"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
06/11/2014 at 06:30 • Filed to: None | 9 | 6 |
(EDIT): This is the truck that I drove FOREVER. This pic was added to alleviate some confusion.
My first vehicle was a Mazda B2000, two liters of rip-roaring fun in a compact truck package. That little truck taught me how to drive a slow vehicle fast and with the help of the gravel roads in rural Oklahoma, I learned to drift before drifting was a thing.
This is what I drove first, not what I owned the longest. (hat tip to Seattle's Parked Cars !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
The poor Mazda suffered an untimely death when it was used to t-bone a car whose driver had foolishly chosen to ignore a stop sign. Fortunately, the Mazda gave its life so others may live and a trip to the hospital was avoided by all.
Since I was still in college at the time of the little Mazda's demise, Mom came to the rescue with the gift of a Subaru GL. It rolled. It got me from home to school and back again. But it had non panache. It didn't even have four wheel drive. So, while the wheels were appreciated, the package they came on was not.
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I was Texas born and bred (9 generations!), so I knew that at the first opportunity, the wagon must be replaced by a truck. But not just any truck! This was to be my opportunity to fix the two biggest problems with the little Mazda - not enough cab space and not enough power!
The deal to replace the GL came about two years later. The GL had finally reached the point where repairs were going to cost more than the value of the car, so I bit the bullet and went shopping. A little brand loyalty and a great price led me to a new (to me) 1994 Mazda B3000. I bought it two years used and got a great deal.
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This truck was a big upgrade over the little B2000. The B2000 made all of 72 horsepower. The B3000 doubled it to 145. Compared to the old truck, this thing could haul! But the biggest upgrade was the interior space. With an extended cab, everything that had to go under a tarp in the old truck fit in the back of the cab. It may not seem like much, but this was so much better that it's hard to describe.
Every truck deserves to be loaded with dirt at least once.
I really enjoyed the power accessories. That is, until they broke. I suffered through two summers with windows that wouldn't roll down and an a/c that wouldn't cool. I was fortunate that the rear window would open and both quarters would pop out. They provided just enough air to make it tolerable for short trips. The situation also helped to keep the mileage down since it was more comfortable to commute by bike. When I finally moved too far from work to commute by bike, I broke down and replaced the a/c compressor. The window repairs were made later when I moved to a new state where it wouldn't pass inspection without functioning windows. Both projects improved my skills as a mechanic.
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On the mechanical side, my little B3000 has held together quite well. The engine is still going strong with nothing but basic maintenance (oil, filters, plugs) for 268,000 miles. Clutches last about 125,000 miles, so it's on its third. The transmission was rebuilt at 130,000 when an inspection plug failed and fifth gear flung most of the fluid out the port. On rebuild, the mechanic replaced it with a freeze plug so it wouldn't happen again. I've either replaced or had replaced most of the major wear points - brakes, bearings, tie-rod ends, ball joints, etc. I installed a new radiator, water pump and hoses last year.
My truck left me stranded exactly three times. The first was a dead battery. That was the day I learned that you can't bump-start a truck with fuel injection. Both the second and third were caused by dead distributors. The pinion gear is softer than the camshaft gear and will break after a time. I thought I learned a lesson when it happened the first time, but the second time proved me wrong.
I have driven my truck both on and off road, used it to move myself and my belongings six times in three different states, used it to haul stuff for me, for friends, and for family, used it to commute, filled it with dirt, rocks and sand (more times than I can remember), used it to haul kids, used it to haul bikes, drifted it, and wrecked it (more than once - not always my fault). I used it to pull a U-Haul and I used it to pull four-wheelers. It's climbed a mountain. It's dipped its wheels in the ocean. It's been on every kind of road in between. In short, it's been used like it was meant to be - like a truck.
If you made it this far, you must be asking why I'm posting this now. It's because the poor little truck has finally been replaced. It isn't gone just yet, but has been relegated to bike hauling, dirt-hauling, and camping duties until we sell it. In the meantime, I am using this opportunity to teach my son how to turn some wrenches. He learned how to change the oil last weekend. Wash and wax was the week before. Next up is cleaning the interior and changing the plugs. It could really use a new steering box and there is a slow leak in the a/c...
If you are wondering what is replacing it, that story will be coming soon.
jkm7680
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/11/2014 at 06:41 | 1 |
Nice write up! I enjoyed the read!
thebigbossyboss
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/11/2014 at 08:41 | 0 |
Cool. I have decided to keep my car a while too, even if no longer my primary vehicle. I am at 183,700 kms right now so about 114,000 miles.
E92M3
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/11/2014 at 09:50 | 0 |
Props to you! You definitely got your moneys worth. I can't do that myself. I get bored every 3 or 4 years, and get consumed by the hunt for a replacement. Technology leaps don't help.
TheRealBicycleBuck
> E92M3
06/11/2014 at 10:23 | 0 |
Thanks. It helped that the market shifted and every small truck that I tried fell short of my truck in at least one category. The biggest technologies that my truck didn't have were cruise control and bluetooth connection to my phone - both of which could be added if I really needed them.
E92M3
> TheRealBicycleBuck
06/11/2014 at 10:28 | 0 |
I never use cruise control if that helps. About the only time I would of used it was driving across Kansas, but I was in a Uhaul that didn't have it anyway.
TheRealBicycleBuck
> E92M3
06/11/2014 at 11:08 | 0 |
When my daily commute was 80 miles one-way, I desperately wanted cruise. I also dreamed of it during the 9-hour road trips to visit family. You are right, though. Now that my new vehicle has it and my commute is significantly shorter, the only time I cruise is on long trips in my wife's SUV with the family.