Help! Buying my first truck
 

So I've been looking into purchasing a vehicle for the last months. I'm currently looking at a 2011 F-150 Lariat with about 126,000 miles on it. It's a V6 EcoBoost and has a clean one owner CarFax, it's going for 16,000 AS IS, it looks very clean and well maintained. No extended warranty offered or purchased. It would be my daily driver but once I get into college next year I'll drive it even less ( I live on campus) I would buy it cash, the sole reason for me being on the forum is advice, is this a good purchase? I've always been hesitant to buy as is, especially with mileage this high but I like the truck, any advice? Common issues with these trucks and at what mileage do they start breaking down? Also my last purchase was a V8 Touareg which turned out to be a lemon, I've never owned a Ford and I've worked my ass off to be able to save up this amount of money so this is a huge gambit for me as far as getting a good, reliable vehicle. Please keep in mind I'm only 19. All advice is greatly appreciated.

Would not touch an Eco, especially with 126k on it. I would look for a 5.0 powered truck. You can search my ID for my history with a new Eco powered truck.

People here aren't going to like this, but....buy a Tacoma with that cash. You're obviously not buying this to be a work truck or do a lot of hauling, so you don't need the bigger truck. Far more reliable than an F150, just as many aftermarket toys to add on for fun, fits in tiny college parking spots more easily.....Unless you're over 6'4", then you might not fit in it.

I would have to wholeheartedly agree with this advice. Also, I wouldn't take an EcoBoost truck even if it was free. You thought the Toureg was a lemon, you would be wishing you had it back after buying an EcoBoost.

Trust me I've looked for Tacomas all over PA and beyond but the only ones that cheap are pre 2010s with no options at all, probably the base trim. There is only a matte white 2016 4runner which I'm not a fan of either.

I would avoid the 3.5 eco as well...unless you wanna dump more money into it. Look for a 5.0

No offense, but that sounds perfect for a college 19yo that won't drive it much. Regardless, if $16k is your price range, you can find great trucks with better than base options. At least, cars.com seems to think so.

Lots of F150s, too. I agree with everyone else about the 5.0, love mine.

Would def take the Taco over Eco every day of the week and twice on Sunday. However, my 5.0 F150 has been about 99% Flawless to date. Only issue I have had was the Fuse 27 Issue. Dealer installed the kit and all has been good since.

I'll look into the 5.0 thanks to everyone for the advice. Speaking about Tacomas, I rely heavily on my 4WD during the winter months because where I live we get an average of 50 inches of snow per year. All of the cheaper models are RWD.

Remember, you can get a lot of bad advice from not very experienced posters on these type of forums. If you like the truck, get a trusted mechanic or experienced truck owner to look it over. Also, a Ford dealership will check it over.