Whats wrong with me...buying a Chevy?

ATC Crazy · #1 (**permalink**) 04-09-2009, 01:44 AM

So I have been looking for 1-ton trucks since last Sept...mainly '92-'97 F350's and '94-'01 CTD's. I found a few here and there that looked good, but were pretty rough under the sheetmetal. Either that or they were too expensive...

Now that I have a new F/T position at work...and a raggetty Toyota that I don't fully trust...I have been driving around to all the dealerships shopping.

I haven't found many F350's unless they were less than a year old and loaded. Too expensive for me. Found a nice '00 F350 PSD with 100K on it, but was turned off when I saw the bed and gooseneck hitch.
However...sitting right next to it was a Green Chevy 3500. I said what the Hell and took a peek.

OK, so it's a Green '94 C3500 extended cab long bed 4x4. Took a peek inside and it is a 5-speed. One of my requirements. Painted on the front windshield was "454". "Alright!" I thought. Only 95k miles on it too.
Layed on my back and crawled underneath it...no rust anywhere, not even on the axle, springs, or torsion bars.

Went inside and got the keys so I could take a closer look. Engine bay is pretty clean and all stock (this truck was not detailed...the interior was still dirty and had some soda stains). Coolant was a little low, has a fairly new waterpump and new clutch-style fan. There is a small spot in the radiator where the old fan must have caught the fins a little. There was also just a small bit of oil seep around the valve covers. Interior looks great other than a few stains here and there. Coax and CB mount are in place as well as a trailer brake controller.

So I decided to start it up and hear it roar through the dual Flowmasters. At first I didn't think it would start due to a drained battery, but she finally caught and fired right up. Idled very smooth and sounded great. No smoke, no noises.

They want $6950 for it. Too much IMO. KBB's excellent category lists the truck at $6900 tops. That is for a perfect condition truck...just about the condition of a '09. NADA lists it for $6500 in excellent condition.

The passenger's side rear fender has been hit and is cracked (fiberglass). Not bad, but just enough to notice. The bottom right corner of the tailgate has been bent (picture a page corner in a book folded over to hold your spot). And of course the usual paint chips and scratches.

So uhhh...I'm tired and have been rambling on and on now

Sorry

So what do you "Chevy experts" think?

jimandmandy · #2 (**permalink**) 04-09-2009, 10:23 AM

Actually, GM trucks of that generation, '92-'97 are very good. I had a '93 that was just about flawless. The IFS front end might not suit the hardcore "it has to be a beam axle" crowd, but, if you dont intend on lifting it, I prefer IFS. TBI is also considered a weakness, but It worked great, looks like a 4-bbl carb, $3 air cleaner elements, but performs like EFI.

I dont know much about the manual transmission, since mine was an automatic.

Jim

BigDaddy6969 · #3 (**permalink**) 04-09-2009, 04:58 PM

Had a '96 Chevy 3500 4x4 454 5 speed and it was the worst truck Ive ever had. I went thru transmissions and clutches more often than tires. I think I may have just gotten a lemon but it sure soured my on Chevy's with that setup. My dad had a '93 Chevy 3500 4x4 6.5 5 speed and he went thru 3 transfer cases in 2 years on it. But if you arent going to pull a lot of weight all the time they or do a ton of off roading with it they will probly hold up.

Fordfanatic4life · #4 (**permalink**) 04-09-2009, 07:55 PM

is the truck actualy running a 454 ???

those years of GM trucks had the lowest HP numbers for such a large engine ever...

from what ur describing, the truck appears to have had a life of "maintainence only when its busted"...

i'd keep looking...

and try to find a Ford.. 8-)

Holiver31 · #5 (**permalink**) 04-09-2009, 11:57 PM

quick,,go home take two aspirins take a nap and all of your above symptoms should dissappear

kermmydog · #6 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 12:08 AM

TOO MUCH MONEY keep looking. But there is nothing wrong with those years. 454 is good. Chevy build good trucks, We have owned a few. We own a 97 Blazer 4x4 we really like it. It rides, drives very comfortable.
I would buy a Chevy truck without worry. The 6.0L gas motors are prone to piston problems.

ATC Crazy · #7 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimandmandy

Actually, GM trucks of that generation, '92-'97 are very good. I had a '93 that was just about flawless. The IFS front end might not suit the hardcore "it has to be a beam axle" crowd,

My buddy had a '91 GMC 1/2 ton with the 350 in it and he beat on it pretty hard and used it as his DD for a long time. It held up great. Another friend of ours has it now and uses it to haul his ATV and other things...
And yeah, a solid front axle is definately #1 on my wish list (which is why I was looking at F350's and not F250's)...but I don't plan on lifting it or taking it offroad any with the exception of some dirt roads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddy6969

Had a '96 Chevy 3500 4x4 454 5 speed and it was the worst truck Ive ever had.....But if you arent going to pull a lot of weight all the time they or do a ton of off roading with it they will probly hold up.

