[Justin Riehle]

I have recently decided to upgrade to a crew cab truck from my Jeep TJ due to growing family needs. Having looked around in my area, a 2007 Titan LE stands out among several F-150s. I will include a link to the post at the end. I want to get a buyers inspection done on it by a local Midas, but what else do I look for that the average mechanic wouldn't catch? What are some of the common problems assocciated with the 2007 titan? It's sitting at roughly 126k miles and despite the number of miles it has, I'm looking for a vehicle that doesn't require a lot of maintenance since that is part of the reason I'm looking to upgrade from the Jeep. Thanks for any help.

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/ctd/6130254988.html

 

[Lee-the-Impaler]

Anything over 100K you buy is going to be a ton of maintenance. Let me rephrase that...anything with 4 wheels and a motor that you buy, at any mileage, is going to be a ton of maintenance if you want it to last long and perform well. I mean, obviously I prefer the Titan over the F-150, or I would own an(other) F-150. Just read up, the weak points on Titans are knocked to death on this forum. Start here ---> http://www.titantalk.com/forums/titan-general-discussion/246577-refreshing-first-gen-nissan-titan.html <---. It depends on what you want and need in a truck. Anything ten years old with 100k+ comes down to just preference, there's no warranties or incentives to compare, and it won't have all the new trendy gadgets integrated. I'd say get in a Titan. Better snap with the long pedal, and (To me anyway) far more comfortable on the lower brain, but only you can decide.

 

[Justin Riehle]

Thanks, that's exactly the information I'm looking for. With my price range, any truck I look at is going to be more than 10 years old with over 100k miles. I'm prepared for some maintenance to be performed, but wanted to know the big stuff, like what's mentioned in the link, to look for so I'm not bombarded as soon as I drive off the lot. I test drove the titan I linked and really liked it, but it was the first truck I looked at and only one I've drove, so I'm skeptical because I really don't want to get burned. Thanks for your help.

 

[Nick Name]

Carfax.....then use a AAA rated shop...they have a specific pre-sale inspection program.

 

[M1078]

I'm happy with both my Titans (other than fuel mileage). I traded a 2011 F250 diesel in on my Pro 4X earlier this month. I enjoyed driving my wife's 2010 LE so much more than the F250 and the Titan meets my towing needs. However, I've gone from averaging 16mpg to averaging around 13mpg. Just be aware of that when considering a Titan. I knew it going in but many people are surprised by the mileage.

 

[snorkel]

cracked manifold and leaking rear axle seal, these are the big thing you will experience

 

[FishnAlaska]

The last F150 I bought was in Anchorage I think if you compare comparable models, say an 04-07 F150 to the Titan, they both will have their issues, Fords in those years will have cam Phaser issues, problems when changing spark plugs( they like to weld themselves into the head and usually will break off when trying to remove them) and rear axle seal (not just a Nissan problem). Not sure what other trucks you have looked at or the mileage, but 126K on a 10 year old truck is below average From what I can see looking at the pictures, it looks like it is in good shape, considering it is an Alaska truck, most people don't realize how brutal Alaska can be on a vehicle.
looking at the pics, it does look like the passenger rear has been hit, that bumper looks a little off...angled down and pushed forward a bit.

 

[Lee-the-Impaler]

I'm happy with both my Titans (other than fuel mileage). I traded a 2011 F250 diesel in on my Pro 4X earlier this month. I enjoyed driving my wife's 2010 LE so much more than the F250 and the Titan meets my towing needs. However, I've gone from averaging 16mpg to averaging around 13mpg. Just be aware of that when considering a Titan. I knew it going in but many people are surprised by the mileage.

apples to oranges, really. MPG on an oil burner is almost always going to be better... There's times I think about how much $ in fuel I would have saved over the last 8 years had I gotten a diesel instead of the T (I was also looking at a used, no frills, CC longbed F-350 when I bought my new titan) JUST due to idle time. But in the half-ton world, I have yet to meet anything that tows as comfortably and intuitively as a Titan. Get into 3/4 and one-ton realms, and there's no comparison. My wife's 2500 suburban with the 496cui, gets comparable mileage, and can out-tow the Titan in any conditions, BUT the comfort factor just isn't there (GM seats torture me). My 89 F-350 dually (7.3idi) isn't fast, quiet, or comfy, but it will out-tow anything that has a nissan logo on it including a 35 NV... but after a run, you know you WORKED to drive it. The other factor, is that anything needing to be fixed on a Powerstroke is going to seriously traumatize the wallet, where the VK56DE is pretty middling cost-wise. From my experience, the higher fuel costs are drastically offset by the lower maintenance costs when going ford/gm/ram vs titan (0 experience with Tundras), and especially going diesel vs gas if you don't have the need for the sheer grunt and torque of a coal-thrower.

Maybe I have an odd POV on this, because I regularly roll Kenworths and Peterbilts that make any pickup look like fluff when it comes to power and towing capacity (And mileage? roll a diesel that holds 300 gallons and averages 5-7MPG up to a pump on your dollar..talk about pain...), but to me, a diesel is all work and no play, where a gas can do both. When you are talking need for dragging, nothing beats a diesel (Except maybe, a bigger diesel), no matter how much more comfortable it is, because preference and feel-good, is far lower on priority than basic function and ability. When you have a workhorse that is also a daily driver and a recreational ride, you have to balance, and the Titan does that very well.

