Anybody have carfax?

[SC74]

Without paying a 1-time high fee, does anybody have a discount rate to carfax? Found a truck I might go look at but want to get the history before buying. I am willing to reimburse your cost.

Thanks,
Robert

[broncosbybart]

i got a 1 month carfax subscription when i was on the vehicle hunt. that was a couple of years back. there can be some shady characters on craigslist.... mainly got it because I could tell that the nose had been repainted (there was a little overspray by one fender), and wanted to know why. of course the seller had 'no idea.'

[SC74]

I looked at the truck yesterday. They guy selling it is a one-man operation dealer who works it out of his house. He buys all of his cars from the Carmax wholesale auctions and had the AutoCheck report from Carmax. It checked out great. 1999, 2 owner F350 ext. cab 2WD XLT with 104K on it. The first 60K were spent in Mass which concerned me, but Keith and I both crawled all over the truck and it is in EXCELLENT condition inside and out. It has obviously been garage kept. It also has a Banks jake brake system on it ($1,400 system). It has a Harley sticker and the steering wheel cover was Harley so he must have towed an enclosed trailer with his motorcycles with it. It's been in NC from 60K to current. Michelin LTX tires with 60%+ tread, 1 yr old batteries, local Ford dealer just repaired the glow plug relay and fuel/water separator. I talked to the local ford dealership and they agreed it was a very nice truck for being 12 years old. It's also got an aftermarket 48 gallon fuel tank.

It's not the truck I would pick up off the lot if I had multiple to choose from, but when the price is right you can't complain.

[broncosbybart]

Sounds like a good tow rig. If you don't mind me asking, how much? To compare, we just got a 99 SD XLT 4x4 with the 7.3L auto for $8500. It had a few dings in the bed and a 5th wheel attachment, but it was just installed and only towed with a few times. It had 149k on it and had the tranny done at 125 (supposedly- no paperwork). Only thing done to it was a chip. Been to NJ with it and it has given no problems so far. If it is an auto, be sure to snoop around it for any signs of being apart. Any signs of sluggishness going into gear? The trans is the weakest part of the truck.

[SC74]

Broncosbybart - PM sent.

What kind of milage are you getting out of it? I have a mild program from a work truck I used to have that had a 7.3. The trans seemed to shift good on my test drive, but who knows what's been done to it. I guess the unknown is the worst part of buying used.

I am going to service it from head to toe in the near future - trans, rear end, oil, fuel filter, air fiter, etc.

[Timstrk]

Don't flush the trans. Drain and refill. Flushing stirs up the shavings held in the recesses that were designed into the trans to hold them. You could kiss it goodbye within 5K miles of doing it. Oil every 5K miles. 15 qts. Hydraulic/lube rated. Motorcraft filters. Both available at Wallyworld. Fuel filter every 10k miles. Air filter as needed. The torque converter is the weakest part of the system. If it shudders going into overdrive it's toast. Triple disc billet steel about $500. Rear end, 1 gal of 75/140 synthetic lube. ONLY synthetic. It's about $18/qt. Things I've learned. Carry a spare Cam Position Sensor and 10mm socket. About $30. It can be changed hot and not burn yourself.

Tim

[chuzie]

Be careful if you did not retrieve the CARFAX yourself. It is super easy to modify electronic documents these days and a CARFAX report is no exception. Trust no one.

[blazinchuck]

on a side note...carfax aint 100%. Lisa rearending someone with our old dakota, went through the insurance and got it all repaired. 2 yrs later we were selling it and the new guy want a carfax on it...it came back clean. not sure why, but we told the guy what happened anyway. so just cuz it doesnt show up anything, doesnt mean it didnt have a accident

[Timstrk]

In order for the information to show up in a carfax it has to be reported to carfax. If the repair shop, etc does not report there will be no info to be found. Good luck

Tim