Well I bought a 1998 (162,000 miles) for $999, maybe that was my first mistake, since then I have put in almost that much in repairs and now I get to do $850 more, all 4 ball joints are toast, the front brakes are metal on metal, rear brakes are at 50%, the sway bars are toast too. Whoever had this thing last appears to have abused the hell out of it and never did any maintenance. Engine runs great and the interior is pretty nice, but man everything else seems to be broken.

Previous to this I have had to drain and refill the front differential (burned out), replace the front tires (wrong size and dry rotted), fix a blown power steering hose, replace the distributor cap and rotor, fix the 4wheel drive (stuck in 4 hi), and replace the battery (battery was from 2003).

Other unfixed problems: cracked windshield, detached rear view mirror, missing side view mirror, broken side view mirror, rusted out battery tray, frozen rear windshield wiper, detached defroster lead, broken hood release, non functional climate controls (stuck on heat and I can’t change the fan speed), missing radio, broken passenger seat reclining handle, broken ashtray hinge, broken trim on drivers seat by the adjustment switches, driver’s side seatbelt doesn’t like to rewind consistently, rear bumper is rusted out completely, light rust with small holes at wheel wells (mostly in the back) and some on the frame in the middle, which look to have been amateur repaired at some point, gravel chips all over the hood, small dent on front of hood and 2 more small dents on front drivers quarter panel, nasty stain on rear cargo carpet, and a crack on the dash bezel between the vents.

Any guesses what might break next? What should I check?

 

You have a 20 year old vehicle that appears to have been very poorly maintained!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you expect, seriously?

 

My bet is the brake lines will be next to go lol

 

There comes a time to replace any vehicle. This might be it unless you just really want to keep this one.

 

Just found my answer. A bad wheel bearing, or bad wheel bearings.

 

You've got to really like these rigs to keep them and fix them up. Lots of trips to a you-pull-it yard. Lots of online searching. If you can work on it yourself it will save you a lot of money in the long run. I bought mine when it was 5 years old for $5000. I've probably put another $7000 into it (tranny was half of that), but I love how solid the thing is. The engine is tough and the 4 wheel drive is what I want in the winter although the transfer case has crapped out. At the end of the month I'm having the rag joint and steering gear box replaced for $600. The bottom line is it's been payed off for years, the insurance is cheaper than a newer rig, and I've got $8500 in savings that can go towards repairs if need be. A lot of that money was put in savings because I didn't have a car payment......

 

Brake booster, rear window latch release, drivers power window motor, transmission problems after 150k requiring a rebuild ... take your pick. Had to do all those and then some recently. I totally agree with Golfaddicts comments...

 

Hmmm.... what exactly did you expect for $1K?

 

If you have any intention of keeping this truck, do the LIM gaskets, best $100 preventative maintenance you can do on these things, its not a matter of if its a matter of when they fail...

 

Is that just the cost for the gasket or about what it would be with labor? Because I certainly don’t have the skills to take apart a manifold.