buying a lifted repo truck: how to tell the lift is done right, safe and legal before you bid

good question and the right instinct. here is the checklist i would hand my own kid before he bid on a lifted repo. the photos to request first, because a broker like conaway's will shoot what you ask if you ask before the lot closes.

• straight up the front track bar and both of its mounts. you are looking for torn boots, weeping joints, and whether the bar sits close to level or on a steep angle.
• straight up the rear pinion and the lower control arms, so somebody here can eyeball the pinion angle.
• the top of the front shocks so we can read the brand, a name brand shock usually means the rest of the kit is a name brand.
• all four tire treads and the inside edges, inside wear means it has been run out of alignment.
• the tire sidewalls for the size and the date codes, and the engine bay on a diesel to check nobody deleted the emissions.

then the money. assume a track bar, an alignment with caster set, and maybe a tie rod, call it 400 to 800, and put that in your bid math before you bid, not after. that is the real price of a lift you did not build. if the truck comes out needing none of it, you came out ahead.

adding the legal and title side since dale covered the metal. two things most first timers miss.

legal height. before you bid, know your own state's lift and bumper height rules, because a truck that was legal where it got repossessed might be over the line where you register it. there is a whole thread here on finding your state's real rule, read it and check your state and any state you drive for work.

the title. a repo comes with the lender releasing the lien after you pay in full, and the title transfers to you with that lien release. that part is clean on these. what the title does not say a word about is the lift. there is no inspection sticker on a stranger's fab work, so the suspension is always buyer beware no matter how clean the paperwork is. the paperwork being good does not make the lift good, those are two separate things and new buyers mix them up.

the one thing i would add from the wobble side. in the cold start walkaround video they post, listen for the front end, and if you can get them to, have them turn the wheel lock to lock on video with the engine running so you can hear a dry or clunking joint. a worn track bar or tie rod sometimes makes noise you can hear before you ever see play. it is not as good as being under it yourself but it is a lot better than nothing on a truck you cannot touch.

and do not fall in love with the first lifted lot you see. these yards turn over every week, so if the photos come back ugly, let it close and wait for the next one. the worst bids i almost made were the ones where i wanted that specific truck instead of a good truck.

that is the whole thing on one card and you got there faster than most people twice your post count. the order is request the under photos and the lock to lock video before you bid, get the suspension read by somebody who knows what a bad track bar and a high pinion look like, budget the alignment and a track bar, check your own legal height, and remember a clean repo title and a good lift are two separate questions.

do that and buying a lifted truck off a photo through the conaway auction is a smart way to skip the lift shop premium. skip it and the lift is the part that bites you. start your thread when the photos come in and we will read the suspension before you bid a dollar. and whatever the board tells you, let a bad one close and wait, there is always another lot.