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James Morse
1997 XLT 4.0L 4x4 1999 Mazda B3000 2wd
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2021
- Messages
- 1,891
- City
- Roanoke VA
- Vehicle Year
- 1997 and 1999
- Engine
- 4.0 V6
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Tire Size
- 31x10.5-15 K02's on the Ranger, 235/75R15 on Mazda
- My credo
- The perfect is the enemy of the good.
I'm not familiar with changes 94 - 97 about the dash and airbags. I would have thought in that gen they would be the same.
Number one, like they said, you can't tell from pics and descriptions. I looked at quite a few Rangers before I got mine. I had a list of things that I wanted based on advice from here and I'd say I was not steered wrong. The thing is you see something in a pic and think, ah, that's the one, then you go drive it, yuck. Some of it is scientific (things you can see/feel) and some is not, namely, how it feels to you driving it, and I don't mean just if it runs well or has vibrations etc etc but do you feel good in it yourself.
I had a list of stuff I wanted ("must have") for my use - 4x4, 4.0L, Dana 35, etc. Then I had a 'want' list - buckets, power package (windows, locks, mirrors). Low miles. No rust. Not too banged up. Interior not all ratty. And had to be a decent price, though I had a top number I was willing to pay if it had everything I wanted. Having picked a gen and features that really narrowed the search.
Look at the carfax, where was it, how many owners (mine had 2 in 25 years).
So when I saw mine come up, it was local, and had always been local (always registered here), maybe that's worth nothing but I like to know where it was living. 125k miles, that's not horrible. No rust, not banged up. Had a Kobalt tool box which works for me, holds a ton of stuff.
Minuses - no rear doors, but that just depends how you use it, I adapt to it and since they weren't available on '97 I take that on the chin and live with it. It does get you out of the usual latches and seals being messed up. Other minuses, needed rad, seller (dealer) insisted no, that is residual fluid from working on it... bs... so I replaced rad and belt/tensioner (other stuff around there like pump etc seem fine). Easy to work on. Parts cheap, and [mostly] available. Replaced left rear tailgate latch, that one always seems to be worn out. Replaced cruise buttons which worked but were all tore up, again, common. I think that's it. Dealer had put new drums/rotors and wheel bearings, heater valve, upper MAF. It will need tires at some point (a bargaining point! - as advised here, offer to meet some price, if they put new tires - they won't want to, but it can get the price down). Other minus, no door jamb tag, and that's plagued me, I got all the info to make one except the divvy up of the front/rear gross weights so still chasing that, but it's not critical. Found out it came with 265's so setting that right (has 235's now). Plus, red, which I like. Did I luck out, sort of, but remember I was searching multiple sites first thing every morning so it's not totally luck. I figure whenever you get an old truck it will have some things to fix on it but so far that's all I had to do and have a truck that runs nice, and everything works, interior is immaculate, tons of power - what more could I ask? It's almost too nice. But I have the '99 if I'm worried about parking lot dents. The '97 wasn't a need, just a want, for the 4x4, so whatever upgrades I might do would be oriented to not-extreme off-road use. Got it home and found out it had a 6-disc changer so icing on the cake. Will stuff break, or will I find something, probably. That's life. But if the truck is solid as I think it is, I don't mind putting some money into it for fixes or upgrades, considering, I got it for a small fraction of the cost of a new truck and to me there's not much a brand new truck can do, or would have for creature comforts, that it doesn't have. The older trucks were built real solid, compare a '97 hood to '99, they are different, just as an example. To me '97 was the last year of the 'real' trucks where they had all the stuff they need and that you'd want, and nothing more. I'm sure I'll get blowback that no, real trucks were earlier (or later) but that's my opinion (being biased).
And be ready to walk away - set an upper limit on price, but be willing to go there -if- it is the right truck for you.
You being in CA there should be lots of rust free trucks and if you keep looking and just be patient you will find a good one that meets your spec and listen to what the guys here tell you because they know. I know it sounds like I was talking up my truck there but here's the thing, you like to have a truck that you look at and want to drive it, that has a draw for you. I really don't know much of anything about them that I didn't learn here so I'm no expert and I just keep asking questions when I need to do something. So even though it's been posted here's my '97. When I get the new tires on it'll be about 1.5" more clearance and when I look at just about any truck on the road that isn't mod'd, they're mostly less clearance than that. It has the 2" lift as part of the oem package, and the skid plates, which is nice. It had pinstripes originally but I don't think I'm putting them back I'm not a huge fan.
If you keep looking you will find the Ranger that fits your spec, I know this one is different than what you want but that's the nice thing of having choices and check the brochures like they said then you know what to expect per model year and the possible options. You probably would want more like my '99. It was my first pickup, daily driver along with the '97, it just couldn't safely go up some forest roads I like to explore.
