There was a time when buying a pickup that was loaded with style and considered quite “choice” for the era didn’t require having four wheel drive. We often think that the most desirable pickup trucks must have the raised stance that comes with a 4×4 configuration, but in the 80s and early 90s, a low-riding pickup was the bee’s knees. I don’t believe Mazda was trying to appeal to the lowrider crowd with the B-Series pickup, but it certainly didn’t hurt that a truck like this 1989 B2200 here on eBay looked as good as it did sitting on white-letter radials with wagon wheels and a slick decal kit.
We talk often on these pages about how easy it used to be to buy an affordable, compact pickup truck in the country, and how recent arrivals like the Ford Maverick are hopefully signs of what is to come in the entry-level truck world. The crazy thing is you used to have your pick of affordable, 2WD trucks before it became more compelling among manufacturers to build a truck loaded to the hilt with options and tech and then charge $85,000 for it. The Mazda B-Series shown here will likely see as much off-road use as those behemoths with a near-bulletproof drivetrain and none of the frills. True, you have to be content with wind-up windows and no navigation system, but isn’t that what pickups are supposed to be about anyway?
The Mazda is one of my favorite 80s-era pickups, and for a short period of time, I tried desperately to buy one of its primary competitors, the Mitsubishi Mighty Max. There was a single cab, 2WD pickup in my old neighborhood that I thought would make for a fun mini-truck project, built in accordance with peak-90s modifications and a “slammed” stance, but I could never get the negligent owner to part with it. It’s probably a good thing it didn’t materialize as I would have been quickly out of my depths. One of the Big reasons this Mazda has remained in such tidy condition is due to the automatic transmission: it may be less fun, but it also almost always ensures less abuse.
Up to 1988, Mazda used a Mitsubishi-provided engine to power its 2.6L B2600 pickups, but went back to supplying its own engines beginning in 1989. The smaller 2.2L engine as found in this truck was always a Mazda unit and generally seen as being quite robust. The 2.6 was found in the near-impossible to find 4WD versions, and one of my biggest automotive regrets is not rescuing a red 2600i slated for a date with a military tank at a facility that destroyed old vehicles for sport. The Mazda didn’t have a title, which normally wasn’t an issue for me except when it came to vehicles I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy (and would thus need to sell quickly in the event that I didn’t.) Regardless, if you find a vintage Mazda pickup in good shape with the original decal kit in place, it’s worthy of a closer look as they’ve become quite hard to find.
This is unbelievably clean. Very well preserved. And most likely because as Jeff brought out, the automatic has something to do with it. This is in amazing condition. Like the author, I always wanted a Mitsubishi pickup from the same era, but I would have been very happy with one of these from Mazda as well. Very nice.
Nice little trucks.. the manual transmission versions shifted so beautifully đŸ‘Œ
I had a red B2200 with the same stripes and white wagon wheels as this truck. It was a single cab, 5 speed version and I loved it. The 5 speed i I believe came from the RX7 and shifted beautifully. The truck was super reliable and smooth for a basic entry level truck. Rust was the death for many of these in the Mid-Atlantic and further north regions. Unfortunately, while the mechanical bits were strong, the tin worm was devouring the suspension and chassis.
Always found these to be rather ugly. The 2nd gen rangers/mazda blew these away
Nice survivor truck. I really don’t recall many Mazda trucks in my region during the late ’80s. Market was getting flooded with Toyota and Nissan. Ford and GM had theirs too, but that was a slightly different market. Mazda had a hard act to follow in the compact sport truck market after they stop printing REPU on the tailgates. I have to wonder how things could have been if Mazda produced the REPU during the “SCCA RaceTruck Challenge”, which ran from 1987 to 1991. Jeep certainly left their mark on that series.
The box isn’t even scratched and dented nice truck for the money.
I had a 1988 Mazda 626 Sedan, and I remember something about Consumer Reports at the time slamming Mazda’s automatic transmissions. Which was why I got mine with a manual.
I had one just like this one, but mine was a 5 speed. Bought it with 49K miles and got rid of it at 250K. Only because the head gasket was leaking and car seat wouldn’t fit. It served me well when I was a volunteer EMT. Plenty of room for my gear and it never failed to start. No matter the weather.
