Still possible to get a 6.9/7.3 4x4 for under $10k?

NeverHave-I-Ether

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Yeah I got liability + medic on mine as well. Saves me about $100 a month. I put it on savings. Extra $1200 a year for parts and emergencies.
 

Big Bart

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Looks like you found a Diamond in the rust pile.

I just carry liability insurance on ours, figure insurance won`t give me anything for it anyway. I have plenty to be covered for the medical and to cover the other idiots Rice Rocket. So far so good, been driving it over 7 1/2 years.

Older vehicles can be totaled with just a damaged fender.
if you file a claim, then you get a salvage title.

Goat


Goat I would say you are right and I would guess 90% of the insurance companies try to save a buck at your expense. I have had good luck with Auto Club. They don’t just say “Kelley Blue Book” says, they use more of a realistic approach. Dealer, auction, and private party prices.

I explained when my 06’ F250 was stolen, found, and totaled out last year, that you cannot find a truck for what Kelley Blue Book says. It does not exist! So they gave me over Blue Book and what it took to replace it.

Then I said ok, so you are giving me that for the truck, what are you giving me for the Snug Top bed cover and 80 gallon diesel transfer tank? They added $600 for the Snug Top and offered to let me take the transfer tank out. (Which I happily did.)

To your point many off brand insurance companies would have fought paying me what it would cost to replace that truck arguing Kelley Blue Book is the expert.

I also believe insurance companies consider what you paid for the truck. They ask you when you first insure a vehicle what you paid and base your insurance partially on that price. (Guessing they can also see in your dmv record what you said you paid for it.) Many owners to save taxes say they paid $500 when they really paid $4,500. I believe that can bite folks in the butt later if the vehicle is totaled. An adjuster is not going to feel to bad or think you will get mad if he gives you $1,000 for a truck you claimed you paid $500 for.

But I also get if you save $1,200 a year like NeverHave it’s a mute point.
 

Tk83

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Here is an 87 4 x 4 up in Oroville, Ca. for $5K



Goat
That one is ~2 hours from me and has been sitting for years and won't start. If I had a way to transport one that wasn't functional it would be a lot easier, but then I wouldn't need a truck lol.

I have yet to see one that was safe to drive on the road for under $8k, and even the $8k one was in terrible condition. I saw a IDI turbo one pop up for $6500 in NV in nice condition but I missed the ad being posted by a couple hours so it was already gone by the time I asked about it.

If I can't find one I can at least drive home for under $7k I am probably going to just forget it for now. I'd be aiming to buy one that I could safely drive home under it's own power and catch up with maintenance, fix broken stuff, etc and end up with a truck I could take on a 1k mile trip if I wanted for ~$10k. If it would cost signficantly more I will have to come up with a different idea for now and revisit this later.
 

Tk83

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For that price, it would sure be worth asking.
I talked to the owner and he hasn't had it that long and apparently got it in exchange for some money he was owned and hasn't driven it much. I did ask for more pics, but it sounds like it may not quite be in good enough condition to get in and drive 1000 miles with no way to get it home if something breaks too badly for a roadside repair (and most parts being 2 weeks out or longer for any vehicle right now).
 

Old Goat

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Oroville, thats near Chico, Ca., that`s quite a haul from here, wasn`t so far I`d hitch up the trailer and winch it on and haul for you.

When I bought my 86 in Sacramento, paid $1800 for it in 2014. Didn`t know if it would make it back to Santa Cruz.
153 miles.
At least it was in running condition, buying one that is not or sat for a long time can be iffy. Maybe I was on a Wing and a prayer. :angel:

As long as it has a clean Fuel filter, leak free return system, full fuel tank, the engine should run.
If the tires look ok and not dry rotted.
But the brakes can be a crap shoot.
Nice to met it moving, but ya gotta
stop it also.

As they say if it has -Showtits or Tires, sooner or later it will cause you problems.

Goat
 

eacars

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I have been interested in getting a diesel IDI F-250 to use for a slide in camper, but I am wondering if I missed the chance to get one. I have looked at 6 of them now and the ads are all "$7,500 good condition, price is firm, no lowballers, I know what I got" etc.

