'72 F250 w/ 460 engine questions

Hello,

I have very little knowledge of autos (especially trucks), so take it easy on me. :)

Right now the only family car is a '93 Mazda Navajo 4x4. Though it's served us well, we're thinking it's time to invest in a more sturdy vehicle with higher clearance and power for hauling and being the car we beat up on pretty good and a 2nd economy car w/ great mileage for toting the kids and groceries around.

I found a '72 F250 at a local lot. It has "Sport" or somesuch description on it (didn't write it down). The only obvious cosmestic problems are a little rust and the tailgate will not open. Called the owner. 134k miles (on origial engine), 4-speed manual. Says he spent $5k on it 2 years ago, the former owners promising the engine had been rebuilt. I guess it wasn't (or was done very poorly), so he replaced the engine with a rebuilt one (don't know the type), then they pulled

*that* out and put in a 460 (didn't give year or other specs on it). Says it runs good, but put on only 200 miles on it before putting it up for sale. The truck was for the seller's son, who is now leaving for a mission (we live in Utah), and he wants to just get what he possible can out of it. He says they put $10k into it. It has a new-ish radio/tape deck, is fairly clean and tidy and well maintained on the inside. He's asking $4500.

Kelly Bluebook online only goes back to 1984, and the '84 F250,

4-speed with a 460 in "fair" condition is rated at $1055 (or close to that). Assuming the car has no major problems, is the seller asking a fair price given what he's done? It *seems* high to me, though I can understand his desire to recoup some of costs on the truck, but I'm very unfamiliar with the used truck market. The guy sounded really anxious to sell, and *offered* to be flexible on the price (I hadn't pressed the issue yet). I was thinking of maybe offering $2500 or $3000 if it checks out okay.

I have a few other questions about this truck. It has two gas tanks, but the capacity is unknown to the owner. Any ideas what they might hold? Would both be stock tanks, or did someone add on a 2nd one during it's life?

I tried searching on the 460 engine. I could find that it's a V8/7.5L engine. Correct? And searching further, I see that I can expect gas mileage in the range of 7-to-12 MPG, with the lower range being much more common. Sound right?

I'll probably test drive it, and if I like how it runs, I'll take it to the local shop and see if it'll pass the safety inspection.

Oh, that reminds me. In Utah, some counties require that cars/trucks pass emissions tests. Any chance this car would pass, or would it be grandfathered and not require emissions?

Also, I didn't see any seatbelts, but I didn't get a chance to get inside the cab. Did these cars even come with them? If not, would it be grandfathered from the requirement to use seatbelts in places with such requirements?

I'm looking for an affordable tough truck that will hold up to moderate abuse, but which doesn't need to be pretty and is old enough to have Utah's lowest tax rate ($10/year on cars 12 years or older). This is the first car to pass through the local lot that appeals to me. I like its simple, modest look (it's either dark gray or faded black -- can't quite tell). It's got good, large wheel/tires and much higher clearance than my Navajo.

Opinions? Was this a good truck in general? I assume that something as old as that is fairly simple to repair, as compared to today's cars. Are there problems that this truck was known for?

Any and all advice would be greatly apprecieated.

Oh, I think my hotmail account is toast. I can only get replies via this newsgroup. Thanks.

Reply to
Funky Trilobyte
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Reply to
Murray Harper

Reply to
Jay Anderson

I have had a number of trucks from that vintage. I honestly wouldn't pay more than $2,400 and actually, maybe not more than $1,800 for it. The motor has a very questionable pedigree at best. Who knows about the tranny and drive line. What about those ancient alternator,power steering pump, water pump what ever things? All are possibly 30 years old. They didn't build things too well in the USA at that time so that could be a factor too although, if it lasted this long I can't imagine it was poorly built. Any way, just my $.02

Reply to
Reece Talley

If you don't know anything about cars, why would you want a 30 year old truck to take care of? As you've already figured out, much newer trucks are worth basically nothing, and whoever owned this truck spent $5,000 on it in two years, just trying to keep it running. Did I get that right?

It's okay to buy it, but you can buy a 1990 truck for $2000. In fact, I bought one the other day for $800, and it's got less than 100,000 miles on it.

Reply to
Joe

If this truck were a near perfect 4x4 it would still not be worth more than $2,500...

Reply to
351CJ

While I own a '76 F250 Camper Special and would never part with it, I agree with the other replies. $1500 max. I only paid $1100 for mine, ready to roll.

Reply to
Steve Barker

Thanks for the responses so far.

My wife is far more clever than I am -- simply looked at the used truck ads in the paper. It appears I can easily get a similar truck at half the age *and* price. I'm guessing that this particular truck (after browsing the paper) is probably worth $2000 at most, but more like $1500.

As for why someone with no knowledge of car repair would buy such an old car... well, even new cars need repair, which I *still* wouldn't be able to do. However, I was under the impression that cars of that age are far easier to learn to repair than modern cars, and I'm willing to learn. Plus, aren't parts and labor on these older models reasonable, as things aren't all computerized and are easily accessible?

And to person who poked fun at me for wanting the lowest tax rate on a massive gass-guzzler: What's the harm in saving a few bucks here and there? That's how I saved the cash to go shopping for a truck to begin with. Economy of operation obviously isn't a priority for this purchase.

Anyway, thanks again for the reality check.

Reply to
Funky Trilobyte

This is my take on the people who bitch about gas prices: Screw ya. When my tank is low, I fill it. Doesn't matter if it's thirty cents a gallon or five bucks. And no, I won't be doing any less boating this summer either. My 460 gets a good strong 7 mpg pulling the 11' cab over and 21' boat. I look at it this way. The truck was $1100. A new one (like I'd want) at least $30K. I can buy a lot of gas for $28,900. At $2 a gallon that's

14,450 gallons of gas. At 7 mpg, that's 101,150 miles. My round trip to the lake is 420 miles. That's 240 trips to the lake. At 7 times a year, that's 34 years. I'm 46 now, so that'll take me 'till I'm 79 to spend that money. So you can take your gas guzzling complaining, AND your high dollar yuppy truck, AND your high personal property taxes and stick them.
Reply to
Steve Barker

Steve, You don't want much of a new truck if you can get it for only $30,000.00, it wouldn't hold a candle to your 460. LOL...

Reply to
351CJ

That's a great reason to buy an old truck. You're right; they are much easier to work on than the new models. I also really like the look of the

67-72s. Buy a truck with character and have some fun working on it or buy a new one and simply add expensive accessories. jor
Reply to
jor

Reply to
Jay Anderson

Reply to
Murray Harper

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