I just plan to tow my '78 Bronco a couple times a month at most during the summer months...and whatever else needs moved. Plus I'll have something more reliable for longer trips. About 80% of my friends are big Chevy guys, so parts (and knowledge) are plentiful and easy to come by.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fordfanatic4life

is the truck actualy running a 454 ???

those years of GM trucks had the lowest HP numbers for such a large engine ever...

from what ur describing, the truck appears to have had a life of "maintainence only when its busted"...

i'd keep looking...

and try to find a Ford.. 8-)

Nearly any make/model truck of those years were pretty low on power compared to today's trucks. Maybe I should just drop my fresh 466 in it?

And I don't think it had a life of "maintainence only when its busted". The undercarriage is very clean, which leads me to believe that it was used to haul a camper occasionally, and other suburbian household items on the weekends. I ran a CarFax on it and it's only been through 2 owners before a dealership got it (probably as a trade-in). It went to auction and now this used car dealership has it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holiver31

quick,,go home take two aspirins take a nap and all of your above symptoms should dissappear

I tried that already...but I was hoping for a wad of cash to be sitting in front of me when I woke up too

Fords are rare and expensive around these parts...

Quote:

Originally Posted by kermmydog

TOO MUCH MONEY keep looking. But there is nothing wrong with those years. 454 is good. Chevy build good trucks, We have owned a few. We own a 97 Blazer 4x4 we really like it. It rides, drives very comfortable.
I would buy a Chevy truck without worry. The 6.0L gas motors are prone to piston problems.

I agree...it is too much. I don't have a problem walking away if they won't work with me on the price. I haven't test-drove it yet, but I was thinking about sticking below $6k OTD.

ATC Crazy · #8 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 12:54 AM

I stopped by another used car lot today. They had a '03-'04 (I'm guessing based on the looks of the interior/gauge cluster) F250 SD 4x4. It was your base model, bench seat, regular cab. Looked very clean inside and out...

But lo and behold, only a 5.4L and automatic...They wanted $9950

BigDaddy6969 · #9 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 02:04 AM

Way to much for a truck like that, if it had a 6.8 or PSD it would be a buy. I just cant like the 5.4 in a HD truck application. I had an '03 Ford F250 with the 6.8 and I would recommend one to anybody.

jimandmandy · #10 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fordfanatic4life

is the truck actualy running a 454 ???

those years of GM trucks had the lowest HP numbers for such a large engine ever...

Its torque not hp that get a load moving. GM used cams on those pre-vortec gas engines that favored low-end torque over high rpm hp. Torque peak on mine was at 1900rpm. Look at diesel engine hp figures from that era. What was the hp of an early 7.3L diesel?

Jim

quaddriver · #11 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 01:01 PM

offer 3 out the door. it aint going anywhere

ATC Crazy · #12 (**permalink**) 04-11-2009, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimandmandy

Its torque not hp that get a load moving. GM used cams on those pre-vortec gas engines that favored low-end torque over high rpm hp. Torque peak on mine was at 1900rpm. Look at diesel engine hp figures from that era. What was the hp of an early 7.3L diesel?

Jim

Exactly. The '94 454 was rated at 230HP and 385ft-lbs. Should be over 425ft-lbs with the few mods I have in mind.

A '94 460 made around 245HP and 395ft-lbs.
The 7.3L IDI was around 180HP, and for some reason I cannot find the TQ rating anywhere...

powerstroke72 · #13 (**permalink**) 04-12-2009, 01:16 AM

The '94 7.3 IDI non-turbo was 185 HP and 360 TQ. The '94 7.3 IDI Turbo was 190 HP and 390 TQ. While I've always been a Ford man, that era of GM trucks was very good. I had several friends that had them and literally beat them to pieces and they kept on running. The 454, while not a horsepower king, had the torque to do pretty much anything you needed it to. If you get them down to a price you're comfortable with on the Chevy, go for it.

ATC Crazy · #14 (**permalink**) 04-13-2009, 12:14 AM

Thanks for the info John. I still have thoughts about that '00 PSD sitting next to it. I never really looked into it much after seeing the beat up bed and gooseneck hitch.

And I still like that 5.4L F250 that I saw...other than the 5.4L...

powerstroke72 · #15 (**permalink**) 04-13-2009, 01:57 AM

Well, there's a couple of different ways to look at it. If the '00 PSD is in good shape otherwise, you could look at getting a replacement bed for it. There's a place in Radford out towards Exit 105 that sells take-off beds. If they didn't have one, I'm sure they could get you one. If the price on the truck is good, it might be worth looking at. Or, if it's been a beater, just pass on it and look around. There are a few good looking SDs for sale down this way as well.