I have a dear ‘older” friend that has one that he bought brand new. And it is prettier than this one. (Also an automatic transmission) I was working at a Toyota/Mazda/BMW store and had one of these for a demo. IT WAS SLOW! 3rd, 4th, or 5th gear, the same top end. I got my only speeding ticket from the Nevada Highway Patrol (notice I said from the NHP as I can’t say that for several other states) in one of these. As I was so used to driving with the foot on the floor (remember in my instance these had even less horsepower at my 4,000+ feet in elevation) that I failed to lift coming over and down a hill. He got me at the bottom of the hill at 75 in a 55 zone. However, despite the lack of horsepower, the suspensions, steering and gearbox is brutally strong and beefy. Mazda loaned a couple to SCCA for pro-rally layout/setup. I was on the organizing committee for the Carson City Intl. Pro-Rally and that truck with only a roll bar in the bed for protection (I almost had to use it a couple of times) got the hell beat out of it and never whimpered. Unbelievable tough truck.
Just seeing one of these (which is rarer all the time) brings back a flood of great memories for me. I had an ’88 Mazda B2200 Cab Plus that we bought new to get me through college. It was white and wine 2 tone, 5 speed, wine interior with the really popular little fold down seats. The wheels were this style but chromed, which really looked sharp with the raised white letter tires. It was a tough little guy that I’d move everything I had in it each semester: clothes, stereo, speaker, cube ‘fridge, comforter, the works. It unfortunately made me very “popular” every semester when a friend needed help moving to a new apartment, etc… but it did get me some home made meals, too, for helping. There’s not many parts of growing up that I’d gladly go back to, but these times, I would in a heart beat. I’m just glad to see this little survivor is out there for its next owner. Maybe it’ll be a young guy getting his start in the world, too.
w/the ‘king cab’ and reliability (Chrysler sure liked them/rebadged it) Toy had no singular claim. Toy, Mitsu and Nissan/datsun were the big 3 of Japan (honda right ‘in there’ too) for me. This appears to have the ‘long bed’ too (86 – 93 inch rather than 73 inch ‘short bed’) another plus for street truck (not the 4WD, short needed for maneuvering). Two pluses: getting further from the peddles/steer wheel (space out of bed for safe storage of chain saw/others) and more haul room. I’ll take one in 2WD (automatic) one in short bed 4WD (5 speed), aahahaha
Chrysler re-badged the Mitsubishi, not the Mazda. It was the Dodge D-50.
Dodge D-50 for ’79-80 only, then Ram 50 from ’81-94.
Ford rebadged the prior two generations of Mazda pickup as the Courier, but skipped this generation to field their own Ranger instead. Then the Mazda B-series generation after this became a rebadged Ranger, at least in the US market.
When I first saw this, I thought it might be the re-badged Ford Ranger that Mazda used to sell, but, no, it’s smaller than that, closer in size to a Toyota SR-5 Sport Truck! A good, clean example of an almost extinct species! GLWTS!
The Mazda version of the Ranger was also called the B-series pickup, but was sold from 1994 to 2009, hence the confusion! Source: Wikipedia.
No it was not a mazda version of the ranger. It was a ford badged mazda.
I had a single cab B2200 LX,and it was a nice truck,but had no power.Our Son drove it to McKinleyville,CA,& got pulled over by a Humboldt State –
University cop for doing 78 miles per hour! I still have no idea why he was
on the freeway.
A few days later I drove it to Fortuna,& on the straight,flat freeway by
College of the Redwoods,I had my foot to the floor,& it would only do 70.
I called the cops supervisor & told him that.
A few days later I got a call from the Supervisor informing me that
that charge for speeding was dropped.That was a good thing,because our Son had reported for duty in the Navy.
One cool thing about these is that they have a torsion bar front
suspension,& you can raise it up to look like a 4WD.
I sold a 87 standard cab manual with 220k miles on it for $2500 bucks back in the early 90s that turned out to be a weird one because about two months after I sold it to the lady I was contacted by the local police because her and the truck were reported missing. Never did hear if they found her or not.
Had one of these trucks and put 2100 pounds of rocks in it. Steering was light but the bed and the cab gap did not move at all the gap was perfect.
Neighbor at my last house had this identical pickup. Must’ve been a stick though. Apparently the parking brake was for decoration only.. he would jump out and jam a stone under the wheel when he arrived home every night. Well, not every night I guess. I recall at least twice heading to work in the morning and seeing the blue pickup down the road in a different neighbors yard!
Too bad that these little trucks have been all but eliminated from our choices at the dealerships.
I had one of the i2600 4 x 4 models. I’ve owned a ton of vehicles but that one was one of my favorites.
A/C that would freeze your butt off.
If the Wikipedia article is to be believed, apparently the Mazda-engined B2600i was available in 4×2 configuration as well as 4×4, whereas the prior Mitsubishi-engined B2600 was only available as a 4×4.
Ended with no takers at the $7,500 asking price.