Tell me what you think of this deal

[mazdarotary]

A friend of mine at work just came across what I think is a sweet deal on a nice work truck. It is an 89 W350 with single rear wheels,and an old Telephone company utility body. It is (obviously) 4WD,and has a Getrag 5 speed. The mileage is 300K,the body looks decent,and the frame is clean. The asking price is $2000 which I think is a sweet deal even though the rear end need some work(rebuild),and the bottom of the doors are rusted. The truck has been sitting for a little while. I have not seen the truck,but by its description I would say it is worth it. What do you guys think?Do the non-aftercooled truck last as long as the aftercooled ones?I would say the transmission,and injection pump may be a little suspect if they are original in this truck,but still the price seems right. The guy buying it is a Chevy Duramax owner,but does appreciate the Cummins as a "good motor". Thanks in advance.

 

[Philip]

Check and see if it has an hour meter on it. 300k is a lot when you figure that the truck idled all day and was never shut off. Or at least in my area the phone guys never shut anything off till it is back in the barn.



I think 2k is the most I would pay.

 

[mazdarotary]

It wasn't a phone company truck as far as I know,but it does have the utility body like the local phone company. The body is the old greenish color like the phone company,but the rest of the truck is two tone blue. I know the phone company would never spring on a diesel pick-up with a manual especially because I work for them. Thanks for the input.

 

[powerwagon440]

Well if it was close to me i would buy it in a heart beat.

 

[Philip]

A lot of power companys run those trucks also. Do a run on the VIN # and see who the orginal owners were.



I looked at a ex Cinn, Oh power company rig about 7 year ago. It had over 200k on it. I passed on it because it was a SWR 1 ton.

 

[bgilbert]

Such a low asking price, I would suspect something wrong with it. At 300k miles, its just getting broken in. Not a bad price for a fixer upper. Just make sure he's ready to invest some big money and time into it to make it road worthy. Rear end rebuild, brakes, suspension, ujoints, front end, turbo, injectors, fuel system etc. No 100k mile digit for an 89. So the 300k is a guesstimate. I'd have to inspect it real good and hear the motor run, and drive it. I'd hate to get a bad motor. The motor is worth the asking price, but not if it needs a new crank.

 

[JLEONARD]

I think it's worth it for the drivetrain for a project if for nothing else.

The engine my son used in his "project" came out of an 89 with 275K on it. Runs nice and strong.

If the truck is still nice enough to drive it's an excellent deal.

Jay

 

[ekroman]

If the motor is stock, an non-intercooled truck will be fine, as long as it was maintained well. If the motor seems to run well, and the transmission seems okay, then it's worth it just in parts or for the driveline.



The rear could be a problem. If it's 3. 07 gears, you'll have a hard time finding a ring & pinion if you need one; it's best to swap out the entire rear for another.



The utility body is interesting. If the paint on the utility body and the truck don't match, chances are it was added later, and it may have been a work truck for the last 100k or so.



What kind of info can you get from the seller?



Eddie