Back again with another craigslist 4x4 advice post.

Korben

Adventurer
beware of rust. It may be surface on the frame and body, but that kind of rust might be eating away brake lines and stiffening up calipers, stuff like that. Not a big deal to fix, but if you aren't expecting it it is.

This^^^^
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That level of rust would really concern me, as soon as you'd have to start pulling anything apart it's going to fight you with every bolt, nut, clip, etc. Suddenly a job as simple as replacing shocks turns into a nightmare with seized bolts that break, that turns into hard to find hardware needing to be replaced, and broken bolts needing to be drilled out of parts you don't want to or are impossible to remove or replace, etc.
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Unless at a price that's good enough to make that worth it I'd move on.
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Edit.
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FWIW I've purchased A LOT of cheap used old vehicles(mostly Fords though), that I've turned into reliable runners, fixed up, or parted out. I put almost no stock in what the seller or the odometer says, and only consider the model year as a reference for model year changes, not age. Why, on anything more then say 5-10 years old condition matters a lot more then anything else, condition will tell you everything if you know how to look. I'll take a 80 that's had a lot of owners and 300,000 miles on it but has been well cared for and is in good condition, over a 97 claiming one owner and low miles in bad condition every time.
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Most of all in Texas, from what I know of used rigs in Texas some of the prices can be high but some of the rigs are in AWESOME condition. I'd suggest looking more inland and with price I assume as your limiting factor give up age/mileage for condition.
 
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MrWesson

Adventurer
What type of trails are you wanting to do with the truck?

Yes the rust may present some annoyances/brake line replacements but lets be real... It's $2,800 for a full size SUV that's in pretty good shape.. I'm not sure you can do much better.

I say go for it, use ospho on the rust, paint the under carriage with rustoleum every year and it will outlast you. My 06' LR3 had more rust than that and now you'd be hard pressed to find one spot after doing the above. I use ospho with a spray bottle, Resporator, and face shield/goggles. Once it dries white/rinse and paint. Be careful that stuff is essentially acid.

Things to check in addition to "the usual"

Wheel bearings if possible.. Rusty undercarriage = rust on the axles/brakes.
Any exposed bearings(pinion/driveline)
Brake lines.. With a bender and flaring tool its really not a big deal to change most of them.
Engine Pullies/balancers
Brake Calipers
 

DanF.

Adventurer
Swung back by the Tahoe on my way back from campus this morning, and got a pic of the odometer: 113,xxx miles. Seems low, right?

sIBADsD.jpg


Also, saw this rust on the body, which is basically a deal-breaker for me. I don't have the $$$ or tools/experience to deal with sealing this up.

x63DXvo.jpg

y2JyppR.jpg


I'm kind of bummed, and really liked the idea of finding a full-sized rig to putt around in on the beach and explore SE Texas in, but too many red flags are waving in my face. Consolation would be that I have a lead on a 1993 Toyota 4Runner 5-spd. 4x4. We'll see where this takes me.

Thanks again for the help and experienced observations.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
That's what I was afraid of!

You can bet with the rust that bad on the frame, the body is eat up underneath also. It looks like the paint is literally peeling off of the vehicle too. I've 'been there, done that' as the saying goes, and unless you have access to a body shop or a decent shop of your own to work in, those kinds of repairs are time consuming and a total pain in the rear!

That is no 'deal' in my opinion and I would recommend you keep on looking. The perfect one is out there, it's just a matter of finding it.
 

DanF.

Adventurer
That's what I was afraid of!

You can bet with the rust that bad on the frame, the body is eat up underneath also. It looks like the paint is literally peeling off of the vehicle too. I've 'been there, done that' as the saying goes, and unless you have access to a body shop or a decent shop of your own to work in, those kinds of repairs are time consuming and a total pain in the rear!

That is no 'deal' in my opinion and I would recommend you keep on looking. The perfect one is out there, it's just a matter of finding it.


Hey, can't win 'em all. I'm still on the hunt.
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
was going to say 'of the pictures shown, probably superficial enough on the frame'. But then I see the rust-outs on the UPPER and VERTICAL skin and I say RUN AWAY.

If it was to be an off-road thrasher, or kept on the beach for a few years, it's still not terrible. But a primary ride that won' tbe readily replaced for several years? Forget it.
 

DanF.

Adventurer
Yeah.

I haven't decided if I'm going to sell my current DD (the Saab) and rely solely on whatever I pick up next. But the rust on this Tahoe just was too much.
 

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