I'm new to this board and I'm currently looking for a 1st gen 4x4 5 speed truck. My budget will be around $4000-4500 for a truck. I'm selling my dirt bike at the moment and once it's sold I will have 4k to play with, and probably 5k to spend around december.

I have been looking on craigslist for a while and I haven't found to many of these trucks for sale. Anyone have any other good places to look for one? I was mainly wondering if my budget is enough to get what I'm looking for? I can handle doing body work such as rockers, wheel wells, fenders but I don't want a rust bucket either. I don't mind traveling a few hundred miles if that means getting what I want.

For my budget the main thing I'm looking for is a solid drivetrain, engine has minimal blow by, doesn't consume oil, etc and a good trans. Just wondering if getting a good 1st gen is out of my price range or not.

Here is one truck I found near me but it's out of my price range. Craigslist & Ebay links are not allowed in our forums.

Thanks for any input guys.

 

Keep looking.... I got my '93 W250 about a year ago for $4k. Still haven't seen another for that money. They do come up.

My first D250 was $2900, my most recent one was $1000.

All 3 were posted on local online ads - craigslist, usedeverywhere, etc.

 

I paid 2K for mine. Granted it needed a few things but I brought it home put some tires on it n daily drove it while I popped out a few dents n cut out the rotted muffler n whatever else it needed.

 

what part of the country you in and what area you looking at there are a bunch in Calif

 

Forgot to post my location, I'm in north west PA zip 16061.

 

It really runs a hugh range based on condition, miles, owner history etc. A 1st gen can go from 2k to 20k plus. One sold not too long ago on Ebay for over 15k but is was an extra cab, 5 speed, 4x4 one owner with only 71k miles. It is not uncommon to find people looking many months or even years for the 1st Gen they want and are willing to pay for it. I have seen a lot of trucks around the 3,500 to $4,500 price range. If they are 4x4 trucks, the mileage is usually very high and the condition is definately not great. Thats what I have found here on the west coast anyway.

 

Just because someone is asking $4750 doesn't mean they're going to get it, or that that is the ONLY amount they'll take.

That one wouldn't really interest me as his pictures are too crappy...lol. If you have something nice and you want to sell it, you take lots of pictures and you post them. You don't post two sideways pictures of 1/2 of the truck.

We have a classified here as well as the classifieds on the other 2 or 3 Cummins forums. I bought mine on the other site, he asked $6k for it, I paid $5200 or so, but then had to but $700 worth of tires on it almost immediately.

Also, searchtempest.com is a good site, searching all of craigslist within the boundaries you set.

 

I bought mine out of pa for $3000 but that was an unordinary good deal.....Keep looking and you'll find one but unfortunely you may have to look down south like into the carolinas and florida and texas and stuff, that's where the good 1st gens are.

 

You can find a nice truck to start with for 4k or 5k. Network, plead your case, check all the places you can that list, become very adept at searching, be patient, have someone in another local check it out for you if need be, be decisive ("I'm interested" doesn't get it done, say "I'll buy it". Whether or not you do remains to be seen, but you have to say it), Greyhound used to take anyone anywhere for a couple hundred if you are a young man.

And again be patient and don't become disheartened. If you miss one, know another one will be up. You'll get yours.

 

Check the phoenix az craigs list there are always a few floating around on there.....plus PHOENIX = NO RUST........always a plus

 

There is a lot poppin up down here in TX, but don't expect to ****** em for cheap. I don't see any good ones going for under 8k. I bought mine for over 10k in MI.. When I brought it back down here it went up in value

 

Another observation I made during searching. Hugh differences usually in truck quality between say at the $3,500 price point and say $7,000

Not always of course, but for the most part. In many cases HALF the miles on the trucks in the higher price point range. Usually the low end price point almost always needs at least a couple grand to be spent after purchase soon (body, pending repairs past due, tires, front end work, rust etc). I came away feeling that you are in a better searching situation if you take a bit of time and save a couple grand more.

 

When search, search common mis-spellings. I found my truck that way. Got it or $5k and talked him down from $5700.

Things to search for:

truck
diesel truck
diesel
deisel truck
deisel
Dodge diesel
Dodge deisel
diezel
Cummins
Cummings
Cumins
Cumings

Seriously, those are the most COMMON mis-spellings.

I looked for 4 months on and off. I also bought one off of Ebay for $3200, and a rusty piece of scrap for $2200.

My current one is 90% rust free. To me, that means a LOT less work and more enjoyable time not spent on wondering i your feet are going to become the "Flintstone" brand of brakes.

 

call 724 253 4504 ask for jerry,tell him chris sent you.