As mentioned I am looking to buy a Used 1993 F150 from a used car dealer who claims that the truck has 71k miles on it. Carfax confirms this along with one previous owner. I am skeptical that this truck only has 71k on it though, is it easy to trick these truck into not reading mileage? I have read somewhere about speedo problems around this year of F150. Is there any other way to check into this?

Dealer is asking $2400 for this. 2WD 5.8L Long Box. Im just looking for a work truck to get to home depot and back but I dont want to buy a lemon.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

You can put in a new PSOM and the mileage would start at zero again but when a dealer puts in a new one he will put the old mileage on the new PSOM (or any mileage he wants).

You can swap a PSOM with one in a salvage yard and you will have the mileage that truck had on it.

At one time you could look at the rubber on the brake or throttle and tell but a lot of the dealers replace them now when they go to sell them.

If they let you, you could take it to a shop somewhere and have the truck checked out by someone that knows trucks to find out what shape it is in. This may cost a little but may be worth it.

 

Is the truck clean?

I've got a '84 with 12k, and my grandfather's '94 has only 35'ish, so it is possible.

Adrianspeeder

 

its definately possible to have that low of miles. i know guys with old pickups that strictly drive to church and home and to the grocery store and thats it. my buddies got a 96 f350 460 and it only has 50000 miles on it because he barely has to go anywhere. but it could be like subford said about changing the gauge cluster. my truck right now has just under 270000 miles on it and i got a used cluster and it says my truck has 69,291 miles. did you get to start it and test drive it? if you do get a chance check the air filter for oil. make sure the frame isnt rusted out. surface rust is fine. pretty much check out the basics at least. check tire wear for alignment issues, check for loose steering, look for any signs of accidents. carfax only has info on what they are told. if it was in an accident they may not have been told. my stepmoms pacifica was in that kind of situation.

 

2400 seems a little high, do your research on the blue book value, nada and go form there. is it an xl or xlt. usually if the interior is in good shape not to much wear and tear thats a good indicater. also check under the truck for leaks, oil pan, rear main seal and rear end, if it was driven hard these area's usually show it even if its been cleaned up.remember you need to give yourself buffer just in case there is a problem. you don't want to put more into it then its worth

 

def check the blue book value. tell the dealer you want to have it checked out by a certified pro, if they say no look for a buddy or someone you trust to check it out. if those both fail check for things like this- interior quality, body rust, frame rust, steering feel, ticks or other noises form the engine, pay close attention to whether or not the tranny is ruff when it shifts, look underneath at the floorboards for rust, run it and let it idle and look underneath for leaks, try all heat/ac/pw etc that it has, check the oil and air filter.... the list of things goes on and on. But take this from someone who just spent 2+ months looking for a used truck- if you think its worth it, don't hesitate to buy it. I had 3+ trucks taken right out form under me because I didn't check them out soon enough.

good luck

 

I bought a '94 XLT that only has 69K on it... You could eat out of the engine compartment.

They're out there...

good luck,
fred

 

Compare the seating surfaces between the driver's and passenger side. Get your face down there and see the threads and compare. Also, check the floorboard space on the driver's side with the passenger side. If they're close, then it's probably an orig. mileage truck. Honestly, the difference between a 170K truck and a 70K truck is huge with wear and tear. Plus the dealer really has no benefit to fudging the mileage for the money he'd gain. Get under the truck and look for oil leaks on the tranny, oil pan and rear gear. Find a comprable truck with 170K and you'll see the difference.

 

I bought my 2005 in 2008 with only 8,500 miles on it. At that pace, it would have approx 45K miles on it after 16 years (like your 1993).

I bought mine from an older man in a small town that didn't drive much. Definitely possible.

 

Don't discount the possibility...I've seen plenty of older cars/trucks with low mileage like that. Be sure to give it a GOOD once-over though as others have said. If the mileage is way off, you should be able to tell.