Looking for some advice

Hey y'all. I might buy an '07 double cab 4x4 next week, 190K, hoping to get it between $11K-12.5 (the market is insane near me right now, if y'all have advice to knock the price down it'd be greatly appreciated), but I wanted some advice. I'll have about 7 weeks where I can set aside a few hours a day to knock out work on it. I don't want to start modding it until I know it well, but I've seen a lot of common issues for this year, and wanted to know what y'all thought were the most critical things for me to check out first, and then address if they're present.

I know the universal joints on the drive shaft were replaced ~4 years ago. I know I need to check the ball joints, leaf springs, and rear differential. What else should I look out for/check out if I buy? I'm heading to the dealership tomorrow around noon to chat with the guys there and check it out. Appreciate all the help.

 

Frame rust, leaks, and check down the oil fill for sludge would be the main things I would looks for before buying.

 

Sweet. I forgot to mention the frame. I've read that the issues is that they rust inside out right? And sounds good, I plan on just idling the car while I do a walk around inspection, and then once I drive doing the same thing again. Figure that's my best chance for spotting issues and whatnot.

 

It's more an issue in northern states where they salt the roads but rusty vehicles end up all over the place so it's always a good idea to check.

 

Yeah, unfortunately for me the car has spent some time in PA, and I live in indiana most of the year, so I'll definitely have to deal with salt. Any good sealants or sprays to help combat future rust build up?

 

I don't have to deal with it here but Fluid Film and Krown are popular from what I see.
There's alot of different products out there, just don't use the rubberized undercoatings. They just trap salt and moisture in and make things rot out faster.

 

Awesome, appreciate all the help.

 

WoolWax is another one I see mentioned alot.

 

Show up early and cold start it. Automatic or manual?

 

Auto. It's an hour from my house and I'm busy in the morning, so won't get their till noon unfortunately.

 

Well, maybe “early” relative to the time you say you’ll be there

 

Blaster Surface Shield in another one. I've used all three mentioned above plus some Cosmoline products. One thing about Surface Shield is it doesn't accept the 2 ft 360* extension you can purchase to apply the products to inner cavities. It will fit on the cans, but it leaks creating a mess.

 

I live in MD and drive 45 min to York, PA to have Krown fluid film my truck. It’s an annual process, typically done in the fall. They lift your truck, stand underneath it, and spray down the entire underbelly, door jams, engine bay and all the nooks and crannies with oil film. Your price will be locked in as well. I’m locked in at $140 but that was three years ago, I would expect it to be at least $175 now, but who knows, worth calling them for a quote. It’s a messy job and I don’t mind paying someone else to do it, did I mention that they’re thorough. Great customer service and you can watch them work from the waiting room via a real time tv feed.

 

I'll keep that in mind, thank you. I'm in MD during the summers. I'm at school in Indiana tho, so might try and find a place out there. Checked out the car earlier. Frame isn't too bad, but a bunch of the brackets in the back, and the driver's tire brake assembly had a ton of rust. We'll see whether I get it. Going to get an inspection this week to know more, because I don't know enough to decide if it's a good purchase.

 

A pre purchase inspection is always a good idea on older cars, best of luck! Also, anything you find with your inspection you can use to negotiate down the price, might even pay for itself and then some.