Ford Territory buying advice

[LandyAndy]

Looking at a 2004 Territory Ghia in the next day or so.The Mrs drove it today and would like to have it to replace her Extreme.
Its an AWD with 138000ks,it is the CEO at work own prsonal vehicle.Price is OK,its in very good condition.
Any issues to check,Im aware of the shared BA falcon problems,ie auto trans oil/water contamination and the shafts siezing on the climate control taps.
Anything else to look for/ask if its been updated.They bought it at 9000km so almost a 1 owner vehicle.
Andrew

[101RRS]

Poor fuel consumption.

[LandyAndy]

Before the Deefer she had a Classic Rangie with a 4.6.Even on LPG it would cost more to run than a Territory on ULP;);););)
Mainly only drives around Williams/Narrogin with the odd trip up to the city.
She is over poor heater,poorer air-con,water pouring in when it rains.
She loves the Deefer but wants a nice car.Could get a P38a for the same price,NICE,its an option but dont want a troublesome money pit.
Andrew

[Mick_Marsh]

John and I drove his Territory from Sydney to Melbourne towing a tandem with a 101 tub on it. Highway cycle we were getting about 10 litres per 100km.

Andy, I'll PM you John's phone number. You can chat with him on all things Territory.

[101RRS]

Mainly only drives around Williams/Narrogin with the odd trip up to the city.
She is over poor heater,poorer air-con,water pouring in when it rains.


One of those cheap $9990 Chinese Cherys.

[101RRS]

John and I drove his Territory from Sydney to Melbourne towing a tandem with a 101 tub on it. Highway cycle we were getting about 10 litres per 100km.



Not an early Territory with the Falcon straight six - a new diesel maybe.

[LandyAndy]

One of those cheap $9990 Chinese Cherys.

SHE LOVES HER DEEFER;);););)
Now says the Territory was really nice but wouldnt mind looking at another Rangie,best car she has ever driven.
Told her no P38a,L322s are very cheap now.:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Will look at L322s before diciding.
Andrew

[Mick_Marsh]

Not an early Territory with the Falcon straight six - a new diesel maybe.
A straight six petrol. I've heard the horror stories. A fellow at work had one that drank. He was the type of driver that always had to be the first off at the lights and always left his braking quite late. If you drive them gentle, the Territory gives better fuel figures than my V8 Commodore (and I'm getting 12.5 litres per 100km out of that).

[LandyAndy]

My boy has 10.5 on his XR6 Falcoon of the same year.
Expect an AWD Territory to be a tad more thirsty,will see what its puter says.
Andrew

[justinc]

andy, all early territory front suspension, namely ball joints, were the subject of a design fault and if found to be faulty are replaced free of charge by dealer after they perform inspection to determine if they have been replaced with the upgraded arms etc or not.

make sure this has been performed. search territory ball joint collapse and you can read all about it.:eek:

one of my customers got this done early this year to theirs.

jc

[jerryd]

I purchased a brand new territory for the wife in 2004 for her xmas present, it drank fuel at the rate of 15 litres + per 100 k's, all the bushes failed a week after warranty ran out and they refused to change them. Cost about $4k if I remember correctly to repair. I recall they failed again after about two years.

Air con failed,electric windows failed regularly, rear door lock constantly played up, lower ball joint failed at 100kph :eek: Front drive shaft failed and wheel collapsed, it ate tyres at an alarming rate, power steering failure and probably a few more irritating problems :censored:

I remember ordering a green one, ghia spec without the leather, and lots of extras. I paid $55k cash up front and waited to collect it.
When we went to collect the car the salesman drove it round to the front of the garage, you can imagine our horror when he presented a "red" one :censored: To cut a long story short, we were conned into taking possession of it and lawyers said we had no chance of getting our money back or the right car.
I could not believe the way we were treated by Ford, needless to say I didn't purchase the FPV ;)

The best thing I did was trade it in against a Nissan Maxima and got a measly $10k for it.

I often tell the wife that I should have bought her a new Defender instead :D

[101RRS]

I bow to the personal experiences of people re fuel consumption.

