If I were your pops and hadn't inspected any of these with you, I would advise you to offer 1/2 to 2/3rds of the asking price on any of these trucks...after you/we check them out thoroughly. 1 and 4 look like keepers to me, if the price is right. Rust rules out No. 2 in my opinion...there's always more cancer than you think. No. 3 is nice, but the salvage title kills the deal at his asking price. If 1 and 4 are sound, you could buy either one that you like best and build it up to where No. 3 is now, with help from your pops and buds...no matter what you buy, you will wind up doing some mods to make it yours. Be patient and look at each one closely, then make an offer and wait...time is on your side, generally...and ND speaks wisely on this one...haste will empty your pocket.

 

I believe dont buy anything with a salvage title period. There is a reason for it and I dont think just a hood and bumper would be the reason. Then buy something you can put the work into so you know what you got. I got my 72 crewcab for $2500... 4k way to much, Im saying 2500 should be a good range (try craigslist) thats how I found mine. I found another 69 F250 truck with just a bad motor for $400.00 on craigslist and snagged that for spare parts, probably sold more off it than I paid for it.... Took me awhile to find what I wanted (crewcabs are tuff to find) so I more or less took it as is. I have it all tore down to the frame so from the ground up and will know every bolt

 

I've owned three salvage vehicles. The third one was totalled twice. All were good rigs. There' no such thing as a cut-n-dried rule.

 

Like many here, I've made a similar mistake as well. I don't think any of these trucks are good deals. You'd be better finding something under 2000 you can pay cash for and fix up at a leisurely pace. Anything in this age range is going to need work, and will need to be taken apart. Making payments on something that can't be used is no good.

The economy is super slow right now, taking advantage of it is the best thing to do. There's guys out there, that don't have a listing online, that are dying to get rid of this kind of stuff to pay bills. Patience could net the perfect truck at a great price

 

Two wise things I have heard here. Patience and that you are buying a hobby. Unless you plan on doing a frame off resto, plan on spending time
Fixing Or Repairing Daily. LOL!!!

IMHO Look at them this way: TAKE THE MAKE UP OFF( Ever woken up next to someone that you could have sworn was somebody else? LOL!!!) What do you have with each? I would go with the one that is the most solid mechanically first. Then look at:

Records ( if any )
Wiring harnesses: The more original the better Trust me.
Interior

When I say mechanical I am including everything chassis wise, drive train, cooling/heating systems, etc.

Don't make your choice based on what she looks like. That should be your last concern. As the saying goes, looks are only skin deep. I've seen plenty of trucks that look great...sitting in a driveway.

 

If you have $4600 budget, why not look for a high-boy? You should be able to get a darn good truck for that price. High-boys are getting hard to find.