Hi Guys,

I've been shopping around looking for an 01-03 Supercab, I am going to look at one on Thursday night.

It is a 2003 XLT Supercab 4x4 with the 5.4L. It has 150,000 km (~93,000 miles), is apparently in really good shape (and it looks good in the pictures), and hasn't been in any accidents. The guy says he doesn't really use it and works out of town so he commutes in his car. Has only towed his 4 wheeler, but he is the second owner.

This is my first time buying a used car so I'm going to be looking for rust, seeing how the tranny shifts, and making sure the 4x4 works. I am going to ask if I can take the truck to a shop to get a thorough check for mechanical issues that will need addressing.

I don't think the spark plugs have been changed yet so that will need to be done in the next 10,000 miles.

The one thing that sticks out to me, however, is that he bought it from the Ford dealer in town in January and put his ad up to sell it February 18th. That is a pretty quick turn around. He told me he is not really worried about selling the truck, if someone has the cash then he will, but he is in no rush.

He has it up for $10,500 canadian.

Any advice for someone new to the game? I have read through other posts on the forum but I wanted to hear what you guys thought about the guys quick turnover from buying the truck to selling it.

Thanks.

 

For that much money the truck should be near perfect for that year. I would want one that had spent its life stored in a garage. Do a carfax on it and if its not pristine pass..

 

Yeah, it's a little higher than some I've seen for sale but it is still lower than black book value for this area.

Thanks for the input.

 

Up in Canada new vehicles are worth at least 25% more than in the U.S. so used vehicles tend to be about the same value. Also I can guarantee carfax wont come up with anything, its not used up here.

As to why he would sell it. He could have realized that he needlessly bought a truck that he doesn't need, or doesn't want any more. Could be going through a divorce. It's also tax season, might owe the government some money. If you are worried about it, take it to a trusted mechanic or any mechanic for that matter and have them go over it. Ask them to check out the front suspension, brakes all around, condition of fluids in the driveline. get a written estimate that you could haggle with a bit if you still considering it.

 

Yeah, things in general tend to cost more north of the border. There is less selection as well.

I think CarProof works up here like CarFax, so I will throw the VIN in there if I see the truck and am serious about buying.

I will definitely take it to the mechanic I have here to do a full check up so I know what will need to be fixed sooner and later and how much it will cost.

He told me that he bought it and then ended up getting a job about an hour away so he is commuting all week with a small car. He doesn't have much use for it now so he is going to sell it. He doesn't seem to be in too much of a rush to sell, not long after I talked to him on the phone and set up a time to test drive the truck later in the week he took the ad down. I'm not sure why he would do that.

He bought the truck from the Ford dealer in town here who apparently have serviced it its whole life. So I could try and find out some information about the truck through them? I'm not sure how willing they will be to give out information on a truck they sold to someone a couple months ago though.

 

There's a possibility he bought it to flip it and make some bucks.

 

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If it helps, I bought my 2003 F150 Fx4 Lariat about 1.5 years ago, with brand new tires & about 114K miles for $8000 USD. Great truck
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