If you walk onto the lot at a Mazda dealership in 2021, there’s a good chance that you’re not going to see a single sign of the Mazda B4000. It’s been more than a decade now since Mazda sold its last B4000. In fact, you’re probably not going to see any Mazda pickup trucks anywhere on a Mazda lot. Although Mazda sells pickups in other parts of the world, it’s been a long time now since they stopped selling them in the U.S. There are still a decent number of Mazda B4000 pickups out on the road today, though. Let’s take a few minutes to learn about the Mazda B4000 and what it brought to the table back in its heyday.
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
When Was the Mazda B4000 First Released?
While Mazda might not sell pickup trucks in the U.S. anymore, the Japanese company actually spent quite a bit of time selling them throughout the second half of the 1900s and into the 2000s. Way back in the early 1970s, the very first Mazda B-Series pickup trucks were introduced to the U.S. market. They became very popular due in large part to the fact that they were smaller and more fuel-efficient than many of the American-made pickup trucks at the time. They were also the only pickup trucks that featured rotary engines in them back in the 1970s.
As time went on, Mazda continued to build upon their early success with their B-Series pickup trucks, and while they were never as popular as the trucks produced by Toyota and Nissan, they sold a lot better than most people expected. Midway through the 1980s, Mazda was selling about 120,000 trucks each year. That led to the company sinking more than $100 million into designing and developing B-Series trucks that were better equipped for those in the U.S. market throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Mazda also formed a long-standing partnership with Ford in the early 1990s that led to the creation of the Mazda B4000. This partnership allowed Mazda to use the Ford Ranger as inspiration for the Mazda B4000, which they built at a Ford plant located in Minnesota and released to the world for the first time in 1994. The Mazda B4000 was the first Mazda pickup available with a six-cylinder engine in it, and it ushered in a new era for Mazda as far as pickups were concerned. The Mazda B4000 would enjoy a run that lasted for almost two decades before everything was all said and done.
How Long Did the Mazda B4000 Last?
There was nothing particularly stunning about the Mazda B4000 when it was first released. It was a relatively simple and straightforward pickup truck that didn’t have a lot of the bells and whistles found in other pickups at the time. But due in large part to Mazda’s working relationship with Ford, it enjoyed a lot of success. Thousands of people continued to purchase the Mazda B4000 year after year.
But that started to come to an end towards the late 1990s and early 2000s, which eventually led to the demise of the Mazda B4000. For one reason or another, people stopped purchasing Mazda B4000s during this time period. While more than 40,000 Mazda B4000s were sold in 1998, that number dropped all the way down to just over 1,000 in 2008. Mazda didn’t do much to improve upon the Mazda B4000, and eventually, it led to them pulling the plug on it in 2009. This was the last year that the Mazda B4000 was released in the U.S.
Was the Mazda B4000 a Clone of the Ford Ranger?
If you look at any of the Mazda B4000s released between 1994 and 2009 and you look at the Ford Rangers released during the same years, you’ll notice something: They look almost exactly the same! The Mazda B4000, of course, has Mazda badges all over it that make it look slightly different than the Ford Ranger. But outside of that, it would appear as though the Mazda B4000 is a clone of the Ford Ranger.
There is a reason for that. As we alluded to earlier, Mazda and Ford formed a partnership throughout much of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s that allowed for Mazda to use the Ford Ranger platform when piecing together its Mazda B4000. And that led to the Mazda B4000 looking the same as the Ford Ranger on both the inside and outside. If you were to look at one or the other without any badges on them, you might actually mistake a Mazda B4000 for a Ford Ranger or vice versa.
This could be a big part of the reason why the Mazda B4000 didn’t stick around longer than it did. Mazda sort of got locked into using the Ford Ranger for their Mazda B4000 over and over again, and it stunted the growth of the model. By the end of its run, people were no longer looking forward to what it had to offer. It was consistently mediocre and wasn’t able to keep up with what other pickup trucks had to offer.
What Kind of Engine Did the Mazda B4000 Have in It?
If you were to purchase a Mazda B4000 back in the 1990s or the 2000s, it would more often than not come with a 4.0-liter V6 engine in it. This was a big draw for those looking for a little pickup truck that packed a lot of power. But this also wasn’t the only engine that was found in the Mazda B4000 from 1994 through 2009.
For those who didn’t mind getting a little bit less power from their truck, they could also go with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3.0-liter V6 engine. It was up to those purchasing a Mazda B4000 pickup to pick which engine would work best for their specific needs.
What Kind of Transmission Did the Mazda B4000 Have in It?
