What should I expect if I buy...

[Vette73]

^

Well if he gets a old GMC/Chevy liek I said with a 350 it is very easy and cheap to keep going.

You can rebuild a Alt or starter for less then $20. Water pump probable less then 20 also. Carb rebuild kit, $15 ish, etc...


Now if he knows NOTHING about cars, then either it will be a great way to learn, or a pain in the butt to pay soemone to get it up.



But if you do go for it, look more at the body then the drive train. Drivetrain on a old Truck with a 350 engine is cheap, the body is harder to fix.

 

[Ornery]

Coincidentally, my brother-in-law just picked up a 1974 F-250. We're in Ohio, and it was brought up from Arizona a few years ago, and the body is in pretty good shape. The previous owner purchased it with a dead engine, and replaced the 460 with a 390. He recently installed a Holley 4bbl for about $400.00, but the whole thing still isn't running quite right. He was initially asking $2,500 for it, but my brother-in-law got it for $1,500. He'll get it running right by hook or by crook, even if the engine has to be torn down. I figured it's well worth the $1,500 as it sits... if you need a truck. Used trucks really aren't that cheap around here.

Personally, I'd go for a 7 or 8 year old machine for the best bang for the buck, as far as cars go. Trucks just seem to hold their value too well. I'd probably be looking at my first new vehicle if I needed a truck.

 

[eldorado99]

It is really hard for me to decide what to do, on one hand I am eager to learn about this stuff, on the other, my dad is not really willing to help me, unless it means he doesn't have to get out of his chair, lol. Also it means me having to convince him that its ok for me to get a junker.

 

[Ornery]

Why a truck? Like I said, their resale value is too high to make a used one a good deal. Why not buy a used car? There will be plenty to do on that, like batteries, alternator, brakes, belts, hoses, fluids... you won't be hurting for stuff to learn about. I'm not allergic to fixing things, but I'm not looking for trouble either.

 

[eldorado99]

I don't know, I could buy a car, I just wanted a truck because I would be taking it into the bush and a car just wouldnt suffice. Unfortunately its starting to look like I might just have to bite the bullet and save up some more money.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

did you say first car?

If it's a first car, just get something reliable to start with

 

[Squisher]

Most pickups and full size vans stop losing value at the $1500-$1000 range because of their usefulness in commercial applications.

If a truck is down in the $800 range there is something likely wrong.

 

[Ornery]

This ought to be a hoot, and less than $10,000! :Q

 

[eldorado99]

What is a good pricepoint that I should have to save up to before the vehicles start to become worthwhile to buy approximately?

 

[wasssup]

Originally posted by: eldorado99
It is really hard for me to decide what to do, on one hand I am eager to learn about this stuff, on the other, my dad is not really willing to help me, unless it means he doesn't have to get out of his chair, lol. Also it means me having to convince him that its ok for me to get a junker.

heh...sounds like the way my dad treated me when i wanted a car...

if i were you i'd save my money up and get something more reliable (waiting will be hard, trust me, i'm still waiting to get a bit more money till i go out and buy a wrx )

 

[myusername]

Obviously a new car with warranty is not to be had in the near future.

Consequently your pricepoint should include parts and/or labor on any vehicle you are looking to purchase.

Sometimes $500 can get you a running vehicle that will only need a new battery and tires in the next 20k km... or you might pay $6K only to blow the radiator, crack the block, and warp the head the day after you get it. Then, you replace rebuild and repair, only to have something else fall apart.

The benefit of an older, common, vehicle is that if you know what you are doing (or have the time and are willing to learn) parts are relatively cheap. Any one thing that goes wrong - be it engine, tranny, axle, etc. can generally be found from a junkyard for less than a couple hundred dollars. Just make sure that you have that couple hundred stashed away for the occasion.

If you have mechanically inclined friends, or don't mind making some, you may want to structure your purchase around a support group that can help you out in a pinch - i.e. join a 4x4 club (since it looks like that is the type of vehicle you want) or even purchase a vehicle type that has a support base in your area, like Vancouver Jeep Club (I made that up, but one probably exists) or whatnot.

 

[DrPizza]

When you're buying anything without a warranty, it's all a crapshoot. I prefer to buy really used vehicles. I spent $700 on a car, it lasted me 2 years (and about 40K miles) without needing a single repair. On the other hand, my wife just spent 15K on a dodge grand caravan. Brake pistons are sticking and it looks like I'll have to be replacing the calipers. $4000 on that car so far. It's a toss-up between using the extended warranty she paid for (grr) and doing it myself. If she gets it done, there's a $100 deductible on repairs. However, certain parts such as pads aren't covered. They'll probably charge her $60 or $70 just for the pads, making it pointless to have them do it in the first place.

I will confirm what a few others have stated above: Old trucks are among the cheapest and easiest to maintain and repair.

 

[Vette73]

Well it seems you wasnt something that is a daily driver, not something that you have time to work on ALL the time.

With that said, look at a GMC/Chevy truck late 87 and up. 87 is the first year of fuel injection, BUT it is a throttle body injection system so it makes it easy to work on while improving reliability over carbs a great deal. You still have easy to work on and cheap parts like most pre-87 350/305 motors, but improve on the fuel system geratly.

 

[eldorado99]

bump for more advice... thanks guys its great so far

 

[eldorado99]

bump again

 

[eldorado99]

alright, last bump before I let this one die