Looking for a work truck: Is this a good deal?

[RJ1982]

Hi Fellow Bogleheads-

I am looking to purchase a used truck because I am getting ready to purchase a house and I believe me and my wife will be doing a lot of DIY projects (so I will need something to haul things from Home Depot, etc.). This will be a work truck, so I don't care about the aesthetics of the truck--in fact, the more superficially "beat up" the better if that means I can get a lower price. I found a potential truck on Craigslist. However, I don't know much about purchasing used cars, does this look like a good deal to you? https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 98039.html

The seller wants $5,500 and I was thinking about offering $3,500 to see if the seller would take it. Are there any questions I should ask the seller to help ensure I'm not purchasing a lemon?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

-RJ

[London]

Hi Fellow Bogleheads-

I am looking to purchase a used truck because I am getting ready to purchase a house and I believe me and my wife will be doing a lot of DIY projects (so I will need something to haul things from Home Depot, etc.). This will be a work truck, so I don't care about the aesthetics of the truck--in fact, the more superficially "beat up" the better if that means I can get a lower price. I found a potential truck on Craigslist. However, I don't know much about purchasing used cars, does this look like a good deal to you? https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 98039.html

The seller wants $5,500 and I was thinking about offering $3,500 to see if the seller would take it. Are there any questions I should ask the seller to help ensure I'm not purchasing a lemon?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

-RJ

That would be a good deal in my market and there’s no way a seller here would take $3,500. That said, it doesn’t hurt to try.

For that price, you are taking your chances on purchasing a lemon.

[Jimbo Moneybags]

I'd suggest you run all of the numbers, including not just the acquisition cost but tax, tags, insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs and so on.

Compare that to the cost of delivery from Home Depot and Lowes, which can be free with a certain purchase amount on items other than building and landscaping materials up to around $80 for large deliveries of lumber and other material (think large flatbed or semi truck and a forklift). You should also check the cost of renting a pickup truck or cargo van in your area. Also, if your current car/truck has a trailer hitch, a Carry-On or similar brand trailer ($1000 or so for a 5x8 size) may be a good option.

[Jack FFR1846]

Buy as small trailer and put a tow hitch on your existing car. This way, you don't have to pay the expenses of yet another vehicle and you can still haul anything a truck can haul.

[dratkinson]

How about a pickup-bed trailer? See: https://kansascity.craigslist.org/searc ... allery~0~0

Much less to go wrong/fix/register. Probably don't need any additional insurance to use ...but double-check with your insurance.

Paired with a trailer hitch for your vehicle and you should be good to go.

Of course, you now need to buy a home with a large garage/work shop/man cave in which to store the trailer.
See: https://www.google.com/search?&q=man+ca ... s&tbm=isch

[Watty]

Thanks in advance for any comments.

It has almost 100K miles and is 21 years old. A big question with any vehicle that age is if you can do most of the maintenance on it yourself since even if it is a great truck it is an age where it will need regular work just because of the age. Paying a mechanic to maintain a 21+ year old truck can get pretty expensive.

It also matters if you would be using it as a daily driver or you would be getting it in addition to your other cars. It likely does not get great gas milage or have good safety features so it might not be a good choice for a daily driver.

If it will be an additional car then the cost of maintenance and insurance could be a lot more than the cost of renting a truck when you need one or having materials delivered. Home depot will even rent trucks by the hour.

I am looking to purchase a used truck because I am getting ready to purchase a house...

I know nothing about your finances but I would wait up on buying a truck until you have the house just in case you need the money for the home purchase or for funds after you move in so that money is not too tight.

You could also buy a house that does not have a good place to park a third vehicle if this will extra vehicle.

I would hold up on buying a truck until you get in the house and need a truck.

[bob60014]

I'm always leery of Dodge/Chrysler products due to overall reliability. Did you Google 2002 dodge ram 1500 problems issues complaints, first?

[GuyInFL]

I’d purchase the house first and then get the truck if you decide you really need it. Houses tend to have surprise needs for cash.

[Sandtrap]

I'm always leery of Dodge/Chrysler products due to overall reliability. Did you Google 2002 dodge ram 1500 problems issues complaints, first?

+1
Avoid.

