Life left at 200k?

[Unearthed]

So I'm looking at a 1994 Chevy 1500 with 205k. Original 5.0L and has a ton of new parts in it (Gas tank, fuel pump+sending unit, water pump, radiator, rotors etc....). Not 100% sure on clutch/tranny but I only briefly spoke to owner and have pics of it. Going to look at it on Friday. This is a barter trade so I'm not looking for it to be a perfect daily driver. Need dump runs and mulch hauling a couple times a month. It has no rust and everything works on it.

Obviously tough to say without looking at it, but is it feasible to get a couple of years and another 15-20k miles out of this on stock motor? Guy who owns it seems like he kept up on maintenance and replaced things as needed. Any general thoughts?

 

[eljefino]

Yes. I've heard of cams going flat on 305s but that should happen gradually and just leave you with a gutless wonder.

And any other lump of a V8 will drop in, worst case scenario. Not OBDII either if you have to deal with that for inspection, opening the door for kinda-fits. Go for it.

 

[oggb]

If it seems OK go with your gut instinct. If your state has vehicle safety inspections you may want to go a bit farther. You don't want to get this thing only to find out it needs new ball joints, tie rod ends, rear brakes and drums, etc., etc...

 

[JHZR2]

Id be most concerned with suspension and rust...

 

[Gene K]

Ive seen a 350 TBI with 500,000 miles in a 1500. The 5.0L is essentially the same engine with smaller bores and smaller heads. If its been cared for it could easily have another 100,000 miles in it but once your over 200,000 miles its a coin toss.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Id be most concerned with suspension and rust...



+1


I'd still grab another engine and ready anyways...

 

[DrDusty86]

I've seen a chevy z71 w/ 350 vortec with 351,000 miles original motor with 2 timing chain replacements. GTX 10w30 every 5k...and climbing..
I would get a UOA done if feasible.

 

[hattaresguy]

As long as you keep the rust out of them they seem to go on just about forever. I plan on running my 05 half ton at least another 10 years.

 

[ahoier]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
I'd still grab another engine and ready anyways...
That's what I'm talking about. Mileage really ain't nothing....if it truly is "rust free" I'd say take it. Can always swap in another engine/tranny if it does go bad on you but it ain't that easy to give it a new body

....but really, if you're only using it "part time" for dumping and such, it should last at least another 50k.....just keep that gas stabilized and an eye on the oil, particularly if it's only gonna be used for short trips....

 

[Unearthed]

Yeah it's the suspension that's got me thinking as well. We took our '96 ES300 to 215k, and that's why we decided to get rid of it. Engine was still in great shape. That was a different situation though, as it was my wife's daily driver. I will probably go with it unless it turns out to be completely different than the pics and description...

 

[rjundi]

My father in law usually gets trucks with over 200k dirt cheap. He ran a F150 from 1985 from 270k-400k running okay. It had issues but nothing major.

Currently he is using a 1999 F150 purchased with 180k and now has 305k on original motor 4.2L w/5spd. Some issue addressed along the way.

The key is getting an inspection up front, luck and having a reasonable mechanic in the mix.

 

[IndyIan]

I think the cheapest option is a landscape trailer, unless you are hauling dense stuff you'll probably never get alot of weight into a trailer or the truck.
My buddy and I built our houses about the same time and he got an old truck and I had an old trailer for hauling stuff. My costs were a new tire, his truck needed a few trips to the mechanic, plus insurance for a few years, plus its now scrap. I bought another new tire last year for my trailer... $120 vs. $3000+?

The truck could be fine but if you can't do stuff like suspension yourself, its probably going to be the more expensive option.

 

[rjundi]

I concur on trailer.

The adjacent ($700k - $3M homes) neighborhood no one drives a pickup truck. The folks are good with their money. They typically have an SUV ranging from a Forester to Suburban's all with a trailer hitch.

There are two shared trailers amongst them they use including one with a power dump on it. I use the smaller one with my WRX wagon.

Also loading is significantly easier with a trailer as they typically are low to the ground. I have borrowed the local trailer to hooked to a pickup(mum's) when moving heavy items as its much easier to lift <1' then 3'-4'.

