General Buying questions.

[rmk57]

Do not ever buy one or any vehicle for that matter without actually being there to inspect it. Iv'e seen way to many disappointed buyers who have bought over the internet trusting the seller.

 

[Apogee]

For $30k, you should be able to get a very nice EB with little to no issues other than minor type stuff. I've seen rigs orginally listed for $50k-$60k plus sell for that, so just because asking prices tend to be quite high right now, selling prices really do vary a lot. With that price range though, I would definitely consider rigs anywhere in the country to give you some more options and wouldn't even consider buying one without seeing/driving it in person, preferably along with someone well versed in EB's and all of their inherent issues (and more importantly, how some cover them up to flip).

You could post up a "Wanted" ad in the classifieds here, and start checking out rigs local to you to get a better feel for what you're looking at and the questions to ask. Finding a solid rig for $15k-$20k would still give you many thousands of dollars to address even relatively major issues and make the rig more enjoyable for however you intend to use it, so that's probably what I would do, but to each his or her own.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Also set your mind on what you want. Do you want something very stock that is just a nice cruiser? Daily driver (which being over 40-50 years old is asking a lot). Weekend toy to go cruise some forest roads? A hard core trail rig? etc.

You really need to have an end in order to know where to start. It's generally not worth it to think about converting an old beat trail rig back into a restored ride. And it is a waste to take a nice original surviver and butcher it into a trail rig (throwing the value away by pouring more money into it). Get as close to where you want to end up for your starting point. Rust is a major issue that needs to be looked at carefully. Even shopping for Broncos from clean places like Arizona you will find rust, they may not have lived here all there lives.

 

[TX SS]

Houston Texas/Louisiana area. Id say i got around 30k to spend.

If you are in Houston and need a resource I can try to help. Or if you want to come inspect mine, one mostly original and one project, I’m happy to walk through them with you and point out things to look for.