Hi there. I am looking to buy a mid-sized pickup. To me the Mazdas and Ford Rangers are a perfect sized pickup. I am aware that Ford took over production of Mazda (at least the pickups ) in 1994.
I have heard a few opinions highly favoring the pre Ford -made Mazdas. I am inclined to believe them since overall Japanese made vehicles have a superior reputation than Ford.
But i am looking for the facts. Was there a big change in engineering and/or quality when Ford took over? What are the differences? Obviously with the older truck there will be parts that need replacing, but are they better vehicles overall?
Thanks for any help.

 

Everything changed in 1994 when the Madza trucks rolled off the Ford lines, simply re-badged. The 1986-1993 were completely different, and Japanese-made like you said. Those types were (maybe are?) sold many years still in most other parts of the world. US needed to switch to R134a refrigerant and mid-1990s to air bags, etc. Japanese-made Cab Plus had front-facing rear seats (why I bought my '88 in 1994, which I still drive every day); 1994 on have sideways rear jump seats. So what's wrong with older Japanese-made B2200? Just like all other vehicles, there are strong and weak areas, due to age mostly. They do seem to last forever; typical "weaker" areas seem to be ignition switch electrical part, and brake and clutch master cylinders (buy replacement ones with lifetime warranty), and some smoke a little bit or have valve ticking at first start up. The carbureted ones have complex carbs (most replace those with Webers if emissions laws allow it when they go bad, some are fuel injected though). The heating and cooling work really well, they shift nice. Over 70 mph I hear some wind noise. The fuel tank sender in the fuel tank often needs to be cleaned and the little contact arm bent over to restore operation (unbolt one side of the bed and tilt up for access).I findmine to be a good reliable truck, routinely use it to travel 100 miles away or more. 1990s Ford Rangers and associated "Mazdas" used spring-lock AC connectors, not one of Ford's better ideas, and those AC systems were prone to "black death" due to teflon coated pistons. I still use R-12 in my '88 B2200.

 

Probably the biggest complaint on the 93 and older B2200s and B2000s are lifter tick, although the B2000s came from the factory with mechanical lifters and usually didn't tick unless they where out of adjustment. Many people convert their B2200s to the mechanical ones to get rid of the annoying tick when their hydraulic lash adjustors fail. The B2600s are almost the same truck except they have a beefier frame and drivetrain, obviously they have a 2.6l engine instead of the smaller 2.0 or 2.2. There are not to many interchange parts known for those though but seem to be just as reliable as the other models of similar years.