Good News-Bad News

[HammerDown]

A local I see everyday at Wawa is very interested in my truck.
This morning, he said "Ray, I want your truck how much?"
I say, "once snow hits I should get $5,000 for it"
He says, how about $4,500?
I didn't say yes or no.

Even with all the front rotors, bearings, brakes etc I just finished today, it still needs front springs, tires and an alignment. And even with that, the rad support is rotted on the ends and the the front-left cab-mount is rotted out bad at the floor, and the passenger side is following the same path...I can't fix rust oh, and the rear wheel-wells I had fixed six years ago...yep, one side is starting to bubble again!
but it runs great!

Next time I see him, (maybe tomorrow at Wawa) I may say $4,800 and it's yours.

Double edge sword here as my only other vehicle is a 81 Vette and I don't know if a want a new/newer F150 4-door, Ram-1500 4-door or a smaller SUV.

 

[towcat]

ray-
let's be honest here. you've been trying to kick this truck to the curb for years. do it and get it over with. just be sure to get the new owner signed up to OB.
buy a new truck and enjoy it for the first four years or so. and then enjoy the problems as they are now built se cheaply, you will wish you still had the old Ford, but it's too late. It's now gone.

 

[HammerDown]

ray-
let's be honest here. you've been trying to kick this truck to the curb for years. do it and get it over with. just be sure to get the new owner signed up to OB.
buy a new truck and enjoy it for the first four years or so. and then enjoy the problems as they are now built se cheaply, you will wish you still had the old Ford, but it's too late. It's now gone.

The rust and rot is the hardship, I can't win the battle against rust and I could easily spend several thousands repairing it to have it just come back again.
It's tough, my failing health isn't cooperating with the more difficult repairs. Took three days to do the front bearings and rotors.

 

[WilltheThrill]

"It still needs front springs, tires and an alignment. And even with that, the rad support is rotted on the ends and the the front-left cab-mount is rotted out bad at the floor, and the passenger side is following the same path...I can't fix rust oh, and the rear wheel-wells I had fixed six years ago...yep, one side is starting to bubble again! " I would Take the 4500 and run, here in AZ rust makes trucks worthless.

 

[towcat]

The rust and rot is the hardship, I can't win the battle against rust and I could easily spend several thousands repairing it to have it just come back again.
It's tough, my failing health isn't cooperating with the more difficult repairs. Took three days to do the front bearings and rotors.

ray-
do yourself a favor and go take a look at one of the new truck frames. the thickness of the metal is no better than the thickness of your fender on the bricknose. they call the metal "high strength steel" that has been hydroformed instead of stamped in a tool and die. tinworms don't care what it is, they eat the same way. only this time, the frame is thinner. only way I will own a late-model car or truck is if it is assighed to me or I have a full-maintence lease that I can throw the keys at the dealer and walk away from at the end of the contract.
as far as the failing health, I know where you are coming from there. I too am cursed with health issues too. I've also learned how to delagate my work some time ago. at least these trucks you can do something to them. the new stuff is rip out and replace.
good luck

 

[chris142]

$4500+ for a rustbucket! take it! then fly out here buy a nice one for $2500 and drive it home.

 

[HS108]

SELL SELL SELL

I paid that for a clean, rust free west coast truck, that was get in and go ready

 

[HS108]

double post

 

[fordf350man]

the newer trucks seem great, living in southeastern Michigan we probably use the most salt out of any state in winter with the Detroit salt mine, they dump the crap everywhere in the winter and i haven't seen one new dodge or ford truck since about 2007 that has rusted out, and if i do it is very minimal rust, the newest trucks are well protected under neath on the frame and body, I have a few Friends with the new trucks one with dodge the other with f150s and they love them, ecoboost to 5.0l the guy with the dodge has the hemi and loves it, the best thing to do no matter how well coated a vehicle is is to go to a car wash with an under body wash and do that every other week in the winter so the salt doesn't stick to body and eat the metal away, and the frames are very strong, I work at Ford in Dearborn right across the street at the test track and have seen what they tow with these trucks, they can handle anything you put behind them, only one im not sure of is the new aluminum body, that one i will need to see after a few years

 

[Agnem]

$4500+ for a rustbucket! take it! then fly out here buy a nice one for $2500 and drive it home.

That sounds like a good plan to me Ray.

 

[GOOSE]

I have seem more people get rid of their truck to only regret it than I can count. I would only get rid of my truck if I needed a vehicle that was significantly different than it, for example, I bought a condo and my truck was too tall to park it anywhere remotely close to where I live, if a new job had me traveling gross amounts of mileage, if I simply no longer needed a truck.

