The undercarriage of this truck is spotless, thr drop in bed liner is listed on the window sticker as an original option. There are two round holes cut in it at the front of the bed to expose the front tie down cleats, and it had stake pocket pop-up chrome tie downs as well. They said I could take it for an overnight test drive which now sounds like a good idea.

I think if I buy it I'm gonna buy the deep transmission pan with drain plug so I can do my own transmission service like I did on my last truck. The downside is I can't easily check the transmission fluid on these new trucks without unbolting something right? The transmission is my only real concern, I can seafoam the motor and cycle the oil but the transmission is the real worry. The truck drove really solid, even back and forth over several sets of railroad tracks. No rattles or squeaks. I didn't test the 4x4 but will on Monday. Love the thought of having auto 4x4 mode so my wife can feel safe driving it in inclement weather. Like I said previously, I'll do 5-7k miles per year on this truck, and the $5k premium to buy a new xlt with warranty vs a fully fully loaded lariat seems silly to me.

How difficult is it to lift up the bed liner? Do I have to undo the bed bolts and take off the bed caps? Maybe I can just undo the rear bolts enough to shine a flashlight under it to inspect for wear?

 

Great deals to be had on 2013 XLT's. You can't beat the new truck feeling, everything is tight, the smell, the fact that it's a clean slate and has no history, shady or otherwise. When I got rid of my lemon 2011 F-150, I was looking at other 2011 F-150's to break even. Every single one I looked at whether it was in great shape or not, raised a red flag. One had an engine replacement, the other had an accident repaired, the third's paint was destroyed from poor cleaning methods, etc. In the end I decided to shell out the extra for a new one. I'm glad this truck is a clean slate, and I can use it how I want to use it.

I don't even know where you're getting the $5,800 difference from. 2013 XLT's are going for under $30k. I'd much rather take the less equipped brand new truck than the loaded used truck with higher miles IMO. You could also find a 2011-2012 FX4 with less miles for almost the same money.

 

Overnight is a good idea. Sounds like the dealer is trying to help where they can. As far as the drop in liner, the one in my previous '11 was just slipped in the bed and secured by the four little tie down thingy's at on the lower portion of the bed sides. The underside of the bed caps holds the top of the liner in place. Nothing was removed from the truck itself, except the tie down thingys. I watched the guys install it, and it looked to be a simple procedure. Taking it out, I don't know though.


As far as the tranny, maybe the dealer will flush it for you free or at a reduced cost. It's worth a shot to ask.

 

It's at an audi dealer, I wouldn't trust them to work on the transmission. The price difference is because without the trade in incentive and trade value, a new XLT (in my area mind you) is 32500. I don't want to trade in my car and commute in the truck, so without the trade, the difference is 27k vs 32500 with me keeping the car in both scenarios.

These deals people speak of for 28k for a brand new XLT is without running boards, backup camera, locking differential, and 3.31 gears with painted wheels. Believe me, I've been looking and haggling with dealers for a month now. I'm not denying a brand new truck would be fantastic but new trucks can have their share of issues as well.

Plus I'm a geek for gadgets and the lariat had everything I want, minus the higher miles of course. The closest I can come is a 2010 lariat with 43k miles with no running boards, backup camera or cooled seats (heated only). Trucks are expensive in my area I guess.

 

I wouldn't be worried about it. Change the spark plugs and the oil and the transmission oil when you get it.

also if it has NAVI, the the guy custom ordered like I ordered mine: by paying more to not get the moon roof.

(In a former life, I was an auto mechanic and I'll never own a car or truck with a moon roof because of the problems they cause).

FWIW, this is a B car in-so-far as wholesale goes. As such it is supposed to retail below book value because of the miles. Smaller dealers tend to gobble up higher mileage cars that aren't that old because they are easy to sell.

 

I think I'd save my money and not get the powertrain warranty. That extra $1700 puts you that much closer to being better off buying new.

