Truck buying tips, especially in Washington

[leadcounsel]

It's been 15 years since my last automobile purchase and I've never bought one specifically in Washington. I'll soon be spending around $10,000-15,000 cash, probably in a private deal. I'm in the market for a strong towing capacity 4x4 pickup from around late 1990s to early 2000s in excellent condition. Probably diesel. I've never owned a diesel. This is for a pending long distance out-of-state move, where I will be hauling a lot of personal property in a cargo trailer. Also advice in towing, capacity, towing trailers, etc. since I have no experience there.

Any and all relevant advice from shopping, buying, licensing, what to look for specifically in brands and models, or tips on if you know of one for sale are all appreciated.

Editing this to narrow the discussion. I've considered and will not be:
* Hiring movers
* Using a POD
* Renting a truck or trailer from Pensky or Uhaul.

The reasons are not particularly important, but basically I want a truck, I've wanted a truck, I have the resources to get a truck... and renting will cost somewhere around 1/3 to 1/5 the price of a truck so it makes better sense to just take the plunge now and invest in a truck vs. renting. So please no more suggestions on PODs, renting a truck, hiring people, etc. These have been considered and not suggestions I'll entertain.

Thanks!

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[DB is Here]

Early ford 7.3 power stroke come to mind, you'd be hard pressed to find a 4 x 4 Cummins for that money though.

Edit to add: When I bought mine, I found much better deals in Oregon, so I went there.

 

[Joe13]

Buy it in Texas and drive it back here - I'm pretty sure it's cheaper even with gas.

Trucks are a lot cheaper down there.

 

[trevi]

Check Arizona and to the extreme, Florida. Cheaper and no rust.

 

[USMC1911]

Your options in a diesel truck thats worth a crap in that price range is going to be tuff. In the years that would be in your price range I would not touch an automatic truck unless its a Allison. Unless you plan on a lot of towing use after the trip I would stick to a gas truck as most have the towing capability to tow most any cargo trailer your going to find.

 

[leadcounsel]

Buy it in Texas and drive it back here - I'm pretty sure it's cheaper even with gas.

Trucks are a lot cheaper down there.

So, take 5 days off work. Buy airline ticket ($400-600). Pay for parking or transportation to the airport. Rent car ($100/day) in Texas. Shop for truck and have mechanic review it (probably have trucks preselected in advance). Buy truck there. Drive for several days back to Washington, at $100 tank probably 5 tanks of diesel. Several overnight stays in hotel, probably $500.

Total would be a week of lost work plus $2000 in travel expenses....

Just how much would I save in Texas? Are they giving away free trucks, because the trip alone is 20% of my entire budget.... not including a loss of an entire work week.

 

[No_Regerts]

How quick does this need to happen? If you have time to be patient, state surplus can have some really decent deals.

 

[kamaaina1]

Dave Smiths / Idaho

$10K - $19K

 

[USMC1911]

So, take 5 days off work. Buy airline ticket ($400-600). Pay for parking or transportation to the airport. Rent car ($100/day) in Texas. Shop for truck and have mechanic review it (probably have trucks preselected in advance). Buy truck there. Drive for several days back to Washington, at $100 tank probably 5 tanks of diesel. Several overnight stays in hotel, probably $500.

Total would be a week of lost work plus $2000 in travel expenses....

Just how much would I save in Texas? Are they giving away free trucks, because the trip alone is 20% of my entire budget.... not including a loss of an entire work week.

If your worried about cost then a diesel is not for you. The years you are looking at are in general very expensive to not only fix but maintenance is also cost prohibitive unless you really need the towing capacity on a regular basis. Why not rent a uhaul?

 

[No_Regerts]

For searching government online auctions:

Government Surplus Auctions - govdeals.com

GovDeals' online marketplace provides services to government, educational, and related entities for the sale of surplus assets to the public. Auction rules may vary across sellers.

www.govdeals.com

 

[Joe13]

So, take 5 days off work. Buy airline ticket ($400-600). Pay for parking or transportation to the airport. Rent car ($100/day) in Texas. Shop for truck and have mechanic review it (probably have trucks preselected in advance). Buy truck there. Drive for several days back to Washington, at $100 tank probably 5 tanks of diesel. Several overnight stays in hotel, probably $500.

Total would be a week of lost work plus $2000 in travel expenses....

Just how much would I save in Texas? Are they giving away free trucks, because the trip alone is 20% of my entire budget.... not including a loss of an entire work week.

There are way more trucks per person in the Dallas area so the resale on them is a lot less then up here.

Takes me 2 days to drive from here to Dallas and I sleep in my car so I guess if your taking a vacation to buy one and drive back it might be cheaper to have it shipped.

Check out CL down there - your asking an awful lot from prices up here, that was just my best idea for your requirements.

Take it or leave it, I got no dog in the fight.

