Best way to buy a rust-free truck from a distance?

I've always wanted a 4th generation Chevy C1500 z71 from the mid to late-90s.

The problem is that I live in Minnesota, and most of them died of rust long ago.

I'd love to find a nice rust-free survivor in the south or west, but I have no idea how to shop for or buy a vehicle thousands of miles away.

Any tips or tricks for finding a nice truck and not getting burned?

 

Have you tried auto trader, or gov deals? Expand your search to 2000 miles.
I’m not on fb so I don’t know how fbm works.

 

Car gurus is another web based marketing platform. There’s also internet auction sites, big iron, purple wave are the 2 I keep an eye on.
Buying a used vehicle is always a crapshoot even if it’s a guy down the street three blocks that you don’t know. It helps if you have the willingness and know how to do some of the more minor repairs or major ones too for that matter then you can buy it cheaper. The places I just listed always have the sellers contact info or number so call them and ask any questions you might have, then figure out what it is worth to you personally, roll the dice and place your bid!
Then, depending on the results, get ready for a road trip or get a plane ticket. In some cases shipping or delivery is available, but I would never consider that option.

 

I have a buddy that lives in Tennessee and he specializes in finding trucks for people (mainly other dealers these days) if you want I can get you his number and then he could look out for whatever you'd like...you can be as specific (or not) as you want...but trying to "custom order" exact year/color/options/etc will just delay things most likely...and I know prices are certainly still up too.
Once you get a vehicle that lived its life south of Ohio they tend to be much cleaner than from the Ohio river north...and the further south the better, but beware vehicles that lived life close to the ocean...the salt air makes 'em rust top down, and if they ever did any 4 wheeling on salt water beaches, the salt water and sand is a deadly combo!
Its really tough to buy stuff remotely without a good trustworthy contact to look at it in person, or a really good guarantee that it is going to be as described.

 

Carmax has locations all over the country. They will show you the shipping fee when you look on their site for a specific vehicle.

Ive owned three two door model Ford Explorer sports and have always liked the way they looked. 2005 was the last year Ford made them. Sometimes i get bored and will browse for them. Getting rare.

 

Smart move otherwise you'd own a few more chain saws!

 

Good luck on your search. Almost 20 years ago I bought an older 4th generation 1990 Z-71 Silverado with a motor knock, for dirt cheap. Pulled the engine, checked all the crankshaft journals, the cylinder bores, etc. Ended up giving all the bores a light hone, new rings, bought a new cam/lifters, had the local automotive machine shop install new cam bearings, I cleaned the heads really well, re-seated all the valves and did some mild port work. New crankshaft/connecting rod bearings, oil pump and put it back together on a Friday night. That truck ran strong and served me well for years, frequently going on 500 mile trips. Those 90s 350 small blocks with the Vortec heads and throttle body injection ran awesome. Super comfortable too; it would practically float down the highway.

Ok, sorry for holding you hostage on my trip down memory lane

You might be surprised what you could find semi-locally. If you could find one that was owned by an old timer, with low miles, needing minimal work, one that you could see in person, that would be ideal. Check the rocker panels, cab corners, and rear quarter panels. I had to replace those on mine eventually. More importantly, check out the frame. Surface rust is to be expected, but you don’t want huge chunks of metal falling off if you go underneath poking around with a rubber mallet. Expect to be replacing ball joints, steering components, etc. Hard to believe, but the late 90s somehow got almost 25 years behind us now Like I said, good luck. They’re nice trucks and worth keeping on the road, IMO.

 

These guys advertise on the VIN Wiki YouTube channel.

Vintage & Classic Car Pre-Purchase Car Inspection

 

Maybe I'm confused. Wikipedia seems to say that the GMT400 is part of the C/K Series: Chevrolet C/K (fourth generation) - Wikipedia

 

Thanks to all of you who suggested various services. I'm aware of various "finders" in my area as well. I guess the question is how much of a fee they're charging and whether they're worth it.

Here's an example of a truck that would be an obvious issue in person, but would also be easy to think was just fine based on pictures taken in flat light: 1997 Chevrolet Other Pickups Extended Cab Silverado 4x4 | eBay



The listing doesn't disclose anything about rust or repaint, but see the waves around the bowtie?



I'd be pretty frustrated if I paid for a cherry truck only to discover I bought a bunch of painted over rust. What's your recourse if you buy a truck remotely and then show up to find major undisclosed issues?

 

Golden Valley, AZ is a great place to check out. Kingman would be the closest city. If you call to get a quote on shipping, be prepared to get non-stop calls with follow-ups for the next 6 months.

 

We've also got some local dealers that are in the business of hauling trucks up from the south, and they usually have nice stuff. The problem is that they think pretty highly of their inventory.

Here's an example: https://www.wheel-co.com/details/used-1997-gmc-sierra-1500/89409404



Nice truck, but I'm not paying $13k for a 25 year old truck with 125k miles on it.

Seems like if I DIY my search and transport, I should be able to find something like that - maybe with a few more scratches - for $8-9k.

 

Ah yup, got it. Definitely looking for a 4x4.

 

Sounds like you are just window shopping then...prices are just plain high for older trucks that are really nice, and have been for quite some time...not just since the last year or two.
I get it though, I am a tightwad and refuse to pay big money for stuff like that, so I look for stuff that is clean, no rust, but may have mechanical or other non body issues that I can fix myself. That's how I ended up with my rust free Florida native 2003 F250 ext cab 4x4...it had some electrical and interior issues, that although looked bad, and scared most people off, I saw that it was very likely not actually a major repair (but took a tiny gamble too) and it worked out well...the paint was totally baked off the hood and roof too, so I had my buddy repaint those areas (same guy that finds trucks for people) and he said he could easy sell this truck for $12-13k right now (175k miles) I paid MUCH less that that when I bought it.
The only other option is to just wait it out and wait for something to fall into your lap...like one of those low mileage cream puffs that some old timer is selling way too cheap...pretty rare find though.

 

It’s not for sale, but this cherry NC GMC reminded of this thread.

 

Maybe I need to get caught up with the times, but here’s what looks like a solid 98 z71 without rust and 144k on the clock for $8425: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/c316854f-cf0c-4ee8-b541-e7d55601f65e/



Maybe there are issues beyond the chipped paint and scratched bed, but seems like a potential deal.