Hey guys,
Ive found a beautiful black '03 KR F150... Its a supercrew which I love, 4x4, all that jazz...
It has 115k miles on it, which I really dont think is many for a 03! The dealer has it listed for 11,500... Sounds a bit high to me, but I know f150's, nonetheless KR's hold their value VERY well. What do you guys think?
Im hopeful that this will be a christmas present from my parents, and im pushing for it to be a better alternative than spending thousands a year on plane tix (I live in SW FL and go to school in NYC)

 

Sorry, forgot to ask what problems I should also look for in a truck of that age...

 

They really don't have a lot of problems. Try to find out if the spark plugs have been changed. Ask who the previous owner was and call him. Ask if a spark plug has blown out. I put 105k miles on a 2000 4x4 and the only problem I had with it is the passenger side axle seal started leaking at about 80k miles. The traction lok rear had started chattering and needed a lube change for that issue anyway. The seal was less than $10 and the lube was about $50 from the dealer.

My 02 I bought with 69k miles and it now has 129k miles. The AC needs a can of refrigerant once or twice/yr. The spare tire cable broke losing my spare somewhere on the road. The replacement cable has been modified so it won't happen again. And, very recently the driver's side front wheel bearing hub had to be replaced. And recently the half rear door on the driver's side stopped opening. I haven't gotten around to fixing that yet. The overhead console quit working. That might be an easy fix according to the info on this site. Oh, and the heater/AC blower stopped working on the lower speeds and required the resistor to be replace which was easy and cost about $30.
No major problems.
However, flying from FL to NYC is much cheaper than driving a truck!

I think the 97 to 03 F150s are the most reliable ones ever built!

 

Ok that sounds promising! Mostly small stuff with the occasional big thing that needs fixing, but thats not the truck, more the fact that its over 10 years old!
I really think the 97-03's look GREAT when taken care of, especially KR's! Im still hopeful of getting the truck, but im already looking at the endless things I can do to it!
Aside from being a 22 hour drive each way, and costs of gas... It leaves me with a vehicle up here so I can head over to friends houses on the weekends and get into more trouble :P Just like every college kid needs And all of that together in my eyes is "cheaper" than flying! (yes I know I have a weird mentality)

Thanks again!

 

FYI, this is the truck im eyeballin... http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...57405020&Log=0

I think the black KR's look soooooo slick! Yeah the seats could use a bit of love, but im willing to give it!

 

First and foremost CC recall if its eligible
front end wears out about this time because the factory doesn't have zerk fittings
also a recall for illuminated running boards
few interior issues all have repairs documented on this site (overhead display, cluster mileage display, cupholder)
Look very closely at the dash edges the tan dashes are bad about chipping paint

hmmm what else?

 

Pardon my stupidity :P But whats a CC recall?
Are you saying the front end wears out due to mileage? Or just plain age?
These are the things I like to hear to keep my eye out for so please keep em comin!
Thanks again guys for dealing with a noob

 

My 2000 was sold to a friend and it had 170k miles on it when he sold it and it didn't need any front end work. Most of the 105k miles I put on it were highway miles, mostly on the interstate with the cruise set. My 02 at129k miles still has a solid front end. It's always been vibration free. I run Michelins and have them balanced every 10k miles or so.
The truck you are looking at seems to be very nice.

 

Infamous Cruise Control fire where the truck basically can burn to the ground even if its parked. Ford installs a jumper harness inline to the brake switch on the master cylinder.

later 03s were fixed from the factory before they left the factory and are not eligible

 

Ball joints will have play in them around 100k even if they don't make any noise

 

Roadie, I like the sounds of that! Built Ford tough

Patman, would that problem be solved by stopping by the Ford dealer and asking if the truck is still under the recall or if the problem is fixed?
Im relatively mechanically inclined, so I feel confident that I can fix any non-major problem, such as ball joints.. Yea I know its alot of work, but Im a college student... What else am I gonna do aside from work on the truck?! :P

 

Just call a Ford dealer with the VIN and have them run an "oasis" report on it. See if its eligible and if its been done. Also can visually very that the repair is on the truck if they say its been done.

 

Thanks for your help Patman! Ill definitely have that be one of the first things I do if I get my hands on this beauty!
Now maybe you can help me just one more time ;P
Im looking at doing the torsion bar lift, possibly installing an air system with a train horn just for funsies And im still working on coming up with a good sound system, currently thinking 6.5 polk db components in the front and polk db 6x8's in the back... Id like a sub, but the stealthbox is EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!