Found Truck Need Advice (Picts)

A friend of mine has this truck that he is selling. It is a 1997 Ford F150 XLT with 4 Wheel drive. It has 170,000 miles on it, but the transmission has been rebuilt and also the rear end so I wont have to worry about that. It does have some damage on the truck where the previous owner sideswiped something and also there is a dent in the front bumper. The interior is in decent condition and all the features work good. It has a strong engine in it, a 4.6 liter Triton V8. He is asking $3500 for it.
What do you on here think?
There is also a list of all the work that has been done to it since new that comes with the truck.
I drove it around and it drives real nice and the 4 wheel drive works nice.
Thanks for all the info and advice.
From Nebraska,
Andrew.

What do I think? I sold a 99 last year for that and it had way less miles and was a 3/4 ton. I think he's pulling your leg. It's got $3500 worth of body damage.

I bought a '97 F150 new with the 4.6 engine. Two wheel drive 4 speed manual trans. Found the 4.6 to be a little underpowered. I think with 4x4 you would be happier with a 5.4. My $.02 worth.

Looks like a $1000 truck to me.

Never ever buy or sell to a friend if you want to keep them as a friend. Never.

$2500 would be enough......if the body was good. then $3500. And its too old to get that much body work done. You would never get your money out of it.

In our experience, the engine is GUTLESS, my sister had one NEW, It wouldn't pull up our driveway with 1X6 boards in the back, had to try and back it up the driveway. Windows kept falling down in it, on the drivers side, basically an all around piece of misfit junk. I have nothing against FORD, I have 3 of them, but this years is not a FORD IMO.BUYER BEWARE. VICTOR& LOU

if you are asking, I think you should keep looking

i'm on my second 97 ferd,(crashed the first) mine have both been the F250 (heavy half) with the 7 bolt wheels, both had the 4.6,AT, both are and were gutless, the one i have now is lower geared which it a bit better,but very disapointing, i'dd stay away unless you could get it for less than 2k

as gutless as they are, my first one crashed out with 230k miles and this one has 240k miles with the trans in it from the first one,

Can"t comment on it as the ones I"ve owned are at least 10 years older than that one. One thing I have heard (((and experienced with a friend who needed some work and brought hos truck to me to do it))))on Ford trucks of that vintage is that with pretty much any major engine work you have to pull the cab of the truck off of the frame do do it because of the way the engine tucks under it so far. Personally I"d find one from the mid to late 80"s. I"ve gotten over 400,000 miles out of an "88 with the 5.0 with no major problems, until it was wrecked, and my current one is an "87 with the 300 straight 6 an dit has nearly 300,000 miles on it with no major problemsto speak of.

I just saw an older one in better shape with half the miles on it for $1800.(Des Moines Craigslist)Not an extended cab but it had the old tried and true 300 straight 6. I'd run, not walk away from that one at $3500.

I suggest you keep your friend as a friend, and NOT buy the truck.
From the NADA site:
Rough Trade-In: $2,650
Rough Trade-in values reflect a vehicle in rough condition. This means a vehicle with significant mechanical defects requiring repairs in order to restore reasonable running condition. Paint, body and wheel surfaces have considerable damage to their finish, which may include dull or faded (oxidized) paint, small to medium size dents, frame damage, rust or obvious signs of previous repairs. Interior reflects above average wear with inoperable equipment, damaged or missing trim and heavily soiled /permanent imperfections on the headliner, carpet and upholstery. Vehicle may have a branded title and un-true mileage. Vehicle will need substantial reconditioning and repair to be made ready for resale. Some existing issues may be difficult to restore. Because individual vehicle condition varies greatly, users of NADAguides.com may need to make independent adjustments for actual vehicle condition.