 

[teflon6string]

I always print a stack of these to take with me if I'm buying used...

Used Car/Truck Checklist

Year___ Model ______ Color______ Miles _______ Eng Size ____ Trans ___ AC ___ Asking Price ______

Seller ______________ Contact ( ) - Address _________________________

Brakes/Tires/Alignment/Suspension:
Tires - Uneven wear
Parking Brake
Brake Noise
Pulling
Vibration/Pulsing during braking and just cruising
Suspension Noises

Engine/Trans:
Check engine light (Does it work? Is it on?)
Battery Terminals
Smoke/Odor
Look under for leaks
Oil condition
Coolant condition
Engine Sounds
Cold Start

Exterior:
Windshield
Dents/Scratches
Doors, hood, trunk open/close properly
Headlights, markers, signals, emergency flashers, lenses
Rust

Interior/Instruments:
Dashboard lights/gauges (Check Engine Light)
Windows up/down
Door locks (inside/out)
Wipers/washer
AC, heat
Stereo
Alarm
Odors
Upholstery

Various:
Clear title - And Available?
Extra keys/remote
Sunroof function - leak
Water damage
Service Records
Visible Repairs
Spare condition/inflation
Jack

 

[SUPER X]

How quick does this need to happen? If you have time to be patient, state surplus can have some really decent deals.

I've bought state surplus , they are on a maintenance schedule and it's not out of their pocket so they usally don't install cheap junk..the color might not be cool .but that's easier to deal with than a abused mechanical nightmare.
A older diesel has less stuff on them to fail and can run on alternative fuel in a SHTF situation .

 

[Unka-Boo]

ALL diesel trucks in that year range are over priced. Thank your government for emission regs....
I went through this looking for a truck 2 years ago....there is no way a 20 y/o, 150k+ mile truck is worth north of $20k...A similarly equipped gas truck will be way cheaper.
For me, not needing to tow on a daily basis, less maintenance costs and a price tag of less than half the comparable diesel of the same year sealed it for me. You can buy a butt load of regular unleaded for $10k.

 

[leadcounsel]

ALL diesel trucks in that year range are over priced. Thank your government for emission regs....
I went through this looking for a truck 2 years ago....there is no way a 20 y/o, 150k+ mile truck is worth north of $20k...A similarly equipped gas truck will be way cheaper.
For me, not needing to tow on a daily basis, less maintenance costs and a price tag of less than half the comparable diesel of the same year sealed it for me. You can buy a butt load of regular unleaded for $10k.

I've seen a plethora of well-maintained 15-20 year old heavy duty 4x4 trucks in the $8-12k price range, and apparently a well maintained diesel will last 350,000 miles so a 200,000 mile truck if well maintained has a decade more life.

 

[Certaindeaf]

So, take 5 days off work. Buy airline ticket ($400-600). Pay for parking or transportation to the airport. Rent car ($100/day) in Texas. Shop for truck and have mechanic review it (probably have trucks preselected in advance). Buy truck there. Drive for several days back to Washington, at $100 tank probably 5 tanks of diesel. Several overnight stays in hotel, probably $500.

Total would be a week of lost work plus $2000 in travel expenses....

Just how much would I save in Texas? Are they giving away free trucks, because the trip alone is 20% of my entire budget.... not including a loss of an entire work week.

Yeabut it'll probably already have truck nuts on it so win.

 

[Unka-Boo]

I've seen a plethora of well-maintained 15-20 year old heavy duty 4x4 trucks in the $8-12k price range, and apparently a well maintained diesel will last 350,000 miles so a 200,000 mile truck if well maintained has a decade more life.

"well maintained"

I may sound a little jaded, so forgive me....

Ive been in the automotive/heavy truck industry for 25+ years....what you are looking for is a unicorn.
Take the average car owner, who might go to, lets say Jiffy Lube two or three times a year for an oil change when they remember to. Now, take the same person who thought "all my bros are buying diesel trucks and they look cool"....triple the maintenance costs, that goes down to once or twice a year because its "too expensive". Then throw in "I can tow anything becuz deezul!!"....trans fluid chages? Gear oil change?

Sure a well maintained diesel can theoretically go 300k+....the rest of the truck will fall apart around it, I don't care who the manufacturer is. There are the exceptions, but you will be hunting for a while and paying through the nose. I think you may be fooling yourself thinking you can find something decent for under 10k.
Now, as you said you havent bought something in over a decade, tells me you take care of your stuff...not everyone does, we live in a "throw away" society, cars and trucks suffer from that mentality too.

 

[jbett98]

Check out estate sales in your area. I see some nice rigs for very decent prices. You just have to be patient and move quick on them when they pop up.

 

[No_Regerts]

I bet you can get this for 20k out the door and they still make money.

Autotrader - page unavailable

www.autotrader.com

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'd just rent a big arse Penske truck for the move.