[Synpower]

Hello, first of all, thank you for your time.
I am new to this site and have a question for the members.
My nephew is looking to buy a 2012 Titan Pro4x. 2 door king cab. 5.6v8.
It has just over 28000 miles.
It has a couple of options including spray in bed liner, tow package, brush guard, and 6 year 100k mile transferable warranty.
Price is $21000. Purchase is from private seller and not a dealership.
The issue is that neither of us knows anything about trucks.
My questions are, what issues should he be checking regarding components? Is this a good deal? Should he pay a dealership to look it over? Are these reliable vehicles [this year and model]?
This is his first vehicle purchase, and I would like to help him out with some advice from people who are much more knowledgeable about these vehicles.

Again, thank you for your time.

 

[dubyam]

He should check the gear ratio, as all Titans have a receiver hitch, but not all have the lower gears for higher towing capacity. May not matter to him, but from a pricing stabdpoint, it should be slightly less if it has the higher gears. Easy check is to drive 70mph. If the tach is just over 2k, the truck has lower gears and can tow up to 9300lbs, potentially. If rpms are around 1750, the truck has 2.94 gears and can tow up to 7200lbs.

Beyond that, these trucks are great. He will want to do the axle vent mod, and consider changing the spring-style hose clamps on the transmission cooler lines over to worm - gear style hose clamps. Maybe go ahead and bypass the radiator section of the trans cooling, and add an aftermarket cooler. Beyond that, he can expect the truck to be a blast to drive, and he will find it will pass anything except a gas station.

If you need more information on the mods I referenced, search this forum for axle vent mod or transmission bypass mod.

 

[honda250xtitan]

2012 is a good year. pro4x has the OEM e-locker rear differential, super handy if you get stuck/need more traction lol. I have a 2011 pro4x but crew cab, same truck he's looking at, its been pretty solid. No leaking axle seals, no blown rear end. My stock radiator lasted over 100k miles, it was replaced along with my fan clutch. Early on during my warranty years i had some electrical issues with my seat heaters/power mirror/power seat components. i think it was a control module failed that kind of made all those parts either work or not work. My exhaust manifolds are definitely cracked (common issue) you can hear it when its cool out and the exhaust hasn't heated up and you let the motor lug out. sounds like a ticking/puffing/wanna be race car.


once he buys it, throw some Bilstein 5100's on the front and rear. set the fronts in the middle setting and remove the sway bar all the way. sway bar is the cause of a lot of creaks/squeaks/clunks. OEM shocks suck, and you'll get 1" of lift.

 

[dreep]

Price seems pretty good, since it's a low miles truck. Suggest you check that online with KBB or Edmunds, to get the pricing in your area, however.

I wouldn't use a dealer for a pre-purchase inspection, necessarily. If you have or know a good independent shop, and you're not especially mechanically inclined, consider using the independent for the pre-purchase inspection. A good shop will charge $100-200, but will do a very thorough run through, without "up-selling." Seller shouldn't mind letting you have the truck for a half-day to do that, if all is OK.

A Pro4X will have the 3.36 gearing, so will be higher tow-rated.

Sounds like a good truck. Good luck!

 

[dkmura]

Let's take this advice just a bit further: your nephew should seek out a used car assessment service that DOES NOT do car repairs. This prevents a conflict of interest in the tech doing a completely unbiased assessment of the Titan. Expect to pay $200-300 for a full report and recognize it's worth every penny.

 

[ClashOf]

Bought my truck used with 40k on it. Only issue I had in the past 5 months of ownership was a crack condenser. They are great trucks and parts are easy to get. Since they are pretty much the same for all the years.

I love my truck.. My friends call it my RICKSHAW. Of course they drive Dodge and GMC