Should I Buy???

[mbarr101]

Hey all- new to the forum but hope to be staying awhile..

Have a chance to buy a 1987 r10 Chevy. 305 engine with 31k original miles. Picture is below. I'm not a mechanic by any means but really hope to slowly restore this truck with some help. She is completely driveable right now and everything "appears" functional. Body is is real good shape for the most part and the owner says it's from FL. Has FL license plate and inspection is expired. The bad:
-driver side door needs slammed in order to shut and is rusted out on the bottom.
-interior dashboard is old and beat up. everything will need replaced at some point.
-interior bench seat is old and busted up.
-muffler is cracked and i know i'll need a new one for inspection.

I'd love to have a go-getter like this to drive to work everyday (6 miles roundtrip). Any thoughts on the offering price of $5000??

Sounds like these are pretty simple trucks to work on if something does go bad. How's the price sound? What is a bad sign not to buy this truck?

I figure I'll ask for 4k. Thoughts and advice welcome!

[4x4k30]

I am pretty sure it does not have 31k original miles just because its shows that on the speedometer. I would check under the hood and see what the engine looks like the 87 was fuel injected and most people would swap it over to a carb. I would look around and see what else is out there 4k is alot for that truck the bad sign I see is that the miles are not rite for that old of a truck I am sure there is more rust in it than you see. most trucks I have seen from fla have a lot of rust problems from the salty air .

[mbarr101]

I agree, 31k original sounds fishy... I'll take a picture of the engine. My mechanic will be going thru it tomorrow for me also so hopefully he can spot if something is off. There's better deals out there for 4k? I should start looking harder.

[andrewmp6]

If the interior is kinda old and wore out and the door is sagging i would take the 31k miles with a grain of salt.Its probably more like 131k on it with these old trucks the mileage won't read 100k it rolls back over to zero.If your mechanic says its ok and you like it i would talk the price down to 2500 to 3k range just because all the stuff wrong with it.

[noco-k5]

The price seems way high to me. Looks like there is some rust and the 305 wouldn't be my first choice either. Still a great base for a project, but definitely over priced. I think 2500 would be about the most I would go and that's if I really wanted it.

[mbarr101]

Thanks for the help guys. Mechanic said the same thing this morning: "no way there's 31k on it. More like 131k". Engine runs good, but the tranny would crash before anything. With all the work involved on the inside, I just couldnt do it. I'm still lookin tho so hopefully I can post another one for some advice. Thanks again-
Matt

[andrewmp6]

I would look for the most rust free truck i can find in my budget.I rather change out a engine or trans then fix a lot of rust.With these trucks using a normal small block and a normal trans both can be bought cheap enough rebuilt,Or upgrades like a 383 and beefed up 700r4 are still price on the affordable side.The interior almost all of it can be bought from lmc and installing most pieces is simple.Even if your paying labor to have stuff done most of it will be a quick easy install.

[dieseldawg142]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

I would look for the most rust free truck i can find in my budget.I rather change out a engine or trans then fix a lot of rust.With these trucks using a normal small block and a normal trans both can be bought cheap enough rebuilt,Or upgrades like a 383 and beefed up 700r4 are still price on the affordable side.The interior almost all of it can be bought from lmc and installing most pieces is simple.Even if your paying labor to have stuff done most of it will be a quick easy install.

agreed, go for the cleanest sheet metal you can find. aftermarket is hit & miss, orig. is getting harder to find in nice shape. int & mechanicals you can get anywhere. heck, you could practically go to your drugstore & get a distributor for your sb

[mbarr101]

Here's one- even tho this one has all the major stuff completed:

http://www.automerica.net/1985_Chevr..._212902199.veh

I still like it cuz its drivable today and I can work on updating the interior at my own speed. Assuming the rust and frame check out to be ok, where are you guys at on this one? 7,500 pretty accurate or maybe closer to 5k??
Thanks again-
Matt

[natedogg]

That truck appears to be a 1983. The grille, wiper switch and column say 1983. I don't think its worth that. Keep looking. There are a lot of these old trucks still around and are easy to find.