Been in the market for a different truck to use as a daily driver/work/hunting....

Found a '97 F150 4x4 Lariat with 114,000 miles on it.  Fully loaded.  Power everything.  Interior is leather and in absolutely immaculate condition.  

Exterior has a few minor scratches/dings and has a couple small dents in the tailgate.  It has the tow package with Reese reciever and a bedlilner.  

It has the smaller 4.6 liter V8...this motor worth a darn?  Pros/cons?  I kinda liked the idea of the smaller motor w/ gas prices.

The guy is asking $7000 OBO for it...

What do you guys think

Lotta miles on it for that price, but I tend to be biased. The only motors that I trust with high mileage are the Ford 5.0 and the Chevy small blocks.

A smaller engine means little in a truck unless you are in traffic your whole life.

I was in the market for a used pickup a few years ago, and I read where the 1996 F150 was the among the best ever.  In the same book, I seem to remember that the years before and after had some dings against it, but I can't remember...

The bottom line is this:  Forget about brand, color, trim, accessories, year, etc...  When buying a used truck with high mileage, it's ALL ABOUT CONDITION.  

Been here yet, www.kbb.com?

I have a 98 that I drive daily and I love it!

Quoted: Lotta miles on it for that price

 Lots of people say that, and claim to have purchased (or know someone who did) a great truck for $1500 or so, but I've never seen a deal anywhere close to that...  I believe that most are blowing smoke, are buying from relatives, or have significantly lower standards than I have.  7K doesn't sound too bad for a truck it that CONDITION.  The market means far more than the Kelly blue book numbers.

A few years ago when I was shopping for a secondary vehicle (full sized 8 foor bed 4wd truck) I paid 7k for a 1994 GMC K1500 with well over 100,000 on the odo.  I simply couldn't find ANYTHING close to what I wanted for less.  In fact, there were lesser trucks going for more money than that.  The key here is that it was in very good condition, and it had a $1,200 fiberglass shell already installed, something I would have had to buy as an extra.  Was this a dumb move?  Time would tell...  And almost 3 years later it's still serving me well.  I think I won that one...

FYI, the extended cab/crew cab boom has killed the availablity of 8 foot beds on the used market.  

KBB.Com has it at $6980 considering it to be in "good" not "excellent" condition

In my opinion, as a Ford truck guy, two things.

The V8 choices are the 4.6 or the 5.4, they are essentially
the same engine, one just has a longer stroke.

1). The MPG in a truck between the two is identical.  
There is no savings with the smaller engine.

2). The 5.4 is a much better engine in a truck.  Loads of
low-end torque.  The 4.6 makes it's power at higher RPMs,
making it more suited for the Mustangs it is in.

DanM

Too small of an engine.  Keep shopping.

Quoted: Lots of people say that, and claim to have purchased (or know someone who did) a great truck for $1500 or so, but I've never seen a deal anywhere close to that...   I believe that most are blowing smoke, are buying from relatives, or have significantly lower standards than I have.  7K doesn't sound too bad for a truck it that CONDITION.  The market means far more than the Kelly blue book numbers. A few years ago when I was shopping for a secondary vehicle (full sized 8 foor bed 4wd truck) I paid 7k for a 1994 GMC K1500 with well over 100,000 on the odo.  I simply couldn't find ANYTHING close to what I wanted for less.  In fact, there were lesser trucks going for more money than that.  The key here is that it was in very good condition, and it had a $1,200 fiberglass shell already installed, something I would have had to buy as an extra.  Was this a dumb move?  Time would tell...  And almost 3 years later it's still serving me well.  I think I won that one... FYI, the extended cab/crew cab boom has killed the availablity of 8 foot beds on the used market.

Ain't that the truth.  A while back I was looking at a M-38 for 6k.  Like most other responses when I had asked for opinions were along the lines of "My buddy found one in a crate for $300" or " I found one restored for $1200."

I waited for the exact truck I wanted to come along and it did after 3 months: 97 Ford diesel crewcab 4x4. I paid blue book and am happy with it. It had 114K on it, no prob.  Only $80 to fill up at Sept 22 prices.

ETA: post 800!  Yehaaa!

In my area that's not a bad price not a great price but ...

Anyway like Driftpunch said condition condition condition. Pull up Carfax.com for history not perfect but helpful for making a better decision.
I work for a Dodge Dealerships and that's about 2 grand high for a trade in but again condition matters here also.

By the way, the motor is way too small for the truck it would work great in a Mustang but it's too small for a truck, not enough torque for one thing. That  means you'll use more gas for the same power as 5.4L motor.

I'd keep looking.

I think the price is too high.  Two and a half years ago I bought a used 1995 Suburban (2wd) with around 118k miles pretty well loaded and in immaculate shape for $6200 on Ebay.  Given that a truck should cost a but less than an SUV and the prices for all used vehicles and especially trucks/SUVs is down right now I'd say the price is too high.

GunLvr