i opened a thread earlier, asking if the 2000-2003 ford explorer pick up is still a good buy. but things change and now i have the green light from my kumander, brand new na lang daw para di siya nagwo-worry kung tumirik ako sa gitna ng sampulanggit at wala namang tow truck dun. ang tanong lang nya e "so di ka na bibili ng rolex mo?" well that is one P527k luxury i can live without, taken out only on special occasions and absolutely matched in performance by my P5k casio G-shock. brand new pick up in a heartbeat! hehehe!

so which of the top 3? mazda bt50 3.2 4x4 a/t, ford ranger wildtrak 3.2 4x4 a/t, or chevrolet colorado 2.8 4x4 a/t? yes it needs to be an a/t because my kumander says she has to be able to drive it, too. 2 car garage lang kami so either the pickup or starex will be the garage queen, taken out only when needed. most probably starex stays in the garage and the pickup will be parked outside. so pag coding ang sorento there should be no need shuffling cars around and the wife should just be able to drive whatever is outside. so yun, A/T dapat.

my first choice (for now) is the mazda BT50 3.2 4x4 a/t at P1.49M. why first choice? simple lang, the price and the 3 years/60,000km free PMS. it is basically the same as it's twin brother, the ford ranger, less some bells and whistles that i do not really need, save for the back proximity sensor and reverse camera that the wife probably will find handy. those 2 items should be easy aftermarket add ons. the only thing is the looks, front and back! yeah, it grows on you, and supposedly looks better in the metal than in photos. but surely every time i see a ford ranger i will be, you know, feeling like the nerd beside the star forward. cosmetic surgery will fix it, but only available in australia for now (arb bull bars, etc.)

2nd choice (used to be 1st) is the ford ranger 3.2 4x4 a/t. BUT, i've been reading the ford ranger thread and i so much hate it when people try to take advantage of a situation and they ask for DI. see ford people how ugly you are! greedy as crocodiles in congress, instead of solving the problem of lack of units you ask for bribes to put somebody's name on top of the wait list. that is corruption mind you! so for this the ranger might even make it to number 1002895 in my list. but heck, yeah the ranger wildtrak is one handsome son any dad will be proud to have. just one look and i feel jealous of the guy behind the wheel already, be it 2.2 or 3.2. its looks just shout "macho" or "pogi". however at P1.549M it is 59k more than the bt50, and no free maintenance. assuming each visit to the casa costs P10k, and sked is every 10,000 km, then thats a free P60k. cost of ownership will be P119k more than the bt50.

3rd, because the missus says she likes the looks, is the chevy colorado 2.8 4x4 a/t. it has a smaller and less powerful engine but everything else seems at par. for me, it looks like its shoes are 2 sizes too small, so definitely that will be an additional 50k on tyres as soon as it gets out, probably even 100k if the mags need changing. this is something i do not like doing as i like my rides stock if possible. and then there is the badge, "chevrolet". sounds like "friday the 13th". parts availability issues pa din ba? after sales support sadly lacking? please educate me as i am not familiar with the brand.

comments please!