Help me pick my first 1st Gen truck!

[LJinLA]

Hello Everyone, this is my first post here after the introduction.
I'm in Los Angeles and I've been searching for a 1st Gen Cummins for a few months now. Of course my first choice is a 1992-93 W250, manual transmission, but I haven't come across many for sale, and when I did they were priced very high. After a few months looking, I'm now eager to get started and more willing to compromise. I've been using craigslist to search since, as far as I could tell by reading the forums, that's where most guys got their best deals. Any suggestions as to where else to search to find a good deal will be much welcome and appreciated.
A few days ago, I located something that could be tempting...it's low priced but the injection pump has some problems...it's a 1989 D250 with less than 170K miles, rebuilt automatic transmission, that I could get at around $2,000, but the owner says the injection pump is leaking and must be rebuilt or maybe could be fixed by replacing a gasket. Does the fact that the truck is low mileage and low-priced make it a good deal in spite of the problem with the IP, if this were the only major problem with the truck? Unfortunately, this deal is 400 miles away. from where I live..

My main reason for getting a truck is for expedition travel. My girlfriend and I love beautiful natural surroundings and have visions of using a 1st Gen Cummins equipped with a camper shell and a few other items to explore the beautiful nature of California and surrounding states.
After a lot of reading on the subject, it seems to me that what we need is a 4x4 truck truck w/ manual transmission. I plan to eventually put on larger tires (37s) and it seems that a manual transmission would be best and most reliable. Our dilemma is, should we be patient and keep looking and waiting for a manual 4x4, which might take a very long time, or should we compromise on both requirements and grab the next good deal on a D250 auto if the price is right? Most of the 1st Gens I've come across are 4x2 autos......

This will be my first Cummins, so please let me have all the good advice/opinions you are willing to give. Thanks.

[Rob_O]

Not going to get very far down the trail without 4WD. I prefer an auto for off-road driving but that's a personal thing

[dazedandconfused]

If that D250 is rust free with a good body I would jump on it.

[Rob_O]

If that D250 is rust free with a good body I would jump on it.

He lives in SoCal, doubt he even knows what rust is...

[dazedandconfused]

Yeah that's what I figured.

[LJinLA]

If that D250 is rust free with a good body I would jump on it.

But how to deal with the leaking injection pump? Is there any way the leak could be fixed short-term so that I could pick it up and drive it 400 miles home? Also, my concern would be how to fix it long term. I read that IP problems are tough to deal with, and that a lot of people will shy away from a cummins truck being sold because of it. Any advice on how to get around this, both the short-term fix to drive it home and the long-term one will be appreciated.

[dazedandconfused]

These trucks are 20+ years old and most will have some sort of leak or developing leak on the IP pump. If you are mechanically inclined reseal the pump. They aren't hard to pull off and swap out either.
http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?nav= ... 0900417318
http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?nav= ... 1197240974

[RumbleFish]

If you have your heart set on a manual 4x4 id hold out for one. It took me 6 months to find mine and thought I got lucky. I refuse to buy automatic equipped vehicles unless absolutely neccesary so that didnt help things any. How far are you willing to travel? Seems like a lot of good trucks for decent money pop up in the pacific nw area.

[RCCUMMINS89]

It's worth the wait, I looked at craigslist for a year 3 times a day.... finally found one for $3,000 in good condition.

[dazedandconfused]

I would pick up that 2wd because its cheap. Fix it and drive while looking for a 4x4 or find a 4x4 roller and convert.

[LJinLA]

Yep, I know, the 2wd is really very tempting at $2K or less. I look at it this way: if the pump were the only major problem, it would be a good deal, would give me the chance of enjoying the truck right away, putting on a used shell, building a sleeping platform, etc., all of which could be transferred to a 4x4, manual, once I find it......but what if it won't be this easy and there will be more problems that require fixing...the cheap truck could reveal itself to be the proverbial can of worms, I would be stuck with a money pit truck, not being what I am ultimately shooting for.
It's a tough call, plus it's not a local deal.....how do I drive 400 miles with a leaking IP?
So there is definitely some wisdom in waiting for what I really need and putting money in it to fix whatever needs fixing. If I were certain the cheap 2wd were as simple as fixing the pump and then start enjoying the truck as is while looking for the 4x4 I really want, I'd purchase it in a heart beat....as I said, it's a tough call.
Thanks for the IP links and suggestions.

[Mark Nixon]

If you worry about "What if?" and "Is it going to be easy?" all your life, you're going to end up never getting anything accomplished.
Jump in and LEARN, you might feel bad for a bit, you'll go through trials and tribulations, but if you press on and gain some knowledge, you may find out that your biggest mistake may well be your BEST learning experience.

Life's a gamble, you're only an envious bystander if you don't take some risk at the tables.

Mark.

[Tacoclaw]

You'll also get the benefit of learning how to reseal a pump and get the hang of the required maintenance these trucks require on a $2k truck. If it does just need a reseal and you fix it with a $30 seal kit, you could turn your $2k truck into a $3-4k truck on e it comes time to sell again.

It's always nice to have a guinea pig to practice on before you get your dream truck and go in there swinging blind.

[LJinLA]

Hi Mark,
don't get me wrong, I do believe in taking *calculated* risks and agree with what you said. Risk is a part of life...I'm no longer a young guy and believe me I've had plenty of experiences which have taught me to welcome those "trials and tribulations" you talk about when they are likely to take us to positive outcomes, but wisely avoid those that just make life difficult without the promise of a good "return on investment" so to speak.
I've also posted in other major forums (you can find me there under this same nick) and almost unanimously I've been advised to shoot for what I really want (4x4, manual tr.), because when you get a truck this old you often run across stuff that needs to be fixed with $$$, so why waste my resources and time on something other than what I really want? Same is with long distance travel to get a truck, 500 miles is an acceptable distance with a good potential ROI, going over that to me is just not very wise.... So I agree with opening up to good learning experiences, but disagree with doing so unwisely and ending up courting disaster.

Hi Tacoclaw,
Sure, agreed. I won't be able to pay more than $3-5K for my truck, so if I come across a manual 4x4 that I can fix and save some money in the process, I'll grab it.

[dazedandconfused]

You are going to be hard pressed to find a 4x4 5 speed in decent shape for $5000. Around here beat down junk that needs body redone, transmission work and other mechanical issues are bringing $6500+. A nice truck is in the 10k range.