I am new to the board.
I just sold my Wrangler due to the expanding family and its time to get a truck. I found a '03 SuperCrew with 67K on it and am going to go take a look at. I wanted to see if there anything specifically I should look at. Any quirks for that year. Any common problems I should know about.
thanks for your help

 

2003 was last of the body style (not counting the left overs that were taged as 04 heritage)

anyways its gonna be a great truck, check the maintance records on it, coolant, oil, trans, every fluid you can check, check it before you buy it.

what motor? 4x2?

And welcome to the forum, you should learn alot, and learn how to spend mod money effectively
-Patrick

 

Thanks
It is a 5.3 L V8, 4x4, leather, Lariet.
Yah after owning a wanger I am very framilor with "the MOD budget".

 

Its gonna be a 5.4L 5.3 is chevy

sounds like a nice truck, those lariats are the top of the line with all the options

 

Yup your right. I sure fat fingered that one .

 

And it Lariat not Lariet.

Just giving you a hard time. Should be a good truck if it was maintained well.

 

One thing I would check is listening to pinging. Try turning the radio off, HVAC off, and windows up. Then drive it up an on ramp or a hill and listen to a pinging sound that you can typically hear coming out from the dash/vents. It should sound somewhat like a bunch of nails or pennies bouncing around in a bucket...but feint.

Some of the trucks will have that if they were fed crappy gas.

 

Ok now I got fat fingers and I can not spell. Great first impression

With out maintenance records what can I look at. Strait frame, door/body gaps, matching paint. Color of engine oil and transmission fluid. Leaks under the truck...

 

not just color of fluids, but smell and texture! do it all, get your hands dirty. you can look on the trans to see if the pan bolts have been removed, if they look either slightly rounded off, or if they have "scratches" on them from a socket.

And the original factory coolant was a goldish color, so dont be alarmed if you see that.
-Patrick

 

try the 4wd my shift fork was out when i bought mine used but i did try my 4wd and it worked fine when i test drove about a week later it was working intermitinly

 

Hi Riggstoy,

I've owned a 2002 FX4 Supercrew with the 5.4L since new and its been great (69k miles). Other than service records, I'd say ask about ownership records. I've found that the less owners a truck has had, the better. Also, check if there were any recalls on that 2003 model. You'd just want to know whether or not they were done so you can get them addressed. As an example, I know the 2002's and earlier at least had a recall on the cruise control which is a simple fix at the dealership but a fire hazard if left unchecked while using cruise control. I just had this done and it was no biggie.

Funny you mention moving from the wrangler to the supercrew. I did the same years ago and love the truck. But have you considered the new 4dr wranglers new for 2007? They have me considering going back to the wrangler

 

2003 was just about perfect. All the bug were worked out and fortunately, there wasn't a lot of decontenting for F-150's. The 99 Seats were better than my 2003, but almost everything else is equal or better. The only thing i can tihnk of to specificalyl look for is oil leaks around the valve covers. Both my trucks had some, but they did/do not use 1q every 3k miles, so I am not concerned. Other than that, nothing particularily wrong design/recall/TSB wise to look out for. Just the usualy used car shopping inspection.

At 67k miles, you'd be interested in brake service records, spark plug replacement, and shocks. I'd expect brakes to be done already at least once and you'll want to think about new platinum/iridium tipped plugs soon. If the shocks are OEM, they were poor at 0 miles and changing them to a quality once will imrpove ride tremendously. Before starting the truck, check the engien oil, trans fluid, and coolant for funny odors. Then, check the oils again for levels once warmed up. Check air filter cleanliness as the engine bay tend to get dirty with the big wheel well openings.

Get a Carfax report on any used vehicle. Shows major repair work that insurances paid for.

 

Hey Thanks Everyone.
I did run the carfax and it has one owner but looks like the car lot bought it at auction. Not a big deal. So far no major warning flags other then the guy I emailed was kind of a jack a$$.
Going to look at it Saturday so I can get a good look at in the light.
So I got my list of things to look at.
thanks

 

Hey RiggsToy, first off congrats on deciding to go with an F150, you'll be very happy with it, they're great trucks! Just wanted to share my experience with you. I had a 2000 XLT that I loved, unfortunately totaled it. After realizing the huge mistake I made in purchasing a car, I just bought an 04 Screw Lariat. Let me tell you, the 04 rides and handles SO much better than the 00, I can't believe they're the same model. I couldn't be happier with the 04. When I was shopping around at the dealers I was able to get my 04 for less than some of the 03's with the same options on them, I was fortunate. Don't know what your budget is or what prices are like where you are, but you might want to consider the possibility of an 04. Looking back I'm so glad I went the path I did. Best of luck to you!

 

mtracey512 - Yah I have seen the new 4dr wranglers and they look nice. With the tops off remind me of the H1s. There will be a new addition to the family in the future so time for something that has 4 doors but can still make the home depot runs. The Jeep even with the extra space still can not do that. Might have to buy an old CJ to work on for some summer fun.

LRG - I have looked around. I would love a 04 but even at like 15K they are out of my range. Most of the ones I have been looking at are 01's with more miles.

Everyone else - thanks for the input. Been a great help. I will report back tomorrow after I kick the tires.