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what is it that looks funny about the wheel well flares? and what could that mean? repaired damage?
this is actually the closest truck to me that has the things that i want. 6 cylinder, extended cab, 4 wheel drive, manual transmission, and its the old body style but new enough to have an airbag. I like the look of the old trucks but I want that airbag for safety, plus I don't need a V8 and single cab is impractical for me. I don't mind road trips either I'm willing to walk away if it ends up being a crappy truck.
Just giving you the benefit of my limited experience, for what it's worth. Here's what I see just from the pics : some of the wheel well flares look like they're full of bondo, the paint doesn't match from the fender to the door to the box. I would guess that that black stripe isn't there for decoration, it's covering a bunch of rust, 'cause that's where it happens, the body is banged up, the interior is nothing to get excited about : it looks pretty bare bones, and I haven't even knelt down and had a look under it yet.
So bottom line, it does not look at all like a well - cared for truck, which is what you want to find. Even that will need work but usually not as much.
The truck in the pictures looks (to me) like it's been rode hard and put away wet. It really doesn't look like anybody's "baby" that they really took good care of.
So you may be getting into a mess of headaches and repairs which you really want to avoid.
Just food for thought is all; if you think it will make you happy, go for it.
Just giving you the benefit of my limited experience, for what it's worth. Here's what I see just from the pics : some of the wheel well flares look like they're full of bondo, the paint doesn't match from the fender to the door to the box. I would guess that that black stripe isn't there for decoration, it's covering a bunch of rust, 'cause that's where it happens, the body is banged up, the interior is nothing to get excited about : it looks pretty bare bones, and I haven't even knelt down and had a look under it yet.
So bottom line, it does not look at all like a well - cared for truck, which is what you want to find. Even that will need work but usually not as much.
The truck in the pictures looks (to me) like it's been rode hard and put away wet. It really doesn't look like anybody's "baby" that they really took good care of.
So you may be getting into a mess of headaches and repairs which you really want to avoid.
Just food for thought is all; if you think it will make you happy, go for it.
hmm interesting, thank you for those observations.
Hey guys, I am about to purchase my first truck ever, hopefully. I know very little about vehicles and this truck is about a 5 hour drive from where I live. I'm taking a mechanic friend with me, and it looks like a really nice truck, but I wanted the opinion of this forum because you guys seem to know everything, lol. I don't wanna drive that far for something that might turn out to be a bad deal.
-141,000 miles
-4.9L engine
-no service records, but he says head gaskets have been replaced
-half tread on tires
-he hasn't driven it much since he got it, but moves it around the yard sometimes
-clean carfax, clean title
-inspection good til january 2015
-he's asking $3,000
thanks guys
Ok, here's my observations. The front grill looks out of alignment. Wouldn't mean much until you looked at the body lines for the cab and bed. The driver's side lines match up pretty well while the passenger side doesn't between the bed and cab. The interior looks like the carpet has been stripped out without anything being put back in it's place to protect the floor. It also looks like they swapped the front seat from another truck. On the front seat is a cover which could mean a couple things:
1. Protection of the good seat
2. Covering up rips/stains.
These are all minor defects that show a possibility of major problems. Before you just say no to the truck, just remember that a line alignment problem could just be that they replaced a bushing under the bed with the wrong one.
My advice is make a list of everything you should check out with the people's recomendations on here. Take that list with you. A simple Go/No-go side is sufficient. After you go through the list, make your decision as to whether or not you want to go ahead with the purchase. It's your money and your decision as to what you wish to do. Good luck to you in your search/buying of a truck.
Ok, here's my observations. The front grill looks out of alignment. Wouldn't mean much until you looked at the body lines for the cab and bed. The driver's side lines match up pretty well while the passenger side doesn't between the bed and cab. The interior looks like the carpet has been stripped out without anything being put back in it's place to protect the floor. It also looks like they swapped the front seat from another truck. On the front seat is a cover which could mean a couple things:
1. Protection of the good seat
2. Covering up rips/stains.
These are all minor defects that show a possibility of major problems. Before you just say no to the truck, just remember that a line alignment problem could just be that they replaced a bushing under the bed with the wrong one.
My advice is make a list of everything you should check out with the people's recomendations on here. Take that list with you. A simple Go/No-go side is sufficient. After you go through the list, make your decision as to whether or not you want to go ahead with the purchase. It's your money and your decision as to what you wish to do. Good luck to you in your search/buying of a truck.
you guys are so helpful.. thank you. how much rust should be acceptable underneath? and what parts should especially not be rusty?
you guys are so helpful.. thank you. how much rust should be acceptable underneath? and what parts should especially not be rusty?
The amount of rust that's acceptable is a peronal choice to a certain degree. Rusted through frame, that's a giant red flag. Rusted quarter panels, that's fixable if you take your time and do it right. From the inside picture the floor doesn't look too bad, but underneath might be a different story. Don't get scared by a lot of surface rust, the deep rust is what to be nervous about. Everything can be repaired with sheet metal on the body/cab.
I know you said this would be your daily driver. It's up to you how in depth you wish to get with a truck. Do you want it to run for the next 20 years with minimal maintenance needed? If so, your initial fixes are gonna be more costly to repair everything so that it lasts for years to come. Do you want a dependable ride that has minor cosmetic defects like rusted cab corners? That will cut a lot of the time and money out of the initial repairs to make sure it's safe to operate. I hope everything that the people have said on this post did not put you off to owning an old truck, but instead inspire you to have more pride in knowing what you were able to do with the truck you purchase.
From your comments, is it safe to say that your auto mechanic skills are limited? The truck pictures do show possible issues... Door gaps, hood gaps, grill pushed in. Carefully run your hand along fender & wheel well edges --- looking for rust. Pictures of engine bay ---- looks rough, but it does have 140k mi.
So, who is going to maintain it, repair it, service it? It will need all of that.
Don't fall in love with it before you see it
A few guys who know these trucks pretty good are trying to tell you - gently - that while the body style and driveline would be real good, that particular truck .... well, it looks kinda rough.
Anything can be fixed up of course, but some of them take a lot less work than others. The truck you're looking at looks like it may very well take a lot more than most.
The best advice I could give you is to shop around a bit more. For $3000, once you buy it, you're pretty well stuck with it so take your time.
A few guys who know these trucks pretty good are trying to tell you - gently - that while the body style and driveline would be real good, that particular truck .... well, it looks kinda rough.
Anything can be fixed up of course, but some of them take a lot less work than others. The truck you're looking at looks like it may very well take a lot more than most.
The best advice I could give you is to shop around a bit more. For $3000, once you buy it, you're pretty well stuck with it so take your time.
gotcha. I'm still perusing craigslist right now.. are there any places with classifieds other than craigslist and autotrader etc that you would recommend?
11-20-2014, 07:26 PM
I'm willing to walk away if it ends up being a crappy truck.
