1999 Mazda B-Series Truck (2.5L Inline/RWD/114K Miles)
Visit link: https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/4F4YR12C6XTM21677/?referrer_id=autotempest
Mr. Scotty Kilmer always recommends getting a two (2) wheel drive car coupled staying away from certain motors and years.
With this said, I wanna ask the car experts if this would be a good truck to purchase!
Im looking at a 1999 Mazda B-Series Truck, with a 2.5L Inline-4 Gas Inline engine, RWD, with 114,308 miles!
I need something that that is going to last and is dependable, would this truck be a good option?
I just need a daily driver, that will last! i dont care about towing capacity, the MPG seems alright (18 MPG)
I need something that that is going to last and is dependable, would this truck be a good option? ... I just need a daily driver, that will last!
It's already 25 years old. How much longer do you realistically expect it to last? (If that truck died the day after you bought the thing it would still have lasted for quite a long time.)
Well, 1) it seems overpriced.
Other than that, it’s a big maybe. Like @chucktobias says, it’s an old truck. Things are going to start wearing out. The good news, I guess, is that parts are available and generally cheap. But the bad news is that it’s gonna need a lot of them to keep going.
People daily drive cars older than that. But most of those people have the time, tools and knowledge to fix things themselves. So, 2) if you are ready to put in the work, then it might be viable. And even though most service and repairs will be cheap, 3) you will still need to keep a couple grand in reserve for any major repairs, like a head gasket or transmission rebuild (which is why, getting back to 1, you need to get the price down).
One one thing that comes to mind that could be fatal is the frame. 4) if the frame has structural rust, the truck is junk.
PS: most people who make something like that a daily driver either inherit it or buy it cheap from a friend or neighbor. Going through a dealer means you’ll probably pay more than it’s worth.
The underbody is a Ford Ranger with different bodywork. The Ranger is prone to rotting out; rather than constructing the frame as one piece, Ford opted to construct two separate frames and rivet them together to complete the assembly. The rear frame is much more prone to rotting than the front. The rear frame is apparently made of much poorer quality steel and consumer advocacy groups called for a recall, but nothing ever happened.
That truck has been in an accident, so that alone reduces the vehicle's value.
That truck only has 114k miles on it, and it's 25 years old. Cars don't respond well to being hardly driven to driving all the time without lots and lots of maintenance; I have a Ranger with almost 300k miles, also a 1999. I drive it every day, sometimes 50 miles round trip.
My truck spent at least 10 years of its life in Tennessee, so I bought my truck without paying attention to the frame because it's basically rust-free. I bought it in Northern Kentucky from religous people. I was wrong, the frame has rot. Shortly after I bought it, a friend who welds for a living welded quarter inch steel plate to reinforce the frame. The vast majority of it has been contained to a crossmember.
I would say it's nearing the end of its useful life at this point, potential frame rust or not. It's not worth $7,000.
