some help for a newbie getting a ranger truck or b2300 b3000

[CRF450rRider]

hey yall im new here and to trucks in general, but time has come where i had to sell off the car and get a look for a little truck to haul my dirtbikes!!

okay so ive been looking at a few trucks, and ill list what the issues are with them that i found and if its worth it?

firstly a 1994 Mazda b3000 v6 115k miles, clean title, looks good, seller said it was "Cold natured" looked it over and noticed firstly the dash lights didnt come on? (Im assuming a fuse maybe) but other lights came on except for third brake light, not worried about lights just yet though, one of the issues i noticed was, when he fired it up it started fine but noticed it would hang in idle, like go up and down in rpms but barely noticeable, he said it does that until its heated up? so i lifted the hood and noticed the air intake manifold? (unsure of the proper term, but the long black tubing piece that goes into maf sensor?) was torn down the middle and hot glued together, i figured maybe this is why its (COLD NATURED LOL) possible air leak, but thats not all! when i revved it (Blipped the throttle on and let go fast) the rpms went up but took their time coming back down, not sure if this may be due to the air manifold part being hot glued together and still has a air leak? or perhaps a sticky throttle?/ he wants $2200 got him down to $2050 and never did seal the deal yet.. any thoughts?


Second truck was one i havent viewed yet, but the guy said he cant drive it no more due to a injury to his knee so cant use the clutch, its a 2000 ford ranger 4 cylinder, he said it has a new clutch, timing and water pump, new radiator, changed oil and rotated tires, he said no issues and shifts smooth (manual stick shift) he said the bad is only the AC was removed by previous owner to gain "More power"
he wants $1800 bottom dollar clean title and good for inspection until sept 2018.. thoughts? havent checked it out yet but thats all i know so far... with 180k mileage!...

im new to trucks in general always a car guy but i need something small cheap on insurance and enough to haul my dirtbike around! and get me to and from work so must be reliable.. would these trucks be something to look into, or walk away?

im specially interested in the 94 b3000 v6 because its a auto, like how it looked and the cockpit area, but with hang in rpms when revving it kinda puts me off, pus a few rattle noises from i assume the exhaust but unsure...


any help or advice appreciated and what to look out for looked at a nice 1999 ford ranger xlt v6 other day and he said he built the head and this and that, but two coolant tubes on top of the engine were cut and clamped? he said they cooled air? but werent even needed? unsure of what he meant, and the coolat was coming out of the radiator cap, he said it needed a new cap is all but i had my doubts and thought maybe a head gasket had blown, wanted $2800 with 160k miles, auto xlt v6 ranger, sounded fine but would shake a little when rpms dropped then went smooth.. unsure? figured that was a definite pass and move on to another truck!

sorry for long post but hope a seasoned ranger guy can point me in the right direction! and give me some tips and info!! thanks fellas!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

#1 souds like a vacuum leak.

#3 sounds like if it is a $5 radiator cap he outta stick one on it so the truck would sell better.

Neither sound like especially great deals to me. For basically basket case trucks the pricing is terrible.

#2 doesn't sound bad if you want 2wd.

 

[91stranger]

I agree that these are not the greatest model trucks ford and mazda made. However I think the first truck would be the better choice if you could get him down to $1500. I would look up the NADA and KBB on it in your area and use that to compare what he wants then start knocking some $100's off by mention the issues with the dash lights, rpms, air intake. Have you looked under the truck? Rust can be a major issue with these older ones. You need to look at the rear half of the frame especially and the leaf spring hangers and brackets. if its got rust then you need to start haggling price. Especially if you are putting a dirt bike in the back. I would definitely look over the truck really good. if someone is hot gluing a crucial part as oppose spending the $20 for a new part then they don't care too much about it and could have let things go like dash lights and other items you haven't found yet. What I do is I touch everything. If it has a button I push it and see if it works. Check everything, lights, horn, wheels, frame, bumpers, glass, bed. They both sound like $1200-$1500 trucks in my opinion

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I have seen guys dumb enough to dim the panel lights down to where its dark then think the dash lights dont work. Try the bright knob on it

 

[pjtoledo]

the 3.0 engines are dependable, but lack power and fuel economy.
since you're basically looking for a go to work truck the newer 2.3, that's 2004+, is a great choice if your budget allows. they easily get 28-30 mpg on the freeway, last forever, and can tow 1500lbs when needed.
my 2005 2.3 now has 334,000 miles on it.

what part of the country are you in? here in the "great northern rust belt" the first thing we do is crawl under to examine the frames integrity.