Might buy this pickup; any weak areas to look for?

[Idaho45guy]

Drove down to the family cabin last week and took a shortcut on a rural road and spied a really nice pickup at the end of a farmer's drive with a cardboard "for sale" sign in the window.

It's one of my favorite years for Ford pickups, and it was incredibly clean. Price seems fair.

My only hesitations about it are...

1. It's 2wd. Now, around here, 2wd pickups are hard to sell. They are useless in the winter, and nearly useless in the mountains. But, I will be using it for a daily driver on a rural highway and for occasional light hauling duties to the dump and home improvement store. I really don't need 4wd. Besides, I will still have my new 4Runner for going into the mountains and for camping.

2. It's got 134k miles. Low miles for a `95, but still enough that it could be about due for a major repair.

3. It's got holes in the bed where a 5th wheel hitch was installed. Meaning, it was used for towing something relatively substantial. Might mean accelerated wear on the transmission and rest of the drivetrain.

No idea what motor it has. It's a `95 F-150 XLT supercab longbed and it about as clean as you're going to find one. Absolutely beautiful pickup.

Price is $2900. NADA price is between $1800 and $3100. If I like what I see, figured I'd offer $2500 cash and walk if he didn't take it.

My question is, are there any weak areas I should be concerned about with these pickups? I had a `92 F250 supercab 4wd that was flawless and never gave me any issues. Great pickup.

No salt on the roads around here, so no issues with rust. The dang thing looks nearly new...

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[metricmonkeywrench]

Can’t help on the truck, but the 5th wheel mount may have been used for a gooseneck hitch setup for a horse trailer.

[cwtebay]

I bought a new one off the lot in January '95. (Had a 302 in it if I recall) Owned it for 3 years. The biggest problems I can recall was that the heater was TERRIBLE!! And that I had to replace the power steering pump 2 or maybe 3 times. I recall the dealer saying that these were common problems with that model year.
Sidenote - my first vehicle was a '68 F150 two wheel drive - I took that thing everywhere! A set of chains took me wherever I ever needed to go! I've owned around 20 +/- F150's and they all have their issues.

p.s. always figure out why someone has a two wheel drive in mountain country - especially with a gooseneck in the bed. Those miles could have been easy highway miles pulling a 1200# camper - or it could have been pulling heavy loads over mountain passes. Transmission issues or drivetrain problems from people treating a half ton like a Freightliner are ubiquitous in used trucks.

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[Petrol & Powder]

As 1995 it could have the 300ci, (4.9 L) straight 6 engine, which is bullet proof. As a XLT model and with a fifth wheel hitch at one point, it was likely equipped with a 302 or 351. Diesels were available it those years, so that's also a possibility.

A 25 year old truck with 134K miles (assuming that's the real mileage) probably wasn't used much. I would really take a good look for signs of higher mileage (worn pedal covers, replaced seats, axle seals leaking, etc.)

Vehicles that are driven occasionally and sit a lot tend to have exhaust systems rot off, water in fuel systems and mice love to live in the interiors.

All of that being said, at $2500 it could be a cheap spare vehicle that can haul trash, carry gas cans to the station, pick up lumber, etc.
If it needs any major parts (like say 4 tires and a transmission) I would walk away because at $3500 it is no longer a bargain.

[NyFirefighter357]

https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/1...sumer-reviews/

https://www.carsforsale.com/1995-for...r-sale-C122605

[richhodg66]

Nice looking truck. I'd have expected rust for that age anywhere there's snow?

[Three44s]

Though it is not a substitute for 4 wheel drive, a 2 wheel drive changed to a limited slip or a more aggressive differential is fairly effective. A lot of 2 wheelers came out from the factory already with enhanced diffs ... that is a possibility.

I would however question the use of a 150 being used as a fifth wheel puller. I would look at just how much trailer they pulled with it and how they loaded it vs what transmission it has.

You might offer to do a trans filter and oil change just to see how dark it is and what is in the filter.

Three44s

[Handloader109]

Brother still has a 92 with diesel in it and works fine. I would bet it might have a diesel as a fifth wheel couldn't tow much with the 6 cylinder, nor even the gas 8 would be limited.
It predates the powerstroke which I think was '96. So no badge for a diesel would be expected. Looks good, even $2900 isn't bad no matter.

[PNW_Steve]

A note on the fifth wheel hitch.

I have them in my trucks. I use mine like most 5er owners. Either one big trip a year or a handful of short ones. The most miles I have racked towing my trailer in one year is about 6000 miles. The added wear from towing is negligible. Last year I made around six trips towing and covered less than 1000 miles total.

Don't let the fifth wheel hitch run you off. Just do your due diligence.

