Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Hi,

I've been lurking here for a year or two, and started posting in the last few months. I've finally set aside a budget of about 7 grand to get back into the 67-72 community. I had a 70 medium olive longbed back in the late 80's, was raising two young kids and didn't have the money to ever do anything with it. :waah: Let it go in one of my many stupid car giveaways over the years.

I'm now wanting to semi-retire my little mid-life crisis car and get me another 67-72 for daily driving.

With this budget I'm thinking another smooth riding C-10 long bed, and I like the shop truck aesthetic. The problem is the only pricing I ever see is what the seller is asking. I don't know what fair market pricing is and I'm a crappy negotiator. And even if I was, it's hard to negotiate if you don't know the real value.

For example, this truck looks nice, but the "engine smokes on startup" and leaking seal on the tranny give me pause. Still, if I offered the guy 5K and planned on a rebuild and replacing the seals on the trans, would I be insulting the guy or offering him a fair deal? http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5043643432.html

Thanks in advance for your help, and I can't tell you how impressed I am with the depth of knowledge in this forum and the maturity of the members. You guys rock.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

No way to know if this person would be insulted by your offer and the term fair is relative.
I'm live by the acronym BLUF. Bottom line up front. If I sell something it is usually priced at what I want for the item. If I'm interest in buying something, I go look at it and ask them, how much do you have to have ? Then I give them my offer.
Sounds like you have an honesty perspective. I wouldn't be insulted.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

It may just need valve seals. They dry out and crack if a vehicle sits for very long. As far as the trans I don't know how good if a troubleshooter the guy is but if it the leak is in the front it could be a leaking dipstick tube "O" ring or pan gasket.. If it is the rear trans seal that is leaking it is no big deal to replace with the trans in the truck....

$3500-4k would be where I would start.

LockDoc

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

If they can't set a price, they can't whine about an offer they don't like.
That said, people thing their junk is gold these days.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Sounds like it has some rust repair...check it out good

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Thanks guys.

He sent me a spid today, pretty nicely optioned. A/C cab entices me.

The fact that he said he repainted it the original color, and the spid says DARK olive, bothers me. Oh well, it won't hurt to go look at it.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Do you want an original truck? You mentioned daily drive status for your truck. I just looked at your link and it says 355 so the motor has been played with. If you want a daily driver you can use and enjoy and decide what you want to do with it to personalize it I'd try to find as original a truck as possible. Your avatar says Frisco and if you live in the San Francisco area you are in 67-72 heaven for finding a decent truck. Just be patient in your search.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

It doesn't have to be super original, but nicely optioned is nice, because then I'd only have to replace things like power brakes and power steering, instead of trying to convert them.

Yes, I've seen some lovely trucks in California just like what I'm looking for in the "for sale" section here.

Unfortunately, my "Frisco" isn't a shortened "San Francisco". It the name of my town in Texas. :)

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

I just looked up Frisco Texas and even where you are in the Dallas area there are lots and lots of trucks. There was a poll on the boards about which State sold the most 67-72's and Texas and California were the two favourites by far.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

You are correct, there are a lot here and I've been watching the market for awhile. Unfortunately, they are also extremely popular here, which drives the prices up. There are a lot of 2500 dollar beaterz, http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/5039733008.html

and 9000 dollar sweethearts, http://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/cto/5039870323.html

But not much in my sweet spot. I'll be patient though. I'd hate to take an impulsive plunge and then see my dream machine for sale the next day.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Honestly save up your money until you find one your in love with even if you spend 10k getting the one you want makes all the difference. Don't settle on something just because it's cheaper. A lot of times the cheap trucks are nightmares

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

I do not think the 9000 truck is a 9000 truck. It has no gauges, non original seat and door panels and no A/C and in your area that is a big one. That is a 5/6000 truck in my opinion.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

And he's been trying to sell it since January at this price. Think I'll throw a 6K offer at him and see what happens.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Good advice.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Sight unseen? Don't offer anything til you see it and the condition/quality of the work done. The engine and trans aren't rebuilt since they both have problems.

Get under it and look.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

I was talking about the blue $9000 sweetheart I linked. Sorry, I'm all over the place here.

I'll go look at the twotone green longbed Monday, and decide if I'm interested. If not, I'll make an offer on the blue one. If he doesn't bite, I'll just sit back and keep looking.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Yes keep looking for the right one, buy the best truck you can. So many out there! Also post a wtb on the board with some details, guys sell trucks on here all the time

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Here is a nice one
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/5036920554.html

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Wow, if that's half as nice as it looks it's priced VERY well!

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Yes, I've thought about that one a lot. Not thrilled about a big block, but that could be rectified later. I asked him to send me a pic of his spid, he said he would but hasn't yet.

So how does a C-20 ride compared to a C-10? I always loved the way my 10 rode so smooth back in the day.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

I have a c20 its rougher and stiffer mine feels like a caddy on the freeway but mines also a custom camper so it has heavier leaf springs in the back. Coils are a smoother ride than leafs in my opinion

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

What don't you like about the big block? The one I had was the best running truck I ever had. The gas mileage was similar to my 350.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

That blue and white c20 looks great outside. With just a few parts to replace/refurb and a clean up under the hood it will be a great truck. I see it doesn't have ac. That means a lot to us in the south and it can be added if you wanted it. Visually that truck seems priced nice. One test ride will tell you if you would like the c20 ride or not.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

I drive a big block C20 longhorn everyday. Poor gas mileage, rough ride and I smile every mile of the way.

I have a half ton, that rides a lot better.

Re: Help me to not be stupid. :)
 

Be patient. Figure out what you want and don't compromise. You can always find a truck for sale in the D/FW area. The are all over priced in the city. Try checking surrounding areas on Craigslist. I just moved to East Texas a few mounts ago, and they seem cheaper out here. Sometimes a 2-3 hour drive can save you 2-3 grand.
Me personally, being a Native Texan, I would never spend $7K on a truck with no a/c!!