Of course there are always exceptions and experiences and onions, but they do not make for the greater part of the bell curve.
j

to op:
Lake
trailer
boat ramp
=
rear end suspension rust and corrosion
rear differential issues
rear bearing, outer wheel bearings and complete hub assemblies....a given for boat trailer trucks, in Hawaii, in anywhere as the rear end of the truck is nearly submerged or partially in the water when docking, etc.
very expensive....
rear driveshaft bearings
rear differential input seals and bearings $$$$$$$$
the list is long

to OP:
What is the engine on that dodge truck?
original owner?
Is it 4wd or 2wd?
What year?

Do you have to have a full size bed and truck?
What about and older ford ranger/mazda pickup?

j

[RJ1982]

Thanks, all. I never thought about getting a hitch for the occasional trailer hitch installed for the occasional run to the hardware store, etc. I think that would be perfect.

I currently have a 2009 Chevy Malibu (four cylinder) that still runs pretty well. Could this pull a pickup bed trailer? Also, is it tough to hook up a pickup bed trailer (i.e., is this a one-person job)?

[bloom2708]

I wouldn't buy it with that rust. The frame might be rusting away.

No easy way to fix that rust.

This looks better:

https://fayar.craigslist.org/cto/d/roge ... 23202.html

[Jack FFR1846]

A pickup trailer bed is going to be wicked heavy. All the big box stores, Tractor Supply and of course trailer stores sell trailers. I currently use a snowmobile trailer. I don't own a snowmobile. I built rails around it. I've used it to deliver 1/4 cord of firewood (that's the max for the rating of the trailer). It currently has scrap steel thrown on it until I make a run to the yard. I have pulled a snowmobile on a trailer with a Honda CRX which weighs about 1000 pounds less than your Malibu.

[tev9876]

HD/Lowes/Menards will rent you a truck for 75-90 minutes for $20. That is 275 trips for the $5500 cost of the used truck with no maintenance, break down or storage hassles. U-Haul is also an option and dirt cheap for a couple hours.

I love my 1/2 ton truck but it is also my daily driver. I looked at keeping my old truck for the convenience and getting a new car when I was ready to upgrade, but the math didn't work at all. I ended up just getting a new truck. I do have a toyhauler camper so do need a truck.

I also have a utility trailer - the build it yourself kit from Harbor Freight. That is a weekend project in itself to build and will probably cost $700+ these days for a 4x8 trailer with a 1700 pound capacity. A steel mesh 5x8 is going to start around $1000 with a similar capacity. They are a pain to store if you don't have extra parking.

A 2009 Malibu looks like it has only a 1000 tow rating so half of that is going to be used up just in the weight of a small, empty trailer.

[will86]

i would keep my eye out for an even older chevy, the one linked earlier is a good find.
a thirty year old truck has less electronics and electronics on older vechicles are more of a pain then mechanical issues

the criteria for value on older trucks is condition, condition and condition.

[pizzy]

Hi Fellow Bogleheads-

I am looking to purchase a used truck because I am getting ready to purchase a house and I believe me and my wife will be doing a lot of DIY projects (so I will need something to haul things from Home Depot, etc.). This will be a work truck, so I don't care about the aesthetics of the truck--in fact, the more superficially "beat up" the better if that means I can get a lower price. I found a potential truck on Craigslist. However, I don't know much about purchasing used cars, does this look like a good deal to you? https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 98039.html

The seller wants $5,500 and I was thinking about offering $3,500 to see if the seller would take it. Are there any questions I should ask the seller to help ensure I'm not purchasing a lemon?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

-RJ

$3,500 is a lot of ~$20/75 min rentals for HD pickup.

[ondarvr]

Buy a trailer from Harbor Freight, they're on sale right now, 25% off coupon for less than $500.

I have a Malibu, I can put just about anything in it for home improvements. Fold the back seats down and you can put 10' long lumber in it, plywood, unless you cut it down to size in the parking lot, or they'll do it for you too, is a little tougher to transport.

I have a pickup, it gets used maybe two times per year for home improvement stuff, the rest goes in my car. I have a trailer too, but no hitch on the car, if there was a hitch on the car the truck would never get used.

[lazydavid]

Unless you're anticipating needing to carry large loads 3+ times per week consistently, skip the truck and just handle it on a case-by-case basis. Most of your needs that can't be met by your current vehicle will be well covered by a $20 rental from the big box store.