I have never owned one and in fact only ever been in one once - however I do remember reading a lot of motoring reviews when it was released and the one common aspect was the high fuel consumption compared to its then competitors - the V6 Kluger and the Dunnydore AWD. If these reports were wrong I guess that is a good thing.

Garry

Garry

[33chinacars]

I'l second JC's comments . Design fault in front end ball joints. Replacements were no better. Possible fixed now but be very careful.

Gary

[BigJon]

They also flog out the rear control blade bushes, the rear toe control rose joints, the front sway bar links and general build quality isn't very good.

[Bigbjorn]

Has the head gasket been changed and new head bolts fitted, also has the head been checked for corrosion between 5-6? Check the door hinges to see if they are cracking out of the doors. Just some of Ford's built in faults. Have the rubbish Ford Autocraft electrical components been changed for Bosch?

I don't have a Territory but do have a Falcon ute. Complaints about fuel consumption of 14-15 l/100k to the dealers resulted in their plugging in to the diagnostic socket and saying consumption was 11-12 l/100k and within guidelines. I know how much I was pouring down its throat and it wasn't at the rate of 11-12 l/100k. Went to local electronics and fuel injection guru to be told 14-16 normal, 11-12 impossible.

[jerryd]

They also flog out the rear control blade bushes, the rear toe control rose joints, the front sway bar links and general build quality isn't very good.

I knew I'd forgotten a few bits :D

[BigJon]

Has the head gasket been changed and new head bolts fitted, also has the head been checked for corrosion between 5-6? .

Only the older single cam engines do that, Territorys have the DOHC engine which is pretty well bullet proof.

[LandyAndy]

Has the head gasket been changed and new head bolts fitted, also has the head been checked for corrosion between 5-6? Check the door hinges to see if they are cracking out of the doors. Just some of Ford's built in faults. Have the rubbish Ford Autocraft electrical components been changed for Bosch?

I don't have a Territory but do have a Falcon ute. Complaints about fuel consumption of 14-15 l/100k to the dealers resulted in their plugging in to the diagnostic socket and saying consumption was 11-12 l/100k and within guidelines. I know how much I was pouring down its throat and it wasn't at the rate of 11-12 l/100k. Went to local electronics and fuel injection guru to be told 14-16 normal, 11-12 impossible.

Trade it in on a modern one Brian,they dont have head gasket issues in the DOHC 4.0lt motor.PLENTY more power and economy too.
Andrew

[Bigbjorn]

Trade it in on a modern one Brian,they dont have head gasket issues in the DOHC 4.0lt motor.PLENTY more power and economy too.
Andrew

This is the infamous "two in one" Falcon, the first and the bloody last. I had not owned a Ford for nearly forty years and must have forgotten why this was so when I bought this pile of pus. Unreliable gas guzzler, rust bucket, spare parts prices that would startle a Jaguar or Honda dealer. This car is why I bought the County-Isuzu, no electronics. The Falcon had to be towed to the dealership eight times during warranty with electrical failures. I spent so much time and money on the thing I have decided to keep it until it disintegrates. As it is now, with the rust, one could not get a Safety Certificate so would have to sell unregistered or for parts.

[LandyAndy]

We gave the 2004 Territory a miss.
Deb wants a Turbo Territory:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:,one of the coppers Mrs in town has one!!!
Now searching for a low to moderate km in excellent condition 5 seat Ghia,they are pretty thin on the ground in WA.They are 245kw standard,for $600 I can get a Capa Flashtuner(Nanocom equvelent) with map that takes it up to 300kw with better economy:twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted::twiste d::twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:
Told Maxi Me(18yo son) we were looking at getting a Territory,he called mum a "Soccer Mum",a week later I txted him saying mum now wants a turbo,does that make her a soccer mum with balls??? His response,no dad,a soccer mum with no licence:):):):):D:D:D:D:D
Andrew

[Sprint]

Pull the pinchweld/tailgate seal away from the body, especially where it sits against the plastic at floor level, and check for rust.

[LandyAndy]

Pull the pinchweld/tailgate seal away from the body, especially where it sits against the plastic at floor level, and check for rust.