Bottom line, don't get a Titan to be a heavy duty tow machine, but they are OUTSTANDING light duty tow machines. If you need to bump up on towing duty, you will sacrifice some comfort for function..it's just a basic fact of trucks in general. A Volvo N-14 cummins with a ten speed is really comfy to drive over the road, even more so to sleep in.. But it certainly isn't going to compete in sheer grunt to a day-cab tandem/tandem flatbed with a 21 sp and a C-25 Cat motor. The former is a cruiser, the latter will beat the hell out of you, but can haul the volvo, with load, and then some, anywhere, on or off-road, without a strain. as I'm fond of saying, it's about picking what suits your needs and your a$$, not about brand or popularity.

 

[Indy]

The last F150 I bought was in Anchorage I think if you compare comparable models, say an 04-07 F150 to the Titan, they both will have their issues, Fords in those years will have cam Phaser issues, problems when changing spark plugs( they like to weld themselves into the head and usually will break off when trying to remove them) and rear axle seal (not just a Nissan problem). Not sure what other trucks you have looked at or the mileage, but 126K on a 10 year old truck is below average From what I can see looking at the pictures, it looks like it is in good shape, considering it is an Alaska truck, most people don't realize how brutal Alaska can be on a vehicle.
looking at the pics, it does look like the passenger rear has been hit, that bumper looks a little off...angled down and pushed forward a bit.

Oh god are those spark plugs a nightmare. I've got the removal tool in my toolbox and I never want to do that job again. A solid 12 hours under the hood, most miserable job I've ever done and took a pep talk from the head mechanic at local Ford dealer for me to get the job done as he assured me I was doing everything how they did it and that yes it was a miserable job, to the point they even on occasion (though very rare) have had to pull the motor and remove the plug from the inside. Of course the first plug came out easy for me giving me hope, the rest all broke which meant using the extraction tool to try and grab and pull the liner out only to have it let loose and try again, and again, and again until it finally comes. ::crying::

NEVER AGAIN!!!

 

[jdmartin]

Bottom line, don't get a Titan to be a heavy duty tow machine, but they are OUTSTANDING light duty tow machines. If you need to bump up on towing duty, you will sacrifice some comfort for function..it's just a basic fact of trucks in general. A Volvo N-14 cummins with a ten speed is really comfy to drive over the road, even more so to sleep in.. But it certainly isn't going to compete in sheer grunt to a day-cab tandem/tandem flatbed with a 21 sp and a C-25 Cat motor. The former is a cruiser, the latter will beat the hell out of you, but can haul the volvo, with load, and then some, anywhere, on or off-road, without a strain. as I'm fond of saying, it's about picking what suits your needs and your a$$, not about brand or popularity.

This is a great post. Everything in life is a compromise, somewhere.

 

[FishnAlaska]

Indy, my son had his 05 in the shop a few months ago because it was running rough, he's away at college driving the 05 we bought for him. WIt ended u being aCOP that wasn't working but we also had the dealership do the spark plugs for him, they broke 6 of them. Of course they charge extra for the removal of broken plugs, even though it is caused by their own design. His 05 has also been in for cam phasers, rear seals (twice) Yet it only has 47k miles on it.

 

[Justin Riehle]

What about fuse boxes catching on fire or something along those lines? A friend from work, who owned a 2011 Titan, warned me to stay clear of any 04-07/08 models because there was some sort of recall after several were catching on fire. Problem is, I can't find any info in google about said issue. I can look for used titans and have them inspected of course, check for the common issues such as exhaust manifolds and axle seals, but what worries me is the stuff that can't be seen prior to it happening such as electrical fires and if there was a common occur axe of it happening, then I'd like to know what years it was happening in and steer clear of those. Thanks for all your help guys, I have been out looking at several trucks of all makes but the titans still seem to standing ahead of the rest as the next purchase.

 

[snorkel]

04-07 has the ipdm relay recall, but catching fire on fuse box, never heard

 

[FishnAlaska]

Never heard of any fires or fuse box issues

 

[Indy]

Indy, my son had his 05 in the shop a few months ago because it was running rough, he's away at college driving the 05 we bought for him. WIt ended u being aCOP that wasn't working but we also had the dealership do the spark plugs for him, they broke 6 of them. Of course they charge extra for the removal of broken plugs, even though it is caused by their own design. His 05 has also been in for cam phasers, rear seals (twice) Yet it only has 47k miles on it.

OUCH!!! While it sounds ridiculous to charge extra for the broken plugs, after doing the job I know why they have to do it, the number of hours spent is huge.

 

[Indy]

What about fuse boxes catching on fire or something along those lines? A friend from work, who owned a 2011 Titan, warned me to stay clear of any 04-07/08 models because there was some sort of recall after several were catching on fire. Problem is, I can't find any info in google about said issue. I can look for used titans and have them inspected of course, check for the common issues such as exhaust manifolds and axle seals, but what worries me is the stuff that can't be seen prior to it happening such as electrical fires and if there was a common occur axe of it happening, then I'd like to know what years it was happening in and steer clear of those. Thanks for all your help guys, I have been out looking at several trucks of all makes but the titans still seem to standing ahead of the rest as the next purchase.

That's a new one to me. And if you can't find anything on Google, then that gives you a clue how big of a problem it was.

 

[Lee-the-Impaler]

it's not an issue with fire, it's an issue with failure... something about silicone inside the relays building up and inhibiting signal, which shuts down the brain...(what i gathered from a lot of reading, and the theory that makes the most sense to me). If it happens to your Titan, it will be dead in the water and need repaired, not burning down around your ears needing to be extinguished.