Newest vehicle I've ever purchased

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Chriselalto

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Ill be purchasing a 2017 F150 4x4 soon. It was my work truck that I've driven the last 5.5 years. The most newest vehicle that was "mine" that I have ever owned was a 1999. My wife does drive a 2011 minivan, but thats her car.

The truck has 143k miles. Fleet maintained and a brand new Transmission installed last week. Ill be getting it at wholesale pricing from the fleet administration company, and i could probably easily flip it for a 100% profit. But im not

But its got the updated max payload/tow package, 36 gallon fuel tank and the 5.0. Super crew cab and a 2000 watt inverter wired to run with truck running and 120v outlet in bed.

I spoke to a friend and he didnt seem to understand the situation of the truck. He said its "high mileage". I got the truck at 5 miles on it and the only other person to drive it was a service tech. Maintenance records for every service etc.

Would you be hesitant to purchase a vehicle where you know the full 100% history?
 
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It was grinding from 3-4 and 4-3. a little grind chirp but would still engage. Had metal particles in fluid. They replaced the trans cooler as well.

Also the 6R80 transmission have a known problem with the torque converter. It has a shudder effect going in and out of lock-up. It would cause a similar vibration throughout the truck to a couple 12" subwoofers hitting bass.

I have another new work truck(2022 f150), my last personal vehicle I put 15k miles on it in 3 years. So the f150 should be a good driver for years.
 
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I don't see any issues with buying a fleet maintained vehicle, necessarily. Abused vehicles tend to show abuse in other, more visible, ways than mysterious invisible problems that might crop up because people who abuse their vehicles tend to show that abuse in the general care and maintenance of the vehicle.

If it makes you feel better, take the vehicle to a mechanic/service department of your own choosing, tell them you're looking at buying it and that you would like them to inspect it and point out any issues it may have. They'll be happy to do this and typically it's about an hour of labor, if that. This would, of course, be an out of pocket expense for you and not the people you're buying the vehicle from.

I've never had a problem doing this, either with a seller or a service department.

If nothing else, it'll maybe give you a list of things which might need attention in the future, like brake maintenance, belts/hoses, etc. Normal wear and tear items, which you can work into your budget plant for down the road.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
If nothing else, it'll maybe give you a list of things which might need attention in the future, like brake maintenance, belts/hoses, etc. Normal wear and tear items, which you can work into your budget plant for down the road.
Click to expand...

Generally, if i had a problem or squeak, it got fixed. I cover 7900 sq miles in NC. While i dont touch every Sq mile, ~26k miles a year of mostly "highway" does good justice on suspension components. Not a lot of stop and go unless im rolling through a city.

I've looked at buying old fleet vehicles from auctions before, and i already knew about workers not caring for a vehicle that wasnt theirs. So i was always hesitant on it. But this one does solidify my decision.
 
In the current environment -- where the used car market is very hot and it's getting hard for people to sell new cars -- I would probably be inclined to buy it, flip it for the profit you see, and then buy a new (or lower mileage truck) from an anxious dealer. 143K isn't really high mileage? Well, I guess people may have different ideas about that. It wasn't high mileage in my BMW 530i when I sold it years ago. But for a work truck? Yeah. I don't care how well maintained it is. I think I could do better by flipping it and running away from any issues down the road (no pun intended) -- and cutting a good deal on a new truck with a warranty.

But part of that is what you plan to do with it, how much you plan to use it, how much punishment it will get, and what your ongoing maintenance costs will be compared to a new truck under warranty. I think you really just need to sit down and be honest with yourself in doing the math. It sounds like you view this as "your truck", and as though you've been taking care of it all along and are confident in it and its longevity. If that's true, then the math should make the decision for you. Which makes me wonder why you're asking anyone else. :)
 
2004 Scion XA, the Wife HAD to have. 460 K mile later its still with us, almost all original.. It doesn't have enough HP to hurt itself.
 
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