Is it a deal or is he delusional?

Question

My husband found a 1989 Chevrolet standard shift, V-6, with a plow. The gentleman is asking 2345.00 after taxes, registration, and the like. Now the kicker. - It has 148,000 miles, I cannot drive it (don't know how to drive standard), can't get the kids in (standard cab), has extensive body rot on not only truck but on plow itself. I told him that I investigated it on Bluebook.com and found it to be worth a max of 1600 if it was in excellent condition. He says I'm fooling myself. But the guy has us over a barrel because we need him more than he needs us. We have to have our driveway plowed as it is over 1,000 feet long and each and every time you hire someone it is $50 and that is for one shot/one line down the middle no neatness and no widening. Should we just give in or spend unknown money on an unknown winter season.

Wow so many great answers, thank you all very much. It will be amazing to see who will get best answer. But I know who will get the worst and that's the fool that wants to snow plow a 1000 foot driveway. Boy you must have days available to be able to do this. It takes a normal person 2-3 hours just to do average driveway of 150 ft.

Answer 1

Sounds like he saw you coming. You can buy a decent used truck for 800.0. to 1500.00 dollars and a new plow for close to 1,000.00 or less depending on where you go and if installation is included in the price. With the body rot if it is as bad as you are saying the truck can't be worth more than 1500.00 including the plow. I had a 1976 half ton four wheel drive I had almost completely rebuilt and sold it for only 1500.00 because of the body rot

Answer 2

Is this guy the only one that does your driveway? Do you have other options for people to plow your drive?

For the 1000 ft that needs to be plowed, $50 sounds pretty cheap.

I would suggest finding something else, in better condition, that could be used by you and the family.

A used 4X4 truck with a snow blade. It may cost you more, but now you could be the one getting the $50 to plow driveways.

Some years ago, a guy went and bought a new truck and plow, that winter we had an abnormal amount of snow. The guy paid for the truck and plow by clearing driveway and pulling stuck cars out of ditches, in one winter alone.

So there are other options for you.

good luck.

Answer 3

That overpriced thing could turn into a real money pit. There's no guarantee it won't need U joints, transfer case overhaul and so on before you make it down the driveway the first time. That same money would buy you 47 driveway clearings at $50 each...how many times a year do you need the drive plowed? Then add in insurance and license if you plan on driving it on the highway, fuel, oil, tires and other repairs. If that thing has spent much of its 148k miles, you can bet the engine is pretty tired. Then it's overhaul or rebuilt motor time....if you're not careful you could have someone plow your drive with a Rolls Royce and still come out ahead.

Answer 4

from what you have said about it my suggestion is to run away fast. with it having extensive body rot it probably has extensive frame rot also. it has defiantly been exposed to lots of road salt and if it is an S10 which it sounds like it is they had rot problems anyway and if it has had the plow on since it was new and has 148000 miles on it , it has done a lot of plowing i am sure probably commercially doing parking lots and peoples driveways and plowing is very hard on a vehicle things wear out much faster than normal on a plow vehicle.

Answer 5

The truck sounds like a POS. I would just have it plowed as necessary. To buy this rig would be a waste of time and money.

Answer 6

ok blue book didn't factor in the value of the plow
and even if you have to preform some repairs to the mechanical then it should last years. the body rot is not a big deal due to the nature of service required and then you could learn to drive it also.

Answer 7

MAYBE A SNOW BLOWER WOULD BE A BETTER AND CHEAPER OPTION.