Then I show up and the truck isn't even safe to drive (brake pedal goes to the floor, stuck calipers, fuel leaks, gear oil leaks, coolant leaks/cracked radiator, 30 degrees of play in the steering, door hinges so worn that the edge of the door and fender are mangled, rust holes, long expired registration, big parts of the dash missing with wires dangling everywhere, etc, then the seller says "it's 30 years old, what do you expect?"

I bought a beater 1987 Mercedes diesel back in 2018 for $880 and drove it home, and it was still better than any of the $7,500 trucks I looked at. Is it unreasonable to find a truck that isn't perfect but is in good enough condition to drive on an 800 mile trip without major repairs for that price anymore? I am thinking I should probably give up on finding one that this point but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask for opinions here.
This was listed 21 hours ago...Washington, DC.

https://baltimore.craigslist.org/pts/d/washington-1994-ford-f250-diesel-pick-up/7454560234.html
 

Big Bart

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Rust is not too bad, I wonder how many miles on the engine. Guessing from the front seat it is over 100k miles.
 

Tk83

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I pretty much decided to give up at this point, I think these trucks are cool but most have been heavily used/abused and not held up well. They all seem to have most of the same issues once they get over ~200k miles, and it would end up being far cheaper to buy a really nice one for $15k+ than to try to fix a $7500 one to be usable.

I think I looked at 7 of them between $3300 and $8k, and non-functional A/C and power windows, broken interior door handles, dirty/ripped seats/chunks of foam missing, broken/loose door panels, worn/missing door hinge bushings, broken tailgate latch, significant rust, bad steering column bearings to the point it would catch when you turn the wheel and the turn signal lever didn't work anymore, 1/3 turn of play in the steering linkage, torn ball joint boots, barely functional brakes, dents in every body panel, weird electrical problems, transmission not up shifting at full throttle,etc seemed to be a problem with all of them. I was imagining I could get one for $3k-$5k in similar condition to the 1987 Mercedes diesel with 280k miles I bought for $900 a few years ago, but that was definitely a bit optimistic.

So, if anyone comes across this in the future, I would say that answer to my original question is in my opinion no, anything that isn't years and $10k away from being anything other than a project probably starts at ~$15k now.
 

IDIBRONCO

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If you really want one, don't give up. I don't think that these stupid prices will stay this way for a lot longer. Yes they are old. Yes most of them do need work, but that's part of buying one of these trucks.
 

Jesus Freak

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I paid $1500 for my '86 CC 7yrs ago in a not running condition, (don't cry when you read this) I paid $2500 for my "87 wrecker that would crank up, drive, and kinda stop but the wrecker body was inoperable. But here in north west Florida the idis I'm seeing are high dollar, but decent trucks. I saw an obs 7.3idi reg cab long bed minimum rust for $10k on CL a while back, I'll look again and try to post it.
 

Tk83

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It's part the high prices and part that I don't think enough good ones have survived for the prices to come down, and the same stuff is broken on most of the rough ones so I wouldn't be hopeful about being able to fix up a cheap one.

I went to look at this one and it was terrible:


I asked if there was any rust, if the brakes and steering worked correctly, and if it could make a 200 mile trip, and the owner said no rust and it could drive that far no problem, but it was rusted out under the back window, the brake pedal went to the floor, the steering was loose, power steering didn't work and the steering column would catch, the transmission wouldn't upshift at full throttle, the interior was full of jugs of spoiled milk, etc.

I think one like this is about as cheap as a usable one gets, but it's more than I could afford to spend on a vehicle that I wouldn't use much.

 

Nero

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They exist, you just have to find them. I sold my dad's 88 and the only thing it needed was a tie rod end, everything else was already done on it. Sold it for $5500 about two months ago. Anyone asking $7k+ for a standard cab is crazy
 

Old Goat

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This 92 you posted is a cream puff for sure, more money
than I would pay for it.
As clean as it is, maybe $10K. with what prices are going for.
This guy might just want to get on the band wagon and haul as much home as he can while the bubble is expanding.

Extra Cab, 4X4, 5-spd, clean interior and low mileage for the year, close to home, no rust etc... Might need something though....



Goat
 
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