Possible new used truck-2008 F150

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I looked a bit at a F150 I saw for sale.
2008 4x4 regular cab long box.
XL trim, so rubber floor and hand crank windows, which is fine by me.
Going by the VIN it has a 4.6, so it shouldn't have any of the 5.4 or 3v issues.
Sign in the window listed:
180,000 miles
New tires
Brakes
Front coils-Ball joints-Control arms-Steering linkage
Spark plugs
New alternator
Runs rough (may need coils)
$4000

Lower corners of the front fenders have small rust holes, and some surface rust in the box. No liner or topper. For a truck in Wisconsin it looked decent to me, even after crawling under it a bit. It does look a lot better than my 94 F150.

Dealer sticker on tailgate is from the local dealer a few miles down the road from where it is parked.

Anything to watch out for in F150s of this vintage? Depending on how it runs, is the price decent?
 
4.6? You'll be fine. All the major stuff has been done, they do have a tendency to break front coil springs so that's good. The running rough could be anything, but I certainly wouldn't offer $4,000 for it. $2,500-$2,800 as-is.

Very few people want a used truck with NO options. You could probably find a XLT or even a Lariat for that price, but then you would have 5.4 issues so I don't recommend that.
 
Make sure you check the inside of the frame from the cab back especially on the gas tank side. Hit it with your fist or a hammer. They like to rot from the inside out. They will look good but be paper thin and huge chunks can come off
 
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It was parked and I looked at it. $4k was the price listed on it. I wouldn't pay $4k as it sits. I would also need to find a topper or bed cover or something to make the bed usable.

Date code on the tires is 2017, so those should be decent.

My 94 F150 is also XL trim with rubber floor and hand crank windows. I use it as a spare vehicle when I need to do truck things. The 94 is getting a bit rotten, so this could be a 14 year newer replacement, with 90 more horsepowers.
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Thank you for where to look for frame rot.

What kind of highway MPGs could I expect? I can get 20 mpg from the 94 F150 driving at a respectable speed (55-60 mph), and my Windstars usually get 20-23 mpg.
 
Check the cab corners for rust too. Checking the frame is also advisable. I broke 1 coil spring on mine, so the fact they are already done is a plus.

The 4.6 is a dog in that vintage of truck. I had two 4.6 powered trucks (a 97 and a 99). Drove 04-08 F150's at work, all with the 4.6, and they were just slow in that truck. Dependable, yes (and much more so than the 3V 5.4 as the miles pile on).

As far as highway MPGs, don't expect anything great. We had 5.4 and 4.6 trucks in the work fleet (my department were all 4.6 engines). They averaged within a 0.5 mpg of each other. Fuelly seems to match that result. Those trucks averaged 14.5 mpg in our fleet.
 
My 2008 F150 is a 4.6 - - - but 2WD.

192,000 miles - the only thing I have ever replaced was the alternator, and the main power window switch.
Everything else is original.

Power is fine - you'll probably drive around unloaded most of the time. 260 HP is much better than the 2004 and under year models.

Regular trans fluid changes keeps the trans alive.

I often pull 8,000 - 10,000 lbs and it does great. I feel it's more "torquier" than the ol' 300-6 from years past.

I get about 17.9 MPG lifetime average. Even pulling a loaded trailer it barely drops into the low 15's. I have seen mid-19's MPG when running zero ethanol and driving under 60 mph. Highway speeds kills the MPG - - stay at 55 mph and you could see 20 mpg.

Mine doesn't use a drop of oil. The dipstick oil level does not move at all in 10,000 miles.
 
I had this plain XL '08 and turned it into an XLT with the addition of stock 18" wheels, chrome bumpers, chrome grille, carpet, power windows and locks, RKE, etc. Can't remember if it already had cloth seats or not but it did when I was done with it.

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Originally Posted by Wagonmaster261
I looked a bit at a F150 I saw for sale.
2008 4x4 regular cab long box.
XL trim, so rubber floor and hand crank windows, which is fine by me.
Going by the VIN it has a 4.6, so it shouldn't have any of the 5.4 or 3v issues.
Sign in the window listed:
180,000 miles
New tires
Brakes
Front coils-Ball joints-Control arms-Steering linkage
Spark plugs
New alternator
Runs rough (may need coils)
$4000

Lower corners of the front fenders have small rust holes, and some surface rust in the box. No liner or topper. For a truck in Wisconsin it looked decent to me, even after crawling under it a bit. It does look a lot better than my 94 F150.

Dealer sticker on tailgate is from the local dealer a few miles down the road from where it is parked.

Anything to watch out for in F150s of this vintage? Depending on how it runs, is the price decent?
 
Can you take the VIN to that dealer and ask if it was ever serviced there?

While you go about this, keep your eyes peeled to see what your '94 will fetch.

Rear spring shackles, rotted gas tank (friend's '97), trans and diff fluids,
 
As for price, that is area dependent. Any 4x4 truck that runs and isn't a complete rot box sells for $3500 here in the Northeast. I'd check prices of similar trucks in your area. I'd rather have the 4.6 vs. the 5.4.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
As for price, that is area dependent. Any 4x4 truck that runs and isn't a complete rot box sells for $3500 here in the Northeast. I'd check prices of similar trucks in your area. I'd rather have the 4.6 vs. the 5.4.



^ Truth.

I'm not sure if emissions and safety inspections are a thing where the OP is from, but this can be more of an issue on an 'aged' vehicle than some rust and wear. EVAP problems, catalyst inefficiency, etc.. Things that can cost more than the truck is worth.
 
Where I am at (Wisconsin) there are no inspections. I live out of the emission test area, so most anything goes.
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My 94 has a few issues:
Water in cab (maybe leaking windshield, feet can get wet in a heavy rain. Rubber floor allows it to run out, carpet would've rotted the floor by now)
Driver's door needs alignment
Tailgate doesn't have much left, outer skin rotted away
Fender wells in box are starting to get holes
Front tank leaks, I haven't used it in the 6 years I've owned it. Back tank is small, 18 gallon, so I don't get much range filling up at half tank.
Leaks oil pretty good, probably oil pan and gasket and side cover
Might have a cracked head (it did get overheated before I put a new radiator in)
Lifter tick (I hope, not something worse)
Fiber cam gear that to my knowledge hasn't been replaced.
Doesn't like to go freeway speeds (70 mph) To be fair, it wasn't designed to go that fast, national speed limit was 55 mph back then, and is comfortable at that speed.


I do have funds available to spend $3k without issue, wouldn't need to go to the credit union or anything.

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