I'm gonna be start looking for a nice super duty. I'm 16, and I'm working 2 jobs this summer to help myself with buying and maintaining the truck. So.. when you are looking a used truck, what are some things you look at? I'll be buying a 5.4, or a 6.8 if I find a good deal. All advice helps, THANKS!!

 

Avoid pre-2000 gas trucks. They are low on power. 2000+ had PI heads and more HP/TQ.

Check for loose/broken exhaust manifold studs.

Check for spark plug thread wear/anti-seize application.

Verify operation of ESOF (4wd).

Drive it, listen while coasting/maintaining speed with no load. Slight adjustments in throttle will divulge clattering from piston slap.

Verify positive torque converter lockup.

IMHO, everything else is minor and can be remedied cheaply.

 

No offense, but the first thing I would ask myself is why I need a SD. At 16 my first truck was a 72 Bronco and it did more than enough for my needs, even though I wanted a 3/4 ton pickup. If you plan on towing, or hauling big loads, then it makes sense. If you want a decent PU, you will get a better deal and probably a newer model with a F150. Otherwise, besides what Thor said, you want to jack up the front end and check the hubs and ball joints for play. They are not easy, nor cheap to replace. Check the steering box output shaft for cracks. I'm on my 3rd SD, they are great trucks but they need attention as they get older.

 

Why a 5.4? My dad has an 08 5.4 that has been nothing but a PITA and it only has 100k miles on it. My first criteria on a used super duty would be to not have a 5.4 in it.

 

My 5.4L has been a great truck. The only non-maintenance issue has been a cracked exhaust manifold at 95k miles.

 

I sold my '08 5.4 about a month ago. It had 175K on it and people were lining up to buy it. It had a few problems, but nothing related to the engine. I wouldn't be afraid of the 5.4 at all, just don't expect it to be a dragster.


You're 16 years old, if you want a SD there's nothing wrong with that. When I was 16 I could have probably bought a used station wagon and had a better car than I ended up with, but how cool would that have been? Get what you want if you can afford it. At your age, this is a big deal.

 

Crawl underneath and check for rust. Bad spots are bed cross members, inner rocker panels, cab corners, and bed side wheel arches. These are especially important if your area gets snow. If the truck has fender flares and stock tires, there is a good chance they are on there to hide bed rot.

Make sure you realize the maintenance costs of the truck before you but it. They are much cheaper than diesel, but much more expensive than my Ranger.

I'd have a mechanic look it over. You want to make sure that the front end is tight.... ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, and u-joints.

I believe 2002 and up have heads with more spark plug threads to avoid the plug blowout issue the earlier trucks had.

Make sure the truck has true load range E tires. Some people like to put load range C or D tires on these trucks because the tire size is the same but the price is way lower. These trucks require load range E on the door tag for a reason.

If you can find a truck with 6 speed instead of the auto, go for it. Its an awesome transmission and a lot of fun to drive.

Check the axle code on the door. Make sure it has a limited slip. The trucks are big and heavy and mine does not fair to well off road with the open rear diff.

Look at the rear gear ratio. If you will be towing, you'd want 4.10 or 4.30 gears with stock tires. If you are not towing, the 3.73s will suffice. I have 3.73s and they are great for highway cruising, but I can really feel a light trailer in the mountains.

Good luck. Feel free to post prospects on here if you want opinions.

 

Take your time, search the web. The perfect truck is out there if you have patience.

 

Lots of good comments in this thread.

I'm really not sure I agree that the limited slip rear is a must. My '04 has 4.10 LS rear and I've been driving it since new. The LS is borderline worthless, I've been stuck or close to stuck quite a few times. My '16 has a locker and THAT is one of the things I was very excited about on the new truck.

For the 5.4l I feel strongly that you should get 4.10 or 4.30 gears. 3.73s are ok if you plan to have a "show" truck but if you're actually going to move any weight around, the lower gear ratio is important. My '16 has 3.73s and with the bigger 6.2l they seem to be fine. I think if you got an earlier truck with the v10 you'd be ok with 3.73s since the HP/torque ratings on the 6.8 are close to the 6.2.

 

Are you prepared to pay 1000-1500 for 4 tires every 40-60K miles. $65-100 per tank full of fuel/gas. 10-12 miles to a gallon fuel economy. 2-3 times the cost to register and insure compared to a smaller lesser vehicle etc...The diesel will be higher maintenance in cost and effort, but with care can go 300K(not in rust belt). The 5.4 can be a royal PITA with spark plug and exhaust manifold problems. Both can have problematic 5R110W trannies. 5K for a new trans. Most everything on these rigs is more costly than say a small pick up, Jeep CJ or Grand Cherokee or a F150.
If you happen to be blessed with deep pockets at 16 go for it. If not you will be working/existing to pay for a truck.

If none if this makes you flinch then take the inspection advice offered here and take along an experienced truck person when test driving and or take it to a trusted truck garage for a thorough inspection. Try to find a truck that has a maintenance history and zero rust. That way you'll have an idea if it was taken care of properly. Then go have it rust proofed using the Krown rust proofing system (@150/year).

What ever vehicle you wind up getting for that all important first ride do yourself a favor and read the owners manual cover to cover. Adhere to the service schedule and you'll get the most out of it if you properly service it and learn theres more to a vehicle than the ignition key and crankcase oil changing to make it last and not leave you on the side of the road...oh ya its costs more to tow too.

 

Buy an economy car and save your money for college tuition.

You'll thank me for the advice in fifteen years.

 

It's a rare 16 year old that can afford such a beast. Good on ya ifn ya can. Doubtful. Not trying to beat up on you.

Assuming you're not writing a check, but will finance - GOOD rule of thumb - take price of truck, divide by three years (36 months); this should be comfortable for you. If not, it's "too much truck". Do not exceed three years payment on anything or you'll be hosed on a semi-permanent basis. Trust Me.

Next, Tax, licensing, annual "registration", insurance, maintenance and repairs gets expensive. Really expensive. Super expensive for young folks. Insurance for young men particularly.

So then people start skipping maintenance and repairs even though they have a seven (7) year note, putting it off, cutting corners... This costs even more in the long run, over just a few years. You have to have money put aside for big purchases - Can you write a check for a $1000 for new tires? Not saying you can't, seen this movie before though.

 

You guys are no fun...

He's living at home, no kid, probably close to 100% disposable income. Yeah it's probably not the "smartest" financial decision he can make, but it won't kill him either.

I've seen older blown-up Super Duties sell for $2000. Personally I have my nice/clean '04 about to go on the market for $7000. I've seen several on dealer lots around here for $8000 which, I assume you'd get a little discount with some negotiating. So, the worst he can do is lose $5k. That would be, buy a truck for $7k, it blows up, sell it for $2k. If he can manage to drive it for 2-3 years before it blows up, it'll be fine. My guess is a well-taken-care-of truck won't completely blow up until it's over 300k miles though.

-J

 

If he can swing the dough that's cool, broke all the time isn't any fun either.