2012 Truck or earlier (to avoid newer rules that make maintenance more frequent)

1. Look for rust under and around vehicle
2. Silicone around the transfer case
3. Oil leaks- check front and back seal
4. Cobwebs or other artificats that show it hasn’t been driven much
5. check dipstick, then remove top of it and have someone crank truck to see if smoke comes out (indicates compression is being wasted)
6. Brown rust evidence in radiator overflow tank

Most important thing for an older vehicles is oil changes. If the oil is changed consistantly and it isn’t in a rust environment miles and age should not be a problem.

I spoke with transmission mechanic in Horn Lake. He recommended that I stay away from Ford F150s from 2018 and newer, and Chevy’s from 2020 and newer due to the increased complexity of the transmissions and the need for more frequent repairs.