I recently looked at an 98 f-150 and am unsure about buying it or not. Overall the truck is clean and only has 110k miles on it. it has already had head gaskets done and a new transmission. The owner says he got it from his neighbor and it had been sitting for the last 5 years needing head gaskets. The major thing that concerns me is the amount of rust on the cast steering parts. The steering knuckles and steering box are crusted with heavy rust. The frame and body seem ok. Should this be a worry?

 

No, that's a typical occurrence with an older truck. Knock it down with a wire brush and paint it black if it bugs you.

 

I was thinking the same, but when I look under my 96 that has 208k miles the same parts are no where near as corroded. My gut is telling me to look into this a little further. Especally since the carpet was replaced recently as well. There are a lot of Sandy vehicles being sold around here

 

It just all depends on how they were taken care of before