I went from a BMW to my XLT and thought I'd miss the nicer stuff that comes with the nicer packages. That really hasn't been the case. In fact at the dealer the other day I was checking out the King Ranch and I wasn't too impressed for how much they charge for it.

Does your spreadsheet factor in residual value?

 

No navi, it has the Lariat plus package with remote start and 6 disc cd/MP3 (no subwoofer), heated/cooled seats, garage door opener, chrome running boards, backup camera, sensors, e-locker, power rear window, lower two tone paint, console shifter, sync, etc. So I guess its missing navigation and moon roof.

Its a hell of a nice truck to be a work truck, the body is clean, paint looked flawless, there weren't even any creases on the drivers seat leather. The ventilated leather on the front of the drivers seat bottom looked like it had threads coming out of each small perforation, but the leather was unblemished, no rips or wear marks. The MSRP from the window sticker was $46,740 US. Were I to buy new, the best I could hope to get this same truck for would be 35k and that's if they wanted to deal on a Lariat. The best deals seem to be on the more mainstream XLT trucks.

I'd also still have to add a bedliner to a new truck, so theres more expense there. Plus the new trucks come with crap tires, this one has new toyo's on it.

I guess I gotta tell my wife to talk me out of buying a new truck again tonight, she made quite a convincing argument a few days ago when I almost came home with a new XLT. BUT, I didn't want to be sleeping in it. At least if I had to sleep in this one, I'd have heated seats .

And that's the other thing, the lariat has power folding mirrors so I could maybe park it in my 8ft wide 3rd bay garage in the winter (standard 2 bay is not deep enough for the 6.5ft bed truck but my 3rd bay is double deep).

 

Me personally would rather have a fully loaded Lariat with high mileage as opposed to a stripped down brand new XLT. If you bought a XLT and added aftermarket options, they are not the same, trust me you would never be happy with add ons, I know I wouldn't. The truck looks and sounds great, the dealer sounds like they are not hiding anything, I don't know any dealers here that would give an overnight test drive, I would go for it and enjoy it. Good luck with your new truck, it sounds like your going for it, I know I would.

 

I just bought a 2010 Lariat Screw 4x4 with 78k miles fully loaded minus nav/roof for $25,500 in the southeast where these trucks always sell at a premium. Found one small problem after I purchased it (inexpensive brake issue). The reason I bought this truck is because my previous truck was an 04 Screw FX4 that I bought with 77k miles and it was awesome. I just sold it with 178k miles for good money. I prefer newer used trucks with highway miles because generally they weren't used for tough work which is noticeable by their excellent condition. The things I evaluated very closely before buying was engine/exhaust noise, idle, braking/wheel balancing, steering, body/paint damage and all features. Be very thorough and test every switch/button including Sync. Stinks to buy a user truck and find something doesn't work after you own it. Before u buy, u have the leverage so use it if need be. Good luck, I think it is a good deal if everything checks out.

 

That's what I've been finding out. Around here, it's a really good deal compared to what some of the older lariats are selling for.

I'm gonna pass on their warranty but will try and get them to throw in a 12 month 12k mile power train warranty into the deal. Definitely going to inspect under the bed liner for abuse to the bed (I'm gonna yank it if I buy it anyway and have one sprayed in). If I can get it for an overnight test drive I will put everything to the test for sure. I only drove it maybe 2 miles through an industrial Park on Saturday because they didn't have a plate on it (we literally took it out of the recon Bay and onto the street), so I still need to get it on the highway and see if the ride is smooth.

They are going to change the oil and pressure test the radiator at my request (steam rising from the radiator at the end the of test drive, most likely water burning off from the engine wash it just had, no smell). They were really honest and up front about the truck, but since it just came in the sales guys hadn't even seen it yet cause it wasn't on the lot. I put 500 bucks down on it to hold it for me cause it really is a good deal for this area with those options. Since I didn't get a proper test drive and the truck wasn't finished yet, they got manager approval and signature to allow my deposit to be fully refundable which I thought was really considerate.