Hi all,
I'm in a bit of a predicament: do I keep spending money on my new to me K2500 or cut my losses?
TL;DR: I bought a truck that had 199k miles, but it turns out it is probably closer to 300-400k+, and it's needing steering work done right now.
I just bought a 1996 K2500 Silverado long bed 4x4 last week for a road trip. It's a 5.7, 4.1 ratio, 4L80 transmission, 8-lug wheels, plus a shell. I was in a hurry, so I didn't do my due diligence - I didn't run a Carfax. I paid $4500 for a truck with 199k miles on the odometer, and then I spent $1600 getting the front-right wheel speed sensor replaced for ABS, the cruise control fixed, front brakes done, and the front sway bar linkage replaced (I think, can't recall). I also put in a new stereo and speakers for ~$400 (3,000 mi trip planned). I have a Chilton manual waiting for me at home, and I was pretty excited about owning this truck. This forum was really helpful in finding the RPO codes and learning more about it.
After getting it loaded for my trip, I drove 500 miles from WA to ID on Sunday, and I discovered the front steering is really loose with a pretty big dead zone -- it's pretty hard staying in a lane on curves. I hadn't noticed because I'd only test driven the truck in the city with 90 degree turns. I took it to a shop, and they found the pitman, control arms, and a bunch of other stuff needs replacing, and that it might only scratch the surface of what's wrong and not correct the steering problems. It's about $1300 to do. The parts are taking awhile to come in and no work has begun, so I've been marooned here for awhile. (Truck has been at the shop for a few days, so I've forgotten some of the specific parts that are worn.)
I was okay with spending this to get the truck safe and functional, but then I found out via Carfax that my truck had 220,000 miles on it
in 2011. It had about 110,000 in the early 2000s too. So, I have no idea how many miles are truly on the engine, transmission, body, etc. I just feel gutted and fleeced.
I think my main fear is that fixing the steering issue (or at least replacing the worn out parts) will be the tip of the iceberg. I have no service records other than Carfax, and it does not show a lot to begin with.
OPTIONS
1. Keep the truck, fix the steering, and brace myself for who knows what may come. I don't know how much I should expect to spend to keep a 1996 with unknown mileage and care running.
2. Sell the truck, buy an '02 Sierra 2500 HD with the 6.0L engine for sale here with one owner and ~160k miles for <$9000. It has a canopy and long bed too. I'm not sure if going 6 years newer will be that much better, but the one owner is certainly appealing. I prefer the GMT400 styling to the GMT800, but this one has a lot going for it.
3. Sell the truck, buy a '98 K2500 for sale with the 7.4L and 173k miles for $6k too.
4. Sell the truck, save up for something else. I just can't stomach paying more than $10k private party for an old anything.
The worst part about selling the truck is that I'm not sure I can get what I have paid for it+repairs because now I know of the unknown mileage and will obviously disclose it.
Thanks for reading and any opinions and thoughts!
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