Ray, I am in a totally different point of life than you are so it is of no good idea for me to suggest what you are to do. I only wish you good luck and a happy outcome. MY issue is that for the price of a new truck, you can do a frame off restoration on yours, IF you are happy with the basic truck and just upset in its degrading condition. OF course, you most likely can not finance said restoration, that can be problematic too.

-Maybe you are just bored with it, after all, you have had it a LONG time and Calvin said that you have been toying on getting rid of it for some time now. I don't know....

Me, I have been driving junk my whole life, the yellow truck being one of the nicest pieces of junk I've had. I usually have been pretty good at getting them to go down the road, not so good at making them look like they should. With the new engine and all of the heartache into this one, I am hoping that in the next couple of years I can source somebody to help me do a restoration on it. I am hoping that for about $15,000 I can have the body, paint and interior the way I want it. We shall see........

Good luck in what ever route you proceed upon. Ray, my best wishes are always with you.

 

[HammerDown]

I have seem more people get rid of their truck to only regret it than I can count. I would only get rid of my truck if I needed a vehicle that was significantly different than it, for example, I bought a condo and my truck was too tall to park it anywhere remotely close to where I live, if a new job had me traveling gross amounts of mileage, if I simply no longer needed a truck.

Ray, I am in a totally different point of life than you are so it is of no good idea for me to suggest what you are to do. I only wish you good luck and a happy outcome. MY issue is that for the price of a new truck, you can do a frame off restoration on yours, IF you are happy with the basic truck and just upset in its degrading condition. OF course, you most likely can not finance said restoration, that can be problematic too.

-Maybe you are just bored with it, after all, you have had it a LONG time and Calvin said that you have been toying on getting rid of it for some time now. I don't know....

Me, I have been driving junk my whole life, the yellow truck being one of the nicest pieces of junk I've had. I usually have been pretty good at getting them to go down the road, not so good at making them look like they should. With the new engine and all of the heartache into this one, I am hoping that in the next couple of years I can source somebody to help me do a restoration on it. I am hoping that for about $15,000 I can have the body, paint and interior the way I want it. We shall see........

Good luck in what ever route you proceed upon. Ray, my best wishes are always with you.

A frame-off restoration for the price of a 'new' truck...that's almost $40,000 for a restoration! And I still have a 1988 truck!
If I could buy my truck all over again 'new' for $20,000 I probably would because it's been an AMAZING truck! That just leaves me despising the insane price for Ulta Low Sulfur junk fuel.

Towcat said something that upset me..."you've been trying to kick this truck to the curb for years"
To me Kicking it to the curb is a disrespectful term for a truck that's treated me very-very good and in return over the decades I have maintained it as best as I could...so no, NEVER kicking it to the curb but, it's painful so see an ole friend getting in the condition I can no longer keep up with...it really saddens me

For me RUST is the real enemy, it's the only thing I really can't fix, and I cannot drive around in a vehicle where I feel the floor under my feet move around.
Selling wasn't the original plan for my truck, I honestly didn't think I would still be pumping air in 2014. It's WILLED to someone here I felt would take care of it and be able to maintain and fix the ole girl as it deserves and as I once could.

Ahead it's a tough road to hoe, I certainly don't want to see someone local driving my truck into the ground or complaining to me about this or that.

Thanks for the feedback fellas

 

[icanfixall]

I honestly understand the selling of an old friend. I bought my 79 chevy C30 camper special with 23,000 miles on it in 1983. It took us on many vacations hauling or 22 ft wellcraft to Lake Powell or our 30 ft 5th wheel to Powell or many other places over the years. The new owner shipped it to Saudi Arabia. It still bothers me that it gone but I just did not use it enough to keep it. Maybe we need to remember these are just a form of transportation and not a loved family member. Now believing that is the tuff part. My hopes are I never see my old truck on the news being used for a terrorist truck bombing. Then those guys in the black suits will come and "talk" with me.... If you sell it just make yourself believe its ok and someone is taking care of it.

 

[Knuckledragger]

$4500+ for a rustbucket! take it! then fly out here buy a nice one for $2500 and drive it home.

He's right, and you get a nice cross country trip out of the deal.

 

[92F350CC]

You gotta do what you gotta do. We grow so attached to these trucks that we can't bear the thought of selling them, nor understand why somebody else would part with theirs. I gave up my diesel because circumstances changed and I didn't need one anymore, and the price was right for the gasser I drive now. My usage patterns would cause a diesel engine to sit and seize up. Do I miss the old truck? Yes. But did I move on and enjoy what I have now? Yes.

Whatever you buy, I recommend giving it a good undercoating to prevent the rust. I'm fortunate enough to live in the desert where I don't have that problem.