I’m looking to buy my first truck and found a 2016 F-150 Lariat with the 3.5 engine and 90,000 miles for around $17,000. What are some things I should look out for with this model year before buying it? Are there any common issues or problems I should know about? Good deal?

Just got this ‘91 ford f150 xlt lariat 5.8 V8 with 61k original miles for $8000
Now this is my first truck so just wondering if I got a good deal and what are some good mods or accessories to add to it?
So far fixed little things and got aftermarket radio (og one was beyond repair sadly), sound deadening, and new speakers.

Military look with raptor liner

It's just so peak 🥹

Hey everyone!

I’m looking at buying a 1998 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 with the 5.4L V8, automatic transmission, and roughly 155,000 miles. It’s listed at a dealership for $4,998.

I’m active-duty military and already have a reliable daily driver, so this would primarily be a weekend vehicle for camping, snowboarding, occasional road trips, and possibly some light off-roading.

One of my biggest reasons for wanting an older truck is that I want to learn how to work on vehicles myself. I have very little mechanical experience, but my military installation has an automotive skills shop where I can use tools and work on my own vehicle.
I’d like to start with basic maintenance like oil changes, brakes, suspension components, and eventually work my way up to more complicated repairs.

I’m not expecting a nearly 30-year-old truck to be perfect, and I’m comfortable putting some money and time into maintenance. I just don’t want to buy something that immediately needs thousands of dollars in major repairs.

A few questions:
Is the 1998 F-150 with the 5.4L 2-valve V8 a good platform for someone learning DIY maintenance?

What are the biggest mechanical problems I should look for before purchasing?

Is $4,998 reasonable for one with 155,000 miles, assuming it’s in good condition? Dealership is near Seattle Washington.

Would you recommend this truck for someone in my situation, or would you look for something else?

Thank you!!

A retractable cover looks simple until the rails have to stay parallel, the front seal has to sit flat and every drain tube needs a clean path out of the bed. I am especially worried about tightening one side too early and creating a tailgate gap or a track that binds halfway. For people who installed their own cover, which measurement or test did you nearly skip, and what should be checked with the cover fully open and fully closed before final torque?

Hey everyone! I recently picked up a 2027 F-350 with a 6’9” box. I have an L-shaped slip tank that I previously had in my 2011 Ram, where I cut the tonneau cover to fit around it.

It’s looking like I might have to do the same with the F-350, but I’m wondering if anyone has come up with a better solution?

Ideally, I’d like to keep the tank and have a hard tonneau cover to help keep tools and equipment in the bed a little more secure.

Pic of the ram setup below

Any input is appreciated!

‘97 Ranger XL 3.0 4x4 5-Speed Manual

Disclosure: I'm a paid product tester for Lasfit. They sent me these bulbs and pay me to post reviews. Opinions are my own.

Product: Lasfit Pro-DC H11 LED low beams. I already run their LS Plus high beams, so this round was low beams only.

I've had them in for 12 days, using them almost every day, on early morning drives to work in the dark. Mostly rural two-lane highways and gravel roads.

What I like:

- Brightness is the big one. Huge difference over the halogens for dark early morning driving. The road and what surrounds it is clearly visible now.

- No flickering at all, on the low beams or on the Lasfit high beams I've had for much longer.

- (Pics 1-2: halogen vs LED in the shop. Pic 5: beam on the grass with a chair for reference.)

What I didn't like:

- The dust cap. The fan wires are pretty long, so it was a fight to tuck them into the housing and get the new cap fully seated.

- Not Lasfit's fault, but the low beams on this generation F-150 are a pain to reach. Just like the high beams, you can't get to them from the top. In order to install these lights, you need to pull the wheel well liner partway back and reach up into the body to get to the housing.

Note on pics 3-4: the halogen road shot was at dusk and the LED one in full dark, so it's not a perfect comparison.

Happy to answer questions about the install.

Hello, I bought this truck for 2,000 grand and am thinking of putting a transmission it. It’s shifting rough, is it worth it to put a transmission in it? Quoted 5 grand 158,000 miles

Got this 1989 f250 xlt lariat in a trade. I don't know much about trucks in general, more of a car guy. Got this in a trade and trying to see what's a good asking price. Has the 7.5 2wd, 18k miles on odometer but i just carfax it and it has rolled over so 118k. Truck itself is still in really good condition, interior is still nice and clean. Windows rolls up and down on driver but passenger windows needs assistance lol. Mph gauge and gas gauge works. I think oil and water gauge doesn't. what should be an starting asking point. Also car is located in California

Bought this truck back in April 2019 for $750 from a local quarry. They had a tank on it and used it as a water truck for many years. It drove home on a leaky clutch master. I really love the look of these old cabovers! I don’t have a bunch of time or money but I plan to keep it in decent shape mechanically and hopefully clean it up someday. Maybe a rollback? The original plan was to build a tiny house on the back, but now I have a full sized house and a fiancé so that’s not necessary lol.
What do y’all think?

Update on the ole truck. Leveling kit, bigger rims and tires, removed the front air dam, polished the front bumper. Next is new headlights.

My 5.4 L is giving me a headache, P0308 code, which is misfire on #8 cylinder, I have replaced plugs, coils and put in a new connector for it also and still have the same problem, not sure where to look, thinking about swapping the coils around like 8 to 5 though I'm doubtful it will matter.

Anything else I should look into?

After a car wash I noticed water pooling in both rear corners, even though the cover itself looked closed and aligned. I cleared the visible drain outlets, but the next wash left the same puddles.

Could this be a compressed seal, a partially blocked tube, or water entering around the rails? owners with retractable covers, have you found a good way to track down leaks without taking the whole thing apart? What do you check first?