I happen to think the Ford Ranger is a good little truck. I own a '94 that has over 150,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. Granted it's a gutless wonder, but it gets the job done.
You're lucky to have that experience. However, the Mazda B series have always been bulletproof. I had an '83, and '88, and 2 '92s. All not just totally reliable, but sturdier than anything out there. Best built truck, period. Where everyone else used channel frames, or half and half, only Mazda used full box frames. The fit and finish even on my 83 was superior to any other truck, big or small, including Toyota. I had my 88 T boned by a minivan, crushing the cab in a foot. It wasn't more, because the frame stopped it, and was perfectly straight. I also got rear ended by a drunk, destroying the back of the truck, but again, the frame was not bent at all. Because of the hyper stiffness, Mazda was also able to make their trucks do something others couldn't; handle. A B like my 92 now will out handle most cars from that time, and a lot from today. Driving one is more car like than even other small trucks.
Mine is only a 4 cylinder, but has the guts of a equivalent year V6.
The biggest problem was Ford's influence back then. They didn't want the B's to compete with the Ranger, so they held Mazda to the 4, and kept the options to a minimum. My truck is setup for 6, as well as options like power windows and locks, cruise, etc, but they were never available here because of Ford.
Just like when the Explorer/Navajo came out, they only let the Navajo be sold as a 2 door, killing it's sales in favor of the Explorer.
Yes, Ford helped Mazda get a leg up, but then they pulled the other leg out from under them
For those of you thinking "if they are so great, why did you have 4?" I will explain:
My 83 didn't have A/C, and I moved to Phoenix. So I traded it at 110,000 miles for an 88 Cab Plus. I put 166,000 miles on it in 4 years, hard driving. It got T Boned when a minivan ran a stop sign. Insurance total because of the cab damage.
Got my insurance money and bought a 92 B2600i. Very nice truck and pretty fast for a 4. Unfortunately that one got repossessed after 2 years. Not my finest hour. 80,000 miles.
Later I wanted a truck again, so I looked for a used one, since new Mazdas didn't exist by that time. Mazda trucks are almost impossible to buy used, because owners hold onto them more than any other brand. I finally found a '92 B2600i like I'd had before. It was not in the best shape from owner abuse and lack of maintenance, but I new it would still be reliable. This truck was in such bad shape that, were it any other brand, no one would have bought it. Even with the condition it was in, after some basic maintenance and clean up, it's been a totally reliable, if not perfect, truck.I used it or years in construction and she's never let me down. Even with a leaky injector, bad gaskets, a stretched timing chain, and worn rings, at 160,000 miles she's still going strong.It will still smoke a Ranger 4. You just can't break these Mazda trucks.
THIS is why I hope Mazda will again sell their own trucks here, now that Ford has backed off.
