Daffypuck

Ive been shopping for an SS for about 2 years now. One thing Ive noticed is the gap between what folks/dealers are asking for one versus what people are actually paying for them. Also, Im curious as to the grading standard of a vehicle this old and what "perfect", "very clean", "near perfect" and "best truck around" mean to each person. The most recent truck I looked at was an '03 with 132k and 2 owners, although the 2nd owner only had it right at 2 yrs and 14k. It was a very clean truck, very nice underneath and an all around good truck. BUT, the steering wheel had been rewrapped, the drivers seat recovered, yet the drivers armrest had a huge wear point all cracked and degradated. Cosmetically, the exterior looked great from 15 feet, but upon closer inspection, it had a couple of minor clear issues (to be expected, not that big of a deal), had tons of scratches behind door handle, scratches all over the tailgate from probably someone leaning over to grab stuff, and the worst was the bed top edge was heavily worn from the fiberglass cover resting on it and being opened and closed repetitively even to the point of a small spot all the way to the bare metal. Call me too anal, but this was a nice truck for the age and mileage, but the price didnt reflect the product IMO. The dealer was asking 16k for it. I offered 12k, they didnt take it. As I was leaving, they came off the price $1100 to $14,900, which I thought was still too much with that mileage. What have yall paid for your SS's and how many miles and condition of when you bought?

I prefer an AWD/Black. Just when I think I have the fair mkt prices down, I hear contrary. Right now, I found one with 31K for $22500 and then another with 35k for $17k. Thats a pretty big gap. Also, other than normal things, is there anything specific I should look for before buying one?

I have been shopping for a while now to try and pin down the values on these trucks. But it seems to me that the prices are all over the place. Im looking for a low mileage model, so its tough to know where I should start with my offers. I found one with 71k/$15,500, but it sold before I could even pick up the phone. That seemed like a really good deal. Now Ive got my eye on a 33k/$21,500 and a 49k/$23,500 ('03-'04). Based on prices Ive seen, those both seem to be a bit high. I was thinking more around $19,500-$20,500. Some say that those are fair market prices, but Ive seen many with 60k-90k go for $5,000-$7,000 less. Is 20k miles really worth $5,000 more in value??

I dont have an SS, yet, but my 1500 I bought brand new in 05' is pushing 400,000 miles. To this day, It has never left me stranded on the side of the road. The valve guide seals are toast and it knocks pretty bad, but still runs like a champ. Although, I fear it may break on me soon. Who knows. Its been to 31 states and I took an 8,000 mile roadtrip out west in it when it had 278,000 miles on it.