Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
My vote is for a GM passenger van/rehab van. V8 and can tow a boat. Probably lower value than a truck too so cheap.
Buying a $7,000 truck
- Thread starter ram_man
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OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Here ya go, even has the 7.3L diesel:
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...D&modelCode1=EXCURSION&clickType=supplemental
You can put everybody and 4 newfoundlands in it and still tow the... boat?
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...D&modelCode1=EXCURSION&clickType=supplemental
You can put everybody and 4 newfoundlands in it and still tow the... boat?
Get a 2wd truck,
it’s half the price, newer and with fewer miles than a comparable AWD
old suburbans work as a truck and are usually less on a miles/age basis than a truck
it’s half the price, newer and with fewer miles than a comparable AWD
old suburbans work as a truck and are usually less on a miles/age basis than a truck
Yes! An '03 ~ '09 GMT 800 platform in your price range will be battle proven and just breaking in. IMO, they're bulletproof and any immediate issues are easy to resolve if you're handy and have a decent set of hand tools and Google at your back.
If not a time capsule find, expect to do usual new to you stuff:
Immediate oil change to your liking. Tranny spill & fill w/ filter swap. Differential oil dump and refill. If condition is ace on your list, look for black fluid, especially brakes. Cracked dashboard, driver's seat and slow to no functioning 4x4 if so equipped. Expect faded clear coat and paint.
Check and double check AC environmental controls. Most at this age have slow if not broken mode switching from defrost to vent/Floor actuators and heat blend motors.
Again, nothing a budget, rock auto and hand tools cannot fix on a weekend.
Skip any that show low oil pressure at start up. Skip any that exhibit poor 1-2 shifts or shudder/chatter into overdrive.
Mild oil leaks or seeps are expected but fix from $19~$45. (Bypass oil cooler gasket and valve cover gaskets) if equipped with oil cooler exchanger in radiator, check for leaky lines ($90).
Power steering pump lines and/or pump itself can sweat and leak again, if handy; a quick $100 job and roll up ramps.
You are *not* going to find a cherry mint GMT-800 at this age and milage unless impeccably kept in your asking price range. Expect wear components at 140+k to need attention too. Brakes and rotors, shoes, drums, etc. Ball joints in the front lower control arms may need attention too.
Though not detrimental, some moan and groan due to steering linkage service, lubrication.
And of course, check all external lights and most important if buying from a private seller: free and clear title.
If the seats are a little ripped and torn, especially on driver's seat, Walmart cheap covers are your savior.
If it's been serviced on schedule, no worries really. A GMT-800 is a million mile truck, the body will fall off long before other issues arise. ^.^
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I agree a GMT800 is probably the best bet in that price range, but plenty of those are hopeless rolling dumpsters too. It's a solid platform, but can also be a ragged out mess well before 200k if neglected, and the newest ones are 14 years old.
A bone stock grandpa 05-07 Classic 1500 crew cab would be great if you find one that hasn't been trashed or poorly modified.
A bone stock grandpa 05-07 Classic 1500 crew cab would be great if you find one that hasn't been trashed or poorly modified.
Excellent choice - BUT they are pretty rare and hard to find which means the prices are going to be a little higher.
+1 vote for a GMT800
One year later I still love my (300K mile) daily driver work burban
2001 LT 1500 5.3 RWD has the factory 3:73 and G80. No check engine or any dash lights. All power accessories still working. Just
basic maintenance, tune up, brakes, tires, fluids rear diff/trans service, 4K Full Syn OCI's
...................Best $1500 I spent lol
One year later I still love my (300K mile) daily driver work burban
2001 LT 1500 5.3 RWD has the factory 3:73 and G80. No check engine or any dash lights. All power accessories still working. Just
basic maintenance, tune up, brakes, tires, fluids rear diff/trans service, 4K Full Syn OCI's
...................Best $1500 I spent lol
Shuuuuuuuuuuut the front door!
$1500? Nawwwwww! I call fibber's shenanigans!
Seriously though, grand slam! I'm jealous.
LOL no shenanigans. Dallas has a BIG wholesale car market. MANY MANY good deals out there !! I see many resellers from Chicago, New York and California over here with those hot shot auto carriers picking up cars from dealers auction !!! 01-06 burbans and yukon Xl's go for peanuts over here. Its the short size Tahoe's that sell for $$$ over here.
I have picked up some nice scores last few years for my fleet. My '01 1500HD crew 6.0 4X4 for under $2000 was my TOP DOG SCORE !!!
On my burban. The guy I bought it from was "Well off $$$" he said it was his work daily and drove 100 miles roundtrip in it for work for a few years until he picked up his new ram 2500 hemi to replace the burban. I found it on FB marketplace and he had some bad looking pics, it was buried in his driveway, all dirty looked undriven. So not many paid attention to it I guess ?? and im sure the mileage scared away many lol
He had it at $2300 which was still a GREAT deal for this truck. Then he lowered it to $1800 cause his wife bought a new Lexus and needed the driveway space lol
I came with $1500 cash, made the deal and he drove it to my place 50 miles away. As a thanks for being a cool, fair seller I paid for he and wife's lunch at a nice Cajun restaurant and gave him 10 qts of Valvoline Modern engine 5W20 for his ram I got from Autozone clearance score
Here's another pic of having it detailed right after I bought it !! TRUE GM fan boys on here will know another big reason I bought the truck in the pic below
Aaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuugggghhhh....
She's so pretty. Good leather. Good dash and plastic. Bro... perfect find!
She's so pretty. Good leather. Good dash and plastic. Bro... perfect find!
