I'm looking for a nice M1008

[mcne2026]

I have a M1009 and love it. Very reliable and easy to work on. But, it is not a pickup. I plan ok keeping it at my vacation cabin in Idaho.

I need a truck for here on the ranch and would like a 1 ton. That is my big draw to the M1008, that and the diesel. If anyone knows of or hears about a M1008 just about anywhere in CA or Idaho, I would appreciate the heads up. I am not going to fly anywhere to get one, don't need it that bad.

Thanks.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

RE: I

You said you aren't going to fly anywhere but just in case your change your mind avoid like the plague a place called Alfa Heaven in Wisconsin.

 

[Westech]

RE: I

hey now alfa has some nice trucks. I know Tom and he dont mess around. but you do have to remember that what we deal with is atleast 20 years old and really have no miles on them. You can do all the short trips in the world and they work just find but put them on the road for a bunch of miles and you WILL have problems. Just look at the truck I got from Ron. it served him well for years and never gave him a problem. But he was not driving it every day and for more them 20 miles at a time. I got it and drive the snot out of it and it starts to fall apart. Thats just how it goes with the trucks. The cucv's to the 5 tons. When I redid my M1009 I put in will over 4k in parts. I rebuilt that thing from the ground up! But thats about all you can do to work all the bugs out is drive them, replace what brakes. Remember our trucks spent 99% of there life sitting, and when we start to drive them every day stuff is going to happen.

 

[BigJay]

RE: I

But when a vendor advertises the truck as "just serviced" "drive it home" ... I've read the good and the bad about Alfa Heaven. I wouldn't say avoid them, but I'd be very careful about any truck I bought from there. They sure do look nice on the web page.

-Jay

 

[maddawg308]

RE: I

Alfa Heaven has some nice rigs, but like any used car lot, you really have to go over the rigs yourself before you hand over the cash. I've never dealt with Tom, and I have heard good and bad about his business. But I will say this: if his trucks weren't worth it, he wouldn't have been in business this long. It's a small hobby, and word gets around fast...

 

[Westech]

RE: I

Anyway the point im trying to make is if you want a good all ready to go truck your going to have to drive it, work it and replace what is needed. You can change all the filters and fluids and brakes and all that all you want but just working the truck is the only real world way to make it tip top shape.

 

[ojsdna744]

What about www.idahomotorpool.com ? They've got a decent 1008 for sale there, and it's right in your neck-of-the-woods.

And Westech, I couldn't agree more. Once you're "daily driving" and not having problems, you're sure you can count on it to go the distance. I've been driving my M1009 45-50 miles every day to make sure it's good to head for the ECC!!

 

[mcne2026]

I drove my M1009 on weekends only and not more than 20 or 30 miles at a time. Did that for years. Then I went through the fluids, belts, etc... before my big trip. Drove it around 1,000 miles from So Cal to Idaho, over a two day stretch, with not a single problem. I have not bought from Alfa Heaven, but they do seem to advertise the rigs they sell have been pratically overhauled. Not sure about the truth in advertising with that vendor.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

My problem with Tom and Alfa is that as mentioned above they sell the trucks, including mine, as "practically new", "totally rebuilt", "as close to new as possible", etc etc etc. For what I paid for this truck I shouldn't be seeing rust appearing from under the paint and finding bondo on my floorboards from what appears to be a very poor floor fix.

Then there's the random leaks, the dash lights that don't work correctly, the windshield wipers, the door hinges, the door weatherstripping, rubber, etc etc etc.

It sure seems like they did just enough with my truck to make it look purty until you crawled under it and got eyeball deep in it's innards. Buyer beware so I am not really going to take it further but I am thinking of writing a letter to the Wisconsin DMV/DOT to let them know about a dealership that "misrepresents" and "over represents" their products. I can say for one I was directly lied to by these folks. They seemed nice enough but they saw me coming...

Do a search on here for Alfa...you'll find several posts from the last 6 months or so that went on for a good long time with not so happy customers. Ask IRWFO about his friend's M1009 for instance.

 

[MilitaryRestoration]

I've always gone through Idaho Motor Pool and Alex always stays to his word and never stretches that to make $$....And he always looks for nice/clean trucks to sell...just my 'two cents'...

 

[AJMBLAZER]

That CUCV on Idaho MP's website makes me do a "mental headslap". Even with driving from Idaho it'd be LOTS cheaper than what I paid for mine...