Possibly going to buy one - what do you think?

[radomirthegreat]

Hello!

I have a somewhat old account that I opened back when Ford got involved with the sales of the shirts & decals. Aside from posting there and reading a couple transmission threads, I'm really new here. I think my profile shows a 92 Aerostar, but I don't have it anymore. We donated that van after the second time it caught on fire.

I'm looking into purchasing a truck, and I'd like to know what you think. Here's the CL ad:
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1954638073.html

I already called the owner yesterday and talked to him about why the price for what it is. He says it has 54K miles on it, but it may be 154K because the odometer doesn't really show much. He bought it three years ago, still in the 50s of thousands of miles, over eBay from a guy in NY so he's not too sure. Does the interior age really well or something? What would be a good indicator of an extra 100K miles? The transmission, I'm told, was broken by someone who can't drive stick.

I simply need a little truck to scoot around, back and forth between my garage and storage place, and possibly college if I take down and rebuild something from another car. Ideally, I'd like to drive my friend up 2 hours with me to look at the truck, believe it's all right to purchase it, and then sell my friend the car and buy the truck with some of the money. This will require a 2-hour trip back, either highway or state road, and I have AAA!

So, finally:
• Any tricks to the brakes, suspension, etc? Something hidden that would show up later?
• What are common places for fuel lines and brake lines to go bad?
• Any common rust areas that should be concerning if rusted?
• What else?

Thanks a whole lot!

 

[BeefStew42791]

check how good of a condition the brake pedal is in, that'll give a good indication of whether or not its 54k or 154k miles.

 

[94xlt4.0]

the truck looks great for its age, the interior if taken care of wears very well, my 1990 bronco 2 is at 162k and the interior looks to be in the same condition as that one but as the previous poster said check the pedals' rubber pads for wear thats a good sign plus the condition of the engine. most of the time you can tell the difference between 50k and 150k by the vacuum lines and wiring harness condition as well. as far as rust i wouldnt know i dont have that issue in southern california but from what i can tell it looks legit

 

[Mark_88]

Hmmmm...looks good, but those are distance shots...

Things I'd recommend:

Firewall - check it and the A pillars for any rust...
Frame - same as above

Crawl under it and have a really good look...if it isn't showing rust, use something sharp to poke about to see if it breaks through...

The brake lines are minor because they can be replaced easily if necessary...but look at the flex lines for cracks...or recent replacement (bonus)...and check the gas tank for rust...especially along the seam...you'll see it...

Other than that...take it for a test drive...up a hill...the 2.3 is not a powerhouse and if you're used to the 3.0 or anything else that is not 4 cylinders then you may be back soon posting about ways to improve the HP...but, then again, there is always the Turbo route...and since it's already fuel injected...you're half way there...

Oh, and welcome back to TRS...