Q: What does it mean when a car on Craigslist says "needs timing work" what does that mean, good? Bad? Expensive? Inexpensive?

The engines for this year 4.6 and 5.4 have a camshaft phasers that go bad, and also the timing chain guides may need to be replaced. In order to repair these items on these vehicle, the camshafts would need to be checked and the phasers replaced along with the timing chains and guides. The labor cost is like 15 hours and needs special tools to align the cams. The parts involved are: phasers, chains, tensioners, guides, gaskets, water pump, fluids, and filters. The parts may add up to close to $400 or $500. The total job may be closer to or more than $1500. If you are very interested in the car, then a certified technician from YourMechanic can give the car a pre-purchase inspection to determine the condition of the car before you decide on spending money on this type of work.