If you are reading this article
there is a good chance that you are looking
to buy a panel truck.I've been asked to write a short article
about buying a
panel truck.The views and comments in this article are mine and
mine
alone.You may or may not agree with my views and thats alright
since they
are only guidelines that I use,not hard and fast rules.
The first suggestion that I have
for anyone looking to purchase a panel
truck is to ask yourself just what is it that you want.A project
truck?A
road ready,everyday driver?A show stopping trophy winner?
My next suggestion would be to
buy the straightest,most solid truck that you
can find for the amount of money that you have to spend.
There are panel trucks for sale
out there to fit most anyones
budgets,however,some of them are to far gone to rebuild unless
you have
better than average skills and/or deep pockets and some are so
expensive
that you'll need to take out a second mortgage on your home to
buy them.It
all depends on what you want and what you can afford.
My next suggestion is Buyer Beware!
Theres an old saying that pictures
don't lie.DON'T BELIEVE THIS! Pictures
can and often do lie!A skilled photographer can make anything
look good.
Theres another old saying that
if it seems to good to be true,it probably
is.Believe this!
I'm not saying that everyone
that has a panel truck for sale is a crook out
to steal your money,nothing could be farther from the truth.But,it
is a fact
that there are a certain amount of people in this world that
won't hesitate
to seperate you from your hard earned cash and not lose a minutes
sleep over
it.Which leads me to my next suggestion.
Find out as much about the panel
truck that you are interested in as
possible.Find out as much about the seller as possible.Arrange
to meet the
seller in person,if possible and look the truck over first hand.Crawl
under
the truck,is the under carriage in good shape?Does it look like
the builder
knew what he was doing or is the exhaust system wired together
with clothes
hangers?Drive the truck.Is the steering tight?Are there any funny
noises
coming from the engine or transmission?Do the brakes seem to
work ok?Most
people are honest and will be truthful with you when you ask
questions.Here
are some questions that I would ask the owner about the panel
truck.Why are
you selling it?Does it have a CLEAR title in YOUR name?Can the
panel truck
be driven from the sellers home to yours?If no,why not?Some states
have
inspection laws,will the panel truck pass inspection?
Here are a few things to beware
of when buying a project truck.Some states
(mostly southern states,but there are several others) did not
issue titles
to vehicles until the mid 70's.Can you get a title in your state
for a
vehicle from a non-title state?Don't settle for a bonded title,someone
else
could come and claim your truck as theirs after you sank a bunch
of money
and work into it.Sometimes the seller has subframed the panel
truck.Did he
do it correctly?If not,do you have the skills to correct his
mistakes?Has
the top been chopped?Was it a good chop?Do the doors close right
and the
gaps line up?Does the chopped panel have a curved glass windshield?If
yes,is
the seller including a new windshield that fits?In some parts
of the country
you can't find anyone to make you a windshield to fit and in
other places
its very expensive.I've been told,but don't know for a fact,that
chopped
tops are illegal in some states.You might want to find out about
your state
laws.
Can you buy after market parts for the panel you want to purchase?Some
makes are very hard to find body parts for,others are easir to
find parts for but
are expensive because of their popularity.
Ask yourself if you have the time,money,patience and skills to
complete the
project.It will take a good amount of each.Ask lots of questions
and be
satisfied with the answers before spending your money.
Now get out there and find that
panel of your dreams and get to work on it!