Looking at a 2006 on Sunday,49000km,one owner,82yo(deceaded estate).Full service history garaged.
Andrew

[ADMIRAL]

If you are looking for a replacement for a station wagon, yeah ok, you could probably get by. If you intend using it like a Disco, Cruiser or Patrol, the suspension will not take the punishment. Remember is pretty much the same underneath as Falcon sdn. If you would not do it in a Falcon, don't expect to do it with a Territory, IMO.

[LandyAndy]

If you are looking for a replacement for a station wagon, yeah ok, you could probably get by. If you intend using it like a Disco, Cruiser or Patrol, the suspension will not take the punishment. Remember is pretty much the same underneath as Falcon sdn. If you would not do it in a Falcon, don't expect to do it with a Territory, IMO.

It will replace the Mrs Defender.
She loves it around town but it dont cut the custard as a highway vehicle to attend to her mother in the city with health issues.
Andrew

[gromit]

I've only just found this thread.
I have a 2007 petrol TX AWD (160,000kms) which is now the wife's and a 2 yr old TX diesel (55,000kms). I run them on business then when I replace the wife gets the old one.
With young kids we are stuck with the Terri because it's still the only 7-seater (excluding people carriers) with child restraint points in the 3rd row.
Sales repping the petrol gave between 14 &16 litres per hundred. Towing a Series 1 on a big tandem trailer down from NSW the petrol stations were only just close enough together to get me home :)

Lots of minor problems as the petrol one got old but because I can carry out the repairs myself it isn't that expensive.
Just replaced a throttle pedal assembly today (brake master had to be moved, fuse box extracted, steering column half removed to get the pedal box out) cost $80 for a s/h one from a wreckers.
Need to do the front diff bushes, will replace with Nolothane, slightly more NVH but easy to do rather than lifting the motor to install the Ford bushes.
Replaced castor bushes & ball joints last year, not expensive but need a press to do the job.
Lower ball joints have been mentioned, Ford replaced a second time under warranty at 5 years old.
A couple of months ago I had to replace the inlet manifold gasket, that was difficult to do because of lack of room.

Under warranty I had a silencer box, rear suspension bush, door seals, steering wheel (outer surface started to break down) there may have been a couple of other small things.
Out of warranty combination switch (indicators wipers etc.), throttle pedal, various bushes, tailgate gas struts, needs a few more bushes and possibly front shockies. There were a few other problems like the glass in the drivers door dropping, clip breaks (common problem).

Replaced front discs once, pads twice. Rear pads replaced once.

Heard stories of leaking water via boot seal & rust problems but haven't experienced it myself.

My diesel is an early one, ordered before it was released.
Occasionally a lot of black smoke when accelerating (no DPF), hesitant on the throttle sometimes. Lots of discussion on the Fraud forum, turbo not spooling up quick enough, 'not knowing how to drive it properly'. Lots of knob heads on the Ford forum.
No warranty issues in 55,000kms, fuel consumption (less repping now and a few longer journeys) 8.6litres/100.
Pulls a Series on a tandem without causing worry about where the next servo is. The TDV6 is a great motor.

If you can repair it yourself an older Terri is a good option for on-road/gravel driving. Poor ground clearance if you want to take it off road.
When the petrol went in for one service it came out with over $5K of work 'apparently' needed. All fixed for a few hundred dollars, last time it will see a Fraud dealer.


Colin

[LandyAndy]

Thanks Colin,lots of good info there.
The bushes would make clunks etc I guess??? I drove a 2004 AWD Ghia version the other day(134000ks) slight clunk from the rear turning left.
With less than 60000Ks on the clock and an elderly owner the 2006 Ghia Turbo we are looking at tommorow should be a good buy.
Andrew

[Chucaro]

After reading the problems with the Territory (looks like a Terrortory to me) I have arrived to the conclusion that my 1999 406 coupé is an excellent car!

