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Thanks for the detailed write up!
Ideally, you will get there early. Tell the dealer you would like to start the truck cold, not started in the last 4 hours. No paperwork gets signed until you’re done with pre-flight, thorough test drive and post flight.
pre-flight
Check the outside, front to back. Bring a 2nd and trusted set of eyes and a couple of super bright flashlights. Inspect the paint top to bottom, front to back, looking for scrapes, scratches or signs of repair. Eyeball the body panels.
check the seams for being true. Dial calipers are useful for this - BE CAREFUL not to muck up the paint with calipers! check the hood, doors and tailgate.
inspect the bumpers, make sure they’re straight, undamaged.
If you don’t like getting dirty, hopefully the buddy you bring along doesn’t.
Crawl up under the truck, from the front. Inspect anything that you can see - boots, axles, exposed hoses, visible gaskets. check for any harnesses that may be loose, unsecured or that could potentially rub while driving.
Some have pointed out surface rust on some of the hard parts - Ford will not cover this under warranty once you buy it. If you want parts cleaned up, point it out to the dealer before you leave.
check for loose bolts / joints. work your way back look for bends, creases, or damage. You can check the drive shaft, look for suspension issues - loose bolts or out of alignment.
Photograph anything that looks suspicious or that you want the dealer to address.
Move to the inside. Inspect the floor, seats, under seats, behind seats, trim, fitment and the like. Video this. If you find something post delivery, you have evidence it was there all along.
Once you have the visual inspection complete, it’s time to be a real first class alpha hotel.
turn the truck on. actuate the windows, locks, moon roof, sliding window, fire up the radio and adjust balance / fade and physically verify every speaker works. confirm the basic functions of the display, but not so much that the dealer doesn’t have to school you on the tech. Adjust seats, mirrors, pedals, steering wheel, ambient light, inside lights, dimmer, etc. This should take 20-30 minutes.
Pop the hood, verify you have fluids ( you never know ).
Once you’re satisfied with inside function, fire it up. video this. if there are any weird noises, you want them noted.
pop the hood and listen. You should hear some rattling at the waste gates, but that should go away immediately after start up. Let the truck warm for a little longer than you might usually, jaw with sales staff, wonder what the peasants are doing about this time.
now, it’s time for the test drive. budget an hour. It will be nice if you have a chosen route, but if they do, tell them you want to have this out at least half an hour minimum. and by half an hour I mean one way. Before beginning, tell the dealer staff bluntly, you will be testing the truck’s capabilities.
drive in normal mode for a while, give the sales staff a chance to familiarize you with the bells and whistles - this alone could take as long as 45 minutes if you have an 802A truck. Make sure you test 4a, sport mode, baja 4x2 mode (because 510 foot pounds of torque, that’s why), do some highway cruising, back road driving and bonus points if you can get her into the dirt!
when you return from the test drive, time to get dirty again, because you need to be crawling up under the truck. check for any hint of fluid leaks, gasket seepage, dripping fluid not including the AC condenser.
If everything looks good, get at least pictures of all angles of the truck, video may be more helpful but pics work too. Make sure you have no visible indications of trouble, head inside and get ready to be underwhelmed by the dealer
