Re: 1980 Diesel-What is it worth?

[Darrel <darrelK@domain.elided>]

kelloggd wrote:

> Hello Learned listees,
>
> I would like to know what you experts think the following is worth:
>
> 1980 Scout II
> Turbo diesel with 122,000 miles-runs fine
> T19 transmission
> AC
> Roll bar
> Custom radiator
> new master cylinder and brakes
> new starter
> Sliding windows
> 3 point front seat belts
> 3 rear seat belts
> 33 gallon fuel tank
> NO RUST!
> Rear air shocks
> Front bucket seats
> good paint-repainted not an original IH color....by a prior owner
> 5 new Michelin off road 31.0x10.5 tires
> polycast wheels
>
> What is a "reasonable" price?

First, I don't claim to be an expert....bought my first Scout last year.

Second, does it have a Dana 300 transfer case? - Speedo cable exits on
the passenger side of the D300, driver's side on the D20. The Dana 300
is very desirable.

If it really has NO rust I wouldn't feel bad at all paying $4000..If it
was really nice even more, hard to say without seeing it.  To put this
in perspective, you can find $2000 Scouts in every newspaper, but most
of them need $3000+ in body work and paint alone. I think Ken Farmer can
back me up on this one.
You really need to look hard for rust after they've been repainted. You
don't want to pay top dollar and then have rust bubbles break out
everywhere. Pull up the carpet and take a good look. Crawl under the
Scout with a flash light and check everywhere, especially the body
mounts. Also, ask if the Scout had any rust before the paint job and how
it was repaired. It would definitely be worth while to have a body shop
and a mechanic give it the once over if you don't have the experience.
Anything they find will drive the price down.
I don't know how long those Nissan Diesel's last (Eldon?), so I can't
comment on that.
BTW: At 122K the steering needs a complete rebuild, if you do it
yourself you're looking at $400 easy. Take it for a good long drive to
make sure it doesn't have any handling problems.

Lastly, is it located near Colorado Springs and if so what's the phone
number? :-)

Darrel Kline
Colorado Springs
1980 Scout