OT: Ford ranger/ Mazda B2500, B3000..?

I may get into doing a bit of light gutting/remodeling work, and having a small, cheap, dependable light truck would help.

It would NOT be a daily commuter, just occasional short work trips, with a 100 mi. trip to project location, fixing a 3-season cottage.

I was told on another forum to look for a 3 liter, standard-shift, like a Ford Ranger or its twin the Mazda B3000 (there is also a B2500?)

A Tacoma would fit the bill but more $$..?


Comments or other suggestions?

The B series mazdas have a couple different trims. 2500 3500 5000 etc depending on the year. they are all the same as far as the frame goes.

I prefer the toyota pickup if you are looking for an easy fix long lasting small truck. They just called it a pick up or an SR5, it's the one they made just before the tacoma. 1989-1995 This set of years also had a v6 and a long bed available.

I have the 2007 B3000 (3L 5spd manual) and I love it. It takes me 150KM round trip to work twice a week but more importantly it's my fishing truck. My dad has one as well (same year but 4spd auto) and he's a carpenter so he uses it to haul around his tools, he says it's excellent for that as well.

I have the '04 Ranger Edge 5 speed and it hauls my brew gear to where ever I'm brewin'.

The Rangers are ok, more reliable than Ford cars but not as reliable as the big Ford trucks.

As for the Toyotas, those could be a better choice, but parts are more expensive, and while the engines/drivelines last longer, if you do any off-road stuff or live in a "salt the roads!" state, they rust like it's their job, and not just body panels...the frame rails will rust straight through too.

I am a big Ranger fan, but also love the Tacomas dearly.

Just a word of advice - the standard trans are very decent on the Rangers, but the automatic trans have some reliability issues. My grandfather's put five transmissions, all Auto, into two Rangers, and on both trucks after the second or third time, simply had to get rid of them and go back to the F-150's.

( He uses his to haul firewood, but not to tow usually. His were the 4.0 V6's. )

I have a 99 Ranger,

Other than general maintainance, I have had to do almost nothing to it. It has been very reliable.

I have a 95 Ranger. Good strong truck that I have had for 2 years and 25k miles (104k total). Strong trucks. Go with manual as the auto has some issues at high mileage. Also, these trucks have a design flaw with the filler neck to the gas tank. Easy repair but the part can be $200+ for the short hose. Also, in the older trucks the seats wear out but can easily be swapped with Explorer seats. The left side of my driver's seat is a little lower than the right. Al in all, they are good, solid trucks.

Comparing them to Tacomas... my former employer had a fleet of 12 4x4's. These trucks were awesome- think Corola/Camry quality with the ability to go anywhere. With a decent set of BFG AT's, I could take my 95 up steep hill sides littered with rock carrying a 150 gallon water tank (approx 1000 lbs) with no problems.

I like the ride of Tacoma's better personally. From experience a Taomca will carry more weight than a Ranger. I think either truck will hold up well with proper care.

kevabar said:

The left side of my driver's seat is a little lower than the right.

Click to expand...

I have this issue with my '00 Mountaineer too. At first I just thought I was seeing things at an angle, but I realized it was the seat itself!

I have a 2002 Nissan Frontier. Mine's an auto, but they have manuals too. Decent hwy gas mileage and dependable.

All very good suggestions, a lot to work from... very helpful, thanks all.

I just wonder how hungry a used-car dealer may be these days??

And the house deal,prompting me to inquire in the first place, is a getting a bit thin just about now...

I had a Ranger and it was one of the best vehicles i've owned.

I am getting near the point where I will need to buy a truck...!

Another question: extended cab or not?
Quite a few used trucks seem to be that type.

Do you loose bed length because of the ex. cab?
Isn't the convenience of having the extra "sheltered" room (dog?) worth it?

I had a 99 Ranger for 8 years. The only thing I had to do was replace the 4X4 actuator, it froze because I didn't use it enough. That was maybe $100. I loved that truck, but had to sell it a few years ago. Definitely go for the V6, I had the 4 liter and there was plenty of power. I had a 4 cylinder Ranger too, and it was pitifully underpowered.