Wayne Hyrkas

I live in Michigan and my 05 f150 is complete rusted out. I am thinking about flying to Texas and buying anywhere from a 2009 to 2014 f150. Probably about$15000 and it will have around 120k to 180k miles. I want a truck with absolutely no rust. I have a flexible work schedule and I think flying there and driving a rust free truck home would be fun. Unless I have a blown up engine halfway home.
I know this is subjective and has no real answer- Would a 5.4 with lower miles be more or less prone to a major breakdown than a 5.0 with higher miles? I'm staying away from the Ecoboost because I don't know how to work on them.
Has anyone ever done a fly and buy for $15000? Any advice?



Thanks!

RLXXI

The 5.0 is far and away the better engine in reliability and power. Yes the 5.0 is more powerful than the 5.4. I'd shy away from 11-12 5.0 as they had some with cylinders being oblong causing issues. Best bet is 13-14.
.

JCR 56

Look out! Here comes the Eco guys going apesh!t again. lol

River1

There's a local guy on Craigslist here that makes a living going to the Dallas area and picking up mostly doors from 10th and 11th gen F150's. Every month or 6 weeks he's back on Craigslist with a new offering so he must be doing alright. He'll even accept orders for specific colors if he can get them. Just a suggestion, if you're headed to Texas for a truck, fill the bed up with doors and tailgates to pay for your trip. He's selling the doors with glass, hinges and all the trim and power trim options already installed for $200 to $300 each.

Wayne Hyrkas

Interesting way to make a living refurbishing doors. I don't put many miles on my truck I drive it only 2 or 3 times a week. I don't do much hauling with it either so I'm not overly concerned with power, just reliability. And leather seats and solid sound system😎

2dwoods

Yes get it from honest Charlie's Texas flood vehicles for cheap, beware

marshallr

You don't have to fly all the way to TX to find rust free trucks. Anywhere from Tennessee and farther south will be fine. I'd be looking at 13 or 14 models even if you have to up your budget some. I wouldn't worry about the 3.5 EB. I admit to being a little afraid to go that way 3 years ago when I bought my 2014 with the 5.0. But I've seen enough to convince me the engine is sound. That said there are some advantages to going with the 5.0. #1, for the same money you'll get a newer truck with less miles if you go 5.0 vs 3.5. And while I think the 3.5 is a solid engine, it is a high performance engine that will require a little more expense over time. But for someone who needs the power I think the trade offs are worth it. I don't have any regrets, the 5.0 does what I need my truck to do.

Silver Fiend

My exact thought.

You better be ready to dig into every nook and cranny, under the carpets, inside the frame, etc. LOTS of cars were flooded this past spring across the entire midwest including Texas.

Wayne Hyrkas

I realize Nashville and South of that I could find rust free trucks, the problem is I want leather and a V8. I want to find 2 trucks I'm interested in that are close to each other in case there's some red flags with one of them. This way I won't have to travel another 100-300 miles to another one. I've been searching CarGurus, cars.com, Autotrader, and Edmunds. I may have to up my budget to find more options in the same area

River1

He's a retired guy with some kids around Dallas.