I know there are alot of variables here, but theres a 2002 f150 7700 triton v8 for sale locally for 2499. It looks to be in decent shape from pics that I can tell, but the mileage is 290k which is scary.

Ive read that if well maintained these triton motors can last 500k miles. Well I guess that may be said my any motor out there these days, its all a crap shoot.

So my questions is would this be an ok deal if I could get him down to 1800 or 2k? Do these motors typically last long? What about other major components like trans, ac etc. If all is working ok now would you go for it?

Im kinda thinking if it blows in another year or two id have my money out of it and can part it out to recoup some. But still a gamble as it could blow on way home right?

Your thoughts please?

 

I have an 03, not 7700 with the 5.4 with 225,000 on the clock. I bought it 4 years ago with about 210k, I had the trans rebuilt a few years ago because it was tired.
Looking back I should've gone with a reman for half the money and put it in myself. I also had to replace the head gaskets after one failed, when I did that I also put in a new timing set and other wear parts.
Even with those investments, I was below the break even number based on the truck's value.
The truck you described shows a "trade in" value of $3525 here in wisconsin, so I would say it's safe to say even if you had to stick a few bucks into fixing some things it would be a good investment. And the body seems to be in nice condition

 

If it has been maintained, it might last a while longer. But, it would be a crap shoot. Check for leaks. Make sure everything is working properly. There is a multitude of things it could need, wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rod ends, pitman arm, brakes, etc. I wouldn't buy it if I didn't have the resources to spend a few thou on it if it is needed.

 

A couple years ago I got $2500 trade in at a dealer on my old 01 SuperCrew with rotted out rocker panels and 199,900 miles.
The body looks pretty clean. If you could get him under 2k, and everything seems ok mechanically, I'd probably do it. Although I think your wheel choices would be limited if you planned on changing them. It looks like it has the 7 lug wheels.