Newb considering buying a Ranger

[02RangerXLT]

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I had some financial difficulties, so I decided against buying the truck then. I recently crashed my Audi so I need my truck now, regardless of the little money I have saved up.

I found what seems to me like an amazing deal on a '97 Mazda B2300. Please don't flame me for this as I realize I'm a newb, but are they not nearly identical to a Ranger? Either way, should I post my questions about it elsewhere?

No worries, they are essentially the same truck... you can keep posting here, otherwise we have a Mazda specific section here: http://therangerstation.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=86

 

[a2thy]

Ok great. Thanks. It's a '97 Mazda B2300 RWD 5 speed manual extended cab with 114,000 miles. Seller claims that it needs absolutely nothing done to it, and from what I inspected I think he may be right, with the exception of a small piece of rough-looking, but solid and adequate rust repair on the quarter panel. The underbody has surface rust, but it really doesn't seem to extend beyond the surface anywhere. This is a huge selling point in Maine where the roads are salted excessively in the winter, causing premature corrosion of most vehicles. It has a brand new annual state inspection sticker. It has a plastic bed liner in excellent shape. The seller claims it gets 24 - 28mpg, this seemed a bit far fetched to me, what's the best way to get proof of this?

The only bad things I can think of are: the fact that it has rear drum brakes, an unknown check engine light, a bunch of scratches on the hood, and that the fuel economy probably isn't as good as he claims it to be.

He said $2100, but made it clear that he's very willing to come down on the price. The seller/owner is an older guy who has a record of all the oil changes, so those are two big selling points in my opinion. He said that he's had to perform nothing other than routine maintenance in the 3 years he owned it, nothing had to be replaced.

Do you guys think this is a good deal? Private party value on KBB for good/clean condition was $2645, and $1950 on Edmunds. I don't understand why there's such a big difference between these two sites, so I really don't know what I should expect to pay.

 

[a2thy]

Needless to say I bought the truck, but for only $1700! I guess I'll leave this post and check out the rest of the forum.

 

[Mark_88]

Congrats on the purchase...not sure as to why there would be a book value difference from one place to the next, unless it has to do with availability...the 2300 extended cab is no longer available (neither is the Lima 4 cylinder)...if it was a 4x4 then I think the top value would apply also...

 

[Lucid Jeeves]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm really looking forward to buying my truck and becoming a regular on this forum. Just in case any of you happen to be on audiforums too, you can find me there with the same screen name.

I'm willing to pass on the extended cab if there are any mods out there to increase legroom and/or allow the seat to recline farther on a regular cab. The only thing I can think of is to do some custom body work to remove the rear portion of the cab along with the rear window. Of course this would necessitate some kind of a topper for the bed along with some kind of seal to join it to the cab. Do any mods like this exist? Would it be feasible?

Have you considered a bronco? that could negate the mod, and you could take the rear seat out and still have a bed...
just an idea

 

[a2thy]

Thanks for the advice guys. Good advice Lucid Jeeves, but I'm perfectly happy with the truck I just bought. The fuel economy is amazing! I haven't calculated it yet, but I can tell that my truck goes much further than my car on the same amount of gas. I just bought some new Courser C/T's for it, and they look awesome. Very aggressive tread for an all terrain tire, I can't wait for it to snow again so I can try them out!

 

[TheUndeadRanger]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm really looking forward to buying my truck and becoming a regular on this forum. Just in case any of you happen to be on audiforums too, you can find me there with the same screen name.

I'm willing to pass on the extended cab if there are any mods out there to increase legroom and/or allow the seat to recline farther on a regular cab. The only thing I can think of is to do some custom body work to remove the rear portion of the cab along with the rear window. Of course this would necessitate some kind of a topper for the bed along with some kind of seal to join it to the cab. Do any mods like this exist? Would it be feasible?

one four letter acronym describes that situation.
PITA ( pain in the a$$)
ext. cab is worth the extra couple hundred in comfort. but i drive standard single cab and love it either way its a friggin ranger haha hard not to love it!

 

[a2thy]

I hear you. My extended cab is very comfortable, plenty of leg room and even some interior cargo space! I couldn't ask for a better bargain.

 

[Diehardfordman]

I had a 1996 b2300 and it was a great truck. Under the skin it's a Ford. I bought it new and cheaper than a Ranger with same trim level. Aafter 189,000 I sold it as I needed a full size for work. Sorry I did it was keeper. If you new truck is anything like that you be very happy with it! Congrads on you purchase!