Am I paying too much?

[Rwinger]

(Sorry if this is the wrong forum- I'm new to the EB world...)

Wanting to purchase an EB as a surprise for my husband. Found one in my area, but I don't know enough about the trucks to know if I am getting ripped off.

Its a 1971, 302 engine with 3 speed on the floor. Owner claims 4 x 4 works great, recently had spray in bedliner throughout interior, floor pans replaced, two gas tanks, everything works, all lights, heater, windshield wipers and fluid work great, and could be a daily driver. Roll bar with after market bumper (but still has original). Only has bikini and soft top, no hard top. Non-surface rust repaired, but obviously, it still has some rusted spots under hood and at tailgate. Owner had it for 3 years, drove on weekends with no breakdowns. Selling for $11,000.

Any help? Thanks in advance.

 

[Skiddy]

that seems kind of high to me, where are you located and maybe someone can go check it out for you. oh and welcome to the site and you must be a great wife to do that for him

 

[broncotime]

(Sorry if this is the wrong forum- I'm new to the EB world...)

Wanting to purchase an EB as a surprise for my husband. Found one in my area, but I don't know enough about the trucks to know if I am getting ripped off.

Its a 1971, 302 engine with 3 speed on the floor. Owner claims 4 x 4 works great, recently had spray in bedliner throughout interior, floor pans replaced, two gas tanks, everything works, all lights, heater, windshield wipers and fluid work great, and could be a daily driver. Roll bar with after market bumper (but still has original). Only has bikini and soft top, no hard top. Non-surface rust repaired, but obviously, it still has some rusted spots under hood and at tailgate. Owner had it for 3 years, drove on weekends with no breakdowns. Selling for $11,000.

Any help? Thanks in advance.

That sounds too high. When the seller says "rust under the hood" it could mean anything from small surface rust to softball size holes in the inner fenders (which is a common area for these trucks to rust). You should able to find a totally rust free bronco in excellent running condition for $11k. I know surprising him with an EB is a great thought but if he is into these trucks, half the fun is in the hunt. There used to be a good technical article on here (look over some of the links on the main page page) that had good general advice on buying an EB.

There are a lot of Bronco clubs around the US, so depending on where you are that may be a resource available to you also. Update your profile, or post up what area in the US you are in and folks on here will jump in to assist.

 

[Bundy]

WAY too much!

 

[Rwinger]

I have looked under the hood- there was mostly surface rust. There were 2 "holes" but not near the fender. I guess my gut was telling me it was too expensive, that's why I checked. Thanks for the replies!

 

[Rwinger]

Oh- another question... what is the appropriate price range for an EB of that description?

 

[broncotime]

Some good overall info here also:

http://www.broncofix.com/glove/buying.htm

From what you are describing it could be anything from a $5k truck to a $8k truck. Need to know more like early 71s had Dana 30 front end (less desirable) and later ones had the Dana 44 (better). Disk brakes? Power brakes? etc. Spend some time and cruise ebay, and cragslist to see what is out there. You can also get a feel for values from the "for sale" section on this site.

 

[Bundy]

$6-$7K IMO. for $10K you should get a solidly built 302, built axles, a hard top, and no rust.

Where are you located/looking?

 

[lonesouth]

I would also be leery of the bedliner unless he had pictures showing the prep work. That's an easy way to hide underlying issues. I would pay 4-7k for an EB like that.

 

[Heus33]

Yeah sounds like way too much to me too. $10,000 seems to be the magical number for essentially a VERY VERY nice rig.

For $11,000, if you're looking for a daily driver type (i.e. not a hard core rock crawler) a good deal would include:

No rust, at all. period.
Recent restoration (within 3-5 years)
New or rebuilt drivetrain (engine and transmission, possibly fuel injection)
New(er) paint
All electricals working (possibly new wiring harness)
Nearly perfect interior
New(er) wheels/tires, exhaust, etc.

And most importantly, all the documentation for the build, pictures, reciepts, maintenance log, etc.

Keep looking. You came to the right place. Next time post some pictures of the truck you're looking at and we can help you make the right decision.

 

[Heus33]

Oh- another question... what is the appropriate price range for an EB of that description?

Depends on where you live. But sounds like a $6,000 Bronco to me, give or take a few thousand based on not having all the info.

 

[Skiddy]

Yeah sounds like way too much to me too. $10,000 seems to be the magical number for essentially a VERY VERY nice rig.

For $11,000, if you're looking for a daily driver type (i.e. not a hard core rock crawler) a good deal would include:

No rust, at all. period.
Recent restoration (within 3-5 years)
New or rebuilt drivetrain (engine and transmission, possibly fuel injection)
New(er) paint
All electricals working (possibly new wiring harness)
Nearly perfect interior
New(er) wheels/tires, exhaust, etc.

And most importantly, all the documentation for the build, pictures, reciepts, maintenance log, etc.

Keep looking. You came to the right place. Next time post some pictures of the truck you're looking at and we can help you make the right decision.

don't forget you would want disc brakes too

 

[Rwinger]

Looking in Texas.

I have pics, I just can't figure out how to post them.

good point about the bedliner- I don't know what's under there. But he says he has clear title and all maintenence logs/receipts from both him and the owner before him.

 

[Heus33]

email them to me, ill post them for you. tommy25@gmail.com

 

[Rwinger]

No power brakes or steering. He didn't know about the Dana 44 when I asked him. That's partly what made me cautious- he didn't seem to know as much about the truck as most EB owners seem to.

 

[Rwinger]

email them to me, ill post them for you. tommy25@gmail.com

I just sent them over. Thanks!

 

[BuffDragon]

Looking in Texas.

I have pics, I just can't figure out how to post them.

good point about the bedliner- I don't know what's under there. But he says he has clear title and all maintenence logs/receipts from both him and the owner before him.

here's a few from Austin's craigslist:

http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1400363899.html
http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1393393865.html
http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1381702359.html

title in hand? so what. that should be a given.
to me, maintenance is great, but that could be faked.

I'd spend some time and look around on this site and various craigslists from TX as well as ebay. think you can have a car delivered for like $500? I think?

 

[Rwinger]

here's a few from Austin's craigslist:

http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1400363899.html
http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1393393865.html
http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1381702359.html

title in hand? so what. that should be a given.
to me, maintenance is great, but that could be faked.

I'd spend some time and look around on this site and various craigslists from TX as well as ebay. think you can have a car delivered for like $500? I think?

Craigslist is where I found this one. So far, I haven't had much luck finding one in Texas on any sites. I'll check out the one above. Thanks!

 

[Heus33]

Here are the pics. It looks nice, pics are too small to see any real detail though. I'd have to see it in person but probably worth $8,000. If he didn't know much about the drivetrain and he's owned it for three years odds are there hasnt been much maintenance done on the truck. That would concern me.

 

[Rwinger]

Here are the pics. It looks nice, pics are too small to see any real detail though. I'd have to see it in person but probably worth $8,000. If he didn't know much about the drivetrain and he's owned it for three years odds are there hasnt been much maintenance done on the truck. That would concern me.

$8,000 - $8,500 was my offer to him. He wants $12,000 but would come down to $10,500 - $11,000. Thanks for the help- I know to pass on it now!