The buy was a bust (longish)

[tomatocity]

As the sign says I am new to buying a 67-72 GM pickup. This last weekend I traveled from CA to NE tp buy a 1970 GMChevrolet pickup. All looked well so we boarded a plane on Friday morning, got screwed over in Denver, finally got to Lincoln NE, missed our ride, rented a car, drove 100+ miles to Kearney, found a very clean frame-off rebuild. It was supposed to be a GMC frame with Chevy grill and tailgate. May I regress. A couple of days before the trip I was franticly looking for a GMC VIN decoder and many of you helped me, thank you. Late the night before I discovered there is a frame VIN and did not have time to have the seller send it to me. OK back in Kearney and I discovered the trucks frame VIN did not match the body VIN that had been removed and reinstalled during the rebuild. I asked the seller more than once if the cab had been changed and he always said it had not. The reason I asked so often was the trick had front disc brakes and it is a 1970. Well the truck also had bad brakes, ran poorly, the seat had been reupholstered but not rebuilt, the tilt column was from a van (no nuetral switch), no windshield sprayers, no overflow tak, we (me and my buddy) had to fix a radiator leak, door panels were terrible, windows did not roll up or down well, no door mirrors, no radio, shabby plumbing for the oil gauge, faded gauges, no PRNDL, new drivers door rubber was f'd up, other than that it was very clean. If I could have got it to CA it would have ended up being a salvaged title. This trip cost me more than I would like to have spent but some lessons are more expensive than others. The reason for this email is you. Don't take buying any vehicle lightly. Do your home work and believe yourself ask for proof from anyone else.

For those that don't know (I learned today) the frame VIN (SZ74856) should be the last 7 digits of the title and body VIN (CE134SZ74856). If you buy a vehicle in-state the DMV will most likely not find the error. In CA they inspect all out of state vehicles being registered the first time.

So who has a nice, clean, 2WD, any bed, for sale?

Crying in my beer,
Tim in Sacramento

[barn9]

A "nice, clean, 2WD, any bed" takes in a lot of trucks. It would probably help if you were a little more specific about what you are interested in and what price range you are thinking.

[tomatocity]

Originally Posted by barn9

A "nice, clean, 2WD, any bed" takes in a lot of trucks. It would probably help if you were a little more specific about what you are interested in and what price range you are thinking.

Preferably 1/2 ton, 2WD, LWB or SWB, automatic, the engine is not an issue, not cut up, wheels are not an issue (I have simple tastes in wheels), doesn't need to be a show truck, etc. Today I saw a 1970 for $17000 and I don't think it is worth it. At the same house I saw a 1972 for $12000 obo and it is proably worth $10000 but he would take $11500. I also saw a 1970 for $5500 and a 1968 for $3500 obo and neither was worth $1500. There has to be redeeming value to the truck at a reasonable price. I believe that is what most of us want. I plan on driving one of these trucks for the next 20 years so it must be something I like and don't mind working on as it ages. Hope this helps.

[ebfabman]

Also, ask for lots of pictures. Maybe even a video with good audio of the truck being started and running. A lot to ask, I know, but geez how much did you spend chasing this truck? You can even link up via the internet for real time video stream if both you and the seller are savy to what it takes.

[dtlilly]

This is one of the best truck boards you will find on the net. With over 16,000 members, we are a close knit bunch of drooling fanatics. Next time you want to look at a truck far from you... post a thread asking for any area members to look at it for you. I recently looked at a truck an hour away from me for a board member in Michigan, well from my seeing it in person, and the digital pics I took, the member decided the truck was not as described. He saved a $1000 round trip, and I did the favor for free. That's what it is about here... friends that never met, helping others!

[nu2-72]

Not to be critical, but as stated, you need to be more specific as to what you want. I mean if you ask generic, that is what you will get. Some generic truck.
Decide what you want and then we will help you out.

[Randy70C-10]

My wife's 70 stepside has disk brakes, all I did was a crossmember swap from a 72 Custom/10. Keep up with the "parts board", board members sell trucks on there all the time.

[Bamm]

Welcome to the board from Virginia. I'm Jerry and as stated above by dtlilly, I am a drooling truck fanatic. The amount of drool is dependent on how nice the truck is and needless to say, I wear hip waders when surfing this site. Lot of nice stuff on here and lots of good guys just waiting for the chance to help other members. Enjoy your stay and if I can help you out here in Va in anyway, let me know..........Jerry

[PICKMUP]

I always say a truck with title/frame/vin tag matching is worth more $$$ and easier/more legal to sell...than a "mutt" pieced together without documentation.
I just offered a "matching" 72 SWB fleetside pu to a local guy for $1,500. He wanted to beat me down to $1,000. I told him it was all matching # correct. He said, "Do you think that really matters on a truck?"
Well, what do you think?

