Looking to buy a home soon, need a truck...

So, in my wanderlust I have decided to settle down in the Minneapolis area. I need a truck to haul my stuff around, plus "house stuff" landscape materials, car parts, etc.

I am willing to fly and drive for the adventure...looking about the 2k area... I don't need to haul a bunch,(mostly landscape garbage I imagine) maybe a car once and a while (so a hitch is a plus).

Shoot me what you have:

(prefer Dodge or Chevy and LWB...) Running and driving, front disks, don't care about gas mileage, low rust. Or know of a vehicle in similar condition...

I would like to buy from a grm'r...

Looking for something like this or older.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5015153515.html

I was looking thru Nashville TN CL the other day, and there seemed to be a ton of nice old trucks with no rot down there.

My best friend is selling his survivorish 84 chevy. Hes asking 4k, but would do 3500.

350/auto/2wd/reg cab short bed. 1/2 ton, daily driven, original paintand interior. Zero rust in nc.

For a real work truck, you gotta go long bed. Like I tell people, the reason I got a truck with an 8 foot bed is because they don't make a 9 foot.

Really, anything F/C/D should work fine. I'd get a 3/4 ton, just because then you know you'll never, ever be able to break it. I've found late 70's 3/4 ton trucks in driving condition without much rust around here for around 1k.

Here: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/4989491711.html

+1 on the long bed. My first truck over here was a short bed, when we bought a "home owner truck" last year was specifically looking for a long bed. The difference in usability is worth it.

A long bed will hold sheet goods (plywood, sheetrock, etc) flat and with the tailgate up. A long bed will haul 2 yards of mulch/ compost/ stone without overflowing. A 12' board can lay on the tailgate of a longbed without fear of it tipping out the back. A long bed is 33% more carrying volume and they're usually cheaper, because few people buy trucks to use as trucks anymore.

I prefer a longbed for all these reasons. Except resale is typically lower because people think shortbeds look better.

Thanks for all the input guys and gals. I took a little time off of my day to peruse the Craigslist... I have found that LWB (what I want) regular cab, 3/4 tons are what I want, and they tend to not command the premium of some other trucks.

I do have a lead on a 71 D100 (sweptline) with a 318 and a 4 speed (PMY with a white top) that is local for 3800. But I have found that there are a lot of late 90's trucks that are better equipped and look to be a good truck for 2k.

There are a lot of cheap flights to Vegas from MSP...

Thanks Hive. I am not in too much of a hurry, so it is good to see what is out there.

If you can get here cheaply, buy out here. My '93 F-150 is has a couple of minor rust spots (and I mean minor, like not even dime sized) instead of the bottom four inches missing.

Also, at least here in Northern NV, 2WD trucks are pretty cheap because everybody wants a 4WD one. I've seen really nice 2WD mid-seventies trucks for $3-$5k and the later stuff tends to be cheaper until you hit the mid-nineties. Mind you, my '93 is a lot more comfy than the '87 F-350 I tried, so it may be worth going for something newer.

Why the 3/4 ton? The ride, especially in the older ones, isn't so hot. And agreed with the above about the 8 foot bed. Growing up on a farm with real length truck beds, and then having that change to shorter beds with extended cabs, always felt like a big step backwards to me.

I like to work out of long beds, but the cab configuration matters.

A Crewcab short bed is the same wheelbase as a Supercab long bed. Driveability is equal.

However, a Crewcab long bed is about 18" longer wheelbase, and they SUCK to drive. It's like driving a freight train.

I realize the OP needs a regular cab so this is irrelevant, but for any other truck shoppers who need a bigger cab, it's useful info.

I like a long bed for work. But I also need to carry adults around with me, and could use a Crewcab.

I have a crew cab, long bed and wouldn't trade it for anything. Love that beast.

Edit: I will say I did my first 10-12 years of home ownership with a 4X8 trailer, towed behind whatever vehicle I owned at the moment. That included hauling firewood for heating. All the cars are gone, but that trailer is still here and always will be. I may love it more than the truck.

In reply to Toyman01:

Do you drive it daily?

As a long distance hauler, occassional weekender, I could see loving it.

As a daily, not so much.

In reply to SVreX:

Hell no! Even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford to feed the beast. On a good day it gets about 13 mpg, on a bad day, 6.2.

