I hate car shopping

[CasterTroy]

Well....no I take that back, I don't HATE car shopping.....I actually love the thrill of the hunt. Finding that PERFECT vehicle at that great price. What I DON'T like is dealing with either:

1. Ignorant people that know nothing about the vehicle they're trying to offload onto someone

2. People that think YOU'RE ignorant and lie thru their teeth.





OK, so I got a bug up muh butt to MAYBE look at getting a truck. My 7yr old exploder needs wheel bearings and the rear end (ford 8.8 independent) because the friction plates are eat up. So it needs a ring and pinion eventually too, but it's not bad enough to REQUIRE it. Just means I no longer have limited slip posi. Big deal, it's an AWD...I gots the front wheels still

If I got all the work done that the stealership SAID I needed done it'd be $4,288



REALLY all it NEEDS is $900 worth of wheel bearings (getting fixed tomorrow), but I eventually I want a truck. SO I STARTED looking at maybe replacing the exploder.

$7000 is what a few dealers were willing to give me for the exploder...so I was looking at maybe $22-$28k trucks. And of COURSE found a $31k truck I couldn't live without


Thought it over and it just wasn't a good move for my family. We need the 7 passenger capacity of the exploder too bad....so I went from a $31k primary family vehicle to $5k secondary trucks and keeping the exploder. Well $5k went to $10k and of COURSE I found a few $14k trucks I couldn't live without

I'm stupid like that

Anyway...in my adventure I came across a truck that a local custom bike builder owned. He's been on Discovery channel when they use to have those biker buildoff shows.

Now I admire the heck outta this guy...he does daily what I'd do if I won the lottery and just had money to blow doing something fun. Which would be fabrication of custom bikes and rock crawlers (he doesn't do crawlers...but still)


Anyway...I go to look the truck he has listed in craigslist (since it's like 3 blocks from my office) for $12,500

Looks great...has a dent in the fender, and some molding is coming off, but the interior is awesome. It's a 6 speed 7.3 (not that utter bomb the 6.0) but it's also as long as a football field...however it's not bad...but hi miles.

I ask to drive it....he says "sure" take it wherever you need to go, we won't need it till 2 (it was 11am)

So I decide to drive to home to show my wife (who will ultimately give me permission to either buy or reject whatever it is )

Keep in mind what the ad says "no disappointments" and up until I got onto the hiway headed home (series of tight downtown roads) there weren't any. But when I made the sharp turn onto the on-ramp...I heard the right front wheel bearing screaming bloody murder.

So right off it needs a $300 wheel bearing

Then I tested the AC...no worky

Then I looked up to see what was behind me...no rear view mirror

Then I went to click the cruise....no worky

Then I went to just stroll down the hiway for 8 miles and found that I had to pretty much keep the wheel turned to 9:00 to go straight.

Got home and noticed that the tires were nearly BALD.....

MAN I was so disappointed. Wife liked the interior and sheer size of the inside of the truck though, but she too was put off by the miles and all that was wrong with it. I figured if it was listed at 12,500 I could make it work and get everything fixed I needed too for 8,500

Took it back and told him what all was wrong and he seemed shocked....turns out he JUST had bought it at auction the week before and was trying to flip it.

Anyway.....I couldn't possibly give him what he wanted and get all the work done in it that it needed. (The ad is below) And the lowest he'd go was 10,500. So no go.

Well this was the 5th truck I had looked at in 2 weeks. The first one, was OK, but just didn't float my boat. Kinda banged up....even for a "cheap truck" Then I go to drive it and the owner tell me "Oh everything works great"....and as I go to test the AC, the friggin button is missing?!?! Then I test the cruise and it doesn't work.

I get back and inform the owner....OH YEAH I need to get a button for the AC, and I forgot the cruise doesn't work.

Truck two was very similar. Owner was from PA and brought it down with him...so on the phone before I ever got there I asked if there was any rust "No man this truck looks GREAT....no rust" (apparently to a northerner it DID look great...but that's relative)

I drive out there, and immediately spot a rusty frame and several steering components that might actually break off under a hard bump Open the door and since it's a super cab it has suicide doors. The latch down on the door sill has bolts that are completely rusted into the bracket solid with blistering paint all around it. Even the aluminum wheels had corrosion issues. And the lug nuts were almost rusted to the studs. NOOOOO... no rust

I drive THIS one....and cruise on it doesn't work, and the 4wd won't engage.....after asking him directly as well "does everything work?, are there any known issues?"

"Everything works great, no problems at all"

RIIGGHHHT

Trucks 3 and 4 were along the same lines.

I DID however see one the other night I liked.....and have made an offer...but we'll see. If this one doesn't work, I'll stick to the 'sploder and rock it a few more years.