1995 b2300

[Chanman]

Hi all, I'm looking to buy a 4 cylinder truck to haul around some plywood. I just sold my car and i'm actively looking at some trucks, mostly Rangers and B2300's.

I found a 1995 B2300 with 300,000kms with a tonneau cover selling for $1500. Do I bother with a mechanical inspection for a truck selling for so cheap? Should I just look for the normal stuff, test drive it and go from there? How many more kms can I expect to get out of the truck assuming it was well maintained? I've spoken to the seller and he sounds like it was well taken care of. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Earl43P]

Welcome to The Ranger Station!

That's about 186,000 miles.

Check the normal stuff, brakes, color of coolant, belt, hoses, tires, rust, idles smooth, accelerates ok, etc.

These 4 cylinder engines do last very well if maintained. One weak spot is the automatic transmission. Clutches usually last a long time in the manuals, but the slave cylinders fail. Trans has to come out to replace that ($$).

Set the parking brake, make sure it holds and releases.

I would absolutely drive it long enough to flesh out any problems, look for the Check Engine light, go highway speeds, drive slower steady speeds, etc.

The beauty of these trucks is that they are so simple and inexpensive to work on. Parts are plentiful. $1500 for a running, driving, stopping truck that passes inspection sounds just about right to me. Could last you for years!

 

[Chanman]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I'll look for the normal stuff. It is a 5 speed, so no worries about an auto transmission.

Thanks for the tips on what to check, I'll be sure to do all you mentioned.

When you say "passes inspection", do you mean inspected by me or by a professional?

 

[PanamaExpat]

Hi Chanman... First off where are you located as if you are using Kms instead of miles it isn't USA. If you are not in USA are there a lot of others like it running around. I live in Panama and locating parts for American vehicles here is difficult.
I believe he is talking about the inspections required in some places in order to renew the license plates each year.
The Mazdas are great little trucks. Same as the Ranger and if it is in basically sound mechanical condition should last you few more years anyhow. If you live in a tropical climate make sure the cooling system is up to snuff and that the air conditioning works. Then verify that it doesn't overheat idling in traffic on a hot day with the AC running.

 

[Earl43P]

A lot of states require a safety inspection.
Some don't. Ours does, but doesn't even pull a wheel to check brake shoes or pads.
If it stops when they pull it in the stall, it passes.
I did see one "Inspector" push the parking brake on and slipped the clutch to see if it held.
It didn't in reverse so he pressed the pb pedal further till it did.

I was impressed. It had new shoes too, less than 5k miles or so anyway.

If it were me, I'd rev the pi$$ out of it on the test drive.
As if you pulled out in front of a speeding semi. Pull 2nd gear up over 45 or so.
Shouldn't clatter or complain, engine should "like that".

 

[Chanman]

I'm in Vancouver, BC. Finding parts is not an problem at all. No worries about super hot days with the A/C going, summers here are mild and I think the truck doesn't have A/C. We don't have any inspection requirements here, just aircare which is also being phased out.

This is why I'm wondering if I should get the truck checked out by a mechanic to make sure there's nothing leaking, no hidden rust and doesn't need any major repairs. I would think that a vigorous test drive would give indications that something might be wrong. I've never bought a used car/truck before, always new so I'm not sure how to go about things. I had someone buy my car last weekend, and they had it checked out by a mechanice, but I was selling the car for $15k so it was expected. Not sure if I should bother with a $1500 truck.

 

[FritzTKatt]

Depends what the mechanic will charge.

For even an extra $100, especially if this is your only vehicle, it'd be worth it for someone not mechanically inclined. Up there in BC you should see a lot of rust underneath. Tap the major components with a hammer. Surface rust isn't much at all, but anything serious won't sound too good.

Not that you couldn't replace most things for about $300 of tools, a repair manual and The Ranger Station, you just can't be an idiot (not saying you are) or be afraid to get dirty.

 

[PanamaExpat]

Well sounds like it would be worth considering. At least take it someplace that does suspension and alignment work and have them get it up in the air to check ball joints, tie rod ends and whatnot. While it's up there slip the guy a ten spot and have him look it over to see if he spots anything else that needs attention.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Rust will be your enemy. Thoroughly check the springhangers and shackles and the shockmounts and coil buckets. Fuel filler hose also tends to crack. If so get the 40 dollar one from ebay.

AJ

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Chanman]

thanks for all the advice guys. I checked out the truck and it was in good shape but the interior was not well taken care of.

I ended up buying a 2007 B2300 with just over 100k km's. there's some minor rust where the guy had a canopy on the back so i'll have to sand it off and repaint, but otherwise in very good shape. I had it checked out by a mechanic before i bought it and there was only very minor issues like dead bulbs.

 

[PanamaExpat]

Glad to hear you got a new truck. Now that you have it don't make your self a stranger. Post some pics and keep us updated on how well you make out with it.