1972 Sidestep - Help figure how much I should pay & what to look for

[MJWT]

Hi! I'm brand new here. I had been wanting to get a vintage vehicle and since I sell on Ebay, figured I'd better get something the cargo capacity. This AM I went a different route and stumbled upon a 1972 Longbed Sidestep. Has a 307 with 107,000 original miles. The lady told me it drove very well. Her husband was not in so I couldn't get more details then.

I looked the truck over and did find some rust spots. One in the firewall in front of the drive side. Not a hole yet but on its way. The driver's rain gutter had a hole with hanging metal but the hole has been plugged. Matter of fact the whole gutter had sealant in it. The front windshield has a rust hole above the gasket as does the rear window. I didn't see any rust spots on the corners between the doors & wheel wells but I didn't have a magnet on me either. The back corner on the passenger side before the bed was uneven and while it was 'solid' to the touch, the unevenness of it struck me as possible bondo. I looked inside one of the front wheel wells and it seemed to be in good shape. Forgot the check the other one. Didn't lift the battery and the battery was clean. The engine was painted orange and was dirty but not oily. No, no plaid covers.

Looking inside the cab through the windows (it was locked) I saw that the interior was aqua. The exterior was white. A bad paint job. One spot that I thought was bad bubbling rust, between the door bottom corner & wheel well, was actually the paint bubbling up and peeling off. Looked like when you have a bad sunburn and you start to peel. Other spots where the paint was missing either showed bare metal or aqua. When I lifted the hood the whole interior was aqua. Get the feeling this whole thing used to be aqua

The bed had a rubber mat and when I lifted it up there was a length of wood covering the bed. I've heard of wooden beds before but wasn't sure if this was original or if it was even properly attached or whatever. I didn't get to lift it as it was just me there this morning and my arms aren't that long.

I think the lady said it was an auto tranny but not sure.

The bottoms of the doors did not appear to have rust bubbles but didn't run my hand over it. Will do that this afternoon.

My husband and I are going to look at it again this afternoon and take it for a test drive. Oh yeah, he's asking $3,000 for it.

What should I look for & where? Assuming that what I've listed here is pretty much all that is wrong with it and that it does run and drive fine, is the price right? If I did nothing more than repaint it back to the original aqua, approximately how much would I be looking at in its value. I know, I know loaded questions here. All I'm looking for are tips and a BALLPARK estimate. Even if it's past the outfield, past the fence. I would like to purchase this put a little work into it, the right work, and maybe turn it over for a small profit or keep it for my own play toy.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions are most appreciated.

Jo