What does this have to do with Supercrew trucks? They weren't even available in 1997 so Tatersalad did not have one.

 

to be honest...It probably didn't need much except for the ball joints. interior & new tires & rims & exhaust were probably hop up stuff. you think that's costing money, try getting married & having kids. Just think...it just keeps getting better. Pretty soon you'll be getting your own place, w/ rent/mortgage, utilities,water etc. you think you have a money pit? When's the last time you had one of "your" appliances repaired. hah.. have you bought groceries lately....uuhhmm..what kind of gas mileage does that 4x4 get?

 

I see that you purchused a jeep, those things last forever if taken care of, especially if you got the 4.0.

I had a 92XJ with the 4.0 the only thing I had to do was get a alignment, and the tires balanced and rotated.

Maybe I've been spoiled with my jeep cherokee, and honda civic, but I think ford F150s suck. I wasn't having to take my jeep/civic to the shop every 3-4 months to get something fixed like I do with this truck. I've put over 2K into this truck in less then a year to keep it running. Now some of that has been regular maintaince, but 2K into any car/truck that's 5 years old is a joke imo.

 

Lose the F150 and get a jeep; problem solved

 

At my shop I fix many more Jeeps then Fords. Sure the 4.0 is a good engine, tends to leak oil here and there. But the body and accessories are the problem.

Good luck

 

Buy a new one and it comes witha warranty.

 

I did not buy my first vehicle until I was 22. It was an old van (a Dodge nevertheless). I had to pay my own insurance and every other thing that went wrong on that vehicle. That vehicle lasted me for three years and I originally paid only $500 for it. I am now 25 and I am just now able to acquire my new truck. I have had to put some work into it, however, it was worth it. As for the Jeep, GOOD LUCK!!

 

not all of us can afford a brand new car/truck. Before all these rebates they are throwing around now, my truck would have cost in the mid to high 30's brand new. A buddy of mine just got a new F150 and paid 32K and had several rebates and deals going for him, so I'm pretty sure mine would have been more then that(32K) new.

At the time I picked up this truck I worked full-time doing security while going to school part-time. I was making decent money, but no where close to being able to buy a brand new truck.

Every other car/truck/suv I've purchused used, has never given me as much trouble as this truck has. I've had 5 DD counting this truck, my first car was given to me, the 2nd was a 92 jeep cherokee(tires balanced and rotated, alignment), the 3rd was a 98 honda civic(changed the brakes), the 4th was a 99 ranger(changed the brakes). It's almost like clock work, every 3-4 months I'm going to need work done on the truck because something has gone wrong.

 

I' had spent more that that on my Bronco when I was that age. Its called like they said above normal wear and tear from aging and you can't tell me you haven't been out rough ridin it!

 

A Jeep for less maintenance???

 

Just reading back through this forum for the 10th time, and I think that Taters F150 may have been flooded at one time, or at least the previous owner towed a boat and had a couple of close calls on the boat ramp. Dirty water can cause some serious damage to a vehicle. I have had to many Fords over the years and rarely had any major problems like Tater did. Of course I write off the new tires and wheels to begin with. I would have done that anyway. The new rear shocks, not so sure about. If the rear were bad, and not the front, I would say the previous owner did some serious hauling. If the stock exhaust had been replaced with an aftermarket not stainless steel version, that would explain that. I used to run my Old Bronco on the beach in Mexico. Got back to the states and hit the car wash. Changed oil in the engine and both diffs. Thought I did everything right until the rust started in the rocker panels. Finally sold it at 100,000 miles. Engine, tranny and diffs were still in good shape and ran strong. But it's all a mute point as Tater has him one fine Jeep now. I'm glad those things never break or he will have to buy a Chevy!!

 

and all 16 years of your experience tells you this even though guys here much older than you all seem to agree that its wear & tear...

 

Well, yes. I have never had a problem with any of my daily driven Jeeps. Even now I would not hesitate to jump into my old CJ5 and drive it anywhere. Our 88 Cherokee never let us down in the 160K miles that we owned it. That being said, I haven't had any problems with any of my Fords either. And I am not easy on any of my vehicles - I just take good care of them.

 

Preventive Maintenance, what a concept!

 

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it