View Poll Results: Which truck/option would you choose?
Voters: 47. You may not vote on this poll
Personal Quandry
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
Been checking CL using searchtempest and that is what has led me to the trucks I have found. The most misrepresented ones were a 250 x-cab that I drove 5 hours to see only for it to have a loud knocking engine. Though the owner said it was a great engine. The cab had way more rust than I was comfortable with. The other one said the engine and trans were just rebuilt. Though the mains knocked badly at 3300 and you could flap your hand left and right quite a lot in gear. It was a chore just to find a gear.
What I need out of a truck... Needs to be 4x4, have a bed that will hold firewood, be able to haul 2 1200lb roll bales of hay, tow 2 horses, haul 425 gallons of water at at time weekly, pull the occasional stump, haul the occasional car, and be able to make it up my hill to drop the hay. I'd be happy with a cab that I won't be fred flintstoning with and doesn't have fist size rust holes.
What I need out of a truck... Needs to be 4x4, have a bed that will hold firewood, be able to haul 2 1200lb roll bales of hay, tow 2 horses, haul 425 gallons of water at at time weekly, pull the occasional stump, haul the occasional car, and be able to make it up my hill to drop the hay. I'd be happy with a cab that I won't be fred flintstoning with and doesn't have fist size rust holes.
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 80
Likes: 1
I wish more people felt this way. I've got my daily driver '78 F250 on the Portland, OR. craigslist for $1500 and no bites.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
I don't mind a little work but money pit levels of work is what I'm trying to avoid here.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 623
Likes: 0
From: Sweethome Or
well i go with wait those rigs are parts only...and i feel sorry for the east coast guys we run into allkinds of nice trucks for cheap... sasw a decent 72 highboy 3/4 ton 4X4 with nice body in need of a 390 for 600 bucks here in oregon...
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,219
Likes: 4
From: Norton, MA
God, I bought my 79 Frankentruck F150 for 2800$, and that was essentially fair. It had bondo coming out of everywhere, a bed floor like swiss cheese, zero interior, electrical bugs, a burst brake line, and (I didn't know this at the time, but) a soon to be deceased 400, C6, and P/S box, and was in about a 5 color primer paint scheme. And like I said, for a driveable truck, that was the very best I could do after 8 mooonths of searching. East coast all the way, but it would've been worth the gas to go to Arizona, and trailor something back....
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,196
Likes: 2
When dealing with 30-40 year old vehicles, you're entering a hobby, and hobbies are expensive. I said hold out for a different rig. If you need to haul, take half that money, buy a decent trailer and throw a hitch on whatever you're driving currently. I don't mean to sound rude, but $1500 won't buy a whole lot of truck in many regions, unless you're one of those folks carrying around a golden horseshoe.
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Junior User
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
WAIT, SAVE, and Wait some more. As soon as you settle you will come across something better I guarante that. I know how you feel when you are looking for that truck. I would be looking for the 80-86 model you can find some great deals there and they are not as antique or classic looking and their prices reflect that.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 623
Likes: 0
From: Sweethome Or
704 dentside man... not sure where you live but every rig i bought to fixup and resell have been less then 1000 each and drove home..and i've never spent more than a couple hundred on the repairs...A A.M.O.F...my neighbor has a rust free, one dent, 2 owner, hot runnin 460, auto, f250, 4X4 that i can get for 1000 or less....
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 122
Likes: 1
From: Rush City, MN
Don't get me wrong, I love these trucks, but if you want to simulate what it's going to be like trying to make a reliable daily runner out of one of those trucks that you're looking at, I suggest you hold a shop vac up to your open wallet. That should approximate the feeling pretty well.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 623
Likes: 0
From: Sweethome Or
i got you know, as a basic driver there not to bad to own as a hobby or enthusiust the price never seems to end... my d.d/mudder started as a 200 dollar truck and a basic low buck wheeler 1500 or so.. i'm into it almost 8k now and it still needs paint and a new set of shoes...
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 1
From: Axtell, TX
704 dentside man... not sure where you live but every rig i bought to fixup and resell have been less then 1000 each and drove home..and i've never spent more than a couple hundred on the repairs...A A.M.O.F...my neighbor has a rust free, one dent, 2 owner, hot runnin 460, auto, f250, 4X4 that i can get for 1000 or less....
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
Went and drove the 150 supercab and it has some of the worst main bearings I have ever heard in my life. They didn't knock at idle but going down the road, holy crap. They had a 20 psi swing. 46 psi off the throttle, 26 on. Been looking at 7th gen 250's and they are as bad or worse. Taking the advise here and just holding out for something better.
2 questions though. Will an NP435 make noise like it's main bearings? And is it really that common these days for modifieds to have bearings that worn out?
2 questions though. Will an NP435 make noise like it's main bearings? And is it really that common these days for modifieds to have bearings that worn out?