Anyone know anything about Mazda trucks?!

Well, in all honesty, I never had the Caddy's tranny flushed. Figured I learned my lesson, and had the Buick done at 100,000 miles, as per manufacturer's recommendations.

Same result ... two blown trannys. GRRRRR!

Did I mention I drive like a grandmother?! :angry:

OK, other random thoughts ... I learned to drive in cantankerous old VWs, and now will not drive a stick shift unless there is a gun pointed at my head. Yeah, I know a stick shift makes more sense, but I just ain't gonna. Sorry!

Thanks on the head-up re: pulling a trailer. Best to have realistic expectations in that regard, eh?!

Well, maybe it won't be necessary ... I DO have an old beater farm truck (an '86 Ford XL) although I fear it won't pass inspection once I move to PA. Also, there's no telling how long it will hold together ... so the ability to at least haul square bales in the new, smaller truck is a big plus!

Figuring I put a minimum of 25,000 miles a year on my primary vehicle, and the truck I'm looking at has 41,000 miles on it, if it holds up for another 75,000 miles, or 3 years, it will have cost me about $2200 a year to drive (at $6500, not counting the cost of financing). That's actually about the same as my last vehicle cost, so I guess the compromise is acceptable.

And, yeah, unfortunately I'll have to finance ... ordinarily I'd throw cash at it, but I'm getting ready to buy some land in PA right now, and I'm not sure how much $$$ I'll need for improvements, moving and incidentals. So, off to the bank I will go ... not happily, I might add. GRRR!

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

I currently have a 95 B2300 4 cyl, DOHC with manual 5 speed that I bought used in 1997 when it had 51,000 miles on the odometer. It has not quite 150,000 miles on it now - best truck I have ever owned, hands down!!! It gets driven now mebbe once or twice a month, still runs good and is great for hauling compost, etc.

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"Tough times don't last - tough people do"....

Well, if it's strictly an indicator of quality (and not of relative scarcity, or general popularity), holding value may be a good thing.

OTOH, if you're planning to drive it 'til it dies (which is what I usually do) the resale value may not be quite so critical.

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

One thing you would like about a pickup is easier to load milk meters, sample trays, etc in the back covered in a topper than lifting them in and out of a trunk . nice to keep the front passenger compartment physically separate from the farm stuff(milk residues, etc.) especially on a 90F day!

The Mazda/Ranger would be fine for most things - just don't plan on pulling a stock trailer with a 4 cyl. model.

What you said about resale on vehicles you run the wheels off of is absolutely true.

OMG, that is SO true!!!

I have been testing herds for almost 2 years now using a Buick Century, if that is imaginable ...

That poor lil car has been packed to the GILLS ... even the package tray and the door pockets (where I stash tools, LOL) ...

Needless to say, the upholstery is completely trashed ... and the SMELL?!

DBF got a whiff of my car on my last visit ... I think he almost passed out ... LOL

One thing that depresses me about buying a new(er) vehicle NOW is that I'll have to use it for testing for at least 2 more months ... which will pretty much wreck it ... GRRRR!

Unless, as you say, I keep all my equipment in the back ...

The truck I'm looking at doesn't have a topper or tonneau cover ... not sure if I'd invest in one, as I don't think I'd need it over the long-term ... but I do keep my equipment in plastic storage tubs, and those could be tied down in the bed ...

Milk samples would have to go in the cab, though ... GRRR!

Although if I put tarps over the seats, maybe I could keep them from being ruined ...

I did that in the beginning with the Buick, but eventually it became too much of a hassle, and it was obvious the poor car was being trashed, and would be driven into the ground anyway, so I gave up on it, other than vacuuming it out once a month or so, to keep the mess down to a dull roar.

UpNorth, other testers have advised me that a van is the way to go ... since you can open a side door, and pull everything in and out, without having to climb in and out of the bed of a truck. I can surely appreciate that!

If I were planning to stay here and do this job permanently, I'd probably look for 5-6 year old van, and drive the wheels off the thing ... LOL

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

A little tip from my Dad.....

Put your initial offer of 6500 dollars in one of your front pockets, in large bills. Talking to the seller, reach into the pocket and offer him that wad of bills. Usually, they'll bite. If not, and you really want the truck take out your wallet, which contains only HALF of the difference ($400 in this case) and tell him that's all you have or are willing to pay. He will bite. If not, walk away. Betcha before you can get your vehicle turned around he's tapping on the window saying OK.

Money talks.

Bought 11 motorcycles this way, and never once did I pay full asking price. In fact, I never paid 90%. I usually started with a 75% offer, and would go as high as 85%. It worked every time.

Dad is a pretty smart old codger, isn't he?

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"Iron" Mike - Semper Fidelis
Jack of all trades - Master of none

..................Offer him\them 4800 or so as has already pointed out . Next , if they agree to say a selling price of 5200 or so , inform them that the Sale is contingent upon AN inspection by YOUR mechanic , lol. Then , simply find a reliable garage and pay them a 100 or so to inspect the vehicle . If , there are some easily repairable items needing such that will will be less than 200 or so You'll have to decide if you want to absorb these costs or negotiate with the seller for an adjustment in the previously agreed selling price . Money changing hands should always be prefaced with the "appropriate" contingencies to protect yourself since you have no knowledge to fix such things . fordy...

