Could use some opinion on a truck..worth it? - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

91chevywt · 10-28-2009, 01:08 PM

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...aff=national#0

Its a one owner "grandpa truck" which was pretty well taken care of. Its got a bit of paint fading on the top of the fenders and on the top of the doors, and a small ding on the passenger side fender. Some fading has been taken care of on the hood and roof. Its a 305/700r4 with 2wd, with 126k. The best I can get it for is 3500. Is it worth it?

Its pretty much my dream truck, I always wanted one of these with a short bed, nice interior, v8, and in baby blue. I don't want that to cloud my judgement, thats why i'm trying to get some opinion.

racerx520 · 10-28-2009, 01:18 PM

IMO:
if you really want it, go for it. for 126k on an older truck you may run into problems sooner than you expected, but then again my father had a chevy cheyenne for a while, put 215k miles on it, then sold it to someone who wanted to tow their boat with it, and that person was seen driving the truck around cuz he liked it more than his actual truck.
having that said, it seems like its in good condition, generally when the person takes that much time to keep the truck clean inside and out, they generally take care of the motor and maintenance well too.
for 3500, i personally wouldnt do it, but thats only cuz im 23, work 2 days a week as a cashier at the local CVS, but, if you can afford it, i'd go for it.

do it, im sure you'll like the truck, its a pretty good price

r0nin89 · 10-28-2009, 02:33 PM

No way would I pay $3500 for that.

No 4wd immediately cuts MAJOR value off a truck. Its got a 305, I'd rather have a 4.3 or a 350 than that. Plus I think it should be a 4l60e. The truck looks like a solid body platform for a nice street truck BUT in current form I wouldnt pay more than $2000.

91chevywt · 10-28-2009, 03:23 PM

Well personally I would prefer 2wd since its going to be mainly driven on the highway. Not that 2wd should add value. From that era the correct transmission would be the 700r4 aka 4l60. The 4l60e wasn't used til '94 or so. I've been seeing many of these trucks around for 3000 or so but they typically have 150k miles, or some body rust or dents. The 305 doesnt really bother me, all the small block chevys were typically stone reliable from this era although mostly gutless. The TBI GM trucks are some of the most dependable in my opinion.

The only thing that really bothered me was the condition of the body. Not that its bad, it is totally rust free. Cab corners typically rot out. But for $3500 I'm not sure i'd be happy with the fading. I've seen much junkier vehicles sell for $3500 I think i'm more or less looking for a push in either direction

The Fixer · 10-28-2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0nin89

No way would I pay $3500 for that.

No 4wd immediately cuts MAJOR value off a truck. Its got a 305, I'd rather have a 4.3 or a 350 than that. Plus I think it should be a 4l60e. The truck looks like a solid body platform for a nice street truck BUT in current form I wouldnt pay more than $2000.

I'm with Vinnie, I don't think it's worth their price either. The only good option is the AC (if it works) - it's got crank windows, manual locks, a solid bench up front, and a cheesy stock radio. It has rust on the seams of the doors too, so it's not completely solid. And while we know you like 2WD, in reality, it's a tough sell in the northeast - most buyers look for 4WD, so it's not going to be easy for them to move. Plus, even though it's got low mileage, its still 20 years old. It's not really a collectible either, just a plain-jane regular cab/short bed, not a 454SS.

deadtrend1 · 10-28-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0nin89

No way would I pay $3500 for that.

No 4wd immediately cuts MAJOR value off a truck. Its got a 305, I'd rather have a 4.3 or a 350 than that. Plus I think it should be a 4l60e. The truck looks like a solid body platform for a nice street truck BUT in current form I wouldnt pay more than $2000.

no 4l60e in 1989

gotmudnj · 10-28-2009, 05:23 PM

i dont think its worth it plus if you noticed the gauges will be a pita for you. I have worked and know many friends that have that style gauge cluster and they hate it. its water gauges and so inaccurate. If i were you I would hold off on offer you can find a better truck for that price newer and less miles and problems. Not a fan of that truck. Try and find a step side 1500 there nicer and more power and good on gas.

1QWIKBIRD · 10-28-2009, 06:28 PM

Seems like a bit high. The bottom of the driver side door is about to rust out, which means there are probably other places on the truck ready to do the same....So figure in some paint and body to keep it looking good.....

Its a $2500 truck at best IMO. and the potential target audience for resale is very limited. No ext. cab, no 4wd, no long bed......etc. etc.

Chris

Iroc-z86 · 10-28-2009, 07:17 PM

my uncle had a truck exactly like that.. same year and all except extended cab. he put almost 300k on the original motor not sure on the trans and the only reason they gave it up was because my cousin (his son) rolled it. still ran great. they would have drove it to the junkyard if the roof didnt collapse... imo its worth it but try to talk them down.

91chevywt · 10-28-2009, 08:13 PM

Thanks for the feedback so far. Good catch on the rust at the seam of the door skin. Its hard to see what it looks like on the outside but it does look like an issue on the inside that would need attention. I'm probably gonna go look at the truck tomorrow or friday and assess the condition better. Not concerned so much about resale, more so about having something i'll be happy with. I did have a '91 in the same color with the 4.3 which I regret selling. When I had one I always felt like a truck just like this would be my dream truck so it may be more worth it to me than others. I agree the price needs to come down some.

91chevywt · 10-28-2009, 09:52 PM

After more thinking I'm definitly not going to get that truck. I do like everything but the body condition. Not worth the money. The rust kind of killed it for me. I should be able to find a truck that maybe needs a total paint job for cheaper than that. I know I wouldn't be happy with the paint and would end up painting it. Definitly the style I want though. I'd rather put work into a $2000 truck to get it nice.

racerx520 · 10-29-2009, 10:25 AM

i didnt see the picture of the bed there before, but that bedliner kinda scares me, ive seen people cover up a lot of rust with drop in bedliners like that before. took a look at a ford pickup once, he had a drop in bedliner that covered a hole that was about 60% the size of the entire bed