How to Buy a Used Pickup

Buying a used pickup truck can save you money over buying new. Before you can purchase one, however, you need to know how to find the best deal. Used pickups can suffer from rust and corrosion in and around the truck bed. Depending on the make and model, they can also suffer from known defects. For example, Ford truck owners often find that their vehicles develop power steering pump problems as they get older (the "whining" sound when you turn the steering wheel from side to side). Once you have found a pickup, there are several important things you must check out.

Instructions

1

Check the age of the vehicle. Don't worry too much about when the pickup was built. A pickup truck's age is most accurately measured by the mileage of the vehicle. Because pickup trucks tend to be used for heavy duty applications (such as hauling and towing), you want to look for a pickup truck that has been driven fewer than 100,000 miles.

2

Check the condition of the body. Pickup trucks tend to rust in the wheel wells and in the bed of the truck. Pickup truck owners use the bed for anything from hauling firewood to transporting garbage to the local dump. If there is rust, check to see that it is minimal and that it isn't going to compromise the integrity of the body. For example, any place on the pickup where it has rusted all the way through (you can put your finger through the body) is a bad sign. You want to stay away from vehicles with this kind of rust damage.

3

Check the maintenance schedule. If you do not have access to the truck's maintenance record, request that the vehicle be checked by a skilled mechanic. Ideally, you would like to know that all of the scheduled maintenance has been done on time. For example, oil changes should be done every 3,000 miles, but ever 5,000 miles is acceptable for vehicles newer than 1990. Timing belts should be changed every 65,000 to 100,000 miles, depending on the make and model of your vehicle. Check to make sure that the water pump, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor have been serviced. While the seller may think this is an odd request, all of these things have to be figured in as a cost associated with buying a used pickup.

4

Get a CARFAX report. If the maintenance and age of the vehicle look good, then spend the time (and money) to get a CARFAX report. This will tell you any underlying problems with the pickup (such as whether it has been in an accident).

5

When checking prices, use the Kelly Blue Book valuation model. This is the most commonly used model for pricing all types of vehicles and will give you an accurate idea of what the pickup you are looking at is worth.

6

Get a second opinion. Even with all of the research you can do on your own, you may want to ask other truck owners what their personal experiences are with the make and model of pickup you are looking at. For example, if you are looking at a Chevrolet Silverado, try to locate other Chevy Silverado owners and see what they have to say about the vehicle.