[lightman]

I don't know about ant specific issues with that year model. Two red flags for me would be the word "farm" and the hitch. Around here farm trucks get used hard and everyone knows to not buy a used one. Heavy use in extremely dusty conditions, extended idle times, hauling loads not intended for a half ton truck, ect. But its hard to hide farm use. A really good detail shop can get rid of most of the dirt but look in hidden places for lots of dirt. Inside the gas tank filler door, inside the gas tank filler itself, under the hood, down in the defroster vents, ect. Pull the transmission dip stick out and smell the oil. On the other hand this truck may have been the Farmers Wife's grocery getter and Kiddy hauler! If so, it may have led a charmed life.

And as suggested, find out what kind of trailer they pulled and how much they pulled it. And is the hitch a gooseneck ball or a 5th wheel hitch. If its a gooseneck ball theres no telling what was hooked to it. If its a 5th wheel hitch it was probably a smaller trailer. A larger trailer would have had too much tongue weight for a half ton truck.

It looks like nice clean truck.

[lightman]

Erased double post.

[Chad5005]

95 will be 4.9 6 cyl,302 or 351w.diesels only came f250 and up,transmission could be 5spd,e4od automatic.if automatic look on the end of shifter nob for overdrive light flashing when driving,if flashing trans needs work.heater cores are terrible about leaking or clogging up.no heat.other than that they were great trucks

[downzero]

A 5th wheel hitch of any kind in a 1/2 ton truck is going to be VERY hard on the rear axle and suspension. I would significantly reduce what you're willing to pay as a result.

Personally, I find those Fords to be excessively complicated under the hood. They are much harder to work on than GM trucks from the same era.

If it runs and drives good for $15-1800, you can probably get a lot of years out of it. I would NOT pay $2500 for a 25 year old 1/2 ton truck with a 5th wheel hitch having been installed in it. The 8.8" Ford rear diff is actually pretty solid, but not when massively overloaded with the pin weight of a 5th wheel.

For reference, 1/2 ton trucks generally have 1200-1500 pounds of payload, which includes the total weight of all passengers and anything carried by the truck. My 5th wheel has 2200 pounds of pin weight when empty, which means that the truck you're talking about would be 100% overloaded if all I did was hitch my empty 5th wheel to it and get inside.

[MT Gianni]

In my area an F150 as a farm truck would be a daily driver to town and back or the wifes for parts runs. I would expect even in N Id or E Wa a 350 would be on any farm. As such I would also suspect the 5th wheel hitch was to a first or second owner, not the current one.

[Winger Ed.]

I'd like to see the gooseneck trailer it pulled, and look at the hitch and make a value judgement on how worn it looked.
If it looks and rides well, I'd buy it for $2500.

Then, change every fluid on it from one end to the other, the fuel filter, grease the front wheel bearing,
change the belt & pulley wheels, and maybe the shocks, cab mount rubber bushings, brakes & tires.

I've done that with a couple of older trucks, then had almost none of the 'mid-life crisis' problems for years to come.

[Petrol & Powder]

$2500 for 95 F-150 with 134K miles wouldn't scare me.
$2500 for a 25 year old truck that had 200K miles on it with an instrument cluster that showed 134K would bother me.
$2500 for a 25 year old truck that needed 4 tires, brakes, belts, ball joints, U-joints, a wiper motor, alternator, power steering pump and exhaust pipes from the manifolds back.........would really upset me.

Caveat Emptor

[Mk42gunner]

I've had three 95 F-150's. One six cylinder two wheel drive, two 302 4x4. The first one my daughter wrecked 22 days after we got it, black ice on a bridge.

If it has a five speed the clutch slave cylinder is a weak point. It is concentric so you have to pull the transmission to replace it. Also there are three rubber plugs at the rear of the shift tower that should be replaced with metal ones while the tranny is out, otherwise the tranny fluid can seep out unnoticed and then you have real problems.

Check the front spring towers for corrosion. Some of them were riveted on with space between the frame and the tower, allowing dust salt moisture or whatever to sit there and cause problems.

I don't really like automatic transmissions, but the one I am driving now works without any problems.

The PSOM (speedometer to you and me) can go bad and cause all kinds of drivability issues.

The heater has worked okay on mine, the AC tends to leak refrigerant.

Bottom line is they are good trucks. I gave $2200 for the one I have now, an Eddie Bauer 4x4 regular cab long bed with 136K miles.

Robert

[Idaho45guy]

Prices on used pickups are pretty ridiculous around here. Anything under $5k is typically worn out garbage, so finding a really clean one for $2500 is very rare.

I've been wanting a `66 F-100 for years, but every time one pops up in my price range, it is in pretty bad shape. I almost bought a nice clean `69 F-100 last year that was driveable and nice original condition for $5k.

I've pretty much given up on finding a classic truck as a daily driver for under $8k. Ridiculous.

[Bwana John]

F250, 4wd with 460 gas or 7.3 diesel, yes. Otherwise wait.

[Petrol & Powder]

Prices on used pickups are pretty ridiculous around here. Anything under $5k is typically worn out garbage, so finding a really clean one for $2500 is very rare................
.

If the norm in your area is $5K + , all the more reason to scrutinize a clean one at half that price.