Buying a 3-5 year old truck

[crashz]

Best of luck on your search. I searched for quite a while for my commuter car. Was looking for a CRV or a used V6 powered F150 (loved my work truck from my last job). Late model F150's are nearly impossible to find around here.
Found a CRV that fit the bill, but it took a while and had to pick through a lot of trash. Don't forget the car fax.Been burnt on that in the past.

 

[Garandman]

Lot of 3yo vehicles are off-lease at dealers. We used cars.com to find one.

4-5yo you can now specify multiple regions in CL.

In New England and upstate NY nearly 100% would be 4WD.

 

[2458n]

You are brave to buy a 40 to50 thousand dollar used vehicle. No warranty might as well go to a casino.

 

[Teachu2]

You are brave to buy a 40 to50 thousand dollar used vehicle. No warranty might as well go to a casino.

https://www.billwrighttoyota.com/ce...acted=inventory-listing1-facet-anchor-model-5 shows two 2016 4X4 Crewmax with under 34K miles, both under $40k. Both carry the following warranty:

With a 12-month/12,000-mile Comprehensive Warranty1 and a 7-year/100,000-mile Limited Powertrain Warranty,2 plus one full year of Roadside Assistance,3 honored at over 1,400 Toyota dealers in the U.S. and Canada, we've got you covered. Certified Pre-Owned Scion vehicles qualify for the same benefits offered by TCUV.

And this dealer is not known for low prices in about the most expensive of the continental 48 states.

I sold a 2011 with 87k on it for $15k a couple weeks ago. I had five Los Angeles dealers wanting it, and two drove the hundred miles to get it - even though it had almost $10k in body damage....

 

[coobie]

Keep in mind when shopping used cars/trucks there are still a few flood ones on the market from the hurricane in Texas..

 

[bspeedy]

You are brave to buy a 40 to50 thousand dollar used vehicle. No warranty might as well go to a casino.

I definitely disagree. Casino = blind bet, a guess, 'playing the odds'.

Used vehicle with 40-50k miles is typically three years old. Within three years on almost any new machine, you will know:

Any 'typical' problems with this model / type / engine / powertrain.
Any issues fixed on this particular unit.
Typically single owner - one can find information on that person or business.
Carfax information - very valuable source of knowledge to make an informed decision.


In fact, a new untested machine is the casino. Yes, you are 'hedging your bet' a bit with the warranty. But I would postulate that the warranty is not the position of power most people think it is. Let's take the worst case scenario - blown engine. Your truck you bought brand new for 70k blows the engine at 20k miles. OK - call the shop - they take it - warranty time. They offer to replace your engine with a nice used engine with only 10k miles - great huh? No - you want a new engine. Well, you dicker back and forth and maybe you win or maybe you lose or maybe it's somewhere in the middle. Doesn't cost you more money but what a pain.

Scenario number 2 - you buy the same pickup with 40k miles for 45 grand. Darn - blown engine (VERY unlikely since it's been running fine for this long). Well - haul it off to the shop and you decide EXACTLY how that truck gets fixed. You weigh the options, you decide, you pay the bill. Ouch - 10 grand for a brand new engine - that sure was expensive. Was it? You've still only got 55 grand in the truck and a brand new engine. Bit of a hassle but near as bad as the warranty dance. Been there done that.

I shouldn't post this because I need you 'new only' guys to keep buying and taking that depreciation hit and testing of new machines for me. I'll buy them when you get the bugs worked out...