Author Topic: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?  (Read 5418 times)

Monkey Uncle

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Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« on: May 29, 2016, 05:02:08 AM »
My 1998 F-150 finally rusted to the point that it won't pass inspection.  It has holes in the body under both doors.  The mechanic told me they would pass it if the holes were fixed.  I've been thinking of selling/replacing for a while; looks like I waited too long.

The mechanic advised me to take it to a local body shop that does "good work" and have it fixed right so I can get a decent re-sale value out of it.  I haven't gotten an estimate yet (shop was closed yesterday), but the mechanic was thinking at least several hundred to a grand to fix it right.  The alternative would be to get someone to just patch it up well enough to pass inspection.  Not sure how much that would cost; presumably much less than fixing it right.  I have no experience with body work and don't feel confident trying to patch it myself.

The truck also has liberal amounts of visible rust on the frame, but so far everything is still sound.  Within the last 6 months, I've hauled full loads of firewood on rough/uneven logging tracks with no problems.

Edmunds tells me the truck is worth $2,600 (private party sale) in "rough" condition, $2,900 in "average" condition.  I would consider the patch job to put it in "rough" condition, as the fact that the body has rusted through would still be evident.  I think the full body shop repair would put it in the "average" category.  I don't think I could get it beyond "average" with the frame rust and a few other issues that the truck has.  Kelly Blue Book values the truck quite differently; they say it's worth about $5k in fair condition and $5,400 in good condition.  I did a little Craigslist cruising for similar trucks, and although mine has lower miles than most of those listed, I doubt I could get $5k for it.

Either way, it looks like I'm looking at a boost of only a few hundred dollars for fixing it right.  So I'm thinking it isn't worth it.  But I'd love to hear from mustachians who do body work or have experience with similar situations.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2016, 06:02:29 AM »
How much would it sell for as-is? There'll be someone with a welder at home who'll want to buy it and fix it up themselves.

To be honest I'd probably sell it as-is unless you want to do a proper job of fixing it and then keep it.

ubermich

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2016, 08:11:14 AM »
How far is it to the nearest place where cars don't fall inspection for body rust?  This concept is completely foreign to me. I think my first four cars wouldn't have passed inspection in some of your states!

frugaliknowit

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2016, 08:17:43 AM »
How much would it sell for as-is? There'll be someone with a welder at home who'll want to buy it and fix it up themselves.

To be honest I'd probably sell it as-is unless you want to do a proper job of fixing it and then keep it.

I concur with this opinion.

Monkey Uncle

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2016, 09:15:56 AM »
How much would it sell for as-is? There'll be someone with a welder at home who'll want to buy it and fix it up themselves.

To be honest I'd probably sell it as-is unless you want to do a proper job of fixing it and then keep it.

I concur with this opinion.

I don't think I'd want to keep it at this point because of the frame/suspension rust.  Although its still holding up now, I'm concerned that it won't continue to handle off-roading while loaded over the long term.  But I'd be interested in opinions on this from anyone with body work experience.

I'm not really sure how much it would go for as-is.  Edmunds and KBB don't provide estimates for vehicles that are not road-worthy.  But I'm not sure that would be accurate anyway since mine is in good running shape other than the rust holes.  I saw a couple of similar age F-150s on Craigslist that had major mechanical or body damage issues that were listed in the $1,200 - $1,800 range.  But again, I think mine is in better shape and should bring a higher price.  I might just list it in the high 2,000s and see if I get any bites.  But I'll get an estimate on the body work first.  Probably shoulda done that before posting.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2016, 09:39:26 AM by Monkey Uncle »

Monkey Uncle

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2016, 09:18:13 AM »
How far is it to the nearest place where cars don't fall inspection for body rust?  This concept is completely foreign to me. I think my first four cars wouldn't have passed inspection in some of your states!

I think they consider it a CO poisoning hazard if it has holes in the body (even though the holes are only in the exterior panel and don't go all the way through to the passenger compartment).

