Buying Used

Can someone enlighten me on things to look out for when purchasing used mechanical gear? I am on a very tight budget but MUST upgrade my suspension (I'm sagging very badly) so am pretty locked into finding cheaper suspension as it has been used for 10k miles or something along those lines. However, I feel like this is rather sketchy because people are usually taking off good suspension for a reason, and I'm worried it will bite me in the butt. Like yeah, maybe I save a grand, but it shits the bed in a year and now I have to pay 3k more or something along those lines. Does anyone have some input? Should I even bother shopping second-hand suspension?

 

The suspension components on your truck are vital to your safety. Why would you want to go cheap? Used products can save you a lot of money, but you don't know if they're defective, were abused or neglected, etc...

It'll hurt your wallet, but you'll have peace of mind knowing that you have new parts that are under a warranty. Used parts very rarely have a warranty. Now, buying new isn't a 100% guarantee, but that's what a warranty is for.

 

Yeah, the issue is that I don't want to get mediocre parts new and then have to upgrade again in a couple of years' time. id rather instead get nicer parts used but I don't know if that is much better.

 

People are upgrading suspension(s) all the time. Know what you are buying. Know who you are buying from, do you believe the back story. Need some UCA’s, free to good home. New ball joint and bushings you are good to go. About 40K miles on them.



I got a good deal on previously owned OME springs $300 with a few thousand miles on them. Gave my OEM springs away to get them out of the garage.

 

Personally I would get new unless I knew the person with the takeoffs

edit: something penny wise but dollar poor

 

Dude, don’t put used clapped out ass parts on your 2019 truck, even if they are King or xyz. They’re probably for sale because they need to be rebuilt, that’s the common theme I see on TW at least.
You might want to factor in the rebuild cost and down time of your truck when these used high end parts shit the bed, along with labor cost if you aren’t doing the wrenching yourself. After you figure that out you might not be saving any money and just causing more headaches.

I’d keep saving my money if I were you.
A stock 2019 with saggy suspension already?
Is that a cap on the back?

 

I run used lower mileage than my truck and less abused Lca's, used leafs, 10 year old Fox coilovers, used Uca's before I switched my setup up a bit, it all depends on if you know what you are getting into or not and if you are down to do maintenance on the used parts if needed.

 

If they’re looking for someone to tell them cardinal signs of collapse on components, maybe not the best idea for them to get used stuff. I know I wouldn’t know, so I bought new.


Just wait for a sale, if you can. Safety first

 

i hear yuh, turns out I’m making quite a bit more than I originally thought, and yeah not really into the idea of getting used. I’d rather sleep easy at night. Yeah I’ve got a cap on it but I’ve also built out the back so all the wood added tons of lbs

 

I can personally tell you, good luck with whoever installs. I went to the “premiere” shop in my area and they put the blocks on backwards and argued with me about it even with saying the manufacturer is telling me it’s wrong.

In the end they fixed it but when you pay top dollar, you expect the service to be there. And done right the first time. Anyways, hope it goes well for you is all I mean

 

well shit. I thought the “pros” was the best way to get the job done. I don’t have nearly the time nor space to do it myself. Fingers crossed the leafs, front and back sus get put on correctly! I’m having a company called The Taco Garage do it, got a referral from a buddy.

 

So did you decide what you're going to do for suspension?

 

There are guys on here all the time that buy a brand new truck, bring it home, and rip all the OEM suspension off to replace with Kings, FOXs, etc.

If you are only trying to rectify sag, buy a set of those take offs. Job done. The claim that used suspension isn't safe doesn't hold any water to me. If its got 50k desert racing miles then its probably shot anyway. Buying something with a few k miles wont be any issue

 

Given your ‘very tight budget’ and extra weight in the back how about just having a shop put in a custom or heavy duty leaf pack in the rear with some new normal use shocks?

Leave the front as is and meet your budget need.

 

100% agree, however buying used aftermarket shocks, you are putting all your trust in the seller. Used shocks can be similar to a used engine. Looks good on the outside, but falling apart on the inside. Its a gamble.

 

yeah I’m going to run an icon 3 RXT leaf pack, 5160’s rear and 6112’s on the front

 

That’s pretty much the plan