1995 mazda b2300 se pickup 3.0 v6

xaeniac · 06-13-2009, 05:57 AM

Looked @ a '95 mazda b2300 3.0 v6. 5 speed broken A/C and broken gas gauge. Owner claims she does not know what is wrong with A/C. Truck has 150,000 miles, but engine was rebuilt ~ 30,000 miles ago. Should i pull the trigger @ $1500. This is the least she will take for it? I have an 01 Focus with 120,000 and was going to buy this as a backup/ when I needed a truck. Don't know if it's worth this though due to a lot of unknowns.

thedarkwolf · 06-13-2009, 06:15 AM

Its a $1500 truck. They really don't get much cheaper than that for the year miles. No matter what you go for at $1500 there are going to be unknowns. Rangers which is what that is are pretty good little trucks. The rebuilt engine would bother me a bit but its lived for 30k miles already so whoever rebuilt it had to have been at least somewhat competent.

4x4?

xaeniac · 06-13-2009, 06:20 AM

No 2 wheel drive

I really don't need it and the only reason why I am considering it is because it's cheap. It's a clean little truck but the A/C not working sucks otherwise it would be a no brainer. This truck could be awesome or it could be a headache. If I needed transportation I would get it but my car is running good and I am starting to lean towards not getting it.

thedarkwolf · 06-13-2009, 07:53 AM

a/c could cost you as little as $15 to fix if all it is low on 134a coolant as long as it isn't a big leak.

Bignate603 · 06-13-2009, 08:47 AM

I bought a van that had AC that didn't work. It turns out that the fill valve was bad. A new valve core and some R134a and it was good to go. Total cost to me, $35. I think the previous owner just figured AC problem = expensive and was scared to take it in.

Zenmervolt · 06-13-2009, 11:18 AM

The 3.0 litre V6, while plenty reliable, is not a really desirable engine. It does not have appreciably more power than the 2.3 litre 4-cylinder, while having no better fuel economy than the 4.0 litre V6. It basically has the fuel economy of a V6 and the power of an I4; that is to say, it has it backwards.

It's a solid and reliable engine though; there are just better options from a fuel economy and power standpoint.

ZV

Bignate603 · 06-13-2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The 3.0 litre V6, while plenty reliable, is not a really desirable engine. It does not have appreciably more power than the 2.3 litre 4-cylinder, while having no better fuel economy than the 4.0 litre V6. It basically has the fuel economy of a V6 and the power of an I4; that is to say, it has it backwards.

It's a solid and reliable engine though; there are just better options from a fuel economy and power standpoint.

ZV

Yes, but if this is just going to be a truck for occasional use I would say he should grab any good deal he can find on a reliable truck. If he's putting only 1-2k miles on it a year the gas costs aren't going to be terribly high.

Zenmervolt · 06-13-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Quote:

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The 3.0 litre V6, while plenty reliable, is not a really desirable engine. It does not have appreciably more power than the 2.3 litre 4-cylinder, while having no better fuel economy than the 4.0 litre V6. It basically has the fuel economy of a V6 and the power of an I4; that is to say, it has it backwards.

It's a solid and reliable engine though; there are just better options from a fuel economy and power standpoint.

ZV

Yes, but if this is just going to be a truck for occasional use I would say he should grab any good deal he can find on a reliable truck. If he's putting only 1-2k miles on it a year the gas costs aren't going to be terribly high.

True, but there shouldn't be much increase in cost for a 4.0 truck in similar condition, especially if he's looking into beaters. Since he doesn't need the truck for transportation, he can afford to wait a while to find a truck with the 4.0 which will give him more flexibility on the occasions when he does need a truck.

ZV

Arkaign · 06-13-2009, 01:55 PM

That wasn't just an engine rebuild, it was a motor swap. The B2300 came with the 2.3L I4, the B3000 was the 3.0 V6, and the B4000 was the 4.0 V6.

ZV is right, you could wait a bit and find something else that's not as questionable.

Pliablemoose · 06-13-2009, 04:50 PM

I've owned the 2.4, 3.0 & 4.0 liter engines in Rangers, I'd look a bit longer, or consider renting a truck when you need one.

Arkaign is correct, the 2300 correlates with the engine size, and it now has a different engine that it shipped from the factory with. I'd take a pass for that alone.

As far as the whole backup vehicle goes, cash in the bank goes a long ways towards a different car or a rental if you need one. TTL, registration and insurance are really a fools game for owning a 2nd car nowdays.

Zenmervolt · 06-13-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I've owned the 2.4, 3.0 & 4.0 liter engines in Rangers, I'd look a bit longer, or consider renting a truck when you need one.

Arkaign is correct, the 2300 correlates with the engine size, and it now has a different engine that it shipped from the factory with. I'd take a pass for that alone.

As far as the whole backup vehicle goes, cash in the bank goes a long ways towards a different car or a rental if you need one. TTL, registration and insurance are really a fools game for owning a 2nd car nowdays.

TTL for a Ranger like the OP is looking at would be less than one week's car rental through a place like Hertz. The difference is that by owning the truck, he can use it at his own convenience; no drop-off times to worry about, no worries about putting a dent in it, no need to make a reservation in advance, etc.

The convenience factor of having a second vehicle is huge.

ZV