Even better, for large orders, get it delivered, even if it isn't free. My last delivery consisted of 50 bags of mulch, 8 bags of garden soil, 4 of plain topsoil and 6 of river rock. That is a literal ton--the mulch alone is 1,700 lbs. Now imagine manually loading that, one bag at a time, into the back of your truck. And then manually unloading it when you got home. And then repeating that process all over again because the load is both larger and heavier than a pickup can manage in a single trip. You've now spent half the day transporting stuff, are already exhausted and haven't even started any of the actual work. Menards delivered it to the top of my driveway on two pallets for $89. Money well spent.

[adamthesmythe]

I bought a house and I had a problem getting stuff from the home store. So I bought an old used truck.

Now I have two problems.

[ClevrChico]

Buy as small trailer and put a tow hitch on your existing car. This way, you don't have to pay the expenses of yet another vehicle and you can still haul anything a truck can haul.

This is great advice. Also a used minivan will likely be far cheaper (and better!) than a truck, so something else to consider. They make commercial versions.

[Tracker968]

I have a pickup and a utility trailer. I often use the utility trailer to load large or heavy items because it is so much easier than loading into the pickup bed.
Someday soon I will sell the pickup and add a hitch to my car and just use the trailer.

[il0kin]

I drive a pickup truck (Tundra) and I take my Segway electric scooter everywhere I can for small local errands. Love it.

Anyway, I personally would suggest you replace the Malibu with a small gas efficient SUV (CR-V, etc) with a tow rating of a couple thousand pounds so you can tow a 5x8 or so trailer as needed. I have rented U-Haul trailers before for very large loads, it’s a minor inconvenience at most, because you don’t need a second driver like you would with a box truck rental.

I use my truck often for “truck stuff” but personally wouldn’t suggest one as a second vehicle for most people. We take my wife’s Highlander Hybrid almost everywhere instead.

Edit: looks like the Bogleheads darling, the RAV4, can tow 3500 lbs when configured with AWD. Perfect!

[Watty]

I currently have a 2009 Chevy Malibu (four cylinder) that still runs pretty well. Could this pull a pickup bed trailer? Also, is it tough to hook up a pickup bed trailer (i.e., is this a one-person job)?

I did not look it up but even if it can depending on how many miles your Chevy has on it spending money to add a trailer hitch to a 14 year old car might not be worth the cost if you will only be keeping it a few more years.

I would put doing anything on the back burner until you are in the house and have had to rent a truck or van a few times. By then you will have a much better idea of what you really need.

When you need to replace the Chevy you could look at getting a daily driver that will work better for your Home Depot runs.

Everyone tends to be biased towards what they own but I recently bought a Ford Maverick pickup which has a small pickup bed and they can tow about 2,000 lbs even without their 4k pound towing package. The most barebones one you can get starts at about $24K but there will likely be a price increase when the 2024 model year comes out.

https://shop.ford.com/configure/maveric ... stomize/xl

(You have to order at a dealership so if you are interested just print off what you configure there and take it into a dealership.)

The problem is that they are in very short supply, especially the hybrid version, so if you can find one on a dealers lot they will add a huge markup to MSRP on them. I ordered mine last September and it just came in this May which was a lot quicker than many peoples experience. I got it at the MSRP price without having to pay any additional markup.

Ford is adding an extra shift this summer to increase their production capacity so that may help the supply.

The last time Ford took orders they only allowed people to place orders for about a week then shut down the order process because they got so many orders so quickly. They are scheduled to allow orders again in July and I would assume that orders will only be allowed for a very limited time again. Most dealers either do not require a deposit or only require a refundable deposit of maybe $500.

I do not have a clue what your finances are but just for brainstorming one option to consider would be to place an order for a bare bones Maverick in July since at best it likely will not arrive until next winter or next spring and you might be in your house by then. If it makes sense then you could buy it at MSRP then and sell your Chevy or decide that you do not want it and get any deposit back if you decide that you do not need it. Some dealerships have been sleezy and have tried marking up orders at the last minute when they arrive but with some research you can find out how to eliminate the dealerships with a bad reputation and get paperwork when you place your order which will help lock in your price.

Everyone is different but to me a base model Maverick that you could use as a daily driver for 10+ years would be a better long term value than buying an extra beater truck that may require lots of maintenance and not last a long time.