The Beast

Truck Purchase

Last Edited: 2022-09-05 08:42:51

Out on an isolated farm in San Tan Valley, I found the beast for sale. I had been looking for a Blazer or a Bronco to come along that was a good enough deal for me to invest in. I didn't have too much of a checklist:

Had to be running
Had to be 4x4, optionally with manual lockers
Had to be stick shift
Had to have a V8, preferably 350/351 so parts are super easy to find

I remember the most recent one that I had seen was a white 70-something Blazer out in Prescott Valley for $4,000. The ad basically stated that there was nothing wrong with the truck, the owner just needed some money. I let that one go in hopes to find something newer with a better pricetag.

I test drove a Bronco near downtown Phoenix a couple months later that was going for $2,500 with a 5.0 V8. The owner asked me to let him know when I was coming so he can start it up and let it run for a while before I got there. This was fine because I figure what I'm looking for cheap may have engine problems. I mostly figure that for around $2,000 to $3,000, it will either have pretty bad problems with the engine, or pretty bad problems with the body/frame. This Bronco was frame. This thing felt like it was trying to buck me out of the driver seat. I was pretty sure this wasn't the beast when I turned a corner and the spare tire rack swung out and around to the rear quarter panel making the sound of an exploding grenade when it made contact.

A couple months after that, I found the ad out in San Tan Valley.

Guy said that his daughter had been driving it around until she got her other car. It had some rust on the top, but the frame looked pretty solid. Guy got into the truck and it started right up. Of course, so did the Bronco because it was well warmed before I got there. I checked the fluids and didn't see anything wrong except the obvious. The power steering gear was leaking pretty profusely and liberally spraying surrounding areas. I knew it burns a little oil and leaks some from the drive shaft gasket.

He said the engine had been rebuilt, but the odometer clearly states it's at least been to the moon once. The smell was something fierce. I think they had a dog living or just peeing in it for a while. I knew that my plan was to rip out all the carpet and put in some sort of truck bed liner so that didn't bother me either. He wanted $2500, but took $2400 for it.

The seats were in good condition, so I knew I'd get a couple hundred back right away. One of the first things I did was replace the front seats with plastic racing seats.