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New to diesels

mtrdrms

mtrdrms

1/2 ton status
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
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Location
Torrington, CT
Hey guys. I have been on this site a while and I have always been into chevy trucks but I have a good lead on an m1008. I need a good work truck and this guys is selling three running, driving, rust-free models for around 2k each. I thought this was nice because I get to choose which one I want. The only problem is I have no idea what I am looking for.

If these were gas k30's I wouldnt even hesitate to pick up all three becuase I know they fetch good money being rust free, so why are the diesels quite a bit cheaper? And what should I look for as far as problem areas or red flags on the military pickups?

Thanks alot guys and sorry for the noob questions.

Andy
 
Prices fell a lot recently when gas prices got high. Even with the recent plunge in gas prices their prices haven't recovered to the silly levels rust free(ish) trucks used to bring.

Also some folks equate any diesel with an old dump truck, motor home, bus, or 70's Oldsmobile...so they get a bad rap. Power is about the same as a similar vintage SBC but with gas mileage of a V6.

Read here and over on www.SteelSoldiers.com to learn more about these trucks and the CUCV's. If they're in solid condition then 2k is a great price for one. I paid much more than that for mine...hell, I'm still paying for it.
 
To me $2K is on the high end for that old of a truck at this point. They are going for closer to $1000-1500 on gov-liquidation auctions right now, but you don't have the luxury of test driving them either. I'd say you should have some room to negociate before making a purchase.
 
Remember he's square on the east end of the rust belt. They don't stick around as long as they do out west.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Remember he's square on the east end of the rust belt. They don't stick around as long as they do out west.
Click to expand...

But, look at the trucks 84CUCV was selling... he was struggling to sell a running/driving M1008 for $1500. It wasn't perfect, but would be considered "rust free" for that area. Out here it would have been considered a rust bucket though ;)
 
The prices for trucks in general have fallen ever since gas prices started going up a while back. I doubt the truck prices will recover very quickly, as now people have seen how much it sucks to have to deal with high gas prices.

That said, military truck pricing is a funny thing. Lots of guys out there think they're so special they should ask super high prices. Then the things don't move for a while, and either they lower the price to a reasonable level, or they sit on the truck forever until somebody comes along who is uninformed and/or wants a military truck and for whatever reason gives the higher price. I particularly like the ones that just revolve on eBay time after time after time.

$2000 seems a pretty reasonable price. Nothing really to look out for besides the obvious "old vehicle" stuff- plenty of wear items will have worn out, if not from use and mileage, from disuse and age.
 
I'm not real familiar with the system, but someone more experienced than I might want to explain the 24v/12v system to him in case he's not aware . . .
 
Actually if he just did a perusal of recent threads he'd get a fairly good education on it. There's been numerous discussions of the highs, lows, and ins and outs of the CUCV 24v system lately on here.
 
The short version is that the batteries are connected in series to give 24v to the starter. The alternators use isolated grounds so that they, too, can run in series to produce 24v. The rest of the truck is 12v, heck, even the batteries and alternators are 12v pieces, just set up a special way, and the starter is all that's really important in the 24v realm.

But yeah, there's plenty of discussion recently of the pluses and minuses. Just thinking of rehashing all that stuff makes me tired.
 
If I were to get a truck from a military auction, should I be concerned with it mechanically? Are these engines generally good for more than 50k miles? I can fix most mechanical things but I dont want to have to throw an engine or tranny at it.

Thanks
 
mtrdrms said:
If I were to get a truck from a military auction, should I be concerned with it mechanically? Are these engines generally good for more than 50k miles? I can fix most mechanical things but I dont want to have to throw an engine or tranny at it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The army is only auctioning them off after they feel they are no longer serviceable... could have nothing wrong but a dead battery, or it could have major mechanical problems like a bad transmission or motor. You need to try to inspect it in person before the auction if possible. Never rely on anything in the description about the condition, and never trust the small, crappy pics they put up on the auction site.

The govliquidation.com is just a contractor out to make some money off of every deal and should be considered a used car salesman who often will leave out information (intentionally or unintentionally we may never truely know). Most of the time they probably just don't know anything about the item they are selling.

Also remember to add sales tax and a 10% buyers premium onto the final auction price.
 
Boy it is alot of hassle and with this EUC deal, you have to wait 90 days to pick it up, but 1500 bucks for a k30? I have to do it.
 
No way in heck I'd buy from GL unless I could preview the truck, including driving it, prior to purchase, like any other used car purchase. Unfortunately, mere mortals can't do that (although my buddy with a military ID who works for a defense contractor can test drive them if he tells a convincing story and flashes the ID to the GL people), so we're stuck with crappy descriptions and crappier photos. Case in point- there was an M1028 that my buddy and I were thinking about buying- just to part out, because we didn't feel like putzing around for a title and whatnot- looked pretty darn good, 23,000 miles or so, straight body, description said it started and ran. Well, we went to check it out, it had extensive salt rust, two different leaks, and non-functional brakes- it was a plow truck for 20 years. The auction for that truck went over $2000.

So here's the question- would you be willing to plunk down $1500-$2000 or even higher on a couple crappy photos and a vauge description if it was on eBay? Doubtful. GL should be held in no higher regard.

With a second-hand truck, you may pay more, but you know what you're getting, and you don't have to wait forever and a day for a title.
 
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