Help me pick my first 1st Gen (Cummins) truck!

[BCHauler]

It's $800. Buy it. Put the rest of your money in your sock drawer for the day you stumble across your dream truck. In the meantime, get out there and explore in your $800 truck and discover the things you REALLY want / don't want.

 

[Kaisen]

I've just come across a local deal, it's a 93 D250, reg cab, NV4500 5-speed stick, salvage title, but in good mechanical condition (though beat up cosmetically) that I could get for, say, $800. The thing is, it has a GAS (5.2L/318 v8 - not a cummins) engine in it. New battery, alternator and belt. AC blows cold. Heat/wipers/lights all work as they should. Good tires with lots of tread. Just passed CA smog. Starts up every time. The bad stuff: gas gauge doesn't work, 3rd gear syncro is bad, steering has some play, probably needs tie rod ends.

You'd be an idiot NOT to buy that truck. Use it for a while and see what you like and don't like about it.....all the while continuing to search for the right 1st gen Cummins. When you find your Cummins, then perhaps the good parts/attributes of that gas truck will be of value to the diesel. For example, maybe you find the perfect Cummins but it's an automatic (which you probably paid less for). Pull the NV 4500 and all the other parts needed for the swap, do a quick refresh and clutch while it's out, and voila...you have a 5 spd Cummins with a fresh transmission and clutch. Or maybe it's the A/C. Or maybe its the tires. Or maybe the interior. Or some other parts. You get the point.

At $800, you can't pass it up. Scrap value for the metal is nearly that. It's a no brainer.

 

[LJinLA]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! And those are good points, Kaisen....is the NV4500 and parts from the gas rig suitable for a cummins one? I thought there would be differences....

On the other hand....

What do you guys think of this deal? I'm posting it because, though initially very appealing and quite local to me, I don't think I'm gonna take advantage of it....maybe someone here wants it.......but I'd be very interested to know what you guys think of it.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/3815054915.html

it's 92 Dodge W250 4WD Cummins, manual transmission (the Holy Grail!) with a bunch of stuff added and improvements made for only $5,000. Was ready to jump on it, then talked to owner, now not so sure... Main negative is that truck has 300K miles, or more precisely, odo stopped working at 300K miles. There are a few electrical problems, right door hinge needs to be fixed, AC leaks and needs fixing.

Price seems to be very firm at $5K.

Let me know what you think...

 

[surlydiesel]

Adding in my 2 cents, if you have a good local mechanic, bring them with you or have it checked out. The gear vendors and some of the other plus' really add to the overall value. These trucks are becoming more and more rare and frankly, if you have a pile of cash in your hand, the owner is more likely to come down in price. If the mechanics of the truck are good, wheel bearings, motor, trans, transfer case, those other things you mentioned are easily fixed over a weekend of wrenching.

I would put some serious thought into it and have cash ready in hand.

Best,
jorge

 

[redthies]

I think it will be sold long before you get there, unless of course you are driving NOW. It is what you have been looking for, it is in your price range, and at 300,000 you can bet most everything has been rebuilt at least once. Go look at it!

 

[LJinLA]

Well, when I called the seller today (it was within an hour of his posting the CG ad), I was told that there was one person who had called ahead of me and who was going to check this truck out first thing tomorrow morning. So, even if I wanted to jump on it, the seller wouldn't let me. I can always get in touch with him again, to see if he still has it. However, the seller came across as very knowledgeable and was very much in touch with the details of the work that had been done to the truck. He has owned this truck for 14 years. So, the question which comes to mind is, given that this guy is obviously aware of the real value of his truck, if the truck at this price would really be such a steal, why is such a knowledgeable owner selling it at so seemingly little? I makes me think about it.... Just saying.....

 

[evilfij]

Seems like a steal at 5k. I would be driving now with 50 c notes if it were not on the other coast.

 

[redthies]

Why is such a knowledgeable owner selling it at so seemingly little? I makes me think about it.... Just saying.....

If he has owned it 14 years, he has got more than his monies worth out of it. Who knows what is motivating the sale? Maybe he has another truck and/or a pile of debt. He knows that at $5000 he will sell it very fast. I would call him back tomorrow morning and ask him to call you if it doesn't sell.