This 68 SWB project truck another number matching/clear title truck: Powder coated frame & parts with complete new ECE lowered suspension. It will be a completely "legal" cool little original truck when completed---FOR SALE: $2,900

[Fred T]

Originally Posted by PICKMUP

I just offered a "matching" 72 SWB fleetside pu to a local for $1,500. He wanted to beat me down to $1,000. I told him it was all matching # correct. He said, "Do you think that really matters on a truck?"
Well, what do you think?

Here in Kansas it means not having to spend $500 for an attorney to get a title!

I agree with dtilly. I havent' looked over any trucks for people on this board, but did save a guy on the stovebolt board from buying a "rust free" 50 burb that had rust on almost every body part.

[HOTFUN]

You drove by within 3 miles of my place on your drive from Lincoln to Kearney. I am a little confused about the VIN on the frame. In Nebraska the frame vin also must match the cab & vin plate or at least those last 6 or 7 numbers. I'm not sure if your saying they did not or the whole vin number was not present in the frame stamping which it does not? I would be very upset if this person represented this truck as numbers matching and that the cab was the original one off the frame and it turned out to not be. That is fraud. How did you come across this deal and what did the guy say when you confronted him about these items? So did you go ahead and buy it and head off for CA as you said you fixed the radiator leak?
I once sold a guy in Florida a one owner 72 big block Cheyenne driver with "lots" of rust for $700. I went over and over the honest condition with this guy and that it had always been just a daily driver truck but to FLorida was anybodies guess. He flew into Lincoln which I met him there with the truck on my trailer so he could head east from there. This older gentleman shows up in dress clothes, no tools, etc, and with $700 in cash and starts tearing it down. HE said I thought you guys don't use salt and rust is from sand chips out here in Nebraska! I even had spent several hours flushing radiator, servicing it out and such on my dime just to feel respectably comfortable for his 1600 mile trip in a 30 year old truck. Needless to say he made it but had his share of water pump, and radiator problems on the way home but to this day I don't know how what he was thinking about a 30 year old truck with 100k miles on a drive off 1600 mile journey. People need to ask the right questions and listen to the answers carefully not just what they want to hear. I truely believe he thought Nebraska was a desert state and we just park our good old trucks when we get new ones.
Mark

[Randy70C-10]

I've been here in Virginia since 1983 and nobody has ever looked at any vin numbers on anything that I've ever owned.

[tomatocity]

Hi HOTFUN. No I did not buy it. As one of the posts said 'I would rather be out a little cash than have a bad truck' or something like that. Yeah I believe this person misrepresented his truck. After I got there he mentioned he bought three trucks at one time and he only had one truck left and he did not sell the others. anyway it is my fault for not using the knowledge of this group of fanatics. I had talk to this person for a total of eight hours before coming to NE. I thought I had most of the questions asked and answered but when I got there there were too many things not correct. Now I am positive he used a frame from one truck, the cab from another and the bed from another. I have thought about calling NE DMV (again) and reporting him but I don't want to ruin anyones life. He has enough to deal with in his life since he is a burn victim with teh use of only one hand. He probably does not think he has done anyhting wrong though if it happened to him he would probably feel different. What a person puts into life usually come back to you. Thanks for your concern.

Originally Posted by HOTFUN

You drove by within 3 miles of my place on your drive from Lincoln to Kearney. I am a little confused about the VIN on the frame. In Nebraska the frame vin also must match the cab & vin plate or at least those last 6 or 7 numbers. I'm not sure if your saying they did not or the whole vin number was not present in the frame stamping which it does not? I would be very upset if this person represented this truck as numbers matching and that the cab was the original one off the frame and it turned out to not be. That is fraud. How did you come across this deal and what did the guy say when you confronted him about these items? So did you go ahead and buy it and head off for CA as you said you fixed the radiator leak?
I once sold a guy in Florida a one owner 72 big block Cheyenne driver with "lots" of rust for $700. I went over and over the honest condition with this guy and that it had always been just a daily driver truck but to FLorida was anybodies guess. He flew into Lincoln which I met him there with the truck on my trailer so he could head east from there. This older gentleman shows up in dress clothes, no tools, etc, and with $700 in cash and starts tearing it down. HE said I thought you guys don't use salt and rust is from sand chips out here in Nebraska! I even had spent several hours flushing radiator, servicing it out and such on my dime just to feel respectably comfortable for his 1600 mile trip in a 30 year old truck. Needless to say he made it but had his share of water pump, and radiator problems on the way home but to this day I don't know how what he was thinking about a 30 year old truck with 100k miles on a drive off 1600 mile journey. People need to ask the right questions and listen to the answers carefully not just what they want to hear. I truely believe he thought Nebraska was a desert state and we just park our good old trucks when we get new ones.
Mark

[71swb4x4]

I agree with dtlilly...ask us to help!!
I planned to purchase a 2wd Blazer in California. Alexis was nice enough to go look it over for me and he saved me a lot of cash and a huge headache.
I went and looked at a truck that was close to me for a member who was not close.
That's what we do here.
I am sure you learned a lot on your trip, and your next one will likely be a success since you know what questions to ask. It's sounds like you didn't let it get you down too bad. Being out some cash is better than being stuck with a truck that you don't want.

