What to look for when buying a Gen 2 Lightning?

[MauserMatt]

Hi all, First an introduction. My name's Matt and I live just west of Jacksonville, FL. I've loved these Lightnings since I first saw them in 99 and I've wanted one ever since. I love taking care of my vehicles (with my current 94 Ranger having 207,000 miles on it and still running strong). I also just had my pristine low milege 97 Thunderbird totalled by an old woman in an Escalade. So....

Hopefully soon with my job prospects on the rise (and an insurance check on the way) I'll be purchasing my dream truck, a Gen 2 Lightning.. But, I don't know a whole lot about what to look for when buying one. I see in the FAQs one thing is the smaller intercooler on the earlier L's and to look for one that was replaced under warranty, but what else do I look out for?

Right now I think my top dollar I can go will be around $16-$17k. So that pretty much narrows me down to 99's and maybe some higher milege 00-01's. I'll probably keep it mostly stock. Or if I do anything I wouldn't go much over 400hp.

But anyway, thanks for any input! Hopefully I'll be a regular around here.. Which will mean I'll have my own Lightning!! :thumbsup:

 

[RUNVS?]

The first thing to do would be to run a CarFax report on any truck you're seriously interested in. If the truck is bone stock, chances are it wasn't abused. To verify this, you'll need to know what the stock drivetrain looks like. I'd suggest hooking up with experienced Lightning owners in your local area and get to know these trucks better before you make your purchase.

A key area to look at for evidence of abuse......look for tire rubber stuck to the inside of the fenderwells and behind the bumper/rear ground effects area. Also take a good look at the rear u-joint. If it looks like someone was beating on it with a ball-peen hammer, that's indicative of hard launches without the benefit of any axel wrap control devices being installed.

For the most part, well worn and abused Lightnings are fairly easy to spot. Someone who has taken the time and put forth the effort to keep their truck looking nice will usually perform regular routine maintenance and avoid beating the crap out of their investment. If the truck appears to be clean and absent of a whole bunch of flaws, chances are the previous owner took good care of it.

Best of luck! :thumbsup: