What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Help a noob out with his first k5 purchase

dieselndixie

dieselndixie

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Posts
590
Reaction score
0
Location
austin, tx
Brief background:
Ride motocross, enduro, street, love to camp - so i love to play in the dirt
restored some old motorcycles, and do all my own work and mods on my street and dirbikes, so handy with a wrench.

HOWEVER, my 4x4 and truck experience is lacking. I love to learn to work on stuff, but will be starting from scratch here. I have owned a jeep liberty, honda civic, and now a honda ridgeline in the past 9 years...so not much v8 and or 4x4 stuff lately. Did own a CJ7 for a year, but just a garage queen.

ANYWAY, here is the deal. I have the chance to trade my 2005 KTM 400EXC with TONS of mods (could sell for 3300-3600) for a 1988 K5 4x4 with the 4-speed manual. 77k orig miles. NO mods, completely stock. paint is rough and some surface rust, nothing major. tires are shot. interior is complete, but not great...just good. 350 tbi v8. PO claims its a DD and ready to go. is this a good straight up trade?

seems like I can buy a 4x4 k5 for around $2500 that runs, and is already lifted, modded...but been offroaded a good bit already.

thoughts? should i trade? should I sell my bike outright and have cash leftover? should I ask for $500 plus the truck?

thanks guys....also....if you have links to things that will really explain the basics of this rig to me..I would love it. Hell, I even had to google what tbi meant!!!:doah:

here is the rig im looking at...doh...need another post first
 
here is a pic....and btw....he says he has 4 matching rally wheels and auto locking hubs in the front. i guess rally wheels are a good thing? i have much to learn!:bow:

Brief background:
Ride motocross, enduro, street, love to camp - so i love to play in the dirt
restored some old motorcycles, and do all my own work and mods on my street and dirbikes, so handy with a wrench.

HOWEVER, my 4x4 and truck experience is lacking. I love to learn to work on stuff, but will be starting from scratch here. I have owned a jeep liberty, honda civic, and now a honda ridgeline in the past 9 years...so not much v8 and or 4x4 stuff lately. Did own a CJ7 for a year, but just a garage queen.

ANYWAY, here is the deal. I have the chance to trade my 2005 KTM 400EXC with TONS of mods (could sell for 3300-3600) for a 1988 K5 4x4 with the 4-speed manual. 77k orig miles. NO mods, completely stock. paint is rough and some surface rust, nothing major. tires are shot. interior is complete, but not great...just good. 350 tbi v8. PO claims its a DD and ready to go. is this a good straight up trade?

seems like I can buy a 4x4 k5 for around $2500 that runs, and is alreayd lifted, modded...but been offroaded a good bit already.

thoughts? should i trade? should I sell my bike outright and have cash leftover? should I ask for $500 plus the truck?

thanks guys....also....if you have links to things that will really explain the basics of this rig to me..I would love it. Hell, I even had to google what tbi meant!!!:doah:

here is the rig im looking at...doh...need another post first
tobenamed217.jpg
 
I think I'd either sell the bike outright or trade and ask for around $1k back also. It sounds like a decent truck but nothing wild & crazy. I assume the body is fairly straight? Does it have a/c and it work (I see you're in Tx)? You said it needs tires, tires are one item that has gone thru the roof in the last couple of years. You're probably looking at at least $800 for a set maybe more depending on what you want/get.

With the paint, interior and tires all needing attention I'd put it's value closer to $2k.
 
nvrenuf said:
I think I'd either sell the bike outright or trade and ask for around $1k back also. It sounds like a decent truck but nothing wild & crazy. I assume the body is fairly straight? Does it have a/c and it work (I see you're in Tx)? You said it needs tires, tires are one item that has gone thru the roof in the last couple of years. You're probably looking at at least $800 for a set maybe more depending on what you want/get.

With the paint, interior and tires all needing attention I'd put it's value closer to $2k.
Click to expand...

I agree...if it needs tires, you're gonna spend $800-$1000 at minimum. If the a/c doesn't work, you could be spending $500-$700, maybe more to get it going. Gotta have the a/c in Texas.
 
so, i had the same impression....felt like I could do better...but the 77k orig miles and an unmolested canvas made me wonder.

no a/c from factory - yes its hot as hell here in summer
no radio from factory

i kinda wanted an automatic?


oh, guess it helps to say my goals:
drive it 3 hrs to the coast and camp on the beach (4x4 required) for weekend fishing trips

my local dirtbike spot is a 3600 acre ohv park - would love to be able to offroad out there http://www.hiddenfallsadventurepark.com/

pull my 5x8 trailer with dirt bikes on it out to the spot (45 mins)

not my DD, just a weekend toy, I dont care about a shiny paintjob, cuz i want to be rough on it...but I also dont want a beater. something right in the middle.

end up with 33-35" tires, super HD bumpers, and a winch. pretty gutted interior. again, I want to put the muddy dogs (rottys) in it and go camping...not worrying about scratches, carpet, etc.

