Searching for a tow vehicle

irish44j said:

Slightly over your budget but it should make up for it in reliability. Beating a dead horse but Sequoias tow great as long as you're not hauling over about 6-7k, are pretty bulletproof, and are the bang-for-the-buck steal in the Toyota line that don't hold their value like all the other Toyota trucks since I guess they're not cool. But it's just a Tundra without the pickup truck/4Runner/Land Cruiser tax....

In your area:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/d/toyota-sequoia-sr5-v8-4wd-3rd/6631413229.html

https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/d/toyota-sequoia-sr5-v8-4wd-3rd/6631413229.html

There are a couple more closer to $4k. 

 

The funny/awesome part about hanging out at Evan's place is that he has a huge widescreen TV in his living room connected to a computer, and I think Columbus craigslist is the browser's homepage...

Knurled. said:

EvanB said:

In reply to Knurled. :

*Queue shot of 5 Volvos and two MIatas in driveway* The Volvo truck is just a fun exercise in "why the berkeley not," I still need something to tow bad ideas with. 

I meant your Montero, which is a truck, and has already towed many bad ideas.

 

 

After last weekend towing ~300 miles picking up two cars and scrapping one I really don't like towing with the Montero, it is just too close to the limit most of the time to be comfortable. 

Check the hard brake lines on a 2001 Chevy, or of that era. Known issue in the rust belt. Less than 10 years they look like tree bark.

Could be a great deal. Its local to me, willing to check it out for you. 

V10 excursion $2300

In reply to irish44j :

I do like sequoias and often recommend them to people looking for suvs but this time i want something with a bed.

EvanB said:

In reply to irish44j :

I do like sequoias and often recommend them to people looking for suvs but this time i want something with a bed.

well clearly the solution is to get a Sequioa for half the price of a Tundra, and then give it the same treatment you gave the Volvo ;)

If you can go 4x2 then you can find a nice one in budget.  Even though I live where it snows I find myself not really needing a 4x4 truck.  I dd my Jeep.  Besides, I love the stance of 4x2 duallys 

fasted58 said:

Check the hard brake lines on a 2001 Chevy, or of that era. Known issue in the rust belt. Less than 10 years they look like tree bark.

Replacing rusted brake lines is just a normal part of life in Ohio. It should be expected on anything in that price range. It's $40 worth of materials and an afternoon of work. It shouldn't be a huge concern.

On GMT800s you can buy a full pre bent AC delco hard line replacement kit for under $100 shipped for every line in the truck.  It made it an easier job when I did my Suburban 

A 401 CJ said:

If you can go 4x2 then you can find a nice one in budget.  Even though I live where it snows I find myself not really needing a 4x4 truck.  I dd my Jeep.  Besides, I love the stance of 4x2 duallys 

I could probably get away with 4x2 but the 4x4 would be nice to have since I would be towing to rallycross and that sometimes has you parked in a muddy field. 

To follow up this thread i bought a truck tonight. 2000 Gmc Sierra with the 5.3 and 145k miles for $1100. It was stuck in 4hi so i pulled the transfer case fuse and drove it home. I think the issue is the transfer case motor.

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In reply to EvanB :

The issue is usually the encoder motor (that the transfer case motor is actually called).  And the reason it is usually bad is because corrosion builds up between it and the transfer case and wedges the encoder motor's gears and stuff.

I forget if it was Fords or Chevys that would lose ground and you'd have to provide a secondary ground.  I am thinking it was Explorers... 

In reply to Knurled. :

I can hear the encoder motor trying to do something when I press the switch so I'm assuming that is it.

Looks disgustingly solid for $1100.  I have some 17” factory z71 package wheels if you get a deal on 17” tires, for very cheap because i am sick of moving them

In reply to Patrick :

"Solid" apparently doesn't include rocker panels.  But hey, as long as the doors don't require you to lift them up as you close them, the truck was still a steal.

The picture hides some of the rust but it isn't too bad. Rockers are gone obviously and the fender arches are rotted under the molding. 

I'll check on 17" tire pricing, I have a feeling it would probably be more than the 16s. 

In reply to Knurled. :

They are all missing rockers so that doesn't count. 

I was very happy that the doors shut solidly and do not sag. 

I'm impressed! 

So, teach me.  You said stuck in 4Low so you pulled the transfer case fuse. What happens then?

Does the truck revert back to 2Hi?  4Hi?  Does it still stay in 4Low and you just drive home slowly?

It was stuck in 4hi. It is the electronic push button transfer case. From what i read pulling the fuse would unlock the front axle to revert it to 2hi. I tried it and it stopped bucking around turns so i assume that was the case.

Are y'all so adjusted to seeing rust that it just doesn't bother you anymore? 

In reply to yupididit :

It's just like walking out the front door and seeing green grass and trees. Normal.

EvanB said:

In reply to yupididit :

It's just like walking out the front door and seeing green grass and trees. Normal.

Truth

Knurled. said:

In reply to Patrick :

"Solid" apparently doesn't include rocker panels.  But hey, as long as the doors don't require you to lift them up as you close them, the truck was still a steal.

You know up by us the bedside would be perforated around the gas filler and flapping in the wind, or the frame would be held together with the e brake cable and gas tank straps being on either side of the rot holes.  When it rots beyond use as a truck it’s a 5.3 donor.  

Thats northwest Pennsylvania showroom.

In North Carolina, rotted beyond belief. 

Its all in frame of reference. 

May have an ohio mint subaru at the end of the year. Too rusty for north Carolinians to touch it.....

Good score on that truck. Im suprised to see anything with a bed and title that runs ve bought that cheap.

viewing from south florida, that much rust makes me shudder.  I've also never replaced brake lines in my life...