New to EBs and looking to purchase

[bnfinit]

hi there-

i'm finally in a position to purchase an EB and am looking at a few on eBay. i'm in Chicago so the selection is pretty limited here and need to look beyond this area.

i'm hoping to get a sniff test against a couple of the Bronco's i'm considering bidding on and some general advice on what to look out for. my goals are: have an EB that needs little mechanical attention out of the box, is in good shape structurally and aesthetically, and allows me to remove the top and use with a soft top during the summer (stored in the horrible Chicago winters).

here are a couple that i'm looking at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...4.cWAT.m240.lVI

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...4.cWAT.m240.lVI

the latter is from a seller on eBay that has great feedback. the former is from someone that has no feedback but don't want to pass it up if it's a good buy. also, the 2nd one was listed on eBay previously and didn't sell as the bids didn't hit the reserve - the last bid was $9500. i'm curious re: legitimate prices for both of these.

any input is much appreciated. i'm not a gearhead by any means - just trying to make sure that my first EB experience isn't a bad one.

thanks in advance!

-bethany

 

[Broncobill78]

Bethany,

Those are all excellent questions. Let me ask you this, what is your timetable ? Is this something you're looking to do quickly or is it something you're willing to spend some time on ? I say this because it's been my own personal experience that online deals can sometimes be difficult & disappointing. While that's not to say that they can't be made, unless you're *really* pressed for time you might want to consider limiting yourself to the Ebay trucks that are within a reasonable drive from you so that you can go and actually SEE what you're bidding upon. Photos & descriptions are one thing, actually *seeing* a truck with your own eye is something different. They type of EB youre looking at/for is NOT inexpensive and it's *very* easy for someone to shoot a quick coat of paint onto something that they wouldn't let their mother drive. Maybe these trucks are good and maybe they aren't. Without knowing more about the sellers it's hard to say. Just because someone has sold 30 or 40 Xbox games or black velvet paintings of Elvis without any complaints doesn't necessarily mean he's selling you (or anyone else) a solid and reliable vehicle, even though the asking price is top notch. IF ALL his previous sales are classic cars/trucks and *nobody* has had a bad thing to say about him then that's a different story. Online deals are almost *always* a roll of the dice. Taking a day or two to travel 300 or 400 miles to ck out a prospect is NOT a bad idea. There are a LOT of people out there slaping together $hitty trucks & shooting them with Maaco paint jobs. while you hate to be suspiscious of *everyone* when you're talking about this kind of money, yeah, you don't trust a soul. You're talking about big dollars for a classic ride and I wouldn't easily hand that over to someone I've never met for a truck I've never seen. Not that deals like this *can't* be brokered, it's just that Ebay discriptions leave a lot to be desired and if you get it home and it's a painted piece of $hit then you really don't have any recourse. I would either restrict myself to sellers who make their living selling vehicles and who are willing to provide you with the info and contact #'s for other vehicles they've recently sold (ALWAYS take the opportunity to speak with the last 3 or 4 people who've bought cars/trucks from a seller) OR I would make sure I only looked at vehices that are close enough for you to go and inspect personally. Bring a friend or two along and take a good hard look at ANYTHING that you're considering spending $6K+ on. Doing anything less is just a bad idea and tempting fate.

Do yourself a favor and go & look at ANY EB in your immediate are. Just looking at a few of them will start to give you an idea of what you should be looking for. Learn to compare them and start learning what you need to look for. Bring friends who know what they' looking at, bring small refridgerator magnets to ck for Bondo & body filler. Educate yourself as to which years *should* have power steering, brakes, etc. When someone tells you the've *upgraded* the truck learn to ask them EXACTLY what they mean and just what have they done to *improve* the truck for sale. There are a lot of differences between years and there are a LOT of sellers who will take advantage of someone's ignorance. Educating yourself is the best defense against this. When someone seems or acts fishy learn to pin him down with specific questions. Ask him questions that someone who's *actually* repaired or upgraded the truck should know. Don't ever be embarassed of feel like you're bullying someone. Anyone asking $6K+ for a truck should be willig & able to explain to you what he's done to the truck or why he feels it's worth the asking price.

These trucks go for a lot of cash and chances are if you choose a bad one the first time you won't have the $$$ to just go out and buy another. Education is your first & best defense. I *personally* wouldn't bid on anything that was too far away for me to go & look at myself unless the seller had absolutely rock-solid credentials. But hey, that's just me.

Pls feel free to ask additional questions & let us know how you make out.

