Looking for project truck

[01rangerxl]

$1500 Ford and GM pickups will be totally ragged out. Up there they will probably be rusted. Both get it bad in the cab and rear wheel arches. Replacement parts are cheap and plentiful though.

At that price I'd look for a '95-'01 Explorer. Parts are easy to get and cheap, and you can get some really good engine/trans combos like the 4.0L/M5OD manual and 5.0/4R70W. The 5.0 in the Explorer is possibly the best mass production version of this engine ever made. A 4.0L/M5OD will go forever. 300K miles will be no problem. They rust bad in the rockers, but what doesn't up there?

Blazers would be another good option. I don't think I've seen one with a manual past '94 (square body), but the 4.3L/4L60E is good and parts will be available forever.

Cherokees are a good idea, $1500 Wranglers will be junkers.

 

[Vikas]

I don't see how one can purchase a running and being to able to inspect a vehicle in NY state for under $1500. Unless it comes to your house at the end of tow truck hook, you are not getting one!

What happened to that girl who bought the Jeep? I recall she was thrown out by her parents and you were helping her out?? Just treat that vehicle as your project car.

Now before somebody else makes a sarcastic comment about similarities of this situation with our esteemed GearheadTool, please understand that this situation is completely different as Nick does not live with her and she does not weigh four hundred pounds (to the best of my knowledge). I am warning everybody to make sure that we treat Nick nice. Astute readers must have noticed absence of GHT, Chevyboy, Carnoobie. I would be very upset if you guy drove Nick away by making nasty comments. So watch out!!

Nick, you already have a project vehicle, you just don't know it!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3685601324.html
http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3685455881.html

A weapon, but it has the 7.3L diesel!
http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3666527786.html

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3685257185.html

Comes with a new box (the one that is on it is dented):
http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3684503974.html

Somebody else's project:
http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3610957028.html

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3626737466.html


For starters

There's a lot of good scrap iron in that list... The junkyard might pay $300 for each of them.


Yeah, there were some even rougher ones that I omitted

 

[exranger06]

My mother in law has a 1994 Bronco for sale for $1500, if you wanted to come down to CT for it. The 5.0 and E4OD have already been rebuilt at one point, new radiator and hoses, new starter, rear brakes, 2 new tires. Needs rear fenders (rust) and has rust in some other areas.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
My mother in law has a 1994 Bronco for sale for $1500, if you wanted to come down to CT for it. The 5.0 and E4OD have already been rebuilt at one point, new radiator and hoses, new starter, rear brakes, 2 new tires. Needs rear fenders (rust) and has rust in some other areas.



Do you have some pics of the exterior, underside and interior? If you can get me some and PM to me I'll take a look at it. I'd rather buy from a BITOGer/BITOGer family than some random person on craigslist anyway.

 

[Spazdog]

Forget the Wrangler for $1500.

Maybe....just maybe, there will be enough left of a Cherokee at that price. Maybe a 4.3 Blazer or 4.0 Explorer.

I would go with a Trooper if you can find one that hasn't been gutted, camo'd and left to rot on someone's deer lease.

2.6 4 cyl, 5 speed. It can carry and it can off-road. Just try not to listen to the sound the doors make when you close them. All the solidness is in the chassis, not the doors

 

[silverrat]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
I don't see how one can purchase a running and being to able to inspect a vehicle in NY state for under $1500. Unless it comes to your house at the end of tow truck hook, you are not getting one!

What happened to that girl who bought the Jeep? I recall she was thrown out by her parents and you were helping her out?? Just treat that vehicle as your project car.

Now before somebody else makes a sarcastic comment about similarities of this situation with our esteemed GearheadTool, please understand that this situation is completely different as Nick does not live with her and she does not weigh four hundred pounds (to the best of my knowledge). I am warning everybody to make sure that we treat Nick nice. Astute readers must have noticed absence of GHT, Chevyboy, Carnoobie. I would be very upset if you guy drove Nick away by making nasty comments. So watch out!!

Nick, you already have a project vehicle, you just don't know it!


Well you would have thought his parents must have slapped him upside the head already after 5 cars and a motorcycle? Why not save your money and invest it? Just because you have the money in your pocket doesn't mean you have to spend it.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: silverrat
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I don't see how one can purchase a running and being to able to inspect a vehicle in NY state for under $1500. Unless it comes to your house at the end of tow truck hook, you are not getting one!

What happened to that girl who bought the Jeep? I recall she was thrown out by her parents and you were helping her out?? Just treat that vehicle as your project car.

Now before somebody else makes a sarcastic comment about similarities of this situation with our esteemed GearheadTool, please understand that this situation is completely different as Nick does not live with her and she does not weigh four hundred pounds (to the best of my knowledge). I am warning everybody to make sure that we treat Nick nice. Astute readers must have noticed absence of GHT, Chevyboy, Carnoobie. I would be very upset if you guy drove Nick away by making nasty comments. So watch out!!

Nick, you already have a project vehicle, you just don't know it!


Well you would have thought his parents must have slapped him upside the head already after 5 cars and a motorcycle? Why not save your money and invest it? Just because you have the money in your pocket doesn't mean you have to spend it.


I'm already putting $400/mo into a Roth IRA. I think that's more than enough. Ashley, the one with the Jeep, made up with her parents and is now living back at home. This is basically going to be a 2nd car for my mom and I, something we can use for work, especially since we are building the house this year. It's also going to be the toy, I want something I can take offroad, and work on over the years. I could spend more if I wanted to, but I want to cap the amount spent on purchasing the vehicle itself to $1,500.

 

[01rangerxl]

The problem with capping the initial purchase at $1500 is you end up with a piece of junk that needs a ton of work just to keep it going.

For example, you buy a $1500 truck, but the tires are bad, trans is starting to slip, and it has bad rust. It already needs $2000+ in work, making your $1500 truck a $3500 truck. All of the trucks OVERKILL posted links to will probably need a couple grand just to make it through the rest of the year.

You're better off buying a $3K truck in okay shape without any immediate problems, or one somebody else already lost their shirt on. If you buy a truck that's on its last stop before the junkyard, it's going to cost you a fortune to keep it roadworthy. If a total resto is what you want, that's fine, but it sounds like you want to actually drive it. If you want to drive it beyond your driveway, seriously consider upping your budget.

 

[Tuffy1760]

skip craigslist or want ad digest. this weekend get in your car and drive down rt 20... look for cars for sale on the road... stop in every store along the way and check bulletin boards. best way to get a deal on a "project". bring a map and get off the big road and find some back roads best bet.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: ram_man
How about a power ram?

I love Ramchargers myself.
Would be fun to own one of those!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Get a Cherokee!

You can get them fairly cheap, and they're pretty reliable!

 

[kkreit01]

Don't do it. It will be a money pit.

 

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Get a Cherokee!

You can get them fairly cheap, and they're pretty reliable!


This. XJs are pretty much worthless, even in good shape, so you can pick up a pretty decent one fairly cheaply. ZJ Grand Cherokees like mine are getting there too. Heck, even my Jeep was only $4k (3 years ago with 99,8xx miles on it), and mine was just about as loaded as a 1st gen Grand Cherokee came (and stickered for $39,215 in 98).