...but I dont want a rusty pos that wont make a 3-4 hour drive. big bend is 5 hours away!
 
well, im going by what the seller says ( am meeting him tomor to take a look at it)

it has been in his family for a while, and he says its only 77k original miles and that it drives perfect. it was his daily driver for the past 6 mths...has a new truck now. we all know you have to take what the PO says very lightly...too many con artists out there. but, you can also read people pretty well, and this guy is an older guy, seems like a straight shooting kinda guy.

his exact words are that the truck wont win a beauty contest, but it more than makes up for its exterior in its engine and driving feel.

shoud i expect most of these k5s to have a/c?
 
for a -new to the game- guy....would you recomend the automatic or manual?

I can see advantages of both..especially with a granny gear, but I want to learn and be able to work on 99% of this thing by myself and in my garage. does that help choose a tranny?

seriously ,I need all the knowledge I can get, so point me in the right direction if you know of something I should be reading, or looking into. I read about 10 bolt this, and dana this...I know what a driveshaft is, and I get what a solid axle is...but man, some of this stuff makes me feel dumb.
 
That tranny is as close to bullet proof as you are going to find. The automatics are not. The SM465 is the big plus about that rig. It is also a hydraulic clutch (they started in 1985) which is a positive. A lot of people swap the old mechanical linkages for the hydraulic stuff.

The no AC is the only thing I wouldn't like.

The TBI is another good thing. EFI is much better than carburetors for what you want.

Find out what gears it has. See what size the stock tires were (there will be a sicker in the driverside door jamb).

Martin
 
The automatic 4x4 hubs are junk. Swapping to lock outs will be one of your first mods. You can mention that to the seller.

Martin
 
My advice , do not trade your KTM for that rig, I have seen rigs selling for $1500 that look twice as good as that one. If it really does only have 77k on it, it must have been a hard 77k for it to look like like that.
Search around and you will find something much nicer for a reasonable price, I found my 86 (bought in TX) with no rust, a swapped in big block and over 6k worth of receipts in the glove box , had it shipped to MD and only spent $2200.
Any questions you have just keep on asking, you will get more info then you could ever imagine here.

Oh and good choice on wanting to go K5, I always loved mine for hauling bikes around back in my MXing days.
 
First, that truck does not have 77k on it. It has either 177k or 277k on it. Period.

Second, you should buy a subscription to CarFax and run the VIN. You will find out a lot about these trucks the sellers are not telling you.

Third, he's had it for 6 months and is selling it? It's got problems.

Fourth, I seriously cannot understand why anyone would want a manual tranny in these trucks if you just drive it normally for the most part. Shifting big trucks like that was always a PITA in my opinion. You said it yourself, you don't want a manual, so don't buy one! There are HUNDREDS of these trucks for sale, in a week or two you will see more and more. Over the course of 2 months I saw several dozen come and go.

Finally, did you read the K5 buyers guide? Go read it now, before you spend one penny on any truck.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=276543

For reference, I paid $5k for a truck that is damn near spotless. I would not pay more than about $800 for that one you are looking at. You can do better ... a LOT better for that price.
 
Like everybody else sell your bike to reinvest in a little better condition k5. There are several clean k5's in the Austin area you need to look on craigslist and you will pay between 2500 and $5500 for a good k5 that need little work. As far as a standard in Austin traffic you will get tired of having to shift gears and in the sand it can be a bit challenging especially if it is your first time.
 
No way that things worth $2500... And I doubt the 77k miles also. DO NOT trade your bike for that!!!
 
well, you guys are awesome, and this is all good news. Looks like there is no way i will trade my bike for it...and now, im just gonna focus on selling it and trying to find one for 2k, and have 1300 left over for upgrades/fixes.

a few more questions:

should i expect to find one with a working A/C

at what mileage should i get nervous?

when a motor or tranny rebuild is done...how long does that TYPICALLY extend its life?

....again, thanks for all the info, and I am really listening!
 
mileage is irrelevant on these trucks as the vast majority of us swap the entire drivetrain out for better stuff at some point anyways. The 90 I just bought has 263K on it. Check the odometer in this pic...it's in km not miles.

136.jpg


Original engine and tranny/T-case as far as I can tell. It runs great, I keep the oil changed and don't worry too much about it.

Where mileage does come into play is interior wear, and the little things. Higher mileage trucks are more worn everywhere, door hinges, tilt steering, power window motors, wiper assembly and motor...that sort of stuff.

A rebuilt motor and tranny can and should last as long as the originals did. Buying a truck with rebuilt engine and tranny is cool, but beware most sellers are happy to lie in order to sell their junk to you. Without reciepts, I consider the drivetrain as a collection of cores in need of being rebuilt.

Rene
 
I don't understand the dislike for standard transmissions in traffic. They have never bothered me. An SM465 is so far above and beyond any of the automatics offered in the Blazers from a durability standpoint it is laughable.

As for the working AC. They are out there. The main thing to look for, even if the AC doesn't work, is that all of the components are still there, and none of the lines are disconnected.

Martin
 
yeah, i want a blazer for the size and simplicity. 4x4 for sure...its the only reason i need it. I drive a honda ridgline awd as my daily when im not on my motorcycle.

blazer, cuz it has to be able to go topless, and needs to have a v8, needs to be tough and reliable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom