Private sale with no warranty I wouldn't do it. Not unless you're willing to take a gamble and spend the extra $3K for the whole timing chain, and phaser replacement.
These engines are kinda like BMW engines, they need timing replacement in most cases. Ford just hopes 9 times out of 10 you are out of warranty before the maintenance is needed.
Agreed.
For every vehicle I have ever bought (and eventually sold), I always kept all my records ... to SHOW any prospective purchaser in the future how my truck was cared for, and ESPECIALLY the frequency, mileage and quality of oil used during changes. If it was a trade-in, most (but not all) dealers appreciated the documentation. If the dealer didn't appreciate the documentation, I usually walked from them. Bad feeling.
If I were purchasing a high mileage Ecoboost, I would insist on seeing the past service done on the vehicle. And if not available, I will assume I might have to do some serious work (say $5K or more) and deduct that off the price of the vehicle (assuming the asking price is a fair price, though that often not the case).
If there were no service records, I would use that as my reason for beating him up on the price. If the seller won't budge and stuck to his guns (though no documentation), that would be a good reason to walk away. If seller accepts my "adjusted offer", I would also assume the seller does know about the problem, found out the cost to repair, and now wants to off-load his Ecoboost. Hopefully I can get the EB price low enough, to cover the repairs (or a good chunk of it).
There are plenty of Ecoboosts out there. Don't get stuck with a poorly maintained vehicle that will need a lot of work, unless you can get a bargain and be prepared to do some possibly costly repairs.
