tomorrow im going to try and set up a time with a guy to look at/ test drive his truck for sale. its an 04 supercab 6.5 with 34xxx miles. what should i be looking for tomorrow? this is the first f150 that i might buy. never had one before

 

suspension parts , upper and lower control arms/ball joints to see if the boots are cracked or they are worn out , tie rods , leaf springs to see if they are worn or cracked , u joints make sure they are tightened , see if the shocks are worn or leaking and also if it has coilovers check those too , rust , inside engine bay , mods , if its 4x4 turn it on and make sure it engages some people dont engage them enough and causes them too sieze up and saying that check the cv boots for cracks or leaks as well as the halfshafts , exhaust leaks if any , axles to see if the seals are good and there are no leaks anywhere on the diff itself, along with the drive shaft u joints , oil pan leaking , tranny leaking , any lines that may show condensation of oil around it just take a quick look at it , and prob can name more but like common things like interior and ask to see if he has keep reciepts for his oil changes and tires being rotates ( check those for un even wear and check the oils to be on the safe side might look like your an idiot but who cares its something you may be driving home ) so it may show you that he has kept up with maintenance on the vehicle. Anything that he may have gotten replaced under warranty and look at the carfax with the vin nunber of the truck . If it ran out get yourself some extended warranty trust me it will be worth it.


Hope this gives you a better idea of what too check and take as long as you want or ask him if you can take it too a mechanic and have them check EVERYTHING to be on the safe side if you dont know exactly what is where and what to look for sense it will be your first f150... rather be safe and make sure things are good before you spend money on something you may have to keep fixing yourself

 

^this is a good summary. What trim is it? XLT, FX4, Lariat, etc...

 

its an xlt. didnt get a chance to check it out today. i called but the guy didnt answer so hopefully he will get back to me

 

Keep us posted.

 

If it's the 5.4 engine ask him if he's changed the plugs. Only having 36k on the clock he probably hasn't. Not that this should deter you from purchasing the truck because they are great trucks, but they do have some issues with plug removal. They're prone to breaking on removal causing possible head removal to extract the plug. Also the 05 5.4's have a extended factory warranty on the fuel injectors. Can't remember if this applies to the 04 model but they can stick open causing a hydro lock situation.

Of course with any vehicle, they all have certain quirks about them. The third brake light is known to leak, no big deal easy fix, window regulators are prone to breaking mainly due to the plastic pieces Ford decided to use, a clunking sound coming from the rear which could be the slip yoke being dried up, poor seat wear on the fabric, also easily fixed w/replacement oem covers.

Check out the TSB's on the top of this site for more info and possible problematic concerns that you may want to look at.

Like I said, they're awesome trucks and w/only 36k on it you'll probably be in pretty good shape. Good luck and post some pics if you get her.

 

also check the gas fill area....I found a few when I was looking that the paint started peeling there. It wasn't rusted,just down to the primer.