PennSilverTaco's non-Toyota Japanese (and Korean) vehicle Rant/Rave MegaThread!

Did they at least have A/C? This blue one doesn't have A/C...

 

Manual or autotragic?

 

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@wilcam47

My dad owned two Mazda B-series pickups during my childhood, a 1986 B2000 from 1990 to 1992 and a 1990 B2600i from 1998 to 2000, and these trucks will always hold a special place in my heart. This is a 1993 Mazda B2600i 2WD with the mid-level SE-5 trim. My dad's 1990 was an LE-5, which was the top trim available. The only real difference between the SE-5 and the LE-5 is that the LE-5 had a chrome rear bumper and chrome trim, and possibly somewhat nicer interior upholstery. My dad's 1990 was an LE-5. If you are buying a B2600, 1990 to 1993 is the cream of the crop because those years had a Mazda engine with electronic fuel injection (hence why for the final four years of production, it was called a B2600i). This generation debuted for MY1986, and the B2600 first became available for the 1987 model year; 1987, 1988, and 1989 had a carbureted Mitsubishi-sourced 2.6L 4-banger. This same engine was used in numerous Chrysler products through the 1980s, and it was reliable if you maintained it, but far from being the best engine and woefully underpowered. This red truck, being a 1993, obviously has the more powerful and far more dependable (in my opinion) Mazda EFI motor. Also, I believe that the 2.6L was only available on 4x4 models until 1990. My dad's 1990 LE-5 was a 4x4, but this one is clearly a 2WD.

My dad's 1990 Mazda B2600i had A/C, which was still charged with R-12 and fully operational when my dad bought the truck from the original owner, and never once had to be serviced in the less than two years that we owned it. We were living in Virginia Beach during the time we owned the truck, and the summer of 1999 was brutal. Parts of the Northeast were in a drought. That Mazda leaked oil, had a rear bumper that was almost rusted through (it was purchased new in Illinois), and had numerous other annoying little issues, but the A/C kicked ass!

A quick glance through the window revealed that this red truck does NOT have A/C. The LE-5 trim was considered "luxury", but A/C was an extra-cost option across the board. I have seen LE-5s without A/C, including one that had a fairly rare automatic transmission (my dad's was a 5-speed), and base models and SE-5s with A/C. I believe the LE-5 first came out in 1989, and the top trim in 1987 and 1988 was the LX. So yeah, the various trim levels were little more than appearance packages, with the ability to either order A/C from the factory or have it installed at the dealer. It is actually not hard to add A/C to one of these trucks. One feature that took years to become standard on the Tacoma, intermittent wipers, was standard on the B-series from 1986 onward. No-frills models didn't have a radio at all, but most had a bare minimum of an AM/FM radio. My dad can't remember what radio the 1986 B2000 had, but the 1990 had a factory stereo cassette. This red truck had a newer CD player with Bluetooth and an AUX input. Cruise control was optional according to a 1980s brochure, but my dad's 1990 actually had aftermarket cruise control. Stuff like power steering, power brakes, and even a rear bumper were extra-cost, but even 1986-1993 B-series trucks without A/C that I have seen tend to be very well equipped otherwise. Given how little rust this truck has, I would venture to guess that it was either garaged most of its life or not from Pennsylvania. The lack of air-conditioning is confusing though, as it likely did not come from Texas or anywhere down south. California or somewhere in the Pacific Northwest is a definite possibility...


February 18th, 2023:

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

 

The Mazda and Nissan trucks from that era were great truck.
My uncle had a 1993 2WD Nissan truck.
Great litter truck.

 

That’s a rare find with no rust. Cool trucks.

 

@PennSilverTaco I saw one of these today.



Didn’t get an actual pic, but the thing was immaculate. Haven’t seen one that nice in years.

 

I saw a JDM one exactly like that at the Carlisle Import Nationals last year. Unfortunately, it had an autotragic transmission...

 

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO MR


March 25th, 2023:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

 

1992 Nissan Skyline


March 25th, 2023:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

 

Unless it's a pre-1994 B-series or a Miata, I am generally not a huge fan of US-spec Mazda vehicles, but this rugged-looking Mazda CX-50 looks pretty cool in my opinion!


March 25th, 2023:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

 

Back when I had my non-Toyota Japanese vehicles threads, I had had the divided up by Honda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan. I was considering doing a Hyundai/Kia "Korean car" one, but I didn't see enough older Korean vehicles to justify it. There is a red Hyundai Scoupe in here somewhere, but I rarely see any Hyundais or Kias in here older than the early 2000s; I saw this cool 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo in the parking lot at the Lehigh Valley International Auto Show yesterday...


March 25th, 2023:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

 

When the Genesis and Equus were released as Hyundai's flagship models, I thought they were pretty sharp. Now that Genesis has been split into it's own company (equivalent to Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti), I really like the looks of G90! This white car (which was parked next to the blue Veloster) is a 2021 Genesis G90 3.3T Premium, and it has even has AWD; I do believe that a black G90 made an appearance in as the villain's father's limousine...


March 25th, 2023:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

 

veloster looks like cool build except for colors....IMO the only time red and blue look good together is if there is also white, as in some america theme. Without white, those colors are fighting each other. Neither is winning. But what floats other people's boats might not float mine and vice versa. Black with that red accent stuff would look great...or gray or silver or white

 

I really like the looks of most of Genesis' line up. My biggest pet peeve is the use of a combination brake-turn signal for the rear tail lights in the US (though the same can be applied to many manufacturers). In this case, it ruins the two-line motif for the G80 and GV80. I blame dated US lighting regulations.

https://youtu.be/TwZdaHvHsko?t=70

 

Here a nice little surprise during my morning commute the other day.

It may look like an ordinary Honda del Sol, but upon closer inspection (and giveaway from the license plate), its a JDM del Sol SiR. Good old 90s Hondas revving to an 8k+ redline.

Here's a little retro Japanese goodness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5F5x_fIlA&ab_channel=JackKello

 

@Stitchgirl90

This is one of the vans I drove!

 

@Stitchgirl90

I took these picture a few hours before our first date!

 

It’s so cool

 

1995 Nissan 240SX


April 20th, 2023:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania