Hi, I've been a Chevy guy from day 1 (my father is one so of coarse I had to be one) and in a couple weeks Im going to have to have me a truck to do some contract labor. Ive been looking at Dodge 1500's and Ford F-150's. Since Ive been around Chevys all my life I dont know what to expect from a Ford. If I do go with a F150 (most likely will), it will be a late 2000'ish regular cab flareside V6 5speed. My question is how reliable are these trucks with high miles, say 80k or so? Thnx for any help..


Ps. Love the site!

 

If it has been well taken care of then it should be very reliable like any truck really. If your buying a used one ask the owner if they have a notebook or log book of all the maintenance they have done. I keep a notebook and record all the maintenance I do to my truck, from oil changes to anything the dealer may do along with all the receipts and/or work orders.

If someone has some type of book that can show you what they have done then it’s a good bet it has been well maintained. As much as I would like to say a used Ford is much better then a used Chevy the fact is it has to do with proper maintenance. There is no reason someone can not get 200,000 – 300,000 plus miles out of a motor.

Good luck and I hope you do get a Ford. Just look it over real good, underneath for rust or damage, engine compartment, just a real good visual inspection.

 

I have 251,000 miles on my 97 4.6 SC 2wd. It has been great. I have well less than $500 in repairs since I've owned the truck, but I do all my own work. If the work was done at a dealer, I'm sure it would have cost at least $1500. My truck has the original engine and transmission, but I had to put new bearings in the rear end at 200,000 miles. I did u-joints at the same time. that's the only major work it has had. Looking at it, you'd be hard pressed to tell if it has 50,000 or more miles.

I'd skip the v-6. It has many more problems than the 4.6 or 5.4. There have been problems with the v-6 leaking coolant into the oil. Look in the v-6 forum for more information, or just spend a little more and get a v-8

 

As far as the 4.2 V6 as long as you stay away from the 97 and 98 you will be fine. They, the 97 and 98 had problems with gaskets and then allowing coolant to leak into the oil pan.

 

I have 2 '97 F150s both with 4.6 V8. One I used as a daily work truck until last year whe I bought the other 97 to be used a a work truck and allow me to trick out my original 97. The original now has 180k with no major drivetrain problems and the work truck has 155k and is the same. I bought it from my brother and knew it was well maintained.
The key to longevity with the Ford as well as anything else, is timely and proper maintenance. If you can be assured that required maintenance and care has been provided, then go for it..............

 

get a 4.6 theyre the most reliable. There are many many 4.6's with 200k+. I saw one on ebay once that had over 450,000 on the stock 4.6 and tranny. Id say theyre pretty reliable if you treat them right

 

97K+ on my 98 4.6, original engine and transmission, as far as I know anyway. I do not think twice before jumping in it and driving 1500 miles at the drop of a hat. It's the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned, and has needed minimal maintenance. Pinion seal, cruise control servo, battery, new doors and tailgate covered by warranty, and spark plugs/wires. None of these things stopped it from starting and driving except the battery, and that just died without warning. Started three times that day, and not the fourth.
Pretty boring, actually. Boring is a good thing, when it comes to vehicle maintenance.
I've never had an engine that could stand up to my foot for long. So far this one has, and has passed every test I put it through. I even towed a 4500 pound truck on a flatbed trailer, no trouble at all. No big deal to anyone else really, but it was the first time I had towed anything bigger than an empty car dolly. That was the second day I had the truck.,,,,98

 

I have talked to a couple of engine mechanics about ford engines and they told me that if you don't get 500,000kms out of a 4.6L there is something wrong.

One mechanic took apart a 4.6L that had 350,000kms on it and he said it looked like it had 50,000kms.

 

I'd agree - look for the 4.6 V8 in a high mileage truck. Probably the most reliable and durable engine of the three offered in these rigs.

Look for any record of maintinence. Even if it isn't complete, any records at all are generally a good sign!

I just sold my '97 last month with over 162,000 on the odometer. Ran like a top. Engine wise, nothing had gone wrong except the alternator gave out at 161,000 miles. Not too shabby...

 

Personally, I wouldn't consider 80,000 mi a 'high mileage' vehicle for a 2000 - that's only 20,000 mi/year. It's higher the banks accepted average of 12k mi/per, but who actually drives less than that?