Hey guys,

I am looking at 00/01/02 f150 SuperCrew's with anywhere from 30k to 120k miles on them in the Chicago area. Hoping to spend less than 15 grand.

My wife and I have a Toyota Sequoia right now but she wants a car and I want a truck and the sequoia is just a compromise all the way around.

What are the things that I should look for when buying this truck at this age and miles? Is it reasonable for me to expect a truck with 100k miles on it to be pretty reliable?

Thanks for you time.

Gareth

 

I think it's VERY reasonable to expect reliability out of a high-mileage truck as long as it was taken care of by the previous owner.

We have numerous members here who have achieved and crossed the 100k mark with no problems what so ever. Personally, I had an 01 and had no problems with it at all minus a leaking rear window and a couple of nit-picky cosmetic items (paint issues).

The 01/02/03 SuperCrew was a VERY well made vehicle and you don't hear of too many 'consistent' problems. Sure, all of them will have a here and there problem but, as for consistency, there aren't too many problems.

Best of luck in your decision and welcome to f150online.com!

RP

 

Thanks for you reply and welcome RockPick.

I guess my question is more along the lines of...

Are there any tell tale signs to look out for in checking whether a vehicle has been looked after.

Of course there are some obivous things like cosmetic stuff and service history but does any one have any other tips.

Thanks again.

Gareth

 

The only consistent problems that I have seen come up on the board are noises and vibrations from the rear end, bad ignition coils and brake rotor issues. These are pretty easy to spot, though. The bad coils will cause a rough idle. I've got 95,000 on my 01 and I haven't had one problem with it so far. Best truck I have ever owned. You won't be disappointed. Also, you shouldn't have any problems finding one for less than $15,000.

 

I understand your question now a bit more reeves. Sorry to have rambled on with my response earlier...

I'm not sure about your individual state but many will allow you to contact the previous owner to inquire about any issues that he/she may have had. Kentucky is a state that will allow you to do this and, in turn, it saved me from buying a vehicle that had had some serious drivetrain issues several years ago.

RP

 

Unfortunately, most of the telltale signs of abuse are able to be covered or washed away. You're in Chicago, I lived in Lindenhurst by Six Flags for 3 years, for me I would see if the truck was undercoated. It would tell me the previous owner cared about his/her truck because of all the salt used on the roads in the winter. Depending on the rims the truck has feel them with your hands, on my truck when I started to have the brake rotor problems, I could actually feel the metal deposits left on the rim. The other major trouble I had on my truck was the axle housing seals started leaking evidenced by dark streaks on the outside of my rims. Other than that, just look for the basic used car/ truck problems. I have 77,000+ miles on my truck and going strong.

LT Dan

 

Check for rust on the inside bottom of the doors.

 

I'll type a few things for you to think about.

Years vs miles. You want an engine that was driven long distances rather than short trips. I liike trucks less than two years old with high miles. It will be discounted for the miles, and those miles are more likely to be driven with a warm engine on longer trips.

Check the oil fill cap for moisture. White creamy sludge. Some is normal, but excess is caused by too many short trips.

Brakes tell the story of how a vehicle was driven. Look for excessive brake dust on the rims. If the brake rotors and tires are replaced in less than 30,000 miles that vehcle was driven hard. If they are new at 60,000 you should wonder if they were replaced twice, or just once. The rear drums should answer that question, they will go 50,000 - 100,000.

To see where this vehicle was driven reach under the side of the vehicle under the bottom of the body. There is a lip there that catches road dirt.

Check hitch receiver tube for signs of towing. Some owners don't use it even once. All the weight of a trailer is pulled by that pin, look at the pin's hole, check the chain hangers.

Start the engine and listen to it by the wheel well. Some clicking and clacking is normal injector noise. Too much is piston slap. To feel the engine you can rest your head against the door jam, or seat belt. If this doesn't hurt, this is a smooth running engine.

Make sure you run the A/C, and engage 4x4.

Extra ideas, the fuel filter is on the inside of the rail under the driver door. The manufacture date is on the driver side of the engine and the door sticker. The address and city will tell you where it was driven most. Two tags on the pumpkin means limited slip. The first Screw was an 01, even though they came out early in 00.

 

Rear end whine was a problem, brakes would get used up quick, rough idling in some cases

Other than those these are very good vehicals.....

As for the rusting issue...check on the original warranty....I believe corrosion was an additional couple of years no???? Maybe 5 or 6 yrs