AQuing

Hello,
I have alway been interested in getting a pickup. I am in general a Ford fan. My auto repair shop has a 1998 F-150 with the 3 doors, 4.6 V8, automatic, I believe it is an XLT trim, 2 tone, not a straight bed. It has over 160K miles on it. Shop owner says he has gone through it and it is a good running truck. Many replaced parts spark plugs, water pump and other stuff, all fluids. He is asking $6000 for it cash. It has been so long since I've purchased a used vehicle (still driving a 97 Corolla purchased new), that I don't know what questions to ask. He says there is no rust underneath, never been in a crash. Outside looks good, no apparent body damage and paint is still holding a shine. Blows cold air (a requirement). He answered that all Ford maintenance has been done on it. He has worked on my car and my wifes for several years......
Any advice will be appreciated.

spyder982

don't know where you are from but that's too high for that old of a vehicle in my neck of the woods. i'd do a hard pass. It would have to be perfect, a 4x4 and with new tires for 6k for me to look at it. for ref I bought a 2001 4x4 supercrew lariat with 132k miles from the original owner with recent tires for 6500 a few years back. given the current truck market, if you don't need one i'd wait for prices to adjust.

dontherogue

I have to agree with spyder, at least based on the description. A couple of questions: 1) what do you mean by "not a straight bed"? 2) while the seller says there is no rust underneath, have you grabbed an old piece of cardboard and checked for yourself? Believe me, it'll be worth it. Also check carefully for rust at the bottom inside of all doors. Unless this '98 is in absolutely mint condition, I would say that $6,000 is quite steep, even in these crazy times. With 160,000 miles, in good shape, I'd say where I live that it would be more in the $4,000 range. Best of luck.

AQuing

Thanks for the heads up on the price ranging, spder982! Wasn't really looking and just came across it this morning. Glad I found you guys on the forum!!

AQuing

Hello dontherogue,
The bed of the truck, I now believe to be a stepside. I might just as well drop it as I really don't know what ot look for and even if there is limited rust it is still too expensive. Again glad I found you all hear on this forum. I was close to the classic definition of "impulse" buying. Is it possible to get solid 4X4 manual trucks from that or earlier era?
Oh and it also has mag wheels and larger tires.
Thanks

dontherogue

I would say that it's certainly possible to get a solid 4x4 10th generation F150 (1997-2003), but as time goes on they're getting harder and harder to find. I have a 1999
XL that only has 100,000 miles on it. It's still solid but of course I can expect to put more money into it the longer I keep it. Overall, I would say they are pretty tough trucks. That said, so much depends on mileage, previous owners' driving and maintenance habits and whether the truck has been driven where they use road salt or not. You just need to look carefully at any truck up for sale and if you're not mechanically inclined, get a friend or even a trusted mechanic to go with you. Personally, I'm happy with factory wheels and rims and don't care about mags or larger tires, but lots of folks on this forum would disagree with me. All comes down to personal taste.

AQuing

Yes, I can see your point, no knowledge doesn't help me