Buying Used - Need Guidance/ Advice

[bgettel]

Hello All,

New member here. I will soon be buying another vehicle and am considering getting a truck. Long time Ford fan here but have never owned a Ford (or any American-made) truck.

I want a crew cab 4x4. I don't want to spend more than 10 - 15K, so I'm forced into looking for high-mileage trucks in decent shape. I may or may not buy from a dealer. I'm aware that every mfg has or has had issues with rust and such. I'm more concerned about reliability as I don't know these trucks at all.

• What engines have a good reputation in general?
• Is there a certain engine(s) that is/are more reliable than others?
• What do I look out for w/regard to determining if an engine is in good shape?

And pretty much the same as above for the 4x4 drive train. Note that I won't be doing any offroading and very little towing, etc. I mainly want to be able to move around in the snow when I need to.

Thanks in advance.

BG

 

[Rebel4Mo]

Your price range is most likely limit you to well used trucks with high mileage.
I bet many will need some work done if not already done.

Even when I was looking to replace my 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 Cummins 4x4 with a newer used truck in the price range of 40K-50k many had high mileage and seemed over priced.
I ended up buying a new Ford F250 XLT.

I sold my 2001 with 196k kiles for 11K about 4 months ago.It twas on its s second transmission which was acting up and it also needed some front end work.
First transmission was replaced at 164K miles.

 

[Tray Burge]

Depends on what you want a truck for?
Personally, I only wanted a hot rod, muscle truck just to have fun. My wife always complains it wasn't the truck she wanted (she had zero input) and she can't haul anything in it.
I always tell her, you're correct, it's the truck "I" wanted and it hauls ass. lol

 

[suicideking]

If you're not experienced in checking out used vehicles, I would want to take it to a mechanic for inspection. Just tell the mechanic your situation, and that you want it checked out. For starters, you should check the engine, trans, frame (check for rust), brakes, suspension.

I didn't follow the above advice when I bought a used 2011 F150 with 60K miles. It needed a new engine at 65K miles, so I was out an extra $7500. Speculation was that the PO didn't get oil changes often enough, or was towing a load too heavy for the truck to handle.

You could get a warranty, but again, buyer beware. Lot's of warranty companies will tell you 'everything' is covered until you start submitting claims and find out nothing is covered.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Depends on what you want a truck for?
Personally, I only wanted a hot rod, muscle truck just to have fun. My wife always complains it wasn't the truck she wanted (she had zero input) and she can't haul anything in it.
I always tell her, you're correct, it's the truck "I" wanted and it hauls ass. lol