94’ Fully locked, 157k, (NOT salvaged!) What’s it worth? (1 Viewer)

[teezlr]

Worse case scenario what would you pay?

NOT salvage title, I initially thought that it was since the door had a "replacement identification VIN" but after running an autocheck.com it seems to be clean... still don't trust the history report because it said that there were no accidents but I can see orange peel in the rear 1/4

1. Why would water be dripping off the center diff when running and when off after a short drive?
2. Water and oil on passenger floor board?

Exterior 5/10 - mostly factory paint, nothing terrible wrong, rust etc

Interior 3/10 - Had water and oil on passenger floorboard, AC didn’t work

Mechanical 6-7/10 - what looks like water dripping(yes dripping) from transfer case?

This truck seems like a toss up, rough in general but low miles and it DOES have the front and rear locker, which I tested and both lights come on flashing on the dash... he’s asking $4,000 but would negotiate

Should I make an offer at 2k, 3k etc or is it that rare with the lockers to be worth grabbing even if it is pretty rough

Can I fix it up and flip it, what’s a really good condition 94’ locked worth with 160k non salvaged vs salvaged etc

didn’t see a center diff button but I’m new to the 80...
Help!

 

[slow95z]

i would buy it only to be a parts truck for another 80. never would i use a salvage title as my main rig.

 

[1911garand]

A pic or two would be good. $4K seems high for that much baggage.

 

[ppc]

Flashing lights for the lockers only indicates the locker ECU is present. I would actually check if the axle actually has the lockers. With a salvage title you never know what was slapped together to make it drive. I recall last year someone came across a vehicle that was missing the birfields and axles.

A stock 94 will not have a dash switch, locking the center only by switching to low range.

I wouldn't pay much, a salvage title is going to be hard to sell and not worth putting much money into it.

 

[Howard705]

check it . USED to be were totaled of damage Exceeded 80% book value. NOT tooo much damage on a 5k vehicle to have to repair with all parts etc to .

 

[Cruzerman]

Sounds like it really wasn't taken care of. It would take loads of rather expensive baselining to get this into a trustworthy condition. IMHO, it is a project / parts rig.

 

[D21FJ60]

Check with insurance about insuring a salvaged vehicle. I've heard they sometimes won't.

 

[1994pd]

It depends on what your plans for a vehicle are. Do you plan on putting 15-20k in Resto and mods in it and hoping to get your money back? Or are you looking for a solid wheeler you can build relatively cheap? I have a locked 94 that I picked up for 2k and built into a nice wheeler for about 6500 in baseline and mods. If it runs, you can read a book, and turn a wrench I wouldn’t let the salvaged title scare me away from a good start on a trail rig. If you are looking at this being your only vehicle as a daily driver I would look elsewhere. If you are looking for a toy offer 2500 and see if you can buy it.

 

[BlueCruiser84]

Definitely don’t buy it to flip. Salvage trucks take a long time to sell. I just bought a salvaged Tacoma and the process was irritating and took two months to get a title. Got it cheap because it was salvaged and I don’t intend to sell it.

I certainly wouldn’t be afraid of it as a backup vehicle/junk hauler/beater/toy but I’d start negotiations at $2k and know that you are going to spend a couple grand getting it trustworthy.

 

[jpoole]

I was the guy that @ppc mentioned who bought a "locked" 80 that was missing birfs and shafts up front. The VC in mine was seized (three different sized tires) and I guess a shop gutted the front axle to stop the binding? Luckily I only paid $2k for it, it's rust free and now runs/works properly, etc. after $10k in parts, primarily to baseline the mechs, and over 300 hours of wrenching/etc. by yours truly. No way I'd put that effort into a salvage title and most old 80s need a big investment to really be tip-top.

With the truck you are looking at I'd consider it around a similar price point of $2k, maybe a little higher if it runs great and has a lot of good parts (rust free axles, good interior bits, etc.) and then use it as a donor for another 80 with a blown engine or that's nice but unlocked, etc. You could end up with a lot of great parts to store long-term like a full engine/trans/etc. I'd probably only pay that if I could test and confirm that the lockers work and are intact and not rusty and that the engine is solid without knocks or HG leak, etc.. You can just buy lockers and have less hassle for similar price point so getting the whole truck only makes sense if you get more of value to you than the axles in my opinion.

Similarly, if you are looking for a trail rig and the thing runs solid and the lockers work then it could be worth $2-$3k. You could then hack the fenders, put on some huge rubber and go have a blast.

 

[teezlr]

Edited... not salvaged says autocheck.com ... no accidents, but I can clearly see orange peel on the rear 1/4, still has water on passenger carpet and some oil, water dripping off center diff... idk what thats about... runs and drives, no A/C, no power to the power seat...

