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Hello all, new to the forum and hopefully a new (used) Ford truck owner soon. I've been searching on Craigslist for a few months waiting to find a decent used F150 within my <$5000 budget. I'm not necessarily concerned with year, but which years have the most reliable motors, etc. Hoping to find something not eaten to death with rust, and that was maintained properly by the previous owner(s). Hah, that's what we all want, huh?
What are some red flags I should be aware of when seeing these trucks in person?
Here's one I'm planning to go look at this weekend. It seems like a reasonable asking price, with some decent wiggle room.
1997 Ford F150 4X4 Super Cab. 145,664 Miles on odometer. Runs great for age. New-ish tires. almost completely new front end (Rotors, pads, calipers, tie-rods, bearings) New Radiator installed, new break lines installed, new transmission lines, new windshield installed, new spark plugs installed, new spark plug wires installed, new coils installed. Rear seats fold down flat. I am selling this Truck because I need a heavier duty one to haul grain and farm equipment with. This particular truck was never used to haul grain and farm equipment due to its smaller size. Looking to get $3,500 OBO for it
Looks pretty good. Ask him why he replaced the windshield. If it was because the GEM/Fusebox got wet from a leak and it started doing weird electrical things, see if he replaced the GEM or just let it dry out. I wouldn't let that be a reason for not buying, but something to be aware of.
Looks like bedliner across the bottom. Not looking stock. Covering up rust would be my guess. Look for rust on the inner door seams and at the front and back of the side panel of the box, on the bottom of course. Common spots.
But for a 17 year old truck at 3500, you can't expect show room condition. Seems like a good deal to me, taken care of.
All other car buying pre-inspections apply. You can google around for a list or pay a shop to inspect.
Seems like a good deal. A '97 with 145k miles for 3500. I bought my '97 with 160k miles for 5k. It was at a dealership, but still, I payed 1500 more with 15k more miles than that truck haha. The red flag for me is how much new stuff is. Also, what does this guy constitute as "new"? For me what it comes down to is does it drive good? And is there grease where it doesn't look like it should be.
1999 Ford F-150, 4 wheel drive, dark green in color. Step side short box, after market cd player/radio (face comes off), cruise, power windows & locks, 164,000 miles, Supercharged Triton V8 motor, brush guard, 2 new rear tires, running boards, in EXCELLENT shape inside & out!!!
I agree. An sc would have to be aftermarket or cross over and if it does have one make sure that everything is running correctly. I say this because if I had a sc on a 5.4 I would not want to get rid of it unless it was going bad. Even then I don't think I could part with it.
Some people just say supercharged because that is what they have heard them referred to as (just the people that literally don't care about the vehicle, barley knowing what year it is like my mom).
I am personally not a fan of step sides, but it looks like a nice truck. The 5.4's are strong engines (it could just feel that way for me because I have a 4.6 with 35's on stock gears lol). I would get pictures on the interior / engine too. One way to see if they do take good care of their vehicles or if they just washed it for sale is when you test drive the vehicle, see how clean the door jams are, and just the stuff not a lot of people do because it requires extra effort.
02-13-2015, 09:44 AM
Buying my first F150
