BLS

Opinions...
Hey, looking at a new to me truck and need to know what you guys think. Still got some life left in it or is it about gone? Price???

It's a 1997 F-150 XLT Styleside Supercab, 4x4 w/4.6 V8, overdrive automatic, aluminum wheels, all the bells and whistles. 170K miles. $1500 bucks. Looks pretty good, interior good, runs/drives good, everything works. Rubber... so, so. (can't have everything I guess )

OK, here's what I'm looking for. This truck already has 170K on it so... what's the average life span of a 4.6 liter V8 (aluminum block?) anyway? Oh, there's a tick in the engine he says might be the timing chain. Also, he says it's been having some sort of overheating issue. He just adds antifreeze when it gets hot and it's good to go for a while so... thermostat maybe? Clogged radiator? And how long do those overdrive automatics last? (it's a 4x4) And just a 97 F150 4x4 in general?

Anyhow, I'd rate the overall condition as fair. The truck looks and drives OK. Tranny and electrics all work fine. Glass is good, no chips or cracks. Paint is cracked on the hood but shiny and all there. Interior is good, no holes and fairly clean. Bed is heavily scratched up from use. Small dent above R/tail light lens. No bother there. Headlights very foggy and need polish. Tires, about gone but might get another year out of them. What do you think... $1500 bucks?


Anyhoo, appreciate any and all comments. Thanks
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fizzin_A

The price is good. I would be concerned about the overheating issue and the 'tick' in the engine. If 'he just adds antifreeze and it's good to go for awhile', then where did the old antisneeze go that it needs to be topped off? I would check the cooling system for visible leaks and hope I found one. Take a good look at the oil on the dipstick and make sure it is all oil and doesn't look like coolant is mixed in. I doubt it would be the thermostat. Thermostats these days are typically designed to fail open. It doesn't mean they always do, but the fact that he has to keep adding coolant kind of rules that out.

BLS

Yeah, was just readin' up on these engines. Seems they have a problem with the intake cracking and leaking coolant. Will have to look close for that. And I guess that using the wrong oil and/or filter causes the timing chain guide to break so that might be the "tick" he's talking about. Still, many people brag 300,000 miles on these engines so... might still be worth thinking about. Maybe not for $1500

Red-Ford

My truck used to do an over heating thing where you would drive it for maybe an hour,then the temp would sky rocket. I figured it was the thermostat, so I replaced that, didnt solve the problem, replaced the radiator, didn't solve the problem, then I took it to a mechanic. I had a cracked head gasket.

In any case, my truck is a 1997 F-150 XLT 4x4 automatic trans, short bed, extended cab. The truck was stock when I bought it (I'll add a pic). It had just under 160k miles (by the time I got home it hit 160k). I paid 5k for it. About a month later I found out my ball joints, tirod ends, basically the front end needed to be replaced. After 2k in repairs (including the head gasket) I have a damn good running truck. Right now I have a tick in the engine, I think it is the fan clutch, but I have no clue, it has ran like this for 10 months now. My torque converter is also going out, I bought it like that, there is an occasional stutter between 3rd and 4th gear, nothing too serious. All in all I think I got screwed on my truck, 5k is a fair KBB price, but it has a rebuilt title, and when I bought it I had 2k in repairs, and a trans problem.

I think 1500 is a good price, even if you get screwed like I did you are still under KBB value I think. When looking at my experience, keep in mind I am a 16 year old kid, I don't beat my truck to crap by rock climbing and serious offroading and such, but I do do some dumb things.

All in all, this is my only truck I have experience with, so of course I am going to say it is a good truck lol.

Here is the truck the day I bought it:




And the way it sits today (I am getting a 5" lift installed next week, and in a month or so some fender flares)

BLS

Here is the truck the day I bought it:




And the way it sits today (I am getting a 5" lift installed next week, and in a month or so some fender flares)


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Hey Red-Ford, thanks for the reply, Sorry you had all that trouble but you sure ended up with a nice looking truck Looks/sounds (1st truck except black) like it's the same as the one I'm looking at. Bad head gasket huh. Hmmm, that's not good. And yeah, I don't usually do any rock climbing either. Usually... Make sure you post a pic with that 5" lift. I wanna see that.




Thank again