I don't know which nearby states might pass it, but I'm pretty sure it would need to be registered and insured in the state before they would inspect it.

ubermich

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2016, 11:24:06 AM »
How far is it to the nearest place where cars don't fall inspection for body rust?  This concept is completely foreign to me. I think my first four cars wouldn't have passed inspection in some of your states!

I think they consider it a CO poisoning hazard if it has holes in the body (even though the holes are only in the exterior panel and don't go all the way through to the passenger compartment).

I don't know which nearby states might pass it, but I'm pretty sure it would need to be registered and insured in the state before they would inspect it.
That is as absurd as it seemed!

If you aren't interested in keeping it, then I would look for similar trucks on Craigslist, offerup, autotrader, etc. to figure out what am appropriate price would be.  And if the body rust regulation doesn't extend to, say, WV I would advertise on their Craigslist as well. I think you'll get more for the truck as-is in areas where the rust won't fail inspection.

mousebandit

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2016, 11:57:53 AM »
I don't know how WV works, but here in Oregon, vehicles registered to folks with addresses inside the "metro" areas (we have a few cities through the state that fall into that classification) are required to pass a smog check / inspection.

This has to do with emissions.  Rust in the body panels would have nothing to do with emissions.  Rust in your catalytic converter, or exhaust pipe, or those areas would. 

So, here in Oregon, either you make sure your exhaust system (and by extension, your engine, since it's creating the combustion and exhaust) are working properly - OR-  you get yourself an address outside the city.  I would just imagine that WV has plenty of rural areas that don't require emissions inspections. 

I also wouldn't think that a body rust (or even running-gear) issue would have any impact on emissions at all.  Emissions gasses can't jump from your exhaust system to your door panel, and if it's coming through your cab, then you have bigger issues than a rust hole in the door, LOL! 

Just food for thought.  Good luck!

MouseBandit



ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2016, 12:21:41 PM »
West Virginia requires a safety inspection. It appears it doesn't require an emissions inspection at all. (I'm required to get both in Pennsylvania.) This varies extensively by state.

Monkey Uncle

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2016, 01:06:52 PM »
It has nothing to do with smog.  It's about protecting the vehicle occupants from exhaust gases.  However, I'm thinking the mechanic may have been applying the standards too stringently.  Here's the language from the WV state inspection manual:

"6. Floor pans rusted through so as to present a hazard to occupants, or which permit passage of exhaust gases into cab or body.
7. Frame - Check for overall condition on all vehicles inspected.
8. Surface rust alone is not cause for rejection."

And this:

"If the floor pan or inner panels have openings sufficient to cause a hazard to an occupant, or if exhaust gas can enter either the occupant compartment or trunk.
Frame is cracked, broken, rusted through, bent buckled, or has poor quality welds. No more than two (2)
Frame repairs permitted."


He didn't give me a rejection sticker like he was supposed to, so I suppose I could try it somewhere else.

hyla

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2016, 01:10:04 PM »
I would sell as is, with a price reduction in line with the amount of money the new owner would have to put into it to get it to pass inspection.  I once sold a car that wasn't even running this way - it only took 2 days to sell, it was way less hassle for me than fixing then selling, and I don't think I would have gotten any more money out of it in the end if I had fixed it and sold for a higher price.

Listed as is, it might sell to someone mechnanically inclined looking to pick up a cheap vehicle and fix it themselves, or someone looking for a farm/ranch/mudding truck that doesn't need it to be street legal.  Or someone about to move out west... plenty of states out here don't have any inspection requirements unless you're in a a metro with smog/emissions problems. 

Tom Bri

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Re: Selling rusty truck - fix it right or patch it up?
« Reply #11 on: May 29, 2016, 01:24:03 PM »
I had a badly rusted-through Chrysler T&C that I fixed up myself, with bondo and a home paint job. I had never done anything like that before, but it wasn't that hard. When I went to sell it, the buyer, a car dealer, never commented on the bondo, and only asked me as an aside if I had repainted it. So I think I did a pretty good job. If you have a few weeks to play around with it, and minimal handyman skills, I'd say give it a try. A truck that old isn't going to LOSE value even if you don't do a perfect job!