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

For that price, it would sure be worth asking.

If you buy anything in this market at asking price you're making a huge mistake. Learn some patience, take the time to save more money and wait for this bubble to pop.

With my experience from OBS trucks, and older trucks in general, get the worst cheapest rust free truck you can that needs repairs. Reason being, why pay 5+ grand for a truck you'll eventually start replacing everything on, vs buying a truck that needs all the parts now. In the long run your be in cheaper on the cheap truck that's repaired than the working truck that slowly has components failing.

If you're looking for a Srw CC 4x4, you'll be lucky to find a beat up truck for 5k. Single cabs and super cabs are much easier to find and can be had cheaper if any. I searched awhile before finding my Srw crew cab 4x4, and I had to go down to Virginia for it and paid 5k for it. More than I wanted to spend, but if you want a crew cab be prepared to pay for it. I did get all the maintenance records and it has 205k miles. Crew cabs are definitely worth the price IMHO.
My single cab 4x4 on the other hand was $1700 down in DC with 206k miles. Pretty similar trucks besides the cabs.
If you're buying a 30 year old truck, it's a fixer upper no matter how much you pay, so it's definitely worth getting it cheaper and fixing.


Rock

Farmer Rock said:

so it's definitely worth getting it cheaper and fixing.

Click to expand...

I feel this way too. You can so an AWFUL lot of fixing for 1/4 of the cost of a new truck.

I got mine and it needs all of the things fixed, the front diff is so far gone it doesn't even make noises just free spins but it's still cheaper than buying a "nice one" and still having to replace everything.

Truck prices are crazy. I thought I got screwed two years ago. I bought a '92, the one in my signature for $6K, with a rusty snowplow. I drove it home from Cincinatti to Indy. PO put some money into it, fixed the brakes, new tires, etc, but it needed body work, front end work (steering sloppy), seat is tore up etc. He was daily driving it. The guy who had it wanted to drive it a while, so I kept in touch. A month or two later, the head gaskets blew, PO re-did them and I bought it. It had all the signs of cavitation, but I ignored the signs and thought I would be ok because it only had 107K mi on it. Anyway, after putting probably $3K in the truck and counting, it looks like I didn't do too bad after all with truck values the way they are. Oh, and it runs cheap on WMO!

I also agree with some of the other posts in terms of working on these trucks. If you don't mind wrenching on these old things, you can save a lot vs new. These trucks are not that hard to work on, have lots of aftermarket support and so much support from these forums.

On a side note, I bought a Toyota Corolla in 2019, the one in my sig for $8K OTD. Had 84k mi on it. I saw one on the dealer lot earlier this week with 99k mi, and it is a 2011. They were asking over $12k! Ridiculous!

Buying a cheap truck and then fixing it up is great to do.
One thing we all have to think about, we are not all in the
same financial situation, and or have the time or place to work in a vehicle.

18 YO kid buying one is one thing, how can i get more power out of it, and living at home.

Then the young couple living in an APT., HOA or some Suburbia Tract home with nosy complaining neighbors, and don`t have the place to do the work or the extra money especially raising kids.
So they may be looking for one of these trucks that is clean, rust free and runs good....but one of these will be pricy.

Then old farts like me are retired, have some acreage, shop etc... and plenty of time to tear into things.
Kids are booted out of the house and we have the extra income to fix some old decrepid wreck.

Lot of people can not justify to dump say $5k into an engine that only paid $2500 for the truck. Then have to do Brakes, Clutch, DL, maybe redo the seats etc....
They want and IDI from all they read about the simplicity of them, but then the $ face them, so they end up buying a newer truck, a PS or newer one for the same money as it would cost for an IDI rebuild.

We all come come different places, for the same results.
A good dependable truck.

I lucked out 3+ yrs ago, and found a 85, Super cab. 4-spd, 6.9, Banks Turbo, 165K miles, with air Bags on the rear for $2500.
I bought it because it was a great price.
Now those are going for $10 and up from some I have seen.

This is just some of my observations.


Goat

The reality is that $5000 just doesn’t go very far in any used vehicle these days. It used to be that an entry level working man with enough mechanical ability to change his own oil, and slap a set of brake pads on could buy a beater car for $1000-$1500 and it would last him a year or so. That’s what $3000-$5000 gets you now. It gets you even less in a truck, much less with diesel and 4x4.

There's a 95 f350 crew 4x manual (gas) around here for $3500cad that nobody seems interested in.

I wouldn't be holding out for an idi...

Last year I was searching for a diesel OBS for trailer towing/motorcycle carrying. I live in MA, so most things are rusted out up here. After several months of looking at rusty trucks with crazy asking prices, I found a 1994 F250 7.3 IDI extended cab 8' bed with 128k miles from NC. It never saw a northern winter or salt. No rust, just some clear coat deterioration on hood. Brakes had been recently done, along with glow plugs and fuel return lines. I negotiated to 10k and was happy with that. It will hopefully not see a winter with me either. I did install a Banks Sidewinder kit, so I'm probably going to be into it for 15k by the time I finish upgrading trailer wiring, lighting, and gauges. I'm happy with that due to the price of new vehicles. This is much cheaper and easier to work on than newer rucks too. I recently replaced the injection lines after one broke (it was missing antivibration clamps), and pulled both tanks to clean them and replace pickup strainer/funnels. The only thing that could really suck is if I get whacked; insurance will never get close to what I'll have into it. KBB is probably less than 3k. The only way would be to get it appraised annually and come to an agreement of value with insurance carrier. That has it's own cost of annual appraisals, etc so I'll be taking a risk. All vehicles have just gone up since I found this too. But they are out there if you look long and hard enough.

Got lucky with mine, guy was asking 3500, got to his house and he just wanted it gone, got it for 2500

Best looking Truck in the yard.


Goat

GerryL said:

Last year I was searching for a diesel OBS for trailer towing/motorcycle carrying. I live in MA, so most things are rusted out up here. After several months of looking at rusty trucks with crazy asking prices, I found a 1994 F250 7.3 IDI extended cab 8' bed with 128k miles from NC. It never saw a northern winter or salt. No rust, just some clear coat deterioration on hood. Brakes had been recently done, along with glow plugs and fuel return lines. I negotiated to 10k and was happy with that. It will hopefully not see a winter with me either. I did install a Banks Sidewinder kit, so I'm probably going to be into it for 15k by the time I finish upgrading trailer wiring, lighting, and gauges. I'm happy with that due to the price of new vehicles. This is much cheaper and easier to work on than newer rucks too. I recently replaced the injection lines after one broke (it was missing antivibration clamps), and pulled both tanks to clean them and replace pickup strainer/funnels. The only thing that could really suck is if I get whacked; insurance will never get close to what I'll have into it. KBB is probably less than 3k. The only way would be to get it appraised annually and come to an agreement of value with insurance carrier. That has it's own cost of annual appraisals, etc so I'll be taking a risk. All vehicles have just gone up since I found this too. But they are out there if you look long and hard enough.

Click to expand...

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