I put about 3-4K miles on it a year as a tow beast/family/gear hauler. This past weekend was 5 people, bags and bikes to my parents. It's overkill 80% of the time, but it's paid for and costs very little to sit in the yard.

In reply to Toyman01:

Well, your experience is probably more relevant to the OP than mine.

But I drive mine daily, and hate driving a freight train.

In reply to SVreX:

Moot point. The OP wanted a std cab. For around town use, they are a lot easier to park.

If you were ok with a slightly rusty short box I could get pretty close to your budget delivered to your door for my '04 Silverado.

Or slightly less rusty, a bit mousy, and some assembly required I could put you in an extended cab short box '75 power wagon for under half your budget.

All my long bed trucks are crew cabs, and I love them except for the fuel.

SVreX wrote: In reply to Toyman01: Do you drive it daily? As a long distance hauler, occassional weekender, I could see loving it. As a daily, not so much.

I have a crew cab long bed dually I drive a lot. Doesn't bother me a bit. The truck before it was an extended cab long bed dually, and before that was a standard can long bed dually. The standard cab was easier to park but I really like the additional cab space of the quad. I also tow a lot, pretty heavy, and the longer wheelbase handles the load better.

I have driven crew cab "First Gen" (72-93) Dodges with 8' beds in the past, and they really aren't that bad. In fact, I will be heading out to Oregon to pick up another next month.

pres589 wrote: Why the 3/4 ton? The ride, especially in the older ones, isn't so hot. And agreed with the above about the 8 foot bed. Growing up on a farm with real length truck beds, and then having that change to shorter beds with extended cabs, always felt like a big step backwards to me.

It's not about the ride, it's about the ability to use it as a truck. Towing a trailer, or loading anything of density, the 3/4 is just better. A yard of stone weighs like 2500 pounds, you'll kill a 1/2 ton with that. At the very least, you can put 3/4 ton springs in a half ton pretty cheaply, usually.

In reply to Brokenbrakes: Anything you find can be either a great buy or a sad mistake.. My 1997 Chevy 4x4 with a short box is my work horse.. It's easy to park, easy on gas 17/19 MPG, reliable as dirt (Nearly 350,000 miles with only 4 minor repairs.. Alternator, water pump, fuel pump, and intake manifold gaskets)

It's built my house,... Well hauled 97% of the material including all the timbers and wood (50,000+ bd.ft. which is enough to build 10 normal houses) more than 100 tons of stone, rock, mortar, and brick. Sometimes a load that exceeds 4500 pounds per trip. So loaded down I had to lean forward to get the front tires to touch the ground in order to steer. Plus the odd Bobcat or other equipment.

It's hauled my tandem axle enclosed race car trailer all over the country and to the Bahama's. It's not perfect, heck the dreaded tin worm infected it 3-4 years ago but I'll be jumping into it soon to pick up another car in Detroit....... 17+ hours each way.

Nope it's not for sale {I plan on using it for the next 20 odd years to haul my casket to the cemetery}, but don't buy a price. Buy something you'll be proud of so you take care of it.. Make sure you'll want it around. Then do the maintenance as soon as you get it because the prior owner never does that on something he's selling..

In reply to volvoclearinghouse: So the 4500+ pounds I regularly carried in my 1/2 ton shortbox building my house wasn't good for the truck?

I suppose you're right, heck with 350,000 miles on it and the original shocks and springs still there I'll bet I only have another 200,000 miles or so left in it before I'll start to have trouble.

Dusterbd13 wrote: I prefer a longbed for all these reasons. Except resale is typically lower because people think shortbeds look better.

That's just to posers.

Several times I have put a yard of topsoil in the bed of my Nissan kingcab and driven a couple of miles to home. I can tell you I wouldn't drive it much further. I have also done the same thing with two yards of mulch many times. Its not as bad.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse: My short box, is easier to park and maneuver than a 8 foot bed and you get better fuel mileage.. I regularly hauled 12 foot + timbers in it. Tailgate down it's 8 foot and then I run a strap across the front to ensure nothing tips..

But get whatever you want.. Just because I place a premium on it fitting in the garage and getting better fuel mileage doesn't mean they should be your priorities.