1994 Mazda B4000 LE 4.0 gasoline from North America

Summary:

Love it a lot

Faults:

My truck developed a small oil leak at 200000 (according to the previous owner)

Needed all new brakes/lines.

General Comments:

I love this truck the interior is mint the exterior has minor rust.

I would recomend this truck to anyone who is looking for a nice looking dependable truck.

The downfall of mine is that it is 2WD.

The upside it is a cab plus.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2007

1994 Mazda B4000 SE 4x4 4.0 from North America

Summary:

Maintenance nightmare in a comfortable ride

Faults:

Transmission seals (removed Transmission and replaced seals)

Transfer case failure (servo motor replaced)

Front shocks replaced numerous times

Steering box leaking (replaced)

Head gasket failure (120000 miles)

Auto locking hubs failed (replaced with Warn hubs)

Lower ball joint failure (no grease fitting)

Emergency brake freeze-up in winter (replaced rear brake shoes)

Unable to properly bleed clutch, finally used Internet to do it properly.

Slow leak in AC refrigerant (R-134)

Water Pump (72000 miles), leaked since new.

General Comments:

This truck was a maintenance nightmare. If I did not have the factory service manual and the TSB's it would still be dead on the road. If I did not do the maintenance myself I would be broke.

The truck was comfortable and quiet to ride in. The seats were comfortable, but the passenger seat foam had been worn out by the time I sold it.

It averaged almost 20 mpg overall with a high of 26 mpg on a 60 mph trip at 1000 ft altitude.

It had plenty of power. Off road it was very good. It did the Poison Spider trail in Moab Utah with a few sneaks.

It seems pretty rust proof. Some rust on lower tailgate. Montana does not use salt though.

This truck was nothing like my Mazda RX-7. The RX was the most reliable car I have ever owned.

So much for a re-badged Ford Ranger.

The B4000 is gets a safe vehicle discount from State Farm insurance.

Overall, I would not touch another Ford product in the foreseeable future.

It was replaced by a Nissan Pathfinder.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd October, 2006

6th Mar 2007, 12:03

I bought mine brand new in 1994 and I have had none of those problems. I have kept up with the routine maintenance and I have added a few of my own touches. It has a 3" body and a 4" suspension lift, 33" inch tires, Skyjacker shocks and I added 4:10 gears. I swapped out the automatic hubs with manual hubs, which is a must when doing a lot of offroading. It currently reads 128,000 on the odometer, but it's probably more like 150,000 due to the larger tires. It uses no oil, has had no leaks and has been one tough truck. I also replaced the clutch with a more reliable offroad clutch. Pretty much the only thing that I've had to replace was the light bulb in the dash and the front axle shaft, which was due to offroading. I have also owned 2 Ford Ranger pickups and they were also amazing little trucks as well. I guess they were having a bad day on the assembly line when they built your pickup.

1994 Mazda B4000 LE 4.0 6 cylinder from North America

Summary:

This has been one super vehicle

Faults:

This truck has been a winner since I bought it in 1995. It was a black LE extra cab loaded with everything, but 4wd. Super nice truck. The biggest issue I've had with it, other than the gas mileage (the 4.0 really likes fossil fuel, but I've kept other cars most of that time so it didn't cause too big of a problem) was the factory black paint. I finally had it painted, the paint was faded and hard to make look good. No major problems, but a few minor ones: quirky electrical issues with the windows. One day they just wouldn't go down, up or anything else. After a few minutes, they worked like nothing was wrong. Sometimes it seems the fuel pump doesn't cut on when the switch is turned, and truck will not start. Cycle the key a couple of times, problem solved. Replaced a battery. That's it. In almost 12 years. Still has the original spark plugs. Now I use the truck to pull a jet ski, and was thinking about selling it to get something newer, but I don't see glowing reviews on any vehicles I can justify spending the money on. I use this truck very sparingly, it has low miles, runs great. Guess I'll just keep it. Sure would love to get the 4dr extra cab though...

General Comments:

The big V6 is worth the extra expense. Get the 4.0 engine in either the Mazda or the Ford Ranger (it's clone!) Mine has been a great one, don't know about the newer ones. One cool thing about this truck (this is kinda silly, but I love it), I can take the key out of the ignition while the truck is running. Don't know if it was made to do that, since I didn't see it in the manual, but mine does.

Anyone else have that??? :-) Go Mazda! (just bought a new mazda3 for the wife)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th April, 2006

24th Nov 2006, 11:46

In my truck you can take the key out wile it is running, but that is only if the key is worn. my second key does not come out.

26th Jun 2009, 23:42

Mine does the same thing! I bought my truck just over a year ago; 94 Mazda B4000. Had some issues, but starts in -40 without being plugged in. Love it.

28th Mar 2011, 21:37

My Mazda B4000 has been fantastic. Original transmission, maintenance only. 336,000 km, 2 WD. I have owned it since 150,000 km. I do change oil religiously every 4000 km. I had plugs in block replaced a year ago.

What more can you expect from a vehicle? It's March of 2011 and I still own it.

21st Mar 2012, 17:28

I have had my B4000 1994 for 10 years now. Have put very little into this truck, but I have been working it to death.

Great truck. I traded a guitar for this truck. What a deal.

Anyway, my key also comes out while it is running. I have 180000 miles on the truck. My intake manifold gasket just went out. I am fixing it now.

It's the best truck in the world.