'99 Chevrolet S10 Questions

[mshu7]

I'm in the process of starting my own mobile detailing business. Neither of my cars are going to fit the bill required because I need to haul around a water tank, generator, etc. I just need something that can hold the equipment I listed (not tow) and serve my needs for the next 2-3 years while I work my full-time job (IT) and do my auto detailing business on the side. My budget is no more than $8,000.

I've found a '99 S10 4.3 V6 4X4 extended cab pick-up at a local Saturn dealership. It has roughly 107K miles on it and looks like it's in pretty good shape from what I can tell from the pics. I know the 4.3 V6's are prone to intake manifold gasket leaks, but I'd like any other input you guys might have. They are asking $7500 which seems somewhat low because Edmunds.com is saying $8,845 for "dealer retail". I'm going to go check it out this week sometime. While I'm there I'm going to try to take an oil sample to send in for UOA to see if there's any coolant leaks.

By the way, here's a link to the sale add: http://www.us.buysell.com/root/57068524/resultdetail.aspx

Again, any input on these vehicles would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JustinH]

Sounds like way too much money to me bud.

Take a peek on autotrader.com and see what you come up with.

I have seen 04 colorado's and canyons go for 8 grand. 2wd, and 4 cylinder mind you, but you get the idea.

Are you partial to a v6 motor?

Ranger's and the mazda clone with the 4 banger can be had very cheap, and the new 2.3L duratech motor will get 30mpg on the freeway.

 

[mshu7]

That makes me feel better about the price. Edmunds also listed trade-in as $5740 so maybe I could get it for close to $6K?

I'd prefer to have a V6 because of the weight I'll be carrying around. Otherwise, I'd go for the 4-cyl.

Thanks for the info!

 

[01rangerxl]

You may want to look at a full size. A 1/2 ton will be more stable with a tank of water sloshing around in the bed. Be careful with loaded 4WD trucks as well. They generally do not have the same payload capacity as a 2WD regular cab, even with a bigger engine. I would suggest looking at 1995-2002 Silverado 1500 2WDs and 1992-2003 F-150 2WDs. You can't go wrong with either one as long as it has been cared for. If you really need 4WD, really pay attention to the payload capacity. Some extended cab 4WD trucks have surprisingly low payload capacities.

 

[jcasaccio]

Dude, that is too pricey. I agree with 01rangerxl - look at a full size f150 with the v6.

 

[JHZR2]

Yep,

my fiancee's father has used an F150 V6 to lug multiple 55 gal drums of oil around in the USVI. It has helper springs and doesnt go fast, but it has been quite sturdy - he found this initial ford purchase (used to only buy toyotas) as far superior to the toyota trucks that he had bought exclusively due to longevity concerns. He is all ford now.

Consider a V6 ford fullsize (used) as a good deal to keep costs low.

 

[mshu7]

Thanks for the input JHZR2!

I actually swung by the dealership that had it for sale and took it for a test drive. It wasn't bad. As expected, there were some squeaks & rattles. There were also a few noises that kind of concerned me. The real kicker is that it had about 5-6 rust bubbles on the passenger side of the bed. This was the only place that I could find rust, but it would definitely have to be fixed. There also appeared to be some sort of leak under the intake manifold (big surprise).

According to the sales guy, the $7500 price tag was a drop from $9K, to 8K, etc. (yeah right!). I talked them down to $6K even but when I told him it would take a few days to moves some funds around and be able to pay cash, he balked. He said the "deal" was only good for today. I think it actually ended up being a good thing. I started thinking about it more as I drove away, the truck was in decent shape, but there were some weird noises that made me nervous so I feel good about it not working out. Plus, he kept trying to use the "well, it does have over 100K miles" line about the rust, which I kept responding "well, my current car has 120K miles on it and not even the first sign of rust on the body anywhere".

Like I said, I think it was probably a good thing that it didn't work out.

 

[mshu7]

Quote:

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You may want to look at a full size. A 1/2 ton will be more stable with a tank of water sloshing around in the bed. Be careful with loaded 4WD trucks as well. They generally do not have the same payload capacity as a 2WD regular cab, even with a bigger engine. I would suggest looking at 1995-2002 Silverado 1500 2WDs and 1992-2003 F-150 2WDs. You can't go wrong with either one as long as it has been cared for. If you really need 4WD, really pay attention to the payload capacity. Some extended cab 4WD trucks have surprisingly low payload capacities.

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Thanks for the info! A full-size would probably be better considering the task. As far as 4x4, I don't necessarily need it, but it just happened that this truck I was looking at had it.