Truck for sale.....good deal?

[RC_Yz125]

My cousins nextdoor neighbor has a 1986 Chevy S10 for sale, its 4 wheel drive, 5 speed, 2.8 litre 6cyl, and has 150k miles on it. It runs good and only has a little surface rust which i plan on taking care of. He wants around 1000, i could talk him to about 800. It is owned by an 80 year old man who bought it brand new when he was about 64 years old, and its never been used to tow or plow, so i can be sure its never really been beat on. Does this sounds like a good deal, should i get it? what should i check out? im 16, this well be my first truck, Thanks a lot!

 

[WoodsRider]

If it hasn't been driven much in the past few years it's probably not that "good" of a deal. Engines that aren't driven much tend to collect a lot of deposits in the combustion chamber which affect performance. Also, byproducts of combustion are typically suspended in the oil. If the engine sits for a long period without having the oil changed these byproducts will separate from the oil. Some byproducts are very corrosive and attack bearing surfaces and seals.

My first car, a '64 Plymouth Fury, was driven by a "little old lady" (my grandmother). She wasn't from Pasadena and only drove it to the store and church once a week. I'd stop at the gas station everday to fill-up the oil and check the gas. Eventually I had to rebuild the engine, transmission (ever seen a push-button automatic) and differential. In retrospect I learned a lot about how things work from that car.

 

[RC_Yz125]

Nah, he still used it right up untill now, his reason for selling it is because he just bought a new truck. He has always maintained it and kept it up good. For 1k it doesnt seem too bad.

 

[JuliusPleaser]

Sounds like a deal. If you're really serious about buying it, take it somewhere and have a compression test done. A compression test will give you an accurate indication of how good or bad the engine is. See if the guy has oil change records, too.