I've been rocking a clapped out 1998 Ford F-150 XLT for my first couple years of truck ownership. But, I have some cash now and am looking for an upgrade. I like the look of the twelfth gens, and I hear good things about the 5.0. I currently have 3 trucks in mind, a 2012 supercrew shortbox, a 2013 supercrew lariat longbox, and a 2013 lariat supercrew shortbox. My first choice is the longbox with the shortest miles, but buying a 5.0 F150 at about 150k miles, what should I be looking for?

 

Check rocker panels for rust.
See how they shift. There were several updates on the trans programming. Look for leaks on the trans leadframe too.
Listen to the engine on cold startups, listening for clattering or valve chatter that doesn't quickly go away. Exhaust plumes can also indicate motor issues.
Short of compression and leak down tests, ask for service records to see if fluids were changed regularly, etc.

 

crawl under it from front to back with a good flashlight, look for rust through, dripping oil, assume what ever is dripping has most likely been ran low to no oil. take pics with your phone while you are under it of oddities to see if normal. carefully review the carfax, I pay attention to the geographical area that the vehicle has lived, a high salted area will have much less life left in the frame, body, etc than a area that has no salt or very low snowfall.

the lariat has dual climate control. if not working one controller is difficult to change, driver side, and the passenger side is real difficult to change. my son paid to have the passenger side changed for around a grand?