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Thinking of buying a week-end truck

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cKGunslinger

cKGunslinger

Lifer
I've been browsing CL for cheap trucks (< $3K) and I'm thinking about starting to make some calls and test drive some.

Examples:

1993 Chevy 1500 - 4x4
1998 Dodge Ram
1994 Dodge 1500

Why? I'm not really sure. Trucks are handy for lumber/gravel/furniture runs - and I do live in the sticks - but you can rent one from HD for ~$30, so it's not really a sound investment, once you factor in tags, inspection, maintenance and insurance.

I think I just want one. My first vehicle was a little '93 GMC Sonoma with a 4.3L v6 and I loved that thing. I've got the cash and was contemplating a motorcycle, but I just don't think I have the constitution for one. A truck would be infinitely more practical, in a way - and I've never owned a full-size pickup. I may also be interested in getting a small fishing boat in the future. I'm no mechanic, however - so other than changing the oil, plugs, brakes, etc - I'd be up a creek with any real problems.

I also have a 15yo daughter who will be driving soon, so I thought maybe I could pull double-duty and let her drive a 2-ton truck while she gets the hang of it.

So, I've been looking and they all seem to be at around ~170K miles in my price range, which, in my experience, has always been when vehicles start to become troublesome. :hmm: What am I looking for here? Straight frame, no major rust? Engine sounds decent and accelerates/brakes well? Not dropped with slick tires and being sold by a 21-year-old kid? If a truck has "lots of updates and new parts" is that a sign that something was wrong, the owner tried fixing it one item at a time, then said "Screw it" and listed it for sale? I've never bought or sold a used vehicle..

Any advice?
 
For those prices the Cummins is just a 2x4. The first link is certainly a 2WD. And having one of those I will tell you they are no good for going off road, the cummins is to heavy, you need 4x4. I too am a huge cummins fan. But out of the gasoline vehicles I would suggest going with a Chevy.
 
Agreed, my 2wd gets stuck if you just whisper "mud" to it.
I did not hear any compelling 4wd needs in the OP, though.
 
1. find a friend, relative, neighbor or co-worker who has used vehicle buying experience and pick their brains.
2. when the ad reads 'all original parts' and it's high mileage than lots of things can go wrong. there are a lot of people who put good $ fixing a vehicle, new tires - and THEN they sell it! that can be pretty good, really.
3. avoid vehicles that appear to have been company work trucks (faded, scratched off ads/signs/decals) as they lead a hard life and are treated poorly by the users most times.
4. many guys stay away from trucks that have plow hardware (or traces of) or tow rig (or dangling wires where one was) because the vehicle may had been worked to death.
5. avoid youthful sellers who probably beat the heck out of the truck in the woods after Dad gave it to them.
6. save up as much as you can and hold out for the best you can find. don't settle. take your time.
7. look that puppy over head to toe for obvious signs of abuse, past repaired damage,rust. wear old clothes. bring a flashlight. lift the hood. isit nice & clean? get underneath it. check it out. roll the windows up & down, check the locks, the whole nine yards. every little broken or missing item is a future headache you are paying for.
8. the best used vehicles are from the original adult / older person who had it properly maintained. those vehicles look good for a reason.
9. expired inspection sticker? no inspection sticker? no, no thank you.
10. no test drive? no thank you.
11. owner lets you test drive but won't shut up and wants to blast the radio while taking you on a very short ride? no thank you.
12. spend a few dollars on "used cars for dummies" book. buy it cheap used on ebay, half.com, amazon or abebooks. read it 2-3 times.
13. if it's local have your trusted mechanic check it out all over before you buy.
14. used= no guarantee, no warranty. people on car lots lie a lot. a lot.
15. a few dollars on a CarFax report can save you big in the long run.

best of luck to you
 
Don't forget the cost of insurance, even if not much it's still some ongoing cost. I've toyed occasionally with the idea of having a cheap truck but I also don't have a readily available place to store it and in truth go months between needing its capacity, so it would sit mostly unused.
 
