Purchasing forward fleet vehicle
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Purchasing forward fleet vehicle
Just as the title says. I’m looking at purchasing a ford fleet vehicle. It was a registered in Virginia Beach. It’s a 2017 Expedition with 33, 000 miles on it. Then taken to an auction where a local dealer purchased it. Is there anything that I need to be aware of before purchasing a Ford Fleet Vehicle? Are they usually serviced properly?
Thanks,
cm
Thanks,
cm
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If it was a Ford Corporate fleet then probably service was pretty good. If it was a Ford Fleet then it was probably used for street testing, could have been one of the demos that they use for the "Ride and Drive" events at car shows around the country. I would suspect that if it was driven by auto show customers those drives are pretty tightly controlled. Wouldn't hurt to ask but you could be good. Registered in Virginia Beach is a little weird though. That could be a local fleet use, Rental, Government fleet etc... Even as a rental probably did normal scheduled maintenance OLF, etc. Hopefully you can check it out local before purchase. Good Luck keep us posted.
CARFAX Would be your first step. That will give some indication of the previous user.
CARFAX Would be your first step. That will give some indication of the previous user.
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Buy an ESP warranty out as far as you can see.
Driven with the utmost care and professionalism. Or beaten like a rented mule.
Does it still have the OEM tires?
How do the brakes look? Will they let you check the lining thickness? Fronts should be over 50%, rears over 75% at that mileage.
Driven with the utmost care and professionalism. Or beaten like a rented mule.
Does it still have the OEM tires?
How do the brakes look? Will they let you check the lining thickness? Fronts should be over 50%, rears over 75% at that mileage.
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If its an XLT, it was most likely a rental. If it's a Limited or above, it might have been a corporate fleet lease, but these are not hard and fast rules. 33k miles is too many miles for an auto show demo. Rentals are often used for family road trips and can build up more miles. A CarFax report will disclose if the vehicle was a rental.
In general, people don't abuse rentals although some (like the young version of me) do tend to thrash them although driving with your foot on the floor is not gonna hurt a vehicle that much, really.. As 85e suggests, if you can buy an extended warranty with some of the money you're saving by buying a fleet vehicle, it may serve you very well regardless of how the truck was treated. And do check things like brakes and tires for wear that syncs with mileage. If the front brake pads are far gone, it may have been a hard-driven city rental. If they are very slightly worn, it may have been used for road-trip type rental service.
George
In general, people don't abuse rentals although some (like the young version of me) do tend to thrash them although driving with your foot on the floor is not gonna hurt a vehicle that much, really.. As 85e suggests, if you can buy an extended warranty with some of the money you're saving by buying a fleet vehicle, it may serve you very well regardless of how the truck was treated. And do check things like brakes and tires for wear that syncs with mileage. If the front brake pads are far gone, it may have been a hard-driven city rental. If they are very slightly worn, it may have been used for road-trip type rental service.
George
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That makes sense on the rental theory. If I get a rental it is usually for a major road trip. The most likely scenario is winter and even though I am in Texas request 4WD. I usually rent for two reasons 4WD and save my miles. Texas is fine for no snow and destination area might be fine but in the winter any weather could be encountered en route so like to be prepared.
All valid points on CARFAX and extended warranty plans if available. Sounds like a decent deal but do your homework as they say.
All valid points on CARFAX and extended warranty plans if available. Sounds like a decent deal but do your homework as they say.
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