Average Trade-In: $3,475
Average Trade-In values reflect a vehicle in average condition. This means a vehicle that is mechanically sound, but may require some repairs/servicing to pass all necessary inspections. Paint, body and wheel surfaces have moderate imperfections and an average finish and shine which can be improved with restorative repair. Interior reflects some soiling and wear in relation to vehicle age with all equipment operable or requiring minimal effort to make operable. Vehicle has a clean title history. Vehicle will need a fair degree of reconditioning to be made ready for resale. Because individual vehicle condition varies greatly, users of NADAguides.com may need to make independent adjustments for actual vehicle condition.

Clean Trade-In: $4,175
Clean Trade-In values reflect a vehicle in clean condition. This means a vehicle with no mechanical defects and passes all necessary inspections with ease. Paint, body and wheels have minor surface scratching with a high gloss finish and shine. Interior reflects minimal soiling and wear with all equipment in complete working order. Vehicle has a clean title history. Vehicle will need minimal reconditioning to be made ready for resale. Because individual vehicle condition varies greatly, users of NADAguides.com may need to make independent adjustments for actual vehicle condition.

Clean Retail: $6,450
Clean Retail values reflect a vehicle in clean condition. This means a vehicle with no mechanical defects and passes all necessary inspections with ease. Paint, body and wheels have minor surface scratching with a high gloss finish and shine. Interior reflects minimal soiling and wear with all equipment in complete working order. Vehicle has a clean title history. Because individual vehicle condition varies greatly, users of NADAguides.com may need to make independent adjustments for actual vehicle condition. Note: Vehicles with low mileage that are in exceptionally good condition and/or include a manufacturer certification can be worth a significantly higher value than the Clean Retail price shown.

I bought this 88 Ranger 4WD with the 2.9 and a 5 speed one week ago. Gave $1250 for it, NADA shows it at $2350 low book value. Found it on Craigs List not 10 miles away. Yes it runs and drives great, put about 50 miles on it today. Deals are out there, but not ususally from a friend or relative!

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I bought this 96' F-150 4x4 just yesterday. It has the 4.2 V-6 and auto transmission. It needs the box patched up and rocker panels. Other wise runs and drives real nice. 144,000 miles. Pretty much an overgrown Ranger pick up. A friend of mine had it and could get only offers of less than scrap value, so she told me $300 cash. I figure what I can save on gas instead of driving my 89' F-150 crewcab with 5.0 on a daily basis will pay for this in a year's time. $3,500 sounds plenty steep to me, most Ford trucks from 1995 to 2000 were junk off the showroom floor.

Opn the front doors and you will probably find the lower seam is rusting out. They had a better idea and stopped using the seam sealer for a few years.

Not worth near that much. Keep looking. You are getting hosed by a "friend" and if you buy it in that condition, you will lose the "friend" and most of the money you paid for it. Tom

with that many miles and all that damage he wants way too much for what it is, 3500 will buy a lot nicer truck these days

Would be the best 3500 bucks you never spent. If the guy is serious about asking that money from you (a friend) for it, I wouldn't leave him alone with your dogs, tools or wife. Think I'd prolly just kick his a$$ for considering it and he dam sure wouldn't be sharing any cool ones at my expense.

This is the wrong time of year to buy anything you'll have to work on.


Dave

That truck has been rode hard and put up wet.

I bought a superduty in similar shape only newer for 1500$ a few months ago and it had a power tailgate lift.

The seller would be lucky to get $1800 for it in my area - and that's if it runs perfect. High-mileage 4WD gas-engine 1/2 tons trucks are a "dime a dozen" here in NY. Even Kelley Blue-Book value is only around $2000. Note that just about nothing sells for the high KKB values around here, unless by a dealer who offers warranty and financing.

Note that local trucks tend to be rusty and many 90s trucks sell for less then $1000. But, we also get rust-free trucks here - from down south or out west. I bought my 94 F250 ex-cab, 4WD, turbo-diesel with a gooseneck hitch - all rust free from Colorado - for $2800. Had 160K miles on it.

Beatles - I have to agree with the others. The truck is way over priced. Bow out gracefully.

Like many others have said, I'd pass on that one quick and not look back. Twice or more of what it would be worth in my opinion.