Hello,

I currently have a 99 Expeditioin 4x2 as a family vehicle with the 5.4L in it and I love it.

I'm looking for a cheap 4x4 for me and I came accross a 1998 F150 ext. cab 4x4 with 175k miles on it. I'm going to look at it today at lunch and I'm wondering if I should stay away from it??? I may be able to get it around $4k.... I do most of maint. myself and I'm trying to rack my brain on what to look at when I get there. When I bought my 99 a few years ago, someone told me that the earlier 5.4L had major problems, but I don't remember the engine dates to stay away from.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

(Just the other day I was going to buy a 98 with the 6cyl in it and I came accross this site. I learned about the 6cyl problems and to keep it short, this board saved me a lot of headaches and money.)

Thanks,
-hpipe

 

theres lots of things to check for when looking at a car to buy:

First I always notice--does it smoke when it cranks?
--Any rust? Check bottoms of doors and other hidden places

--Any odd noises come from the engine while it's running? (ticking, skipping, shuddering, etc)

--Does the transmission shift smoothly?

--Does the suspension feel strong?

--Ask if they have any maintence records on it.

Good luck, im sure that for 4,000, it'll be a good deal!

 

I went and looked...turns out it has the 4.6L insead of the 5.4L. The leather wrapped steering wheel is in pretty bad shape, and the seat is ripped, needs a strong detail job.

I'm wondering how expensive it would be to replace the carpet...it was a work truck.

All in all, it ran good.

I'm still debating...oh, tires are new!

-hpipe

 

i wouldnt spend $4k on a truck with that many miles, and if it was a work truck, i doubt those are highway miles....put 4K down on something a little newer....

 

4.6 would be the motor to buy with high miles. Look in the engines section under the thread "100,000 mile club", , youll see lots of 4.6's with 250,000+ and still running strong.

 

I'm still debating!!! I called the ford dealer that serviced it...tons of records on it....it was brought in religiously ....some of the most recent:
Idle air control motor
brakes/rotors
fuel pump/filter
front/rear shocks
wire from starter to battery
front/rear diff. oil
transfer case...etc etc...

I'm figuring I could drive it all winter and still sell it for what I have in it....

hpipe

 

early 5.4's had a piston slap issue.

97 & 98 V6s have a gasket leak issue. That being said, the V6 is a rock solid motor if you spend the money to replace the head and intake gaskets.


Also, the 4.6 was bench tested to a million miles in its development.

 

Id go for it! Sounds like a good high mileage truck!

 

I bought a high mileage vehicle last year for a bargain price and have been very pleased.

This sounds similiar, well documented, high mileage, good price.

It was a 1998 Toyota 4Runner.
Book was $11,500.
Got it for $5,000 with 202,000 miles on it.
It has had 71 oil changes, so many that the holes for skid plate wore out.

That was last December, now it has 213,000 miles and is the smoothest running vehicle in my driveway.