is it worth the risk

Dedicated run, cross country...you'd run 250k every year and a half. Starting a truck up is different from running a truck on the road. I'd have to agree with Crossword, the story is BS. That actually might be a good thing, because if the boss was a Hole, and his drivers actually were extremely unhappy, odds are those trucks were dogged out, ridden hard and put away wet.

But to simplify things, we will factor out the stories and gossip. Plain and simple, is the truck you're looking at worth $10k? Do you have $10grand? I hope you have a bit more, because I wager, you will probably need a little start up money. That being said, if you are not ready to jump into this truck and put it to work immediately, I would recommend you pass on the purchase and continue to sit on your money.

 

Another thing I've noticed with trucks getting up there in years is the frame bolts start to erode away and you can't even tell how badly until you pop a few out. I'm working on my old 1980 in my spare time and all the frame bolts are shot, some have been eaten away to half their original diameter or less and others have the heads break off when you give the frame a smack with a hammer. Even the bolts on a mid 90's cutoff I purchased are getting that way. That being said for the price of the truck a guy could sink another $5-$10k into it and have a real nice unit.

 

isn't there a difference in the bolts of years ago, and the huck bolts of today, lasting longer?

 

I would think so. The steels and alloys available today should be a lot better. Then again, road salt and that calcium chloride crap they spray on the roads will eat through almost anything.

 

I would also take an oil sample.
If you buy the truck I would love to hear how things go.

 

80k for a new truck?

Crap I just signed to buy another one for 110k and that's going to be an off the lot truck.

There are more trucks chasing people than people chasing trucks.

Here is what you need to do ...

Have an oil analysis done, have the ECM dumped and read it carefully, take it to a shop where they can get it up off the ground and check the suspension and drive train, do a Dyno with blowby and if all is right, drive the truck at least 30 miles.

Then if it all checked out offer the guy $7500 cash ....

 

Buy and sell for 15+ buy another and sell for 15+ buy another and sell for 15+ then take the extra money and buy a truck you want. Lol 10k for a truck with 250k miles is dirt cheap

 

Are you sure that the mileage isn't actually 1,125,000? With coast to coast runs, that's probably closer to actual mileage. That said, $10K wouldn't be a bad purchase price, just be sure to have another $25K available to cover engine / transmission overhaul within the next year, and put aside $.20/mile to cover ongoing maintenance costs and your fixed costs while it's in the shop.