New vs. building old one

[notyo_cheez]

Curiousity drove me to look at the new Silverados online, MSRP for a single cab W/T trim short bed V6 with just a few options is about $25K. I think I can build my '81 and have it running/driving for less than that, not counting the APR for the loan. Sure the dealer could shave some off of that but maybe only a thousand or two.

Not having buyer's remorse, probably just more impatient than anything else. Totally my fault...

[str8axle55]

I agree, provided you are doing the work. It won`t have all of the comfort or safety features, but it`d be cooler.

[H8PVMNT]

I just sold an '08 GMC 2500HD and traded my quad for an '88 1 ton crew cab. Best decision I ever made... We can now seat our entire family plus the dog comfortably. Sure we have to work on the '88 but we will end up with a sweet restomod truck and we now have no payments. $630 a month buys a whole lot of gas and cool parts.

I just like the older trucks better. I guess it just depends on how much time you are willing to commit to an old truck and what kind of resources you have. There have been times in my life that fixing up old stuff just wasn't an option.

[Keith Seymore]

Took me about $3200 to fix up my '87.

That's way less than $25k.

K

[tucsonjwt]

You should be able to get a 2WD V6 Silverado or Sierra at model year end for about $17-$18K, plus TTL. You can get "payment saver" (or 2 to 5 year "balloon) loans with very low payments and interest rates now. (I get $262 monthly payment on $20K loan for 60 months.) At the end of the loan term your vehicle will be worth the balance of the loan, so you sell it and you walk away or you refinance it. Free GAP insurance covers any possible "upside down" situation.

I typically buy a new truck or SUV every 6 months, trading the "old one" in. In many cases, I can swap the old one for the new one and come out even, sometimes with a few $$ in my pocket. There are times when this does not work, and the trade loses $1000 -$1500 in bad markets. I lost $1500 in January of this year when I traded a 2010 Sierra Ext. Cab. for a 2011 Equinox LS for $21000, but I sensed that high gas prices would drop the value of the Sierra. You need to wait for the dealers to advertise a great price, and then jump on it. The best way to trade in and buy frequently is to pay cash - no opportunity for the dealer to play games with the loan on your trade in vehicle. I could write a book on buying a new vehicle now.
This requires keeping the new vehicle pristine - no door dings, ripped interior, etc., and keeping the miles low, so it doesn't work unless you have a careful family.
Upside - driving a new vehicle every 6 months for very few $$, no worry about
repairs, all the new safety and comfort features, save on gas
Downside - Cannot treat your truck like a truck, must be very careful and not
put very many miles on the truck - definitely need a second beater
truck, unless you don't use your truck like a truck.

I have always had a used truck (beater) and a new vehicle at the same time.
The used trucks always take $1000-$1500 per year in maintenance and repairs. I do keep the used truck in top shape, so that accounts for most of the $$ spent. If you drive your beater with bad tires, brakes, suspension, interior, etc., you can get away with $500 or less per year to keep the beater going. If I bought a new work truck I could eliminate the second truck, but I would take a big loss at trade in time.

[my4by2]

Build it man!!! Even if you totally update the driveline you'd get out cheaper! Just don't go all overboard like I've done or you'll be better off just getting a new one.... Hehe

[motornut]

around here with etests etc
i'd build it
I had a GMC 2010 CC for about two weeks.....didn't save any gas
paint was scratching off plastic inside
with all the performance parts out for the older trucks.....build it

[tucsonjwt]

For reference, my experience:
2010 GMC Ext. Cab. 4.8, 3.23 axle, 2wd, 15.5 city/18.5 hwy.
2000 Silverado V6, 2wd, LB, 3.42 axle, 19 city/24 hwy.
Many 5.3 trucks and suvs, 17-18 city, 21-23 hwy.
I drive carefully, your mileage will vary.

EPA mpg on 4.8 or 5.3 is about 14/18.

[old Rusty C10]

i have an 82 LWB 2wd while i like my old truck, and ive put in a new motor ( crate) a rebuilt transmission, did up the front end, tires, had the air conditioner rebuilt, front and rear brakes, im working on the front brakes and new lines etc. ive spent money on new body panels and a cowl hood ,new gas tanks , crossover valve,radiator, and who knows what else.. I sgtill have body work to do and paint as well as the interior,,
personally i would not get into this truck and go more than an hour from home. I do use the truck as one of my work horses and its good for that and eventually im going to pension it off and make it a show queen. I did go out and buy a brand new truck for my daily driver at about $34K. Yesterday i drove several hundred miles to go shopping at a sporting good store.. could i trust my older truck to do that? i dont think so..in addition i tow my boat with the new truck and can deduct the expenses as a business expense the comfort of the new truck far exceeds the older one. I have a 6 cd changer, Sirrus, and sync in it.. it makes life alot easier...Personally if you have the money and can afford it id buy the new truck and keep these older trucks for show and for jobs that you dont wanna use a brand new truck for

[tucsonjwt]

x2 Rusty. I am driving up to Phoenix soon and it won't be in the 83, regardless of the good condition it is in mechanically. Old trucks just have a lot of surprises that show up at the worst time. If you don't need it for a dd, then old is OK.

