1990 Silverado with 200,000 miles?

[Pitkin]

Hi, I am a college student and new to this forum. I have found a 1990 Silverado 1/2ton 4x4 with a 350. EFI, auto and cruise. It looks amazing and has been kept in really excellent condition. The police cheif in my town owned this car for his personal use and is now 70 years old. He has maintained the car very well. But it has 200,000 miles on it. He said he has seen Silverado's go to 300,000 if well maintained. Is this a good purchase? I know 200,000 miles is a lot but it looks like a really well maintained truck. And only asking $3,900. Is that a fair price. Would anyone be willing to give me some info on this model, if it is a good buy, about the # of miles, and the price? Also at the risk of sounding stupid could someone please explain to me what a 350 engine is?

[Jimmiz71]

The Kelly Blue Book Should be around $3,000 give or take for options and wear + tear, Your choice to buy should be made on what you will be using this truck for and your and willingness to make repairs, Ive seen some Older Trucks and Cars in great shape but most motors with 200,000 miles is most likely tired. It also depends on highway or city miles... Ive grown up understanding Highway Miles wear less on the engine than stop and go.. The great thing about those earlier model trucks is they are easy to work on and there are plenty of parts available. -Jimmy

[amac209]

350 cubic inch displacement this is the volume swept by the pistons. the 350 is probably the most common engine ever made it's also known as a 5.7L. find out whats still original on this truck. if the tranny's original it will almost certainly die on you. i would get this truck checked out by a shop they'll go through everything for a minimal charge and give you an estimate of what it'll cost to fix everything. there's probably a few oil leaks and worn out suspension components. try to get a complete history of all the work thats been done. it's been my experience that you will find some problems in a miled up vehicle the owner was unaware of and this works to your advantage when the price negotiations start. so get a proffesional to look at it it's worth the $60. hell you'll save money by doing this.

[rositis]

I would say it's a fairly good deal. But just remember that your getting a 1990 truck with 200,000 miles on it. You will NOT be able to buy it and just drive it without any problems. Be prepared to give the truck some TLC and even drop some money into it. I agree with amac209 on the tranny deal. Also the 5.7L is probably getting close to time for at least an overhaul. But like amac209 said there very common and you can do alot with them so thats not a big worry. I would try to negotiate the price some though. You didnt say anything about the tires or whether it is te stock height and so on. Thats things that could add or reduce the value some. Just my .02