skydmark1

Hey everyone! It's been quite some time since I've been on the site here. My last Ford was a 1995 F150 ex-cab. I've been driving Jeeps (I'm a bit of a Jeepaholic) since then.

However, my current Grand Cherokee has almost 300k miles on it and is having some electrical issues that I just don't want to deal with so I'm in the market for an affordable F150 ex-cab or crewcab (need room for the kiddies).

I found a 2003 F150 Lariat Crewcab 5.4L about an hour from me for $6000. It only has 122k miles on it which is great for this area. Most vehicles from that year are much closer to 200k.

I'm not familiar with 10th generation F150s and so I'm looking for some opinions about this truck. It's only had 1 owner and sounds like it's in good shape but I haven't made the drive to look at it yet.

If anyone has a minute to take a look and offer up some opinions about it and trouble spots to look at when/if I go look at it, I would greatly appreciate it.

http://www.autoserv.com/used/Ford/20...O_USED_DETAILS

02_Black_On_White

well first off welcome back to the forums!! I took a second to check out the link and the first thing I noticed is they dont seem to want to show any other views besides the front head on and front an angle, no side shots, rear shots, interior shots, which is very skeptical. You probably know already but salesmen are crooks and its easy to put lipstick on a pig. If and thats a big if the truck checks out, no rust, damages, broken components, rips, tears, any of that you've got yourself a good deal and I would go for it. Just to give you an idea I paid 9k for my truck ext cab 5.4 8ft bed with 135 on the tach but it hadn't been undercoated to cover any rust and there were no issues what so ever, ask them if you can take it to your mechanic to get it looked at before buying, I drove mine to my mechanic and told him to check the truck bumper to bumper, came back flawless so I bought it on the spot no questions asked. One of the best purchases I've ever made. These trucks are readily available and there are tons of them out there that are reliable. If I were you I would make the trip, bring a pair of old clothes and crawl from one end to the other and check everything and I mean everything. People oftentimes get screwed and you don't want a lemon! Best of luck!! Hope this helped.

skydmark1

Thanks for the tips. I noticed the lack of photos as well but I'm hoping it's just because they were being lazy. There's a snowbank behind the truck and an embankment. Although you would think that they would pull the truck out and take pictures. They are a pretty high volume dealer for this area.

I definetly will crawl under it and check it out thoroughly. Like you say these trucks are readily available so no need to jump on it. Although a decent one with reasonable mileage is a little more rare around here.

Any particular problem areas to watch out for? Are the frames an issue on these trucks? Parts of the body more prone to rust (they are galvanized bodies aren't they?)

Jabraun98

Definitely give the roof a check. Along with the rocker panels. Both of these places are prone to rust. I didn't even think to check the roof before I bought mine and was left with this little mess.

That was after I removed some paint. Total pain in the butt. But I ended up putting rustolem bed liner on it so now it's like this!

The roof Channels hold water which make rust come up relatively fast. Let us know how it goes!

Red-Ford

I want to know how the hell you get almost 40% off by using that site lol. I paid 5k for my '97 F-150 shortbed extended cab with 160k miles on it, so for a price perspective I would say 6k for that truck is a nice deal.

Ford Fan#1

The only problems are spark plugs blowing out if they weren't torqued right. Also look at the cab corners, rocker panels, and door bottoms. If they have a plastic part of weatherstripping on them they are original doors and everything. If you end up buying it TAKE THOSE WEATHERSTRIPPING PARTS OFF they hold water bad and cause rust ( sadly I figured that out after it started showing signs )

skydmark1

Ok so I drove an hour to go look at this truck today. I got to the dealership and drove the lot but couldn't find the truck. So I went in and asked a salesman. He informed me that it's one of thier wholesale to the public vehicles and they keep it at their body shop down the road. He also informed me they won't give a temperary plate or inspection sticker for it. I decided to go look at it anyway.

I found it on the lot at the body shop and found another salesman. I asked if I could take it for a ride. He said, sure go ahead and take it around the parking lot but stay on the property. I said Whaaaaaaat? You don't have a dealer plate so I can take it down the road. No not for these vehicles, you have to stay on our property.

Ok now I'm thinking this is getting sketchy (and I told him that) but figured if it's a good deal, what the hell. So first thing I notice is the leather interior is pretty well beat, looked more like a 250K mile vehicle. It ran nice and smooth and quiet though. The passenger side had a dent and scrape down the whole side, not huge but noticable. BUT, the nail in the coffin was when I tried to engage 4wd. No go. Told the salesman no thanks and off I went. Waste of a day and $30 worth of gas. Oh well

dopewaffle

iTrader: (-1)

How'd you find a dealership open on a Sunday? Anyways, I bet it was at the body shop because they were repairing the passenger side dent. I would probably walk away too, there are more fish in the sea.

skydmark1

There are actually alot of dealerships open on Sundays in that area. But anyway, they keep all their "wholesale to the public" vehicles at the body shop. Either way, glad I walked. The search continues.

Carcrazygts2

They saw you coming.