I drive a F150 for a dd. Love it. But honestly if I could do it over I'd buy a used 3/4 ton truck for truck duties and a gas saver car for dd purposes. I mean really look at the payload capacity and towing capacity of most half ton trucks. Don't go by how much you've seen jackasses load down a half ton and think that's what they can carry. My payload on my 2011 F150 with the 5.0 motor is 1643 pounds. That's cargo and passengers. A yard of gravel is about 2500 lbs. So you put a yard of gravel in your truck and you weigh 190lbs you've overloaded your truck by over 1000lbs. A cord of wood is anywhere from 3500-4500lbs. It really depends on what you want to do with it and if you're willing to also spend the money on a good trailer.

I bought a trailer since I really can't carry much weight on my truck.
 
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nerp said:
Carfax is worthless.
Click to expand...

Carfax really seems to have dropped the ball.

Buying a car last month, I ran a Carfax report and it just didn't make sense. It claimed 1 owner, but it was bought/sold 4x in the last 11 years. I asked a Carfax customer service rep what it meant, she didn't know.

I got an autocheck report, it showed all the proper documentation for owner changes, and also listed 3 accidents that were completely absent from the Carfax report.

I'll be getting Autocheck from now on when looking at used cars.
 
OILFIELDTRASH said:
I drive a F150 for a dd. Love it. But honestly if I could do it over I'd buy a used 3/4 ton truck for truck duties and a gas saver car for dd purposes. I mean really look at the payload capacity and towing capacity of most half ton trucks. Don't go by how much you've seen jackasses load down a half ton and think that's what they can carry. My payload on my 2011 F150 with the 5.0 motor is 1643 pounds. That's cargo and passengers. A yard of gravel is about 2500 lbs. So you put a yard of gravel in your truck and you weigh 190lbs you've overloaded your truck by over 1000lbs. A cord of wood is anywhere from 3500-4500lbs. It really depends on what you want to do with it and if you're willing to also spend the money on a good trailer.

I bought a trailer since I really can't carry much weight on my truck.
Click to expand...

I don't plan on a lot of hauling, just more than I can fit in my Mazda 3. 🙂 I need to build a garden this summer, pick up some trees, borrow a tiller, get some paver stones, etc - just general purpose "truck stuff." Much more than that (like picking up a new riding mower) and I'd probably end up spending that same amount again on a decent little trailer to pull.

Current deals:

1998 Dodge 1500

I'm not sure I like the "very fast" part if my daughter will be taking it over soon, but she drives pretty safe (so far.)
 
cKGunslinger said:
I don't plan on a lot of hauling, just more than I can fit in my Mazda 3. 🙂 I need to build a garden this summer, pick up some trees, borrow a tiller, get some paver stones, etc - just general purpose "truck stuff." Much more than that (like picking up a new riding mower) and I'd probably end up spending that same amount again on a decent little trailer to pull.

Current deals:

1998 Dodge 1500

I'm not sure I like the "very fast" part if my daughter will be taking it over soon, but she drives pretty safe (so far.)
Click to expand...


"Performance chip, Very fast, Headers" and can't spell for crap = pass on it IMO


Personally, I would try to find something that is from an older, calmer person.

Not to say that this truck wasn't taken care of, but it was definitely driven hard. That 5.2 isn't a bad motor, but people who mess with chipping etc those sorts of 'non performance' engines generally floor it off every red light and etc

For $2500 and single cab I would look more at s10/ranger with extended bed. You'd have more space than that dodge for hauling and get 23mpg vs 13mpg
 
SpatiallyAware said:
"Performance chip, Very fast, Headers" and can't spell for crap = pass on it IMO


Personally, I would try to find something that is from an older, calmer person.

Not to say that this truck wasn't taken care of, but it was definitely driven hard. That 5.2 isn't a bad motor, but people who mess with chipping etc those sorts of 'non performance' engines generally floor it off every red light and etc

For $2500 and single cab I would look more at s10/ranger with extended bed. You'd have more space than that dodge for hauling and get 23mpg vs 13mpg
Click to expand...
I'll take that into consideration - but I've noticed these past few weeks that if I were to filter too much by spelling ability, I'd never buy *anything* from Craigslist - I was just happy to see more than "truck for sell - runs gud" :'(

Just don't want another small truck - full-size or bust for this toy. I'll consider the smaller V6 models, however:

1997 Dodge Ram v6
1998 Dodge Ram

Over a quarter-million miles and ratty interior worries me, but this is almost exactly what I had in mind:

1998 Dodge SWB

Not sure why all my recent picks seem to be Dodge-based, although I guess I do like the looks of them.
 
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