On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the 2003 XLT I owned met an untimely demise after a deer decided to play "Frogger" while I was driving 50 mph. The damage didn't really look all that bad but from the outset but when the adjuster started tallying it up, it hit the total loss mark quick. And that was without looking under the hood...because...well, the hood wouldn't open. It had a good run though...I bought it in October 2014 with 320,000 miles on it and it went just over a year...ended with 334,000 miles and still had plenty of life left in it had it not been for that deer.

I've been searching the local Craigslist ads for another and once I got the settlement check from insurance, I ramped up the search. I came across one this past weekend that should fit the bill nicely. Another '03 XLT, pretty much identically equipped as my last one, just different wheels and different color inside and out. Also has an extra row of seats.

Going to pay for it this evening, get the title, then go get the tags tomorrow and bring it home. Merry Christmas to me! The only "major" issue it has is that the heat/AC is stuck on defrost mode. It's had new plugs put in in the past year, new hoses, new rear bearings, new brakes, new tires, and new ball joints. I'm hoping it won't have much (if any) problem getting past state inspection to get on the road.

 

Congrats on the new ride, even if the reason for it was a bit unfortunate.

If the new truck has the manual (****) climate controls, being stuck on defrost mode is likely due to a broken vacuum line to the climate control unit. Defrost is the default position, I suppose for safety reasons.

-Rod