I just bought my '98 12v with a list of new parts and upgrades worth $8000 +/- for $8395. I have had a couple of local diesel shop "gurus" tell me the truck is worth $12k at least. Why did I get it cheap? The seller had just bought a brand new 3500 Laramie. His girlfriend didn't like the "old" truck. There was a line up of about 20 guys wanting the truck, but I was first in line. Luckily the seller held it for me while I got my cash together.

 

[BBslider001]

Well, when I called the seller today (it was within an hour of his posting the CG ad), I was told that there was one person who had called ahead of me and who was going to check this truck out first thing tomorrow morning. So, even if I wanted to jump on it, the seller wouldn't let me. I can always get in touch with him again, to see if he still has it. However, the seller came across as very knowledgeable and was very much in touch with the details of the work that had been done to the truck. He has owned this truck for 14 years. So, the question which comes to mind is, given that this guy is obviously aware of the real value of his truck, if the truck at this price would really be such a steal, why is such a knowledgeable owner selling it at so seemingly little? I makes me think about it.... Just saying.....

he wouldn't even let you show up the same day? Wow, I have never heard of a seller on CL holding anything for anybody. It's always first come, first serve. What came of it? I wouldn't even balk at 300,000...no need to repeat what others have said. Do it if it is still available.

 

[BBslider001]

Also, I keep reading your posts about looking at trucks. I would say, for unsolicited advice, don't be so apprehensive about these old trucks. No matter what you get with your budget and desires, you are going to have to fix stuff. As long as the main mechanical things are in order (engine, tranny, axles), do it when you find it and don't worry so much. It's a 20 year old truck after all.

 

[Metcalf]

I would have jumped on that one. For 5K your not really going to do much better or worse, especially kinda local. 300K is an interesting point in these trucks lives I think. Mine is showing some age with over that, BUT everything can be rebuilt fairly easy. If the truck was well maintained this is probably a non-issue.

These trucks have gotten a LOT harder to find in the last 5 years, especially after cash for clunkers and all that.....

 

[LJinLA]

he wouldn't even let you show up the same day? Wow, I have never heard of a seller on CL holding anything for anybody. It's always first come, first serve. What came of it? I wouldn't even balk at 300,000...no need to repeat what others have said. Do it if it is still available.

What happened...I saw the CG ad on Sunday around 5 PM... Promptly emailed the guy saying that I was very interested in getting his truck and could have bought it from him first thing in the morning. He replied within an hour with his phone # and we got to talk on the phone at around 7 PM. Trip to get there would have been 85 miles/1.5 hours and probably more because I lose my way easily when it's dark. Told him I'd be there first thing in the morning. He said somebody else very interested was going there at 8 AM on Monday. Said he would let me know how that went. Then we talked a bit about the truck, but honestly, I didn't get a positive gut feeling about it all.

Also, he told me the odometer had stopped working at 300,000 miles "a few months earlier," so the truck very likely had more than that.

On Monday (yesterday), from early morning tried contacting that guy again, left voice and email messages, but he never got back to me...probably sold.

 

[LJinLA]

Would you buy a truck with a shot odometer?

How do you guys feel about buying a truck with a shot odometer?
I'm coming across several of those and I usually pass them....I was told by my insurance company that they will not insure a vehicle with a shot odometer because they price their policies based on the annual miles traveled and need to keep track of that.
Yet, a few sellers I've spoken to say that's no problem at all, that they have insured their trucks with shot odometers for years...
Besides the insurance issue, how does one go about regular maintenance with a shot odometer?
Is this something you would shy from or something you would go for?

 

[Kaisen]

Easy. Fix the odometer.

The idea that you don't know how many miles are on the truck when you buy it (or sell it) is the only piece of the puzzle you need to consider. In the example where it broke with 300K miles, who cares? It wouldn't be worth any more with 275K miles, or any less with 325K miles. It makes no difference anymore, as long as it's a decent truck. You could buy a 150K mile truck and have a $2K injection pump failure tomorrow, or buy a 350K mile truck that was well maintained and not need a thing for another 100K. There are no guarantees either way.
The question is, would you have to pay $2K more for the 150K mile truck? Probably. Would you "get" to pay less for a 350K mile truck (or TMU broken odometer?) Probably.
So which is the better value?!?!?!?

 

[redthies]

Kaisen... Well said! Mileage means nothing once you get past 100-150,000. My F350 has 285,000 on it and drives way better than my friends identical truck with less than 200,000 on it.