 

[ron917]

A friend of mine has a '96 4x4 1500 with 288,000 miles on it. Runs fine, but the rust is starting to get bad. I expect rust will put it in the scrap yard long before it stops running. If the price is cheap enough, I would go for it. You said it was a barter trade, so I guess it depends on how you value whatever item or service that you are trading.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
I concur on trailer.

The adjacent ($700k - $3M homes) neighborhood no one drives a pickup truck. The folks are good with their money. They typically have an SUV ranging from a Forester to Suburban's all with a trailer hitch....


That statement is not necessarily true. It's geographically dependant.

You wouldn't be as likely to see that at a multi-million dollar neighborhood in...let's say for instance, New Caanan, CT.

You could move into the more expensive neighborhoods throughout Dallas/Ft Worth or Houston, drive a Sierra Denali, Ford King Ranch, Cadillac Escalade EXT...etc... and no one would bat an eye. (which are BIG metropolitan areas: Dallas/FtWorth is ranked 4th behind Chicago and Houston is 6th behind Philadelphia so not small country towns)

Upper middle class to wealthy people have pickups here. Maybe they also have horses. Maybe they use it for towing the boat. Maybe they're just like their neighbor George W. (who was born in Connecticut by the way so it's not just a southern thing) and like the way their F-250 rides and drives. But if you see a pickup in the driveway, it's not necessarily the landscapers. [Heck] it might even be the lady of the house's vehicle.

But otherwise I agree. A trailer makes more sense. Unless you need to rent a Bobcat or something to work on your property.

 

[FL_Rob]

A beater with a bed... wouldnt even mess with the ball joints(if they are bad) unless they are so shot,that the tires hit the frame..... driving straight!

 

[Oldswagon]

I've got a similar vehicle, a '93 Surburban with a 350 TBI. It's got 230K miles on it and shows now signs of slowing down. The 350 doesn't consume oil, the 4L60E and rearend are original. It's been a very reliable truck for me. These trucks are very easy to fix and parts are cheap. Even though my truck has gone through 18 Ontario winters the body and undercarriage are still in good shape, which is why when parts do wear out I will put the money into it to fix it properly.

If this truck you're looking at is a rust bucket, I wouldn't buy it. Otherwise, if it seems decent when you drive it and you can get it cheap, it should have lots of life left.

BTW, the cam problems for 305's were more in the 1977-82 era. These 305 TBI's don't seem to have those problems. Chev small blocks with TBI seem to run forever, I have seen countless ones over 200K, several over 300K miles.

 

[Unearthed]

Guy backed out of trade at the last minute...so frustrating!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Id be most concerned with suspension and rust...



+1


I'd still grab another engine and ready anyways...


Yes! My 200K mile Aerostar has plenty of engine and tranny life remaining IMO.......BUT the oil pan is shot, I did a JB weld repair to it about 10,000 miles ago and it is slowly leaking oil. So if I plan on trying to get another few years out of it that would have to be replaced, the suspension is shot, NY roads did it in. The undercarriage is starting to rot, drivers seat is shot, windshield cracked, exhaust system is about 6 years old, etc. Bottom line in my case it isn't worth fixing, so I'll drive it till it dies or until I find a nice replacement, then sell it for whatever I can get.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: Oldswagon
I've got a similar vehicle, a '93 Surburban with a 350 TBI. It's got 230K miles on it and shows now signs of slowing down. The 350 doesn't consume oil, the 4L60E and rearend are original. It's been a very reliable truck for me. These trucks are very easy to fix and parts are cheap. Even though my truck has gone through 18 Ontario winters the body and undercarriage are still in good shape, which is why when parts do wear out I will put the money into it to fix it properly.

If this truck you're looking at is a rust bucket, I wouldn't buy it. Otherwise, if it seems decent when you drive it and you can get it cheap, it should have lots of life left.

BTW, the cam problems for 305's were more in the 1977-82 era. These 305 TBI's don't seem to have those problems. Chev small blocks with TBI seem to run forever, I have seen countless ones over 200K, several over 300K miles.


I agree with what you're saying about the longevity and whether to buy.

Unfortunate the guy backed out of the trade.

My 1993 C1500 305 TBI has 374,000 miles on it and I wouldn't hesitate to put money into it if necessary as it has a lot of life in it still.