Y'all I need some advice. My daughter just turned 16 and we have been looking at vehicles for the inevitable future and just a few days ago as a joke I sent her a pic of an old 1977 C10 long bed that was for sale on the side of the road and she actually thought it was cool as heck but it was way to much of a project for us to take on. You see she's a country girl even more than I realized and she's loving the look of the old single cab truck's, she doesn't seemed phased that she won't have a bunch of technology or even power windows and locks for that matter.

This morning I found a 1996 F150 XL on marketplace in our budget. 100,000 miles inline 6 cylinder, new tires, breaks, break lines, fuel tank and lines. Interior and exterior are in good shape considering the age. It was this persons daily driver for the last 5 years so it's 100% road ready. The price seems fair for a vehicle of its age. They don't have it priced as if it's some sort of highly sought after collectable.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined especially on something this old because I don't have to deal with the new computer/electronics that control all the modern vehicles BUT how much of a money pit would something like this be? Could she legitimately drive a truck like this for 3-4 years with minimal maintenance before she's ready and able to upgrade or should we just be scrapping the idea all together and stick with something more modern? As a comparison we where looking at midsized AWD SUV's that where 10-12 years old with 150,000 miles on them.

 

its a toss up with any vehicle really, you could get a gem or a flaming pile of garbage. the biggest downfall of that era ford trucks was rust, especially in the salt belt

 

Having the gas tanks replaced and brake hardware is a plus to me. SEEMS like maintenance has been kept up. Those are good, dependable motors! You hate electronics, but this vehicle is electronic enough. I would ask if they have replaced the ecm as it’s time for the capacitors to start leaking. Easy fix though if you can solder or find a computer repair store to do it for you. If they aren’t bad yet, I would replace them now as preventative measure. They will fail.

 

That's what has me thinking a decent old truck ain't a horrible idea (if that's what she truly wants). We could have the same problems if not more from the 10-12 year old vehicle as we do the 20 year old vehicle. As far as rust goes the outside looks like less than normal rust but whose to say what the frame looks like.

 

Hate is a strong word it's more like I am hesitant to repair or mess with the electronics because I am afraid off messing up and suddenly my turn signal controls the horn and the break peddle turns the wipers on LOL. I just have never grasped wiring as well as I have grasped other mechanical things.

 

Good news, there are DETAILED threads.. on testing and repairing them! That’s how I started on mine.

 

Get her the 96 with the 4.9
The truck will last so long, her kids will be driving it in 30 more years with the same engine in it if you keep up on oil changes and 1 set of timing gears
Yes, get a spare processor and look for a stator for the distributor (pickup) put capacitors in your current processor (before it starts running like a mexican jumping bean)
Right now, she'd be way happy with any vehicle
The 6 pop F150 will be safe and pretty damn reliable

 

These are great trucks and I would hesitate if its in good condition. 1996 has the advantage of being ODB-II which is a little easier to work on than EEC-IV. You didn't say which transmission it had, I'm not a huge fan of the M5OD.

 

My 95 has the 4.9l and the M5OD. Haven't had any real issues with it in the almost twelve years I have owned it. Had most of the engine seals replaced a couple years ago as a preventive measure, and the mechanic said the inside of the engine looked great! The truck has low miles for a 31-year-old truck at about 256k!! I drive it maybe once or twice a week and it's been very reliable for me. I'll keep it as long as I'm able to drive it, should be another 30 years or so!! Maintenance is key on any vehicle, and especially as they age. Do things according to the schedule, use good quality materials, and like someone earlier said, she'll have the truck for her kids' years in the future!! Good luck!!!

 

Automatic transmission. I believe it’s a 4 speed. Not well versed on the options of the truck just know that from looking at the pictures.