I was curious as to what a good price for a 73-79 flareside (type with fenders over the wheels) bed would be.

I know pre-73 beds, but with my project I've been looking for the wider and taller 73-79 ones. I found one for about $350, complete but also in need of repair like being rusted out on the bottom fender where it holds to the running boards.

I have a friend who says $50-250 and it better be mint for $250, but I don't know if thats a realistic expectation or if the bed I found is just priced too high. I always seem to see the flat tops go for about $400-$500 (I'd rather have a slant, but it's an easy fix)


So what do you feel is the right range? Thanks

 

it all depends on your area. if you are in the rust belt (like NY, PA, ect), expect to pay like a grand for a rust free bed. maybe $300 to $500 in AZ or NM, or CA

 

This is the bed I'm looking at, doesn't have the running boards, does have a tailgate.

I know the fenders are rusted where the running boards connect, something I can fix but still.

He wants $375 Negotiable for it.




I often hate negotiating cause I feel like a jerk when I do, lol. What would you offer for it?

 

Offer what you're willing to pay, and be prepared to walk-away if the seller says "No." I usually start by taking 10 to 15% off the asking price.

 

Looks like about $250, was about $50 more than I had planned on spending, but seems like a pretty good deal to me. Espcially given the PITA it is to find one...

 

10%? eff that. i'd show up with a trailer, point out all the things wrong with it, and tell him you only brought $200 with you, and thats all you bring in one pocket. Pull it out o your wallet and there is nothing left. If he balks, then put another $50 in a bank envelope in your glovebox, and go get it and be like, well, I was supposed to deposit this tonight, but thats really it, I can't go any higher and I really wanted to take this home today.

I duno. I made a living picking parts and ebaying them for a summer in college, so I got good at jewing people down hardcore.

 

I hate negotiating too, probably because I'm not very good at it!

I think most people (myself included) aren't very familiar with flareside bed values because there are relatively few of them compared with the styleside beds.

I would think finding a really nice one will be tough. Finding a really nice one close by and cheap will be very tough!

 

He went for $250, personally it seems like a good deal, espcially since I've been looking for a bed for over 6 months now and live in the middle of no where and don't have a truck that can get it myself. So having a guy willing to deliever for the cost of gas is a great deal for me.

I don't like screwing people out of money, I run my own business, it really ruins a day to have a client bitch and moan about the cost of things. I'm straight forward, it costs what it does for a reason, I was honest about what I was looking to spend but that I wasn't trying to low ball him, so he went 33% lower. The bed's complete except for the running boards, and since I have to make them myself for this project anyways... even has the chains for the tailgate still on.

 

Stephen, You might hate negotiating, but you're pretty good at it. I think you did well. Congratulations!

 

lol thanks

I find it works well for me if I'm just completely honest. I told him that $375 was honestly too much for me, that I was only looking to spend $200, but I didn't want to come off like I was low-balling him and hoped we could find an agreement we'd both be happy with.

I have a friend in town who has been looking for a flat-top bed for a while now, but he doesn't need a bed (has a slant-top on it now), just wants it to be accurate for his year, so he can afford to wait for the $50-$250 beds, he wouldn't pay over $250 for a bed, and said it have to be mint condition, but thats also why he's been waiting so long. I'm all for playing hard-ball, I did it with my truck, lol out of necessity though, but there comes a time when you sorta look at it like "is it worth $50 to have to search for another year?"


And besides, if you haggle too much and the seller gets upset with you, it's a lot more likely that you'll end up with a problem you wouldn't have. The whole "I would have just given it to you but since you're an *** its $300 now" thing. lol we call that the a-hole tax.

 

I dunno, my brother bought this F250 parts truck and basically it was slightly misrepresented and very very out of the way, but I talked to him before hand and he made certain assurances. We show up and its buried in the mud with 4 flat tires and he has used his tractor to plow all the snow off his lot up against the front of it.

How stuck was this truck? With a 15,000 lb warn winch on a diesel ram ext cab 2500 with dual batteries hitched to the 16' gooseneck, the winch stalled out before either truck moved an inch.

We were HOURS in digging and used the compressor we had with us to fill out the tires and had to un hitch the trailer and yank it out.

OK, anyway, we got it for $150 less than he was asking. But while we were digging I noticed a steering wheel spinner I wanted on the rim of a junked forklight in the mud alongside the truck. I asked him what he wanted and pulls this BS about it being made of wood and vintage and worth $20. I told him $5. He counters with like $15. I was like, I'll give you $5 for it, its a POS but I want a spinner for my truck and I'll either take yours for $5 or buy a new one for $20. End of story. And he laughs and asks why and I tell him how I just like that its wood and that its probably as old as my truck. He haggles with me some more and keeps saying how if its all wood and old its prolly worth somethig. And I'm like seriously, I'm not buying it to put on ebay. I think its a piece of crap. I wouldn't be interested except for the fact that its on a forklift 5' away from me and I thought I could get it cheaper than a new one. Thats it. I explain to him that my truck is a piece of crap as well. Just like his steering ****.

Finally he gets mad and is like "well hell if you want it so damn bad just take the damn thing for free."

So I did.

Hows that for haggling? lol.