i've been looking for a truck and all i'm finding is junk , i have around 2 grand to play with , but i need something reliable , that will pass va emissions and isn't a pile . i'd preffer an f-150 . i came across a truck tonight , 80 stepside f-150 with an i6 , the guy wants 1300 for it , the body is good , the frame is alittle rusty , but it's only surface rust , the trans is manual and the clutch feels ok , i've never driven one before so i don't know what it's supposed to feel like , it's missing small things here and there like the cap to the windshield washer bottle and the coolant overflow tank , it ran pretty good , had 150k miles , but engine was alittle oily , well more like sludgy , lots of road grime mixed with oil , and the metal hose for the smog pump had a hole in it , also the power steering pump has a bad berring and the camber is out of whack (i've heard this is an expensive fix , is it ? ) i'm trying to get some info on weather i should even bother with this or not , i already spent 65 bucks today having a shop check out a truck i thought was perfect only to find out it was junk , i can't do this for every truck or i won't be able to afford anything what should i do ? i have no way to get around ! should i even bother with a truck or should i go get some stupid little 4 banger

Tim

 

The camber isn't too expensive of a fix depending on what causes it. If the springs are sagged, they are less than $200 to replace. If it needs kingpins, they can be alittle pricier, but not too bad. If the body is fairly straight, and there doesn't seem to be any Bondo in it, offer him $1000. Take the rest of your money, and fix it up right.

Jared

 

I would recommend buying the 4 banger if all you are doing is commuting. If you do actually need a truck, I would recommend going for an 87 or newer. This is the year they started with fuel injection on pretty much every truck. I believe it's also the first year of the 302 H.O. . I just purchased an '84 F-150 351/C6 for $500. It runs but has some blow by.

To sum it up, you aren't going to find a perfect truck for $2k, however you can find a truck that has less problems vs. a different truck for the same price if that makes any sense.