Greets from an old /k/ browser. I humbly request your expertise. My wrench turner has this 1996 GMC Sonoma SLS 2.2l 5 speed manual (with the fancy Starcraft trim!) that has 106,000 miles.Guy brought it in, he did the work, guy went poof and hasn't been back for it in at least a couple years. He said $3000 to get it up, running, and safe to drive (new tires, flush fluids, new battery, fuel pump, check brakes and lines, verify heater core isn't blown, frame and suspension isn't rusted out, etc etc) and that he'd get either a mechanics lien or bonded title since the original owner never came back.My current shitbox is a 2004 Pontiac Vibe with 258800 miles that the same mechanic has kept alive.Have been in need of a truck to do home reno, but have made the Vibe work by transporting things... precariously.Is the GMC worth a buy, knowing the Vibe is one bad day away from being done? I'm willing to put more than the bare minimum $3k he's asking into the GMC to get it into a better condition than "works" since it'll be a daily commuter and the Vibe will be a backup.Thanks.
>>28902948Has it been sitting right there? It looks pretty damn sunken into the ground. I wouldn't pay three grand for that, sure the used car market is bad now but just looking at it there's gonna be a lot of shit to be replaced and also there WILL be rodent shit all over the place if that's where it's been sitting so expect to tear the whole fucking interior out.
>hey I'm /k/ and how about this topic that has nothing to do with what boards I browse/k/ posters are like women in so many ways
>>28902996its not nice to make fun of autistic people
>>28902948Fuck no. Don't let him offload that shit onto you, especially with the puny 2.2, and especially without the title in his name. You can buy a truck off craigslist or facebook $3000 that you can test drive first.
>>28903002This.>118hp, 130 tq's>3,200 pounds.
>>28902948Sounds like he's charging $3000 plus parts for all of that? Or will you be paying parts and labor if it turns out he needs to do a full brake job or whatever? If the former that's a solid deal, say $1500 for the truck, $800 for tires, a few hundred each for paperwork and the inspection, and your odds of getting screwed on it are pretty slim if you trust him.If you'll be paying for repairs as well things are a bit more iffy, if the truck's a basket case you might be looking at as much as another $5,000 to get it reliable if it's got deeper issues. In that case, I'd see if you can get him to get it running before you commit to buying it. He'll be the one taking the risk on it, but as a mechanic he's better prepared to deal with that risk. Just keep in mind that you'll be screwing him over if you convince him to dump time and money into getting it running and then change your mind without a good reason.
>>28902979Supposedly for a couple of years or so. The interior cloth isn't shredded thankfully. Carpet is surprisingly clean. I'd likely either pay to have an in depth detail if I was going to buy it. I also considered pulling the front seats out and going after them and the carpet with a hand held wet/dry vac as a temporary measure. I am more worried about mold from dry rotted seals but I do have a ozone generator I can toss in there for a while if it came down to doing that.>>28902996Or>hey, I don't come to /o/ so forgive me for asking the folks who know more about something than I do. >>28902997And yet here you are.>>28903130Thanks for the input.His words were "$3000 to get it up, running, and safe to drive." He explicitly mentioned flushing fluids, new battery, fuel pump, tires, checking brake lines. I did consider tossing him a couple hundred as a good will gesture to have him put it on a lift and make sure it was worth even going any further.This mechanic is very trusted. Every estimate right in line with data online and when I needed my car for work over a weekend but couldn't get it until after hours on a Friday night, he left it for me outside his gate and told me to pay him Monday morning. Never had a mechanic willing to do that before.I'm ok with putting in a little more cash if needed ($1-2k)and thought about paying him in chunks until it was complete so that if something major was found we could just stop there, saving me $ and him time. Does that sound reasonable?
>>28903196If he's already volunteered to put everything in to get it running, I'd just let him do it. Doesn't sound like he's the type to sell it out from under you, and it avoids sticking you both in an awkward position if you've already put money towards it and it turns out to be a basket case. If you can afford to toss a couple hundred towards him and not resent him if it disappears into the void, I'm sure he wouldn't mind it, but I think the best bet for both of you is for you to hold onto your money for now, and buy it from him outright when he has the title in hand and you've had a chance to test drive it.
>>28903204I don't think he would do anything like selling it out from under me either. Whatever your stance on religion, I can say that he's a very God-fearing individual and that it's important to him to live up to that moral standard both personally and professionally.I'm not afraid to toss him a couple hundred for him to tell me to keep the 3k in my pocket. It wouldn't be any different than if I brought him some truck from Marketplace or whatever to do an in depth inspection and offered to cover his labor rate to do it. I appreciate the time you took to answer.
>>28903318Sounds good, my only concern is if you give him a substantial amount of money (say $1000 or more) and then he spends that money getting it running but it turns out that it will cost more than the truck is worth to get it running *properly*, you might put him in a position where he feels obligated to give you the money back (which might no longer have on hand), or make up the difference out of his own pocket, or ask you for more money to keep working on it (which a lot of people find scammy and might lead him to pay out of pocket rather than risk losing you as a customer).Better for both of you if you just pay a token sum to show your interest and wait on the rest until you both have a better idea of the real cost. He can always flip it to some rando as a project if it turns out to be a lost cause.
My gut says 1/3 of anything electrical does not work properly.
>>28903002Yeah don't be a retard. This deal has more red flags than a May Day parade. The S10/Sonoma is a solid choice, so long as its the 4.3. '97 and up start to get nicer creature comforts too.
>>28903420That's standard if it's in good shape otherwise. Nothing works on that truck.
>>28902948The deal doesn’t seem too bad price wise. In theory you’ll get a running truck that should run for a couple years issue free for $3k. I wouldn’t treat this as some long term solution, this is a beater that similarly could blow up at any time like your Vibe. And if you’re just using it for HD runs it should be fine. I’d be leery of how long it sat for, is there evidence of rodent destruction, do all the electronics work, is there any water in the cab, etc These 90s compacts are literal dogs though. You have to be very careful about how much you load into the bed, if you overload it there’s a very real chance it won’t make it up some grades. The towing capacity is under 3000 so you’re looking at single axle trailers at best.These 90s GM compact trucks aren’t particularly known for their longevity. Reliability wise the drivetrain will probably outlast the body and frame but those get nuked by rust, especially relative to the Ranger for whatever reason.
>>28902948trailer hitch, utility trailer, and save up for something better.$3000 for a 40 year old shitbox because you want to make a few trips to Home Depot just doesn't seem like a very good use of money. It may be worth around $3000 in running condition to a Mexican who's using it to carry tools every day, but it doesn't sound like you really need a pickup and you'd probably be much happier with a $6000 Lexus than a $3000 2.2L.
>>28903742>utility trailerI got this sucker for 400 dollars at hobo freight, probably 500 in total with the tags and a sheet of plywood and so on, the sides are just scrap wood
>>28902948Nah.
>>28903002>off craigslist or facebook $3000dreaming delusion
>>289029483 grand for an abandoned 4 banger truck half sunk to the hubs in mud with no title? Anon, even with a salvage title that's a $500 pickup, at best.>I'm willing to put more than the bare minimum $3kLittle brother for the love of God do not give that man more than 3 grand for that wreck.
>>28905449
>>28905449All day
>>28905449Barely been scrolling
>>28905449God bless America