[4x4Poet]

Tim..., may I call you Tim?

What in the world were you doing in Nebraska looking for a clean truck?!!! You live in the Big Valley. Outside of the garages of Hollywood's rich, there is no better place to find a clean, rust-free classic truck. The Sacramento Bee alone must have 50 67-72 Chevy/GMC trucks for sale each year in its classifieds. Not to mention every other Valley town (Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield, Yuba City/Marysville, et al).

I bought my rust-free, unrestored, and unmolested '72 burb in Sacramento from a son selling his late father's truck for his mother. $2000 bucks. Had my dad look at it first. I told him if it was rust free, complete, and ran, buy it. The next day it was mine. Granted, that was 9 years ago, but still, aren't clean trucks still available within easy reach of Sacramento at reasonable prices if not yet restored.

Or have you been trying to find a inexpensive, well-restored truck? Not likely available cheap in the Big Valley– nor should one be if it spent its life in the Big Valley's low humidity with no snow– especially if garage kept. Only Arizona trucks can compete with regards to unrestored quality. And Big Valley classic trucks never had to endure Arizona's super high heat (no offense, Arizonians).

Please, tell us why you haven't kept your search within the best classic truck region in the nation.

[tomatocity]

Sure you can call me Tim. Well there are multiple reasons. One the truck in NE is still the cleanest truck I have seen since 1996 when I started noticing them. In 1997 I was on my way to buy an extremely clean fully loaded 1972 C10 when I discovered a 1962 Impala SS. I bought the SS. Even as clean as that truck was the owner would not guarantee no rust. Many people think CA is rust free. CA has snow, deserts, salt water and lots of it, and valleys. There are trucks in teh San Joaquin valley (Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, Turlock, etc) that you can see the ground when you get in them and that is a valley truck. Think of what a northern CA Bay Area truck can be like or a Lake Tahoe truck. CA has the highest and lowest elevation points in the continental US and no we don't have all the weather condition as other states do but we have our share. Don't take CA granted as being rust free. If I find a good clean truck in Sacramento will be because I stumbled across it and the hawks had not already swooped down on the innocent seller with cash in hand. In our area alone we proably have 20+ people making a living at buying and selling these trucks. At Pleasanton a couple of weeks ago there had to be a dozen 67-72 trucks in the car corral ranging from $20000 to $3000 and most were extremely over priced or out od my price range. I offered $7000 for a 1970 SWB and that was probably too much and they did not take the offer. They were from Turlock where there is a huge, Pomona huge but Northern CA huge, swap meet. Southern CA is 500-600 miles away from Sacramento. Sounds like you got a great deal on the Burb. Maybe one of these days I will find the right one if I keep looking and carry cash.

Originally Posted by 4x4Poet

Tim..., may I call you Tim?

What in the world were you doing in Nebraska looking for a clean truck?!!! You live in the Big Valley. Outside of the garages of Hollywood's rich, there is no better place to find a clean, rust-free classic truck. The Sacramento Bee alone must have 50 67-72 Chevy/GMC trucks for sale each year in its classifieds. Not to mention every other Valley town (Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield, Yuba City/Marysville, et al).

I bought my rust-free, unrestored, and unmolested '72 burb in Sacramento from a son selling his late father's truck for his mother. $2000 bucks. Had my dad look at it first. I told him if it was rust free, complete, and ran, buy it. The next day it was mine. Granted, that was 9 years ago, but still, aren't clean trucks still available within easy reach of Sacramento at reasonable prices if not yet restored.

Or have you been trying to find a inexpensive, well-restored truck? Not likely available cheap in the Big Valley– nor should one be if it spent its life in the Big Valley's low humidity with no snow– especially if garage kept. Only Arizona trucks can compete with regards to unrestored quality. And Big Valley classic trucks never had to endure Arizona's super high heat (no offense, Arizonians).

Please, tell us why you haven't kept your search within the best classic truck region in the nation.

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by tomatocity

...Many people think CA is rust free. CA has snow, deserts, salt water and lots of it, and valleys. There are trucks in teh San Joaquin valley (Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, Turlock, etc) that you can see the ground when you get in them and that is a valley truck. Think of what a northern CA Bay Area truck can be like or a Lake Tahoe truck. CA has the highest and lowest elevation points in the continental US and no we don't have all the weather condition as other states do but we have our share. Don't take CA granted as being rust free...