I kind of like having 2 trucks. Here's the Mazda, it's good, just no 4x4. Rear doors are nice. I was going to sell it but I think I'm keeping it for now it costs me about nothing to keep and everything was fixed on it.
So just a couple examples I could find here, and in CA there should be by comparison more good ones I'd think than here.
Number one, like they said, you can't tell from pics and descriptions. I looked at quite a few Rangers before I got mine. I had a list of things that I wanted based on advice from here and I'd say I was not steered wrong. The thing is you see something in a pic and think, ah, that's the one, then you go drive it, yuck. Some of it is scientific (things you can see/feel) and some is not, namely, how it feels to you driving it, and I don't mean just if it runs well or has vibrations etc etc but do you feel good in it yourself.
I had a list of stuff I wanted ("must have") for my use - 4x4, 4.0L, Dana 35, etc. Then I had a 'want' list - buckets, power package (windows, locks, mirrors). Low miles. No rust. Not too banged up. Interior not all ratty. And had to be a decent price, though I had a top number I was willing to pay if it had everything I wanted. Having picked a gen and features that really narrowed the search.
Look at the carfax, where was it, how many owners (mine had 2 in 25 years).
So when I saw mine come up, it was local, and had always been local (always registered here), maybe that's worth nothing but I like to know where it was living. 125k miles, that's not horrible. No rust, not banged up. Had a Kobalt tool box which works for me, holds a ton of stuff.
Minuses - no rear doors, but that just depends how you use it, I adapt to it and since they weren't available on '97 I take that on the chin and live with it. It does get you out of the usual latches and seals being messed up. Other minuses, needed rad, seller (dealer) insisted no, that is residual fluid from working on it... bs... so I replaced rad and belt/tensioner (other stuff around there like pump etc seem fine). Easy to work on. Parts cheap, and [mostly] available. Replaced left rear tailgate latch, that one always seems to be worn out. Replaced cruise buttons which worked but were all tore up, again, common. I think that's it. Dealer had put new drums/rotors and wheel bearings, heater valve, upper MAF. It will need tires at some point (a bargaining point! - as advised here, offer to meet some price, if they put new tires - they won't want to, but it can get the price down). Other minus, no door jamb tag, and that's plagued me, I got all the info to make one except the divvy up of the front/rear gross weights so still chasing that, but it's not critical. Found out it came with 265's so setting that right (has 235's now). Plus, red, which I like. Did I luck out, sort of, but remember I was searching multiple sites first thing every morning so it's not totally luck. I figure whenever you get an old truck it will have some things to fix on it but so far that's all I had to do and have a truck that runs nice, and everything works, interior is immaculate, tons of power - what more could I ask? It's almost too nice. But I have the '99 if I'm worried about parking lot dents. The '97 wasn't a need, just a want, for the 4x4, so whatever upgrades I might do would be oriented to not-extreme off-road use. Got it home and found out it had a 6-disc changer so icing on the cake. Will stuff break, or will I find something, probably. That's life. But if the truck is solid as I think it is, I don't mind putting some money into it for fixes or upgrades, considering, I got it for a small fraction of the cost of a new truck and to me there's not much a brand new truck can do, or would have for creature comforts, that it doesn't have. The older trucks were built real solid, compare a '97 hood to '99, they are different, just as an example. To me '97 was the last year of the 'real' trucks where they had all the stuff they need and that you'd want, and nothing more. I'm sure I'll get blowback that no, real trucks were earlier (or later) but that's my opinion (being biased).
And be ready to walk away - set an upper limit on price, but be willing to go there -if- it is the right truck for you.
You being in CA there should be lots of rust free trucks and if you keep looking and just be patient you will find a good one that meets your spec and listen to what the guys here tell you because they know. I know it sounds like I was talking up my truck there but here's the thing, you like to have a truck that you look at and want to drive it, that has a draw for you. I really don't know much of anything about them that I didn't learn here so I'm no expert and I just keep asking questions when I need to do something. So even though it's been posted here's my '97. When I get the new tires on it'll be about 1.5" more clearance and when I look at just about any truck on the road that isn't mod'd, they're mostly less clearance than that. It has the 2" lift as part of the oem package, and the skid plates, which is nice. It had pinstripes originally but I don't think I'm putting them back I'm not a huge fan.
If you keep looking you will find the Ranger that fits your spec, I know this one is different than what you want but that's the nice thing of having choices and check the brochures like they said then you know what to expect per model year and the possible options. You probably would want more like my '99. It was my first pickup, daily driver along with the '97, it just couldn't safely go up some forest roads I like to explore.
I kind of like having 2 trucks. Here's the Mazda, it's good, just no 4x4. Rear doors are nice. I was going to sell it but I think I'm keeping it for now it costs me about nothing to keep and everything was fixed on it.
So just a couple examples I could find here, and in CA there should be by comparison more good ones I'd think than here.
