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Sweet Oil-Burner: 1984 Mazda B2200 Diesel

I’m going to be known as the small truck guy before too long, if it isn’t already too late. Here’s another little gem, or without too much work it could be a gem. It’s a 1984 Mazda B2200 diesel pickup and it’s located in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. The seller has it listed on eBay and the current bid price is $850, but of course the reserve isn’t met.

I absolutely love these small trucks, they really would work for what 90% of the population needs for hauling duties 90% of the time. The other 10% actually pull horse, boat, or big camping trailers or they need to haul some serious stuff. That isn’t what most of us do. People love their giant pickups, though, and they love sitting above everyone else. I don’t like driving huge vehicles but I know that I’m in the vast minority on that. The seller bought “this beauty of a truck off of a friend who bought it off of the grandson of the original owner.  He, an elderly gentleman, used it to run around on his farm before storing it in his barn for many years (hence the low mileage and good cosmetic condition).”

The seller lists the good, the bad, and the ugly on this little diesel truck. And while we’re at it, they have provided some pretty good photos, so thanks for that, seller. I’m a frosting-last guy so I always like to wade through the “filler” (cake) first. The ugly that the seller mentions is that the windshield has a crack in it and also the “plastic bumpers on the sides have cracked and degraded over time.” The bad is a small brake fluid leak and also a small coolant leak – hopefully both of those are fixable without too much expense. Also, the exhaust rearward of the catalytic converter recently rusted off and also the key locks are a bit slow and clunky. The bed looks well-used but in decent condition at the same time.

The interior isn’t listed as one of the good parts, but it sure should have been. I see a tiny crack in the most maddeningly-predictable part of the dash top to always show a crack, in the speaker hole area. Arrrrggg.. But, wow, other than that this is one great looking place to spend some time while you’re chugging along listening to that sweet little oil-burner under the hood.

Speaking of that, they say that for “the past two years this truck has been my daily driver for a short commute and has never failed to start up with the first turn of the key. The diesel engine runs like a champ.” This is Mazda’s, or rather it’s a Perkins-made-for-Mazda 2.2L inline-four diesel and they had 60 hp on a good day. Here is a YouTube video of another Mazda B2200 diesel pickup, not this one, just to hear what it sounds like. The seller mentions that it also comes “with an old CB radio (picture 9) and exterior antenna on the roof (picture 10). I have not tested the CB radio.” I can’t really think of a genre that interests me more at the moment then these small, unusual pickups, preferably with a manual transmission and a diesel would be a bonus, just for the unusual factor.

Comments

  1. Avatar Gasser Man

    “The exhaust rearward of the catalytic converter recently rusted off.”
    A 1984 model diesel with a catalytic converter?

    Like 0
  2. Avatar chad

    luv: the perkins! no puter, line pump…
    long bed (isn’t it?) too,
    also B4 they (all the imports) lost the exterior bed tie downs.

    BUT, there’s reason they went to the extended cabs.
    My US 1 has more hip/shoulder rm too (’77 bronco).

    Like it, thanks for da article/pic!

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Kevin Lee

    Brings back memories of my company truck, which looked about this year, but was tan. I pissed people off on a daily basis because it had the mobile phone( very high tech at the time)and every time the phone rang, the horn would honk. If I got a call at a red light and someone was in front of me, they probably thought I was an impatient douchebag and would flip me off! Great little truck though, lol!

    Like 0
    • Avatar David Ulrey

      Ironic except the phone/horn situation. I had a tan Mazda diesel truck as a company truck too. No speed demon but really great mileage. That’s probably the two main reasons they bought them as company trucks. Lol

      Like 0
  4. HoA Rube Goldberg Member

    No mention, unless I missed it, this is the same as a Courier. Again, I thought Mazda was the best Asian vehicle, possibly because of it’s affiliation with Ford, but also again, no use for the diesel. Up to almost $2100, so somebody wants it. A gas job, it would be mine, but it also probably would be gone already if it was.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Gay Seattle Car Nut

    I remember when the compact pickup truck was commonplace. I was too young at the time to drive, but I remember trucks like the Toyota Pickup truck, the Chevy Luv, the Mazda B Series (Ford Courier), the Datsun truck. I remember the first time I heard about a diesel powered compact truck. I was quite curious. I’d heard of Mercedes-Benz Diesel cars, trucks, vans, and buses, but to see a diesel powered compact truck in the USA would be something interesting. Sadly, the diesel engine powered compact truck never lasted on the market for very long. Disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how I felt at the time.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Roger

      My wife’s uncle owned one of these but in sand beige color with a camper top on it,it was given to one of his nephews after his passing but don’t know if he still owns it,my dad used to brag about the Perkins diesel engine,having ran one in a crane on his job with the railroad.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar Gay Seattle Car Nut

    I’ve only seen two of these Mazda Diesel trucks.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Jonathan Lynch

    I ended up buying this truck about 2 years ago and absolutely love it.

    Like 2

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