I’m hoping to find out if anyone has had success buying a vehicle that’s been sitting that long. The truck only has 48k miles on it, and I know the owner. It was well cared for until it was parked. Unfortunately, it was left alone for 10 yrs. How can I ensure I’m not getting myself into a mess.

 

Where was it stored for that 10 year period? I would suggest inspecting what wiring you can for rodent damage, and possibly water damage. Making sure the air box and throttle body are free of acorns, mouse dens, etc. Check the oil and coolant. Pull the spark plugs to inspect their condition, and if you can, scope the cylinders to get an idea of what condition the cylinder walls are in. Manually rotate the engine to see if it's seized up.

 

It was stored in a shop. It seems that it’s relatively clean? But one thing that is happening is that after about an hr of running. It drops to about 1-200 rpm’s and won’t go. You have to turn it off, wait a few mins, then it will go. Any thoughts on this?

 

What did you to purge the system of 10 year old gas?

 

Was there any mechanical or electrical reason why they parked it? When you say it won't go, are you meaning it won't move forward or backward? How's the transmission fluid condition and level? Is the operating temperature normal?