JHZR2
Staff member
Just be flexible and willing to travel, willing to walk too. Don’t get emotionally tied up in a model/brand/etc. Remember that you’re buying at an unwise time - truck prices are peaking, economy coming back, etc. Fuel prices are rising and the economy will drop at some point, prices will come down if you’re patient.
Be willing to drive and willing to walk. I bought my Ram Cummins an hour past the middle of nowhere, and got a good deal. High mileage copy that many would walk from, especially given its remote location. Mileage doesn’t concern me if I know the history and what to look for. So do your due diligence for whatever model you might be going to look for.
Willingness to buy a bit more vehicle may not be a bad idea. If the options are a $7k truck minimally maintained with some items flagged, versus a more expensive truck with records and logs, spend the money. But also be ready to absorb a fairly major failure before too long. The trucks weren’t unloaded because they were perfect.
Be willing to drive and willing to walk. I bought my Ram Cummins an hour past the middle of nowhere, and got a good deal. High mileage copy that many would walk from, especially given its remote location. Mileage doesn’t concern me if I know the history and what to look for. So do your due diligence for whatever model you might be going to look for.
Willingness to buy a bit more vehicle may not be a bad idea. If the options are a $7k truck minimally maintained with some items flagged, versus a more expensive truck with records and logs, spend the money. But also be ready to absorb a fairly major failure before too long. The trucks weren’t unloaded because they were perfect.
I know you’re probably set on what you want but I would strongly urge you to consider a 2wd truck. Still quite capable and usually a fraction of the price. Often times better taken care of with less miles. I’m in North Alabama so I can get away with a 2wd just fine. I’m not sure how needed it is in your area. We’ve also had times where I had a single cab and I would just drive the truck with whatever we needed and the crew would come in the other car but that’s not very fun with the destinations are over an hour away. V6’s are also very capable. Very slow but capable. Loved my 4.3 Silverado.
I dunno, when one has to buy another vehicle so as to justify a new hobby (boat), is it really wise? I always find this a dilemma, the item of desire in the hobby is often the less of a cost than all the other items go with it. Once properly spec'd out, a hobby winds up being pretty expensive.
Anyhow. For kayaks I would think you could just get a small trailer and pull that. I used to toss two kayaks into my 4x8 trailer, then put a canoe on top of that. IMO I hate lifting things over my head and I can't reach the top of my truck anyhow, so having to toss a canoe on top was never an option for me. The lower loading floor of the trailer makes it quite useful for a great deal of things.
A small boat on a trailer should towable with many vehicles without much of a problem, but boat launches may be problematic with anything FWD, so may be stuck with something truck-like there. If your road is poor condition then 4x4 is justified, so... IMO I'd watch what comes up for sale, and wait a bit, I think gas prices are going to rise and the high vehicle prices are likely to drop a bit.
Anyhow. For kayaks I would think you could just get a small trailer and pull that. I used to toss two kayaks into my 4x8 trailer, then put a canoe on top of that. IMO I hate lifting things over my head and I can't reach the top of my truck anyhow, so having to toss a canoe on top was never an option for me. The lower loading floor of the trailer makes it quite useful for a great deal of things.
A small boat on a trailer should towable with many vehicles without much of a problem, but boat launches may be problematic with anything FWD, so may be stuck with something truck-like there. If your road is poor condition then 4x4 is justified, so... IMO I'd watch what comes up for sale, and wait a bit, I think gas prices are going to rise and the high vehicle prices are likely to drop a bit.
+ 2WD cheaper to maintain
Another main reason I bought my 2 Chevy trucks in my sig
Dave
His money and his needs. Not everyone wants to tow a boat with a Camry or Mini Cooper. Trucks are very useful and practical for everyday needs !! And slowly becoming VERY fuel efficient with Hybrid and all electric models coming soon
What's next are you gonna recommend him to buy a Subaru ??
Dave
JHZR2
Staff member
It’s a good point. If the income isn’t there such that one has to be constrained to something that isn’t really a great option, it’s an expensive opportunity for much to go wrong.
Do we know the size and weight of these kayaks or boats? I suspect that it isn’t a giant boat (does OP own one?). Or is this all pie in the sky?
Hobbies cost money. They should be a blessing and an enjoyment, not a drag. A major incurring of cost is to be expected, but is it prudent is another question.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Starting with a 1979 PowerWagon … 1500/2500‘s in between … and ending with a 2018 Z71 … finally without a pickup since summer 2020 when I got the Rubicon. Had already sold one boat and only had a skiff that trailers at 2k. Gave away my very old and rusted utility trailer … bought a newer and lighter (can actually hand roll it to the Jeep) and got bigger rims + ST235 tires for that. Then bought a Pelican canoe for marsh lakes.
Also bought the 9500 winch and two sets of roof racks … So a few moderate priced changes.
Working DIY and coastal trips with the trailer has been great … lower to the ground vs a truck.
For when the weather was off … got the Tahoe a nice Weathertech mat … lots of cargo space there …
To me … personal use - workable either way … regardless of the one sided opinions that will roll in …
JHZR2
Staff member
His money and his needs. Not everyone wants to tow a boat with a Camry or Mini Cooper. Trucks are very useful and practical for everyday needs !! And slowly becoming VERY fuel efficient with Hybrid and all electric models coming soon
What's next are you gonna recommend him to buy a Subaru ??
Dave
I’ll be VERY interested to see a “VERY” fuel efficient truck in the $7k price range.
I do have kayaks a canoe and two John boats as well as a pontoon. Certainly I could save more money I just didn’t want to. I may go up to 12,000 as recommended above though
Sorry didnt know I was in "Court"
*If he choses to go another route and put as a down payment ??
Dave
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