My current car (2001 GMC Yukon SLT) runs fine but is getting old. I’ve always wanted a pickup but I can’t afford a brand-spankin new truck. I found an old 1991 Chevy 2500 work truck for $800 on Craigslist. It doesn’t go in reverse, the outside has a couple rust spots but not too bad, and the inside is kinda nasty but it runs. I would like to fix it up, but I know absolutely nothing about cars. I haven’t bought anything yet or talked to anyone about buying it. I would like to bring it back but I’m swimmin in unfamiliar waters and would like some direction before I dive straight in.
Rust is a major concern… I personally wouldn’t buy any car that was showing signs of rust on it. I would keep searching on CL and see what else comes up that at least runs fine. A transmission job can cost $$$ and put that $800 up to $2000 or more IMHO I wouldn’t gamble on a car of that age with the problems you’ve mentioned in your post.
Yep, sounds like a money pit. You’ll end up spending less for a newer truck in decent shape. I’d want 1996 or newer.
This is about money. You will have to do all the cleaning yourself. New tires and fresh fluids will be $1000. Fixing the tranny, brakes, and unknown whatever’s will be $2000 - 3000. Do you have $5000?
The OP feels that his 2001 truck is “getting old”, and he thinks that the solution is to replace it with a truck that is 10 years older and that has obvious transmission problems? If the OP can’t see the flaws in his logic, far be it from me to question his reasoning process.
If the OP wants to buy this aged vehicle as an ongoing project while he drives another vehicle, it might make some sense, but if he is limited as to his funds and if he intends to use this 25 year old truck as a daily driver, I would suggest that he come up with an alternate plan for replacing his 2001 truck.
Save yourself $800 and just dig a deep hole in your back yard. Throw your money in it and walk away. This project just screams “money pit.”
An EXTREMELY unwise choice, to say the least.
The 1991 work truck you are contemplating has done its work here on earth and should be allowed to go to truck heaven. It is a work truck. It wasn’t built to be a pleasure vehicle.
The serious question is:How do you intend to use the truck? If you have work for the truck to do that doesn’t require long distance driving, that’s one thing. If you are planning to use it as a daily driver, that’s something else.
Back in 1972, I bought a work truck–a 1950 Chevrolet one ton pickup. My first wife and I had just gotten permanent jobs and had purchased 5 acres in the country. We had a house built and had erected a pole barn. I bought the truck for $115 and I used if to do work. I hauled fence materials with the truck and used it to strerch fence. I hauled in sand for the horse stall we built in the pole barn. I used it to move our furniture from the duplex where we had been living to our new house. I hauled 50 bales of hay on the truck that I bought right out of the field. The truck was rusty, but everything worked including the reverse gear. However, it wasn’t worth restoring as a daily driver. After three years when. I had fixed up our “mini farm” I sold the truck for $110. I thought about swapping the truck and one of our cars for a half ton pickup,. That truck would have been my daily driver. However, it couldn’t do the work of a 3/4 or one ton truck. If you aren’t hauling heavy loads, skip the work truck.
All GMC Yukons I have seen are SUVs. I don’t think the OP is planning on replacing the Yukon. They “want” an inexpensive pickup. If they are only wanting a pickup as opposed to needing one I advise them to keep looking. There are ones out there in drivable condition and still quite inexpensive.
I wouldn’t take a '91 Yukon work vehicle with known problems if YOU gave ME $800!!
I strongly urge you not to do this. You’ll be bankrupt before the presidential primaries are over.
Why not just look for a smaller truck… Maybe an older ford ranger… They can be found at a good price
John I don’t know where you are but in this area Ford Rangers are getting ridiculous prices .
That is about what it is worth if it didn’t have a transmission problem,
VOLVO V70: The compact Ford Rangers, Chevrolet S-10s Toyota Tacomas, and Nissan Frontiers seem to have cult followings and command premium prices.
@“VOLVO V70” I’m in Southern California… On the rangers from 90-93 I see them go for around 4-8K on CL… I mean trucks always hold their value… But I think that’s a good price for a small pickup. I’ve notice some Chevy Silverados around the years 98-2000 go for about that as well… So I think the OP could find a way better buy. But I guess it depends on area to which you live in.
Now the Toyota Tacoma is still ridiculously priced for some I’ve seen with over 200k miles on them they still command anywhere from 5-10K or even more if it’s a newer year
Ridiculously priced IMO
@“John Andrew McCormick” Move your cursor to the right of your screen name and you will see a thing shaped like a gear. Use it to edit or add to your comments and help save cyberspace.
@“VOLVO V70” that certainly helps! 
… I do most posting via my phone
@“John Andrew McCormick”
I also live in southern california, and I don’t know where you got the idea that Rangers can be had cheap
For example . . .
A relative recently sold a 2001 Ranger
regular cab, short bed
4 cylinder
5 speed stick
clutch was bad
all 4 tires bald
suspension and steering badly worn
ac didn’t work . . . didn’t work for years, actually
250k
beat up outside and inside
vinyl seats . . . sat through, foam spilling out, etc.
And he easily and quickly got $1500. The buyer wasn’t at all alarmed by the condition, and the amount of money he’d have to spend to make it even halfway reliable and comfortable.
My relative was extremely upfront about the clutch, bald tires, etc. And the buyer didn’t bat an eyelash
Just imagine what a similar Ranger in good condition would have sold for 