I know. I'm from Sacramento, but most of the Valley's classic cars and 2wd trucks rarely go up in the snow. Farm and rural trucks are an exception to the general rule since they get in the mud. Still, it is the best area in the nation save rich peoples garages. And rich people don't sell their investments cheap. Of course, I sometimes forget that these trucks aren't getting any younger, so they're getting more difficult to find in unmolested or unrestored condidtion.

...If I find a good clean truck in Sacramento will be because I stumbled across it and the hawks had not already swooped down on the innocent seller with cash in hand. In our area alone we proably have 20+ people making a living at buying and selling these trucks....

This explains it. I didn't know that there are lots of guys buying up the unrestored trucks cheap from, perhaps unaware, owners. When I bought my burb, I had found it in the classifieds and bought it for the asking price. In fact, my dad didn't get to look at it until several days after the ad began.

I hope you have similar fortune. Sounds like you have the patience to not allow yourself to get ripped off by the "profiteers." I think the poster above made a good suggestion to check the lesser classified, like the free classifieds. Many older or lower income folks will try to save money using the cheaper classifieds to avoid the Bee's high fees. Maybe you'll find a one owner truck, as I did. What?!! It could still happen.

[Tim240Z]

I see them all the time it seems down in SoCal. I never really pay too much attention as I am not looking for one, but if you want I can keep my eyes peeled......

[Already Gone]

This was a very intetesting thread and again I say I always learn something everytime I open up this board. All the talk about about frame VIN's matching the cab VIN got me thnking about my truck. On the frame where is the VIN located? I'm always under my truck for something so I'd like to check it out and make sure it matches my cab VIN.

[chickenwing]

Sorry your trip did not turn out as planned. Kudos to you for haveing the foresite to wait for what you want.

I too think you can just wait it out here locally and find a nice truck. You may have a bit of a wait for a short bed though. Between the truck section, the auto care & repair section and the classics section in the Bee, you will find one. I bet 3 or 4 months tops.

You are totally correct that a lot of the trucks for sale out here are overpriced. Those are usually the "restored" and "partially restored" ones. Myself, I'd like to get one that has just been "maintained"!

Unless you want to pay top dollar, I'd stay away from the shows/meets. I went to the Turlock meet and MY truck was better than some of those that were asking 10K+. While I luv my truck, I am realistic enough to know that I'd be lucky to get 8k.
Good luck in your search.
Rich

[chickenwing]

Well you may be right Tim. Just as long as nothing raises the suspicions of the inspector. I bought a theft recovery 72 Z. DMV person went outside to inspect it and promptly refered me to a CHP inspection station. One of the rivets on the dash vin had been altered and she would not cert it.

My opinion on the #'s matching/branded title thing is: If you are going to dump a lot of money in a truck, you had better do what it takes so you can get some money out of the truck if you have to.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Wow, OK note to self, NEVER move to Cali. Kinda funny, but here in SC, there are NO inspections, (I could take the cats off my Z-71 if I wanted, I'm not, but I could) and when it comes to registering a vehicle all you need is a clear title. Never heard of anyone having their vehicle taken away 'cause frame/cab didn't match. If you got pulled over and cab/title don't match, you got some explainin to do. I had an 86 toyota that had a bad (rusted out) frame and I put a good southern frame under it. Just kept the title to the cab. Never even thought twice about it. Sold the truck too for a nice profit.

[smokekiki]

Here in Pa we need a yearly inspection.I have never had anyone check the numbers.How many "original" big block 4x4 suburbans are there?It was an original bigblock 2wd suburban that had a twisted frame,and a 4x4 suburban without a body.Nobody asked anything when I titled it.Now back to the topic at hand.Keep looking,You will find one.Let everyone You know that You are looking for one.Somebodys Gramppa might have one that has been in the garage it's whole life!

[nu2-72]

Mo. has inspections and the numbers thing also.
I go to several Corvette auctions and there was a beautiful 72 LT1 at one of them Myself along with several dozen others were ready to bid when the Announcer stated that if a title search was done, a salvage title would be found. 99% of the bidders walked away. A dealer will not touch it even if for resale. If a wheel fell off 4 years down the road, it has a salvage title and they are responsible. They will not take a salvage title for trade.
So, the smart folks somewhere came up with "rebuilders". Not salvage but so close that I cannot tell the difference. And then there are people with tools and talent that can do miricles. I do not want someones wreck but have had vehicles in wrecks that were fixed. Just depends on the amount and location of the damage.
Keep looking. Check the Paper for that "old truck in barn" thing. May happen.

[chickenwing]

If he wanted a long bed it would happen quick! There are tons of em around!