 

[HandForged]

as with anything, he wants to make as much as possible and you want to pay as little as possible. It's just capitalism at it's best. With a clean title and the work that needs to be done it's worth 4k to the right buyer. Offer 3k and go from there. Side Note: If it does have the e lockers front and rear, the axles alone are worth 1500.00 and I have seen them sell for more.

 

[teezlr]

as with anything, he wants to make as much as possible and you want to pay as little as possible. It's just capitalism at it's best. With a clean title and the work that needs to be done it's worth 4k to the right buyer. Offer 3k and go from there. Side Note: If it does have the e lockers front and rear, the axles alone are worth 1500.00 and I have seen them sell for more.

I flipped the switch and they came on the dash, but they were blinking.. I rolled forwards and backwards no weird noises, then engaged low range, no weird noses there either... didn't see a center locking differential though...

 

[HandForged]

I flipped the switch and they came on the dash, but they were blinking.. I rolled forwards and backwards no weird noises, then engaged low range, no weird noses there either... didn't see a center locking differential though...

I think someone mentioned and I will again. The lights flashing only mean the ECU is working. You can have someone engage them and stick your year close to the diff. You can hear the motor engage to make sure. It's something I would do for sure. Then take it someone where and test it out. The owner should understand you wanting to know they are working.

 

[teezlr]

I think someone mentioned and I will again. The lights flashing only mean the ECU is working. You can have someone engage them and stick your year close to the diff. You can hear the motor engage to make sure. It's something I would do for sure. Then take it someone where and test it out. The owner should understand you wanting to know they are working.

Thanks!

 

[ppc]

If the center diff indicator is not lit then the front and rear lockers will do nothing but flashes on the dash. Without the CDL dash switch the only way to lock the center is shifting into low. There are two sensor switches that also must be working. The 4-low switch on the rear extension of the transfer case must be working to sense that low range has been selected. The CDL indicator switch on the front of the transfer case lights the CDL Indicator dash light and also signals the ABS computer to disable ABS and turn that dash light on simultaneously.

That said to test the front and rear lockers the connector on the CDL indicator switch can be disconnected, the two pins/wires jumped together. The CDL dash light should then be illuminated allowing the front and rear lockers to be tested.

 

[LandLocked93]

All I hear is you are looking at a running and driving, *could* be 3xl, 80 for *possibly* less than the cost of adding just the lockers to any other vehicle not so equipped. The existing issues are formidable time consumers to resolve. But if it actually has the locking mechanisms, even if they aren't working, @ 2k is a good deal imo.

 

[jpoole]

If it's running, not salvage titled, straight and possibly most importantly free of relevant rust then it's worth more than the 2-3k offer prices you mentioned on the open market. Only you can decide what it's worth to you of course and that will vary for any potential buyer. Pictures and more information about known problems could yield some useful estimates from this forum but with the information we have there's no way to really estimate what it's worth. Salvage titles put a low cap on possible values but remove that from the mix and you have to look at a number of other possible factors to set a value. I'd focus on bigger cost items like rust, the need for a full paint job, major engine problems, body/structural damage and similar first as they will swing the value/price the most. The smaller items can certainly add up but in my opinion AC or electric seats are likely not going to be that hard/expensive to fix so are much smaller factors.

If it's not rusty I'd offer $2k and pay much more than that if the truck is what I'm assuming it is. As long as it's presentable cosmetically, running and doesn't have relevant body/chassis damage or rust you will be able to spend less than the resale value from that purchase price sorting the truck out and always be in the black on it in terms of being able to sell for more than you put into it if you keep it stock. Lot's of unknowns and ifs though and no real sense of what you want the truck for...

Share some pictures or just go offer $2k and then start a build thread already

 

[mudgudgeon]

I flipped the switch and they came on the dash, but they were blinking.. I rolled forwards and backwards no weird noises, then engaged low range, no weird noses there either... didn't see a center locking differential though...

Take it to a carpark or open space somewhere. Turn the dial, and drive in a slow circle. You will usually here the locker engage, and when it does the blinking light will change to a solid red light.
If they don't lock by driving gently in a circle, there's issues.
You will also feel through the way the vehicle behaves that they have locked.
The steering will become heavy, and it will want to drive in a straight line. If you're on pavement you'll here the tires scrubbing/skidding on the surface.

To disengage, turn the dial off, drive straight gently get on and off the throttle a little bit too unload the driveline.
They won't unlock while there's a load on the driveline. Sometimes you may need to back up a little too
Again, you'll often here them click as they disengage.