Am I crazy? Are these Ford V6's as good as they say? Is $3000 to much to pay for an 04 XL with 250000 miles on it? It runs great, with no noise from the engine. Should I be worried about the high mileage?

Thanks

 

250k is a lot of miles no matter how well it has been maintained -- not to say you couldn't get more use out of it, but that is just a lot of wear and tear on a vehicle. Personally, I would not drop that kind of money on a vehicle with that high of miles.....

 

Make sure you have some cash or credit left over to repair stuff if it needs it and it probably will need some repairing.

 

I sorta' agree with @Roadie and @ddellwo that you can expect wear and tear problems to pop up - so be prepared with left over case or credit to address them. But modern vehicles can give plenty of serviceable miles beyond 250,000 miles. Random stuff is going to break just like it did in the first 250k. I've never seen one go XXX number of miles and collapse into a huge heap of unmovable junk in the middle of the road. Fix what breaks, just like we all do during the first 250k and keep on going. That's the reason you can buy it for $3,000 instead of $15,000 or $50,000.


Good luck

 

Private party book value with that many miles is only $2000. I wouldn't pay a penny more.

 

250k miles? I wouldn't take it for anything more than $500, that thing is a ticking time bomb. It's like getting married to a girl that is 95 years old, with no inheritance. You can only expect a few years with nothing but trouble, high expenses, and no enjoyment. No win situation.

 

Couple things. First, the 4.2 V6 after 1997 is a very reliable engine. My 2008 has 110k and I've owned it since it had 3 miles on it. Still runs the same.

Second, I'd never pay $3000 for a 2004 with 250k. I'm not sure id even pay $1000.

Third, the 2004 with a V6 you're looking at is the 10th generation (1997-2003) body style. Not the 04-08.

 

Sure is a lot of miles for $3,000. I think for the money, better deals are out there .... but I don't know the maintenance / repair / replaced items / condition of the truck in question .... nor your use habits. Even if it's in top condition for it's age & miles, it's not likely to respond well to abuse. If frame & body are perfect, might make a great project to re-engine down the road but with all the emissions laws that's not a viable plan.

Not a truck, just an example .... I bought a '92 Thunderbird one owner for $3,000 in 2006 that had 131,xxx miles ..... but I had been seeing that car cared for just up the road since new and it came with a new paint job that still shines like new 10 years later and a fresh AOD overhaul .... the owner's husband just talked her into selling it when it looked good again as he did not like "Dark Plum Met with pink accent stripe". The paint & trans cost more than $3K .... been a better deal for her to have just given the car away. I love it though, near 158,xxx now and no leaks and runs like a top, 5.0 is spic & span.

 

I could not have stated it better myself! LOL