Buying a '01 Sport Trac

[Brad Nelson]

I found a '01 Sport Trac $5,000. The only thing is it has 149,000 miles on it. I'm wondering if anybody has experienced any problems with high milage engines in the Sport Trac. I don't want to waste my money on something I'll need to constantly fix, so any advice would be appriciated.

Thanks, Brad.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Any vehicle with 150,000 miles can pose problems. That is the nature of the beast. The Trac is nothing more then an Explorer on a longer wheelbase. The engine, tranny, differential, and foreward body is an Explorer. There are a whole bunch of them on the road with 200,000 miles.



If you are handy with cars, it sounds like it might be a good buy. If you aren't and have to depand on shops to repair your vehicles, things can get expensive.





Tom

 

[Michelle Widell]

You could buy an '01 with 60k on it that has a poor maintenance history (didn't change the oil on time, drove it rough, etc.), or you can buy an '01 with 150k and it has run synthetic that was changed every 3k miles. You don't know the history, and it may last another 100k or another 10k... Hard to say.



I have a 95 Pontiac with a 3.8 and almost 200k miles. I've had it since it had 70k miles. I know the history (new tranny, all gaskets replaced, new radiator, all new brakes, new battery, etc etc etc) and it will probably last another 100k before it pukes...

 

[Michelle Widell]

Here's some good advice.. Take it to a good mechanic and have them look at it.

 

[brandon mena]

Nothing a good compression test can't handle. That will really let you know how the engine's doing. Of course close keen observation of fluids and other under hood and underbody parts also is important.

 

[Robert Poole]

I have a 97 Taurus with 210,000 miles in it with the origional engine and tranny. I did all the maintenance regularly and the car runs great:wub: If the maintenence was done regularly than it shouldn't be a problem, however keep in mind such things like sensors will crap out occasionally.



have a good one



Bob

 

[Mike Wilson]

I'll share with you a quick secret that I use to do for my customers or friends

when they would bring a used vehicle, with high miles on it, for me to look over.

(Of course, this will not work if they have had the engine "detailed").

Look around the dipsticks, fluid reservoir caps, (master cylinder, p/s, etc...), air cleaner

latches and the like. If there is an inch of dust, grease and grime around them chances

are that the owner never (or hardly ever) removed these things to check the level

or condition of his fluids or filters. It's an easy thing you can do and in my opinion,

is about 75% accurate for spotting a poorly maintained vehicle!!!



Hope this helps...

 

[Eduardo Bailey]

Hey Brad, I may be a day late, but all the advice is primo. First, find out if you have 3:23 or 4:10 gears in the back. Then find out if it has limited slip. If it does, check to see if it still works. The 4:10 will smoke cheap tires and can break the limited slip-although Ford's rear ends are probably one of the best top 3 in the industry. Next, find a person who can tell you if this truck has been raced. Open up the oil filler cap and smell for a burned odor. Some people don't believe that fluids should be changed. If it is 4WD, make sure you have the transfer case looked at. The 4WD low feature is awesome but is frequently abused. If buying from a dealer, ask where it came from. You don't want a flood or rolled over vehicle. One thing you can do is to change out the tranny fluids for synthetic. When you have it serviced, the only extra cost above the normal would be to push the old fluid out of the converter. The ST is a combination of the Ranger and the Explorer and is a tough vehicle. You have a cast iron block and I would definitley take all this advice. I wish you well.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

All advice above is solid.



I can tell you that as a general rule, our Tracs have had good statistics when it comes to our engines. Many trannys have failed as well as normal wear and tear type items. But not too many enigines have failed considering the thousands of members here at the site.