Junkyard Gem: 1987 Mazda B2000

Mazda began selling its B-Series pickups in the United States in 1971, badged as the B1600 (it was known as the Proceed in its homeland). We came to know this small pickup much better when Ford began selling it with Courier badges in the following year, and the Courier remained available here all the way through 1982 (after which it was replaced by the Ranger). All that time, Mazda was selling the B-Series with its own badges in the United States, and this sturdy little pickup was available here through 1994. Here’s one of the last of the B2000s, found in a Colorado self-service yard recently.

Mazda badged its U.S.-market B-Series trucks with “B” followed by the engine displacement (except in the case of the rotary-powered REPU). A B2600 with Mitsubishi Astron engine showed up here as a 1986 model, with a 2.2-liter Mazda four-cylinder appearing for 1987.

That gave American Mazda truck shoppers three engines to choose from in 1987, plus two cab types, two bed lengths and a choice of rear- or four-wheel-drive.

This being a B2000 Cab Plus with rear-wheel-drive, its MSRP was $7,995 (about $22,076 in 2023 dollars).

The little folding seats in the Cab Plus weren’t comfortable, but they were useful for storage.

This truck has the base five-speed manual.

It traveled just shy of 160,000 miles during its life.

It appears to have started out in Olathe, Kansas, which is near Kansas City and about 600 miles east of Denver.

During 1994, Mazda stopped importing its own pickups here and began selling rebadged Ford Rangers with B-Series badging. This made about as much sense as the Mazda-badged Ford Explorer.

James Garner claimed that two adults could fit in the Cab Plus rear seats. James Garner was 6-foot-3.

Take that, Toyota!