[3bears]

so sometimes I am too honest I guess....ramble on i guess...dream to much...

so I totaled my 2000 that I loved and had almost to the point I wanted....then I totaled it
bought a 2001....not thrilled with it...needs a lot of love front to back, top to bottom, but in the 4 months of owning has not let me down after I got it running right ( bought running ruff) except one time when the battery cable clamp broke ( cheap aftermarket). the price was right.
so since I have not been thrilled with this one, been watching for something better

so here is why I need to shut up...( but first let me say, 3rd gens are hard to find up here and the past few weeks have been not normal as far as these rigs...well good ones anyway...sure lots of trashed ones)

case 1
3 weeks ago a 99 limited with locker came up for sale...300 miles from me. I had been in many long talks with seller....I was prepared to fly from fairbanks to anchorage with cash...it had been for sale just under a month...priced kind of high...I ....without seeing was able to get it down another 1200 if passed inspection. Life happpens...so I contacted a indpendent shop to ask about pre sale inspections...get it on a lift and take a good look...with all the snow and stuff right now...thought I should....I then asked if I paid up front, would they go look at it , take pictures of the frame and let me know what they thought..........oh ....well....i can go look on my way to work tomorrow and let you know......you can pay b4 I send pictures or tell you what I thought....That was gonna be at 9am-ish...at noon I got a text from seller that it sold that morning...the independent shop did not answer my texts, emails or calls that day.

case 2
a few days ago a 98 limited came up for sale....dead engine...fixer upper or part it out. At a shop with a bill due. Talking ...he would prefer it not parted out , that someone buy and fix and keep and give it the love they had had for it....they were just in a bind and could not afford to repair and siad they were moving soon. I offered what they wanted.. several conversations later said I was gonna fix and keep....well how you gonna do that....well this guy has a engine that will work and it will just take me a few days.....wow I wonder if our shop can do that....today got a message...no longer for sale

guess if I find something I would like....I should just keep my mouth shut and or play stupid

you would think at my age and all the rigs I have bought and sold I would have learned this by now...

guess my next steps are to fix this 2001 I bought and just forget trying to find somehting better. the others up for sale are all pretty ruff and way over priced.....but this 2001 is kind of ruff too

[T4R2014]

I don't think this has much to do with you. TBH buying a Toyota truck always sucks ass. 1000 other people are looking for one in your area too so whatever is listed online gets bombarded with responses. There is a catch to nearly all of them for sale online. Finding one on the streets is a better bet, but you need to keep in mind that people that keep these things nice are pretty attached to them. Either spend big bucks or wait until you get lucky.

[pluton]

Originally Posted by T4R2014

I don't think this has much to do with you. TBH buying a Toyota truck always sucks ass. 1000 other people are looking for one in your area too so whatever is listed online gets bombarded with responses. There is a catch to nearly all of them for sale online. Finding one on the streets is a better bet, but you need to keep in mind that people that keep these things nice are pretty attached to them. Either spend big bucks or wait until you get lucky.

Yeah, you can't show too much interest...along with the old "always be prepared to walk away from a deal" thing...but you gotta be ready, move fast and decisively when a good one comes along.

[19963.4lsr5]

I bough my 97 SR5 as a project with a bad engine and trans for 550. It took two years of searching until one popped up in this area.


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[Ron Burgandy]

come to the rust belt, people basically give them away


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[JohnMc]

Anything worth buying goes fast. Anything overpriced - you can spend weeks pondering it.

[Kanoe]

The good stuff does indeed go fast. I've seen stuff posted and removed in hours when the price is right.

When I'm looking for something I keep ready access to the cash and if a good one comes along you gotta move on it. You've got the knowledge and experience, trust the gut.

If you don't love the one you got, why not just do basic upkeep and drive it until you find something you want? You'll always sell it on.

[JohnMc]

Yep, whenever I was seriously shopping for something, I'd try to keep cash out and at the ready. If you spotted a great buy, you had to be on it in 15 minutes, with cash in hand, slap it down and drive it off. Any longer and other people would come around and it would get into an awkward sort of dibs/auction situation.

[gamefreakgc]

Originally Posted by JohnMc

Yep, whenever I was seriously shopping for something, I'd try to keep cash out and at the ready. If you spotted a great buy, you had to be on it in 15 minutes, with cash in hand, slap it down and drive it off. Any longer and other people would come around and it would get into an awkward sort of dibs/auction situation.

Yeah that was my experience 7 years ago when I bought my 98. I would think about it too long (as in 1-2 hours) and then contact the seller and it would already have a sale pending. Learned from that mistake and just started offering full price ASAP on ones I wanted, regardless of mileage or general condition.

[19963.4lsr5]

Originally Posted by gamefreakgc

Yeah that was my experience 7 years ago when I bought my 98. I would think about it too long (as in 1-2 hours) and then contact the seller and it would already have a sale pending. Learned from that mistake and just started offering full price ASAP on ones I wanted, regardless of mileage or general condition.

In the late 80’s I seen a ‘86 CR500 for sale for 900 dollars, my Buddy and I went first thing Saturday morning to look at it. I bought it right away and the seller had three more people scheduled to look at it that day. Never rode anything less than a CR 500 since.


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[Mudeprived]

I no longer look for ads for vehicles I am looking to purchase these days. Prices are insane and most do not reply anyways. Instead, I stop and ask people I run into who are driving the rig I want to see if they are willing to sell it and I offer my name and number (and cash) in case they do. Right now I am looking for a XJ to daily drive while I convert the 4runner to an off road recovery rig. We will see if I can find any locals willing to sell.

[19963.4lsr5]

In my area when I was into grand Cherokees they were over 1000 above book value. It was insane.


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[JohnMc]

Originally Posted by gamefreakgc

Yeah that was my experience 7 years ago when I bought my 98. I would think about it too long (as in 1-2 hours) and then contact the seller and it would already have a sale pending. Learned from that mistake and just started offering full price ASAP on ones I wanted, regardless of mileage or general condition.

And it might not quite be kosher, but offer full price over the phone, then go look at it, and if it's got issues, *then* either walk away or offer lower. Trying to negotiate over the phone without seeing it in person is usually going to turn out poorly. They're just going to start dealing with someone else who doesn't try to 'lowball' (may or may not be legitimate) them over the phone right off the bat.

[brillo_76]

Mine were all fixer uppers.. Mostly all but one had frame rot issues. Like others say in the rust belt the 3rd gens are either rotted out or major issues if they are even around anymore.. I know of only a couple in my immediate area besides my fleet that are left. The environment or neglect got them around here in Western PA..

Or they are sitting in garages with no mileage on them and when sold go for the insane crazy pricing... That's the 2 options.. :-(