[Goldfinger]

If you maintain it and replace what needs to be replaced you can trust these for very long trips. even after 3 engine rebuilds and 2 tranny builds i wouldn't hesitate to go cross country in mine. Even in the densest traffic i've never had it over heat or leave me stranded other than when the tires or i am at fault. since you could start from scratch an ls swap may help make a smoother running truck

[WarBeard]

Loans=Bad juju!

I think it was Peterson's off-road magazine. Where I read a article about just this. They were looking for a tow rig to haul the buggy with. The question was should we buy a new one of get an old one and build it up.

They wanted a 4wd 3/4ton. So the dealer had one for like 30k and they also looked at a 1ton chevy from the 80's. They figure the cost of the payments ($500) plus insurance and interest would be a certain amount per month.

Now if they bought the old 1ton they could put $500 a month into that and have a really badass rig in no time, cheap to insure ETC. Also say you have a bad month and dont have that $500 payment.Well if you have the old truck you can go to sleep knowing there wont be any tow trucks looking for your pretty new truck.

This is pretty much what I do with my suburban. I have had 2 trucks repo'd in 2008 when the world went down the tube. Now all my cars and trucks are OLD, PAID FOR AND MINE!

[david068513]

You can get a basic v6 truck for 16-17k in my area brand new.
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[irishman999]

I vote build.

I got my Dodge pickup repo'd in early 2009, with payments I could not afford any after market parts for it anyways. I was within a couple grand of having it payed off, I just put a new water pump on it as well as new tires.

Backup to losing the job, this company was a contractor in this mine since the 60's and the summer I started they said there will be no layoffs, it was a very secure job. One monday they were handing out pink slips, I will never finance ANYTHING again, walking sucks.

To relate to the truck you are buying, I was given a 2007 GMC Sierra to cruise around in by my father in law. Dont get me wrong, it was a nice truck but I was glad to give it back. The new was worn off within a few months, the gadgets that were cool in the beginning were pissing me off. I could not use the truck for anything, it was too pretty. Gas mileage was not so great either.

A/C is nice but unless you are Elderly its not going kill you. We have an 07 Mustang and alot of times we end up cruising the 85 GMC around in the heat with no A/C. You can always fix it later, thats the beauty of not having a car payment and cheap ass insurance.

As far as reliability.... My 85 sat in my uncles front yard in Apache Junction for 15 years, I picked it up on a car trailer in March of 2010. Hard to believe but we put a battery in it and poured gas down the carb and the SOB started and idled. I borrowed a grand and got all the basics like a carb overhaul, brakes and the cooling system fixed. Had some engine trouble I fixed with 5 bucks worth of pushrods and some ingenuity, Engine is still running today.

I hitched up a 25 year old truck that had been sitting for 15 years to a trailer full of everything I owned and drove it from Ruidoso Nm to Reno Nv this time last year. That trip was over 1,000 miles through extreme heat and it made it.

I have been driving the truck daily for a while, I take it on trips all the time. In fact I am getting ready to drive it from Reno to Springerville Az some time this week and am totally confident.

[WarBeard]

Springerville Is lovely this time of year and we are having one heck of a rain storm right now Mid 60's temps

[irishman999]

Originally Posted by motomech

Springerville Is lovely this time of year and we are having one heck of a rain storm right now Mid 60's temps

I know man I am getting excited! Reno does not have a monsoon season, I cant wait to get back to the White mountains for some cool weather.

