what I have read the 2.2 still average low to mid 20s mpg and the 3.2 being about the same...but more powerful, but I haven't owned either of them so those figures might be wrong.

And yes I'd agree a lwb would be better suited to your needs . Have a look at the last few years annual meet review threads to see what the Bs can do on the rough stuff

[FrontySteve]

Been to look at the first frontera mentioned In this thread the 2.2 petrol shorty, it was nice and tidy well serviced and the engine was smooth with no smoke, tyre wise the rears were brand new at2s and the fronts are near legal limiy, there were a couple of rust spots but very minor, I didnt getchance to test drive it, butwill be going back tommorow to have a spin and give it a thorough look,
Also isthe jack and tools under the panel intheboot floor? And ifso how do I removethe panel

Cheers
Steve

[mickh]

Jack and tools are in a compartment in the rear of the car just inside the rear door. Drivers side.

[FrontySteve]

Now the proud owner of a 2.2i shorty, was great on test drive and everything worked..
But on way home the speedo and rev counter stop working for a few miles then worked for the rest of the way, now off to do some reasearch

[4x4 bobby]

Just turn the lights on and they should work again!!!!

[Drift]

Welcome to the world of the Frontera and the helpful guys here to sort your niggles
Please remember to post any issues in the relevant forum areas and the guys will only be too pleased to offer advice and even practical help if they are local

[4x4 bobby]

And we need piccies in the members rides so we can all have a good look at your trusty steed!!!!!!!