Purchase Considerations

[crowfather]

I am in the market for an OBS truck or suburban at the moment. I realize that prices have gone up considerably in the past couple years, so I wanted to get opinions on if this deal is good or not. I found an ad on craigslist, the guy has since taken it down, but he has been emailing me back and forth about taking a look so I assume its still for sale.

Stats:
1997 Sierra K1500
-Sale is by the second owner, has only had it two years. Claims that he wants a newer F150 instead
-210000 miles on the body, claims it is rust free. Apparently the original owner would power wash the underside once a month, and the second owner has kept it inside. I asked about door panel and rocker panel rust, his words were, "this truck is the most rust free truck I have ever seen for the year bar none!." Truck currently resides in VA.
-The original owner had a crate 350 put in about 20k miles ago.
-Transmission is a rebuilt 4L60E done at the same time as the engine was swapped.
-He also says that he has receipts from the original owner for all the major work done.

He is asking $7000. Is this a reasonable price, considering all the work that has been put in?

Also, if/when I go to look at it, are there any things to inspect more closely?

 

[RichLo]

Souds like a great truck! Double check receipts to make sure they aren't for another vehicle or he isnt just handing you a folder full of grocery receipts, lol.

Otherwise, you asked the right questions, check the rockers for repair work. If you tap the door panels the will 'ding', make sure the rockers have the same sound. A muffled 'thug' means bondo.

Check the cab mounts, the steel welded to the frame section specifically. The rubber can be replaced easily but those steel frame mounts are a pain if they are too far gone.

Otherwise with 210k on the body/frame just make sure everything under it looks ok. Newer fuel lines and brake lines should be there, maybe a new gas tank, maybe suspension bushings have been replaced, etc. Those are all bonus items to show how much it's been maintained.

 

[Caman96]

Pictures would be nice. Have you seen pictures?

 

[crowfather]

Thanks for the quick replies and extra info. I intended to look at the mounting points since a suburban I looked at earlier this year had those rather rusted. If the truck really is rust free, then I suspect the front suspension and steering pieces are in working order. However, I haven't worked on trucks much before so I am not familiar with what I should expect.
Can I use a magnet to determine between metal and bondo?

Yes I saw about 7 pictures. None from underneath. The paint looks pretty much undamaged, no dings anywhere. Engine bay looks clean, like a bunch of work was done. It comes with the bed camper shell that is color matched. Front bumper looks painted a color that is slightly, very slightly, off from the rest of the truck. I am guessing it was originally chrome. Interior looks good except the front seats (forgot to mention that its a 3 door). They have seat covers over them, but they are supposed to be functional.

 

[Komet]

Go for it, 7k is how much it costs to build one from scratch, and there's some good value in the new motor and trans (if true).

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

That's a good price...if the receipts check out (as mentioned above). Also if the frame and body are as sound as claimed.
For comparison, July '22 I bought a '97 Chevy Silverado crew cab long bed, with a 5.7 Vortec, only 123K on it, from the grandson of the original owner. Miles were that low because after Grandpa passed away, they only used it to tow a boat a couple times a year. It's a farm truck, with some minor body damage, but solid frame, power train and chassis. I paid $5K for it, delivered from San Antonio, Texas to Houston, Texas. Except for a couple of shop visits, been running it ever since. Hauls a load and trailer well, and it'll get up to 80 on the highway 'fore you know it.
I know a CCLB is not everyone's cup of coffee, and sometimes it's a bit large for parking lots, but it hauls what I need it to, when I need it to. All I've done to it is plugs/cap/rotor/filters(a tuneup on a Vortec), hydro boost unit and , yesterday, a starter. Old one has been acting up, working late this week, and don't need to get stranded. The extended cabs are quite popular now, as when new. I still see several of them around my part of Houston....

 

[Hipster]

When people feed me this kind of mess I ask what would it be worth with a bad engine and broken transmission and they're usually speechless. Replacing broken stuff doesn't always translate into more value. It just means it's not broken"right now" It matters if it's a fix what broke $800 trans build and a no name $1800 engine build or Gm crate and Gm trans. You have to weight it out and he could be showing paperwork for stuff that went in another truck.

 

[crowfather]

When people feed me this kind of mess I ask what would it be worth with a bad engine and broken transmission and they're usually speechless. Replacing broken stuff doesn't always translate into more value. It just means it's not broken"right now" It matters if it's a fix what broke $800 trans build and a no name $1800 engine build or Gm crate and Gm trans. You have to weight it out and he could be showing paperwork for stuff that went in another truck.

Then what course of action do you recommend taking? Not trust anybody's claims ever?

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Then what course of action do you recommend taking? Not trust anybody's claims ever?

Not necessarily. I personally don't trust anybody but I also go in with assuming stuff will break. Just the nature of the beast. However lookin at it is the best thing. No matter what we all say, your the one going to look. Paper work does mean something. Look at the engine , does it look fairly new or is it covered in grease. Same for trans. These trucks will have surface rust. Door bushings go out, fuel pumps , go out. If I was buying any obs chevy, I would look at body lines. Frame. Oil leaks , grease leaks. Start it. Does it idle quit. When you put it in gear does it clank or is it smooth. Interior nice or beat up? If it's a truck does the bed look beat up? Is the tail gate all smashed. Does the bed sag lower then the cab? Ect...
Does the 4wd work? Test it. It's either gonna be a button or lever. If it's a pretty solid truck i think 7k is not bad. But I would also ask maybe 6k or 5500

 

[Erik the Awful]

Can I use a magnet to determine between metal and bondo?

Yes. That works a bit better than tapping.

Due diligence means investigating everything within reason to either validate or invalidate the seller's claims. If this were an online auction and there was no way to inspect it, you'd bid low given the unknowns. Since crowfather can go and check it out in person, he'll have to accept the seller's claims unless he can find evidence the guy is lying about the condition. I seriously hope the seller is on the up-and-up and that he's buying a solid truck. $7000 is a perfectly acceptable price if it's in decent driving condition with no serious rust.