Ok, need some advice from anyone willing to give it.

Visited a local dealership this weekend to inquire about a used 2010 FX4 Supercrew w/ 6.5' box, Luxury Package, Etc. It is what I've been looking for to replace my 99 SCAB. The truck has 38k on it which seems high for a '10, but also means it was probably on the highway alot, and the price seemed a bit low.

Looking at the truck in person, it appeared somewhat rough to me. Minor scuffs, scratches and dings all around, hail damage on the hood and roof from a recent storm, permanent imprints in the leather from probably a car seat, dirty marks on the headliner above the visors, etc.. All cosmetics that I'm sure I could clean up with elbow grease and some TLC. What really concerned me was looking underneath the truck, the undercarriage was pretty packed with mud. Same goes for under the hood.. Clumps of mud & grass here and there, etc..

The truck test drove fine other than a little brake vibration which they said they would fix, but I am still a bit skeptical on this one.. Another thing that caught my eye was that carfax showed a mileage inconsistency, where apparently miles were reported during servicing at a dealer, that were lower than miles reported by another dealership at a previous servicing...

My gut is telling me to walk from this one, but if the mud / cosmetics can be cleaned up nicely (can they really be?), and I can get them down on their price because of all this, this might be a good deal.

I've been a member of the forums for years, and you've helped me fix everything from my disappearing odometer to my 4WD vacuum components. Another Ford friend suggested asking if someone could run an "Oasis" report, to get a service history of the truck, and maybe enlighten things a bit further on exactly what its been through.

Here is the VIN: 1FTFW1EV5AFA48448

Thanks!!

-Chris

 

My personal opinion is to walk away, you are still considering it because its exactly what you want but it sounds like its been abused. There are a lot of 2010 out there that are being traded in for the 2011 do to the new power train set ups. Good luck on your decision.

 

On a dealer lot, I tend to walk from anything that makes me feel slightly uneasy or isn't in like new condition. You just don't want to be finding things for years to come. I guess it all depends on how low of a price it is and what cosmetic condition you're ok with.

 

I really dont see why you should buy this truck. Yes, many of the things you see are "cosmetic things", however they speak to how well the truck was taken care of by the previous owner. Vehicles that look like that also frequently have not received service on the required intervals. Furthermore, I am not sure you should be purchasing a vehicle from a dealer that does not make an attempt to recondition their vehicles before sale. Another bad omen. I would walk, 100% I would walk......

 

I'd RUN from this one if it were me. What kind of 'dealer' is this anyway that
even wants to sell something in that kind of condition. Sounds to me like it's
been buried deep in mud or was under water and mud till not long ago. I've
been looking at 09s and 10s for the past week and believe me there's better
trucks out there. Heck 2012 is just a few weeks away and the prices will be
come down a bit more. Go with your gut, this truck is nothing but trash.

 

Don't even think about it dude. The idiot before you didn't take care of this piece of art at all. You want a truck that was owned by someone that actually took care of his stuff.

 

What part of the country are you in? Cause I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't a truck that was in one of the bad storms that happened a few months back. If the truth were known it might have a salvage title. Somethings strange because somebodys tried to rig the milage.

 

I've made 4 attempts to run that VIN and it comes back as an invalid number
every time.

 

VIN seems to be valid, I can pull the window sticker for it:

http://services.forddirect.fordvehic...FW1EV5AFA48448

I would walk as well. Get a '11 off the lot with all the rebates around might be about the same price. If you want a '10 I will sell you mine, 14k on the odo and clean as the day I got it

 

I checked out some of the Google hits on that VIN - that truck is a hail sale and the asking price is NOT that great. RUN away, don't walk away.

http://www.cars123.com/OrleansFordMe...1-cars123.aspx

 

If its got that much wrong with it, then walk away. Anything with mud packed underneath it is a sign that it's been abused. Walk away sir.

 

You don't need this truck. Not only is the price way too high, they will demand that you sign documentation noting that it is a weather damaged vehicle. More than likely, this is a flood damaged truck and once you've signed off on the hail damage- it's yours and you have zero recourse on any other damages that the truck may have. You probably will be signing a note on the truck at the dealership and it most likely won't be with Ford credit. It will be a secondary lender that is going to want premium insurance and GAP insurance too. I would expect the interest rate to be crazy as well. There's a lot of good trucks out there, this isn't one of them- keep looking.

 

This is why I love this forum so much! Although I haven't posted much, I've been reading posts and learning things on here since 2005, and I value everyones opinions greatly. I'm not going to look back at this one, and like a couple of you mentioned, perhaps with the 12's coming out, I can find another '09-10 with the options I'm looking for but minus the damage and BS for less..

While at this dealer (which I will NEVER return to again after the experience we had), I asked them what they would give me for my 99 SCAB, now listed with a ton of pics here on craigslist: http://buffalo.craigslist.org/cto/2712137618.html

They offered me $2k for my trade, and wouldn't budge on the $26900 asking price of the abused 2010. I felt 2k was a real slap in the face, but I know people always think their vehicles are worth more than they really are too. Am I dreaming at asking $5995 ??

What do you guys think is a fair price?

Thanks as always to everyone for taking the time to read and respond!!

Buying from a fellow forum member is the next best thing to buying new in my mind. Is your '10 a crew cab w/ 6.5' box? Luxury package??

 

Dude, I got $7500 for my 2001 Lariat Scab and I had it towed to the dealer. There was 150,000 on the odo.

 

Sooo, maybe I'm actually not asking enough?

Were you trading it in on a new one? That might make a difference....