[gromit]

Thanks Colin,lots of good info there.
The bushes would make clunks etc I guess??? I drove a 2004 AWD Ghia version the other day(134000ks) slight clunk from the rear turning left.
With less than 60000Ks on the clock and an elderly owner the 2006 Ghia Turbo we are looking at tommorow should be a good buy.
Andrew

Andrew,
Check out the Ford forums for any common problems although like AULRO you'll often find lots of negativity.
Australian Ford Forums - Powered by vBulletin (http://www.fordforums.com.au/)

Can't comment on the turbo but routine servicing (even by Fraud) isn't expensive. Front disc rotors through the trade were $55 each
Clunks tend to be bush issues. Most can be replaced cheaply with Nolothane but as mentioned NVH increases. Our old Terri is used mainly for the school run so most of the NVH is from the kids.

Best of luck.


Colin

[ADMIRAL]

Thanks Colin,lots of good info there.
The bushes would make clunks etc I guess??? I drove a 2004 AWD Ghia version the other day(134000ks) slight clunk from the rear turning left.
With less than 60000Ks on the clock and an elderly owner the 2006 Ghia Turbo we are looking at tommorow should be a good buy.
Andrew

Potentially - upper shock bushes, centre diff and outrigger bushes, or the outer sperical or heim joints. If it sounds like a balljoint but in the rear, it is more likely to be the heim joints. All of the rear outer lateral arms have heim joints on the Falcon/Territory. The diff bushes make more of a thump than a clunk. Not afraid to admit, I am not a Territory fan.

[LandyAndy]

Well,we bought one:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
2006 Turbo Ghia,just done 50000km.Still has original tyres,no uneven wear at all.
Its a rocketship,fastes I have been to 100kmh in a long time,and it had plenty in reserve.
Fuel economy SHOULD be OK as we do maily country driving,at 100kmh on the freeway it was showing between 8.5lt/100km and 9.1lt/100km.They soon change when you put your boot into it:twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted::tw isted:
Very nice car,drives as new.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/08/1024.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/LandyAndy_2006/media/001_zps2aa4a125.jpg.html)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/08/1027.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/LandyAndy_2006/media/003_zpscb151cf8.jpg.html)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/08/1028.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/LandyAndy_2006/media/002_zpsc3616651.jpg.html)

For better or worse;););););)
GREAT TO BE OWNING A FORD ONCE AGAIN:p:p:p:p
Andrew

[incisor]

nice colour to boot!

hope it treats you nicely!

[rocmic]

Andrew, reviving this thread to ask how the Territory has gone. My SIL is looking at a 2008 2wd with 200+km on the clock for about $10K.
Appreciate any info on what to look for.
Thanks
Mike

[gromit]

Andrew, reviving this thread to ask how the Territory has gone. My SIL is looking at a 2008 2wd with 200+km on the clock for about $10K.
Appreciate any info on what to look for.
Thanks
Mike

I know you were asking Andrew but I've owned Terri's for a few years now.

Sounds expensive, what model is it ?
Sold a 2007 TX AWD about September last year 210,000Km for $4.5K. Probably could have got a bit more but sold with no rego & no roadworthy. Lots on the market but you need to find one that has a detailed service history.

Had the TX AWD for nearly 5 years then the wife took it over.
Then TX 2WD diesel for nearly 5 years, then the wife took that over.
Now TS 2WD diesel since last September.

Lots of issues around diff bushes, early ones (SX & SY) had lower front ball joint problems. Change every few years, mine were done twice under warranty then again by myself. Problem solved SYII onwards.
Rear control blades check the rubbers.
Coil packs replace after about 120,000km
Engine mounts (oil filled) leak and need to be replaced.
If the inlet manifold gasket goes (ours did) it's almost an engine out job. Did ours in situ but lost several days of my life, several million brownie points with the wife and gained some more grey hairs......
ZF 6-speed tranny $850 for flush & new pan (filter is integral with the pan). Ford state 250,000km before oil change but depends how it's driven. Ours went to about 190,000km then there was a crack in the plastic sump. Oil was reasonably clean so did a 1/2 change (no flush) with non-ZF oil (everyone on the Ford Forum told me the World would stop spinning....) changed OK, drove OK. 4-speed tranny cheaper to service.
Most parts available aftermarket but if you have to pay someone to do diff bushes etc. it gets expensive.

Lots of the early models turning up in the Pick-a-Part type wreckers.

Great car but the petrol is a bit thirsty school run was around 18/100, when I was using it for business I was getting around 13/100.



Colin