 

[muddinlate86]

i would deff. go with the green eb. its built nice and looks like its worth it.eb's are hard to find in good cond. good luck

 

[bnfinit]

Bethany,
Those are all excellent questions. Let me ask you this, what is your timetable ? Is this something you're looking to do quickly or is it something you're willing to spend some time on ? I say this because it's been my own personal experience that online deals can sometimes be difficult & disappointing. While that's not to say that they can't be made, unless you're *really* pressed for time you might want to consider limiting yourself to the Ebay trucks that are within a reasonable drive from you so that you can go and actually SEE what you're bidding upon. Photos & descriptions are one thing, actually *seeing* a truck with your own eye is something different. They type of EB youre looking at/for is NOT inexpensive and it's *very* easy for someone to shoot a quick coat of paint onto something that they wouldn't let their mother drive. Maybe these trucks are good and maybe they aren't. Without knowing more about the sellers it's hard to say. Just because someone has sold 30 or 40 Xbox games or black velvet paintings of Elvis without any complaints doesn't necessarily mean he's selling you (or anyone else) a solid and reliable vehicle, even though the asking price is top notch. IF ALL his previous sales are classic cars/trucks and *nobody* has had a bad thing to say about him then that's a different story. Online deals are almost *always* a roll of the dice. Taking a day or two to travel 300 or 400 miles to ck out a prospect is NOT a bad idea. There are a LOT of people out there slaping together $hitty trucks & shooting them with Maaco paint jobs. while you hate to be suspiscious of *everyone* when you're talking about this kind of money, yeah, you don't trust a soul. You're talking about big dollars for a classic ride and I wouldn't easily hand that over to someone I've never met for a truck I've never seen. Not that deals like this *can't* be brokered, it's just that Ebay discriptions leave a lot to be desired and if you get it home and it's a painted piece of $hit then you really don't have any recourse. I would either restrict myself to sellers who make their living selling vehicles and who are willing to provide you with the info and contact #'s for other vehicles they've recently sold (ALWAYS take the opportunity to speak with the last 3 or 4 people who've bought cars/trucks from a seller) OR I would make sure I only looked at vehices that are close enough for you to go and inspect personally. Bring a friend or two along and take a good hard look at ANYTHING that you're considering spending $6K+ on. Doing anything less is just a bad idea and tempting fate.

Do yourself a favor and go & look at ANY EB in your immediate are. Just looking at a few of them will start to give you an idea of what you should be looking for. Learn to compare them and start learning what you need to look for. Bring friends who know what they' looking at, bring small refridgerator magnets to ck for Bondo & body filler. Educate yourself as to which years *should* have power steering, brakes, etc. When someone tells you the've *upgraded* the truck learn to ask them EXACTLY what they mean and just what have they done to *improve* the truck for sale. There are a lot of differences between years and there are a LOT of sellers who will take advantage of someone's ignorance. Educating yourself is the best defense against this. When someone seems or acts fishy learn to pin him down with specific questions. Ask him questions that someone who's *actually* repaired or upgraded the truck should know. Don't ever be embarassed of feel like you're bullying someone. Anyone asking $6K+ for a truck should be willig & able to explain to you what he's done to the truck or why he feels it's worth the asking price.

These trucks go for a lot of cash and chances are if you choose a bad one the first time you won't have the $$$ to just go out and buy another. Education is your first & best defense. I *personally* wouldn't bid on anything that was too far away for me to go & look at myself unless the seller had absolutely rock-solid credentials. But hey, that's just me.

Pls feel free to ask additional questions & let us know how you make out.

incredible feedback. thank you for the detailed response and your advice is definitely heard. my timetable is wide open. the seller of the 2nd bronco appears to restore and sell Broncos only. feedback is all positive. but i will definitely ask for references and continue my search if it doesn't pan out. looking forward to making the right choice! thanks again!

 

[Jhooks]

I dont know where you are but if you look at Craigslist.org you can usually find some good local EB's. If you go over to classicbroncos.com they have a for sale page which usually has some pretty good EB's on it. Try classic car trader online but the EB's on ebay are usually ones that wouldn't sell anywhere else because they are rusted out and the owner wants to much. That's just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.

 

[S_bolt19]

BB78's advice is great & so is Jhooks. I would tend to look more local than on ebay. Something that you can physically inspect is much more apt to be what it is rather than like on ebay or autotraders. The big thing with the EBs is that they have "special" rust spots & people tend to either over look them or they don't want to tell you about them. That is the main problem with a 30+ year old vehicle. Make sure that if you look at one on the internet that you ask for a boatload of pictures, and if the person selling isn't willing to give you them, walk away. I had a guy one time ask me for almost 100 pictures on one that I sold, but because I had nothin' to hide, he bought it from me. He said that the one he tried looking at previous to mine, the owner got offended when he asked for 10 extra pictures.

Rust on these thing will typically be in the rocker panels, the tailgate, the bottom of the tail light housing, inner fender apron in the engine box, floor pans and the seams on the outside of the tub. An average EB, something that needs floors, patches in the inner fenders & maybe some work on the tailgate, but has a good body (cut or uncut) will/should go for $2500-4000 neighborhood. Completely rust free, needs work (i.e. paint, engine & inetrior but body is in "A" shape) will be $4000+. If you have one that has some of the items mine has (fuel injection, disc brakes all corners, power brakes, power steering, ARB lockers front & rear, NP435 transmission, big bearing 9" rear axle, on board air system) then you can easily get that price up into the 10k+ range. Or a complete stock Roadster in excellent shape, look for the 15k neighborhood. It all depends on what you want to spend, how restored you want it and how far you are willing to go, to go get it.

Hope that helps you out some.