 |
| English: 1997 Ford F-150 XLT (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
If you’re on a tight budget but still want to own a pickup
truck, then one of your best options is to buy used. Used trucks, as long as
you choose carefully, can work just as well as their newer counterparts and are
often much more affordable. When buying used trucks, however, you have to know
how to ask the right questions and what kinds of things to look for. Of course,
even the right questions won’t help you if you’re not dealing with an honest
seller in the first place, so make sure you take care of that before anything
else. Do your research, and only work with used sellers who have a good
reputation.
You’ll always want to find out whether or not the truck in
question was a work or commercial vehicle. If so, then it may have more wear
and tear than a truck that was personally owned. While this doesn’t mean you
can’t buy former commercial trucks, it does mean you need to be even more
selective. Certain parts of the truck, including the tie rods and ball joints,
may need replacing or a little TLC to work as well as you hope. Check out the
truck bed too. If trucks have been regularly protected by truck lids, also
known as tonneau covers, then they will likely have fewer signs of use back
there. If truck lids weren’t used, however, you can expect to see dings and
scratches that may be difficult and expensive to remove. If you do get a truck
with a bed that’s in good shape, keep it that way by buying your own cover;
these are widely available from Auto Truck Depot at affordable prices.