[SBTork]

2 years ago I sold my '06 Silverado and bought my '85 Suburban. Best decision i've made in a while. I paid on the '06 for 3 years and had 3 years left but was dead sick and tired of having a payment, so I sold it and broke even. No loss, was a 0% loan. I am much happier with the old "junk" and no payment

[meter swinger]

I was in the same boat recently. I was considering a diesel to haul my travel trailer. I found an 88 crew cab dually on CL for 3800 and it had 30k on clock. I did the math on the cost of the diesel VS. The 88 no comparison. I couldnt drive the diesel enough to make the numbers work. Even 9 mpg on the gas hog dually compared to 17 mpg with the diesel i was way ahead money wise. Even with the cost of new tires still ahead. 600 a month x 12 mths a year is 7200 x 6 yrs is 43,200? Thats a lot of cash. I recently parked that gas hog next to a friends 50k diesel. He asked me "what the hell ate you doing in that gas hog?" i just laughed and shook my head. Some people will never get it.
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[sumran]

If you do most of the work yoursellf and have moderate build specs you could could do a full build with a custom interior for that 25k. That would include all new driveline and accessorys. However, you could very easily spend 25k on the engine and paint. You can drop a lot more money if you plan to lower it. The key is to have a plan you can live with and the willingness and ability to turn wrenches.

I will be in around 15K on mine when I am done, and that is assuming that I use a new vintage air system. There won't be anything like it on a dealer lot. It will have the reliability of a new truck and the simplicity of an old one. New trucks will have better gas mileage and the complexity that goes with it. I understand them and can work on them, but I like the old ones better. There isn't a right answer, it is just a question of what you want.

[78 Chevyrado]

I built mine because i like it better than the new trucks. new trucks have the newest technology, gadgets and warranties. if thats really important to you, go new.

I drive my 78 C20 everywhere. I goto bama fairly regulary its about 170 miles one way on the freeway, going 75MPH. I've also made the trip to south Florida and to houston texas in it from north GA.

I know more about my truck than i do my focus, because I never have done anything serious working on my focus. Also when something does go wrong, i almost always know what it is before i even get stopped. so in that way i trust the truck better. plus parts for my truck are cheaper and seem to be IN STOCK at stores way more than the focus stuff. I mean, a small block chevy, it doesnt get any more common than that.

I drive my truck everywhere I go, unless ill be leaving it somewhere shady for more than an hour or two. then i take the focus, its the expendable car..lol

[notyo_cheez]

My daily is a Toyota RAV, wife has a Corolla. My plans for my '81 are complete teardown and reassembly as I have to pull the cab anyway, and I'd be halfway there. Planning on a Goodwrench crate, 4bbl intake/carb, new 350 tranny, all soft parts replaced, overhaul HVAC, clean/paint chassis, upholstery, etc. Time and funds are the big things, learning some of this stuff on the fly are the smaller hurdles as I've never done this solo before.

Last project I had help and got burned in the end, making a long story short. The advantage this time is I'm in the driver's seat, I have the documentation that proves it's mine, and in my own garage so no chance of losing the storage space unless personal tragedy forces my hand to unload it.

All you fellow members are a great bunch of guys lending support to those of us who need the guidance and advice. Hats off to you.

[pwtr02ss]

I would not drive my old truck everyday. I has a lsx swap and full frame off build with everything replaced. Its just not comfortable to me so I say buy a new truck but don't get a v6, spend a few $$ and get at least a 4.8, you wont regret it.

[Your41Plague12]

Mine's my DD, but it has a bad habit of breaking things all the time. If it's not one stupid thing, it's another. It comes with the territory of driving an old truck with a lot of old parts still left on it.

[gearheads78]

Originally Posted by SBTork

2 years ago I sold my '06 Silverado and bought my '85 Suburban. Best decision i've made in a while. I paid on the '06 for 3 years and had 3 years left but was dead sick and tired of having a payment, so I sold it and broke even. No loss, was a 0% loan. I am much happier with the old "junk" and no payment

Pretty much did the same thing in 05' with my new Silverado. I was buying a new truck every year or two running on the credit hamster wheel. I bought a OBS 2000 crew cab for $5000.00 cash. I drove it for 3 years and sold it for $6000.00 to buy my current truck for $7500.00 cash which was a 190K mile Cummins Dodge. I'm going on owning it for almost 3 years and have 217K miles most with a trailer behind it. I have had to replace a A/C hose, fix the starter, and put an injection pump on it for a total of about $1500.00

[veinbar]

The real question is do you have the money to restore an old truck? I'm thankful that I don't have a monthly payment, but in the first year of owning a classic truck I've spent far more than I would have in monthly payments on a new truck. Example:

• Truck = $1500
• Rebuilt Engine = $1100
• Rear Rebuild = $1090
• Tires/wheels = $500 (rallys & Radial TAs)
• 700r4 Rebuild - ????
• SMI Carburetor = $350

As you can see, I'm partaking in one of the least radical builds on this forum and it's been one big purchase after another. The good news is, the end is in sight. Paint, Transmission, new wiring harness, Vintage Air System, and Interior... I'm probably half way to my goal.