Willow Girl - A friend of mine has a small business where he loads a car with heavy trays of his custom made hunting knives, wildlife art, and firearms of various sorts for display at trade shows throughout the west and midwest.
He, too, was tired of lifting heavy trays and boxes out of a deep well trunk only to lay them out on card tables for the shows.
So he bought an '87 Buick Lesabre HEARSE! As they don't get driven often in a small town, it only had 18,000 actual miles. Now, when he pulls into the parking lot of a wildlife& sports convention, he just opens rear tailgate, slides the gurney tray on rollers out to its full extent, sets his lawn chair alongside the tray laden with his wares, and cracks open a Pepsi, LOL.

Only trouble with a Hearse - people are just dying to get in it

UpNorth -- a hearse! I love it!!!!

That would be even more fun than driving my old beater truck through DBF's subdivision!

Fordy, who says I have no knowledge to fix things?! I'll have you know you are talking to a woman who took 3 years of autoshop in HS (OK, admittedly that was awhile ago), changes her own oil, and has 2 old VWs she enjoys tinkering with. OK OK, I can't overhaul a transmission, but I can certainly handle a routine tune-up or some such on my own. Geez!

Anyway, I looked at the Mazda, and guess we can scratch it from the list. Call it a gut instinct, but it had the look of a truck that hasn't been LOVED! The paint and aluminum wheels were quite oxydized, and it had various dings and scratches that did not suggest a vehicle that has been well-cared-for. Also, the pedal pulses badly upon braking ... it needs at least new pads, perhaps rotors. The seller said his wife drove it to work until she changed jobs and became a mail carrier, whereupon it wasn't big enough to haul her mail trays. I suspect she actually used it to deliver mail until the brakes started to go, whereupon they decided to dump it!

They would only come down to $7000 on the price, claiming they owe $7200, which may well be the case ... they bought it a year ago from a dealership in Traverse City.

Oh well ... live and learn, I guess!

I hit a couple dealerships on the way home ... found a nice-looking '03 Ranger XL on a lot in Lake City. Very nice ... no dings or dents, minimal scratches and stone chips ... even the bedliner showed only a few small signs of wear. Probably a chick's truck, or somebody's toy ... although it had 73,000 miles on it ... and, coming from a dealership, the price probably will be outrageous ... but I will go take a look tomorrow, and see what I can find out!

The ex is letting me use his car in the interim, so I can afford to be a bit picky ...

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

OTOH - maintenance costs 'until it dies' and how long 'until it dies' applies.

[QUOTE=willow_girl]OMG, that is SO true!!!
One thing that depresses me about buying a new(er) vehicle NOW is that I'll have to use it for testing for at least 2 more months ... which will pretty much wreck it ... GRRRR!

Unless, as you say, I keep all my equipment in the back ...

The truck I'm looking at doesn't have a topper or tonneau cover ... not sure if I'd invest in one, as I don't think I'd need it over the long-term ... but I do keep my equipment in plastic storage tubs, and those could be tied down in the bed
...[QUOTE=willow_girl]

May I also throw this in there. If you are moving to PA from the UP you are no stranger to snow. And believe me(I only drive pickups till this last purchase),
you will love to have that topper on the back of the little truck. Not only does it keep the back able to be used for storage all year, but it also keeps the truck on the road with the extra weight over those 4x2 back tires.

Agreed!

But it's still necessary to sort out whether a car has a high resale value because it's especially trouble-free, or simply rare and/or popular ... for instance, the new Beetle!

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

I won't own a car so I do not even figure them into my conversations. I had a couple, but they just fall apart, are too close to the ground, and feel cheap.

Toyota trucks are all over up here. Cheap no, but they rarely need anything. I have had mine for 8 years and have not even put hoses or belts on it.

Toyota = Change oil, drive wheels off. 95 Tacoma.

Somewhere along the line Ford & GM really missed the boat. I cast my vote in the "get a Toyota" category.

Actually, I'm a troll ... (I live under the bridge ... the Mackinac Bridge, to be exact, i.e., in the Lower Peninsula!). Down here, we tend to forget the U.P. is even PART of Michigan ... LOL

That said, I'm not sure about the topper ... I guess it would be OK as long as I wasn't hauling hay! I had to take the topper off my big truck in order to fetch round bales ...

I had a snap-on tonneau cover on the Ranger I had previously ... which was handy, albeit a bit difficult to get on and off in cold weather! The Ranger I looked at today had the same ...

My ex (#2) had the type of tonneau cover that's mounted on an aluminum frame, and lifts up like a lid ... much better than the snap-on, IMO, although I believe it was quite a bit more expensive.

I will certainly keep an eye out for a Toyota, although I didn't see one on any of the lots I visited today, and there are none advertised in the paper!

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.