Deciding on price for purchase / first Hoe

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troutsc

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Ive been in the market for awhile looking for a fun dd cash car with some personality. Goal is to get something with 100-160k miles and get another 100k out of it, but I want to do something fun, not a camry or something like that and I like 'older' stuff. Have had luck in the past with older e36 bimmers, 4runners, etc. Never a tahoe.

I found a pristine 98 2 dr / 2wd. It is clean, every inch of it, everything works, 156k miles, clean carfax, etc. Inside/outside its great. All stock/original paint looks good, lowered slightly and leveled (not slammed by any means), has a touchscreen/dvd/nav/amp/sub that is installed very clean (nothing ghetto about it). Current owner is an older gentlemen, his wife was driving it. He bought it from a guy that was in process of making it into a 'show truck'. The sound system was already in it when he bought it, its a flip up touchscreen, he didnt really know how to use it or seem to be into the audio system but it all worked great when I checked it out, nice system. It had 22s on it so he pulled those off and put on some basic 16" wheels, new tires. (he was trying to "de-bling" it is what he said), took off the chrome wind guards over the windows. It has a street scene front end bumper, new lights and such up front that look good/clean. So as it sits now, it looks like a basic LS, with a nice system/lights. As I said, its immaculate inside and out. I test drove it and it was great, ran great, felt great. Engine compartment is spotless.

Anyways, its a clean 98. Its a 15 yr old truck. I saw where he had started a listing for 6500, I watched him drop to 5500, and now down to 5k when I looked at it.

I was ready to go at 5k, after looking at kbb/nada/etc I saw that the posted values were much lower. I offered him 4500 (which is higher than retail) and he has my number.

I dont know much about tahoes/prices but Ive been reading alot lately on them. Am I way off at 4500? Im under the impression that he paid around 6 about a year ago and then he completely redid the brakes/wheel cylinders/shoes/pads/front calipers and break lines, as well as new tires.

Would going up to 5k on my end be a bad idea? Hes not called me back on my 4.5 offer. I like the truck, love the system it has in it and its also the cleanest vehicle I have looked at that wasnt brand new. ( i have an 06 jeep GC limited that i thought i kept clean and this 98 puts mine to shame)

Any thoughts? I could easily go 5k but I dont want to get the short end of the stick on my end either.
 

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NathanJax

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It's clean...


But it's up to you. Do you want a 2 door Tahoe? Or will any do? Someone just posted they got a 01 Tahoe for $2600. So it's really what you want and are willing to spend
 
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troutsc

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At 5k I would bite but I would expect leather seating tho.

No leather. Cloth is flawless though.
Does have tow package with a brake controller. Of course my boat doesnt have trailer breaks though. Maybe some other options Im forgetting.

Looking around in my area (southeast) charleston, SC, theres just not alot of comparables. I see some 200k-ish 4doors with 200k and up in rougher shape, a/c issues, wear/tear from kids/soccer moms, or stuff thats been hacked up and abused by highschool kids.

My gut tells me that this one has had a good life so far/ well cared for/maintained. of course at the same time I could buy it and next month it blows up. UGH.
 
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troutsc

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Heres the front. Im going to drive it again tomorrow.
 

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NathanJax

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It's definitely clean!
 

OHSIXX

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Definitely clean for an OBS...hit him in the middle at $4750 and see his reaction--but if you really want it-what is another $250-$500 for a vehicle that you like.....
 

orange57

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i just picked up my 2000 limited for $3400 over the weekend. 144k on the clock, couple of small scratches here and there, but the interior looks almost new.
 
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troutsc

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I drove it a long time today, it worked well. Its the first one Ive driven so I dont have a comparison, to me it felt really sloppy steering wise. Engine ran great. Drivetrain felt clunky, shifted just fine, just felt kinda clunky. Maybe they all feel/drive this way, Im not sure. Also, the AC blower motor seemed to hum alot while driving (went up/ down w/rmps), was always present though unless I turned AC completely off.

I didnt have an issues on price, was going to do the full 5k, actually went all the way to my bank to get the cash but had a 'gut feeling' and chickened out. No major red flags but just didnt feel it.

Do the issues above sound normal? My dd is a 06 jeep gc full time 4wd/v8 but feels much tighter steering/drive line wise. Like I said, I dont know what is normal on the tahoe. If some other really clean ones pop up Ill test drive some others.
 

SunlitComet

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As wear comes into play the steering does suffer quite a bit more in the linkages as well as the gearbox. The fan speed should have stayed the same speed giving a specific speed setting. The switch or motor might have been malfunctioning. Regardless if you did not feel it then move on the next one.
 

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