Ok heres the deal I can buy a 2005 F150 5.4 with 225 k and a 4x4 for 3600 or a 2007 F150 2wd with the 4.2 and 110k for 6000 any thoughts id like use as my daily driver .

 

I had a 5.4 in a 2000 F250 4x4. I wasn't all that impressed with the power or fuel mileage. Has any maintenance been done to the 5.4? i.e. spark plugs replaced, or any of the other common problems that I see reported on these forums?


Right now my daily driver is a 2006 F150XL 2wd with the 4.2/ auto. It just turned 200,000, and all I can verify as far as replaced parts is that I changed sparkplugs and wires when I got the truck a year and a half ago and the water pump last month.


My gas mileage on gravel roads and short trips (less than 7 miles) averages ~16 mpg. Highway mileage is better.


The 4.2 still has cast iron heads and pushrods, so sparkplug changes are easy and no timing belt issues.


Robert

 

With 225k miles you are looking at a lot of other repairs due to wear and tear on the truck overall. Things like ball joints, tie rods, shocks, rear end gears, etc are worn unless they have been replaced. I'd spend the extra $2400 in which case you're buying over 100,000 miles.

 

Do you need 4WD? If you live in an area with lots of wintery weather, you may find that you'll be happier with a 4WD vehicle. Not to say a 4x2 is horrible in snow/winter driving, but a 4x4 is definitely a nice feature to have.

The reason I ask is you're more or less looking at two completely different trucks. Spend some time to find exactly what features you need (4WD, engine size, etc) and then start hunting for a truck that fits that bill. If you're doing a lot of winter driving, want to go off-road, etc, then you're going to find a 4x2 lacking at times.

That being said, between the two trucks you're looking at, it's worth it to spend the extra money on a lower mileage vehicle. 225k is a lot of time on the road, and therefore is a lot of time that you don't know how well it was treated. For the extra money, you're getting a lot more potential life out of a vehicle with lower miles.