New guy here, am looking at a '97 Lariet SC/SS/AT/4.6/6 disk CD/Leather/bedliner/48k mi, for $17,200. Does this seem like an ok deal, and how is the 4.6 vs 5.4? Great board!

 

Hello, and welcome to the boards. It seems about 600 dollars high, but that is good to be at a dealer. If it is not at a dealer, i would offer 16,500 for it, and they sould come down to that. I have a 97 Lariat, pretty much the same specs, and be sure and test drive that truck before you buy. Check the 4wd, see if it is working properly, and if it is, this would be an excellent truck. The 5.4 has more torque, but I have the 4.6 and I tow regularly with it, and I have never had any problems. As for the 5.4 vs. 4.6, and I don't want to start a flame war, but I like the 4.6. The 5.4 is more powerful, but the 4.6 gets better mileage (not a lot, but some anyway), and it is strong enough for anything I have ever needed it for. I am quite satisfied with it, and I think most people on this board are happy with their trucks, and I think that you would be too, and I recommend the truck if you are thinking about it. This is a great resource to stay up on the trucks, and after you buy, you will have a whole bunch of questions, and you can find out anything here.

 

Just a word of warning, used vehicle values are dropping amazingly fast. Some of the Dealers are seeing some models drop dramatically (like $3K in a month).

Just be aware that the values from Edmunds, KBB and NADA are lagging (normal) and that the numbers you have may not be current (they are changing so fast) and it is really hard to tell right now what a dealer might have invested in a used car.