1985 C10 Value?

[Scott2.0]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

Yeah scott gm didn't make a short bed 3/4 or 1 ton tell the 90s and they was extended cab or crew cab trucks.I would keep looking and find a nice factory truck with light upgrades of any.Don't shy away from something that needs some work or paint or interior work.If you get it cheap enough you can have the problems fixed if you can't do it yourself.The great thing about these trucks they are simple made and not hard to work on.

That's solid advice too. I won't shy away from something that needs a bit of cosmetic help if the rest of the package is good. Being in AZ, working or easily fixable A/C is a must which limits the options a bit.

[tucsonjwt]

Be advised that fixing A/C can be very costly. Rebuilt compressors are cheap, but seldom work out very well. Some posting here have installed Vintage Air systems which are now fully electronic - the vacuum systems on these old trucks can be fussy to get operating correctly. So, a non-a/c truck which is $1500 less than a comparable truck makes a Vintage Air conversion cost effective.

I installed a pusher fan on my 83 which helped the A/C some, but it probably needs a new cross flow style condensor. Since I drive it very little, I will live with sub optimal A/C. Mine is a 134A conversion from R12. It has the old style compressor. Without some extra upgrades, R134A has much less cooling capacity than the original R12. If you run across a factory R12 truck that works, I would keep it stock and just find a mechanic that still has R12 freon - several in Tucson have it. It will work much better than a 134A conversion.

[Scott2.0]

Working factory A/C is high on the wishlist.

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

While it looks nice I would say it is closer to a $5000 truck here in the Phoenix area. There are quite a few of these trucks still around here in pretty clean condition. If you really want one of these trucks just take your time until the truck that feels right shows up. Rushing will just lead to regret.

I agree with this ^^^
Just start searching craigslissssss as often as you can in the cars for sale by owner. Use C10 as your search criteria. As soon as you get back to where you have already been get out. they pop up very often.
I think the best deal is had when a nice one pops up needing a motor or a transmission. Really nice clean truck just don't want/have the money to replace a big ticket item. Buy em right, and drop in a new lump and away to the depot you go.