Back when the Mazda B4000 was first released, most of the pickup trucks out on the road had manual transmissions in them. And the Mazda B4000 was no different. The base Mazda B4000 came with a five-speed manual transmission in it.
Over time, Mazda continued to produce Mazda B4000s that mostly had manual transmissions in them. But if you look hard enough, you can find some later models that had automatic transmissions in them. A lot of the Mazda B4000 pickups that are hitting the used car market these days continue to have manual transmissions in them, though, which shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider their age.
Did the Mazda B4000 Get Good Gas Mileage?
We spoke earlier about how fuel efficiency was one of the main reasons why the Mazda B-Series pickup trucks grew in popularity in the U.S. when it was first released. The oil crisis that took place in the 1970s in this country motivated many people to consider how much gas their cars and pickup trucks were burning through, which is what enticed some of them to consider going with something like a small Mazda pickup truck.
But with that being said, the Mazda B4000 was never a pickup truck that was particularly good when it came to gas. Like a lot of other pickup trucks released during its peak, it didn’t provide people with the same kind of gas mileage they could get from small cars. When a Mazda B4000 had a 4.0-liter V6 engine in it and a manual transmission, it only managed to get about 14 mpg in the city and about 17 mpg on the highway. That went up to 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway when a Mazda B4000 was equipped with a four-cylinder engine and a manual gearbox. But even then, the Mazda B4000’s fuel economy was never really anything to write home about.
What Were Some of the Most Common Problems With the Mazda B4000?
There weren’t any major problems reported with the Mazda B4000 over the course of its run. It was able to enjoy such a long run, in part, because of this lack of mechanical issues. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some problems with the Mazda B4000 that were more common than others. Even today, there are some problems that people continue to harp on when it comes to the Mazda B4000.
If you had or still have a Mazda B4000, you may have noticed some of these issues. Here are several of the most common Mazda B4000 problems that have been reported over the years:
- Rough running idle with both the ABS light and check engine light on
- Engine cranks but doesn’t start
- Runs poorly with check engine light turning on and off at various times
As you can see, none of these problems were necessarily deal breakers. But it’s worth noting that you might have to work your way around these types of problems if you choose to invest in a used Mazda B4000 today.
Was the Mazda B4000 a Reliable Pickup Truck?
The Mazda B4000 was never going to be the flashiest pickup truck out on the road. It wasn’t designed to catch people’s eyes and amaze them. But the Mazda B4000 was one of the most reliable pickup trucks that Mazda ever released to the world. One report found that it was one of the most reliable models in the Mazda lineup for a time. This meant that you could depend on it when you invested in a Mazda B4000.
Compared to a lot of the pickup trucks that have been released since then, the Mazda B4000 is no longer a beacon of reliability. But if you happen to still own a Mazda B4000 in 2021, you can probably still count on it to get you from point A to point B without a problem. You also don’t have to be too concerned about paying a small fortune when you experience issues with it. The simple design of the Mazda B4000 has made it easy for people to maintain and service it when necessary.
Why Doesn’t Mazda Offer the B4000 in the U.S. Anymore?
Once upon a time, Mazda didn’t have any trouble convincing people to buy into the Mazda B4000 craze. Americans really appreciated everything the Mazda B4000 had to offer back in the day. But a lot of those warm and fuzzy feelings started to go away sometime around the turn of the century. People no longer wanted what Mazda had to offer when it came to the B4000.
That’s not to say that people in other parts of the world haven’t continued to snatch up Mazda pickup trucks. They remain popular in some other pockets of the planet. But for now, it doesn’t appear as though Mazda is going to make a return to the U.S. market with pickup trucks anytime soon. So the remaining Mazda B4000 trucks that are out on the road might be all that’s left of Mazda’s nice run in this country.
How Much Is a Mazda B4000 Worth Today?
Are you still hanging onto an old Mazda B4000? If so, you might be wondering what it’s worth. It really all depends on what year it’s from, what kind of condition that it’s in, and what you’ve done to maintain it. That is going to determine whether or not anyone will buy it from you.
If you have a Mazda B4000 that’s still in pretty decent shape, you might want to think about trying to sell it to a private buyer. There are some Mazda enthusiasts who will gladly take it off your hands. But if your Mazda B4000 isn’t in the best shape possible, you may still have options if you want to sell it. A company like Cash Cars Buyer would be happy to purchase your Mazda B4000 from you and pay you top dollar for it.
Want to know what your Mazda B4000 might be worth in the current market? We can let you know as soon as you provide us with some more details on it. Contact us today to see what we would be willing to pay you for your old Mazda B4000.