I am looking for a 4-wheel drive truck and a friend has a '91 Mazda 2600i 4x4 pickup with 81,000 miles he is willing to trade for my 2000 VW Passat GLS with 92,000 miles. Does that sound like a fair trade? Is the Mazda a good truck? I want to put a small camper on it for traveling. The truck has sat a lot because it was owned by someone in the military who was gone a lot. What should I check out before I trade? Thank you!
Get a full prepurchase inspection on the truck. You are potentially trading a 20 year old truck for one that is half that age. There are lots of items that deteriorate over time that you may have to repair/replace. That is the key.
As far as equivalent value, look up both cars at nadaguides.com, kbb.com, and edmunds.com to see how the relative values pan out. There will be variations in how the vehicles are appraised, but overall you can determine if the deal is fair, on a price basis.
Check length of bed to see if putting a camper (not topper) on it is feasible. I think campers come in long bed only versions.
I owned a 91 Mazda pickup and did fine for 10 yrs. I also own a 95 Ford pick up that is fine and have done no major work on it. Maintenance only. Overall truck condition is extremely important, and none of us can see that.