Good places to look for work truck?

Automotive
#1

I’m trying to help a friend of a friend in need of work get started refurbishing furniture. A big problem that we need to take care of is that he is going to need a reliable pickup truck. I’m looking through Craiglist and Facebook but I know sometimes people have posted awesome auction sites that they trust and was wondering if anyone has any that they would recommend for shopping for used, but running, work trucks/vehicles? We don’t care about looks, he has a very limited budget and doesn’t know a lot about fixing up cars so it would have to more or less good to go. Any pointers or recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
-Gilbert

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#2
  1. Appearance isn’t an issue
  2. Limited budget
  3. Needs to be in good working order

Of these, (1) is reasonable when looking at used vehicles. (2) and (3) in combination aren’t all that compatible since you’re buying someone else’s problems at the lower end of the price range; you need to either be mechanically inclined or have additional budget to perform repairs.

That being said, so long as you’re able to visit the seller’s sites during business hours and can bring a mechanically-inclined person along to help assess a prospective vehicle, auction sites like Rene Bates can be a place to source used vehicles at the end of their planned service lives with local governments. Be prepared to bid close to the market price for these vehicles, however.

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#3

My go to for a cheap white pickup truck is Craigslist, interior is going to be shot and the bed is guaranteed to be dinged up, but you can get them for $500 and they can do anything you’ll need.

Auction sites generally have long waits and fees that i’m not too fond of. Most auctions dont let you inspect the car or drive it before purchase.

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#4

ESmith,

I definitely understand what you’re saying. Maybe I should have put it to say that we’re probably going to look for a car that has cosmetic issues (scratched up passing, dented fenders, beast up seats, etc) and are just plain old (and not in the cool way) but can still get from point A to point B (even if it maybe leaks some oil lol).

#5

They do indeed have fees. However, all the auctions I’ve taken a serious look at on Rene Bates have inspection times with varying degrees of inconvenience.

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#6

Have you thought about a utility trailer or enclosed trailer?

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#7

That tends to have the difficulty that you need a serious vehicle to pull them around adequately. Aaaand, we’re back to the pickup truck…

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#8

Gilbert,

What does your friend currently drive?
I ask because, as Aaron’s post above suggests - a trailer could be the ideal solution for a small operation like this. Plus a trailer is much easier to load and unload and less expensive to operate, and insure.

But like looking for a Truck or a car - you have to make sure to take a close look at what you are buying before putting in on the road.

I’ve bought vehicles from auctions - some auction sites have no additional fees. (one must read the fine print) but as Luke said - most of them do, and some of them can be pretty sneaky on how they word it .

You don’t “need” a pickup truck to pull a trailer.

Craigslist, Facebook, Neighborhood, Estate sales, auto-trader, word of mouth,

Good luck

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