Diesel Truck advice

[getut]

I'm looking at selling a Toyota Tacoma and getting a real truck with real payload.

I'm looking at buying a used Ford F250 Diesel in the 1995-1999 range. Most everything in that age bracket is running close to 200000 miles. What should I expect for fuel mileage out of that truck, and can I reasonably expect to get a good many more years out of an obviously clean truck in that age bracket with that many miles?

 

[Tractors4u]

I have a 1996 4WD F250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel. It has 180,000 miles. So far the only repairs That I have had to make are a blown power steering line and a water pump. Both those repairs were done 2 and 3 years ago. I had a guy wanting to buy my truck the other day. I told him "no way". That truck has been so dependable and it is paid for. I average 16 to 17 MPG.

 

[jmc]

Robert,

My 99 F250 powerstoke gets 17-18 mpg @65-70 and over 20 - 23 mpg @ 55 mph, unloaded. 6 speed manual transmission. What prices are you seeing for the 99's? Bought mine new and only have 19,000 miles on it. Thinking about selling it one of these days.

John

 

[GaryE]

The F250 Diesels can be great trucks, or they can be a money pit. It all depends on how well they were maintained. I own an 88 F250, great work truck. But the newer ones are much more refined.

I would suggest you look at this site, there are a ton of very helpful 7.3, 6.9 IDI and PowerStroke people there.

TheDieselStop.com

Do a search on "cavitation".

Hope this helps,

Gary

 

[EddieWalker]

I had a 98 F250 auto 4X4 with the powerstoke. I averaged around 18 mpg and on long trips got over 20 mpg. I had the 3.73 rear end, where my brother had the 4.11's and didn't get as good a mileage.

I sold mine after two years for what I paid for it.

In hindsite, I should have kept it.

 

[getut]

I'm looking for high mileage.. Something that I can end up just about even swap for a 2002 6 cyl Tacoma with 73000 on it.

So I guess I'm looking in 9000-15000 range because I figure I will get around $14000 out of my Tacoma, and that is what I am seeing F250 Diesels with around 160-200k miles on them.

 

[Jeff396]

Here's a good Ford Truck forum that I frequent:Ford Truck Web Site Bring up the forums and look in the 7.3 forum for info on the trucks you are interested in.

I have a '97 Powerstroke crew cab long bed 2wd pickup. I have also changed my waterpump and had the blown power steering high pressure line. Other than that it's just been normal maintenance items. My truck is just getting ready to rollover 100k miles. However, I have seen some pretty costly nasty problems with other trucks which can run up a pretty steep bill in a hurry!

Jeff

 

[Jeff396]

FYI, I was shocked when I priced the waterpump for my truck. I found prices from $187 online, $250 at Napa, $299 at Autozone and $399 at the Stealership. I think you will find that most parts for these engines are quite a bit more expensive than their gas engine counterpart. Just something to keep in mind when making your purchase decision.

Jeff

 

[EquipmentJunkie]

I drive two diesel trucks:

Work truck: '99 F350 SuperCab, 7.3 PowerStroke, 2WD dually, 6-spd, flatbed, 3.73 axle, 90K miles on it, 0 problems.
MPG: 15-17, usually in the 15-16 range

Personal truck: '98.5 Dodge 2500, 24V Cummins, 4WD, 5-spd., short bed, 3.55 axle, 127K miles on it, 0 problems.
MPG: 19.5-22, got as high as 24+ a few times

I recommend that you drive a Dodge with the Cummins for comparision with the Ford...especially if you are looking for a manual transmission. Just drive both the Ford and the Dodge to see which one you prefer.

I don't know if something is wrong with the '99 Ford that I drive (its an early-'99, built 3/98) but it is temperamental vehicle. It is difficult to drive smooth. The transmission is stiff and hard-to-shift. Something in the shift linkage randomly binds so as to make it impossible to shift into 1st or Reverse. Its been to the dealer a few times for this issue, with no solution.

To its credit the Ford really handles well. The steering is precise for a heavy truck.

Engine: The PowerStroke is called the "PowerJoke" at work. The engine feels really gutless below 2000 rpms...to the point of being kind of scary when making a left turn into moving traffic. Get above 2000 rpms and it starts to rev like crazy and your quickly looking for the next gear. Sort of a Jekyl and Hyde thing. I think the engine's ECM is detuned in the lower gears to prevent wheelspin.

I know that this comment may start a war, but I feel the Cummins is the superior engine if you want to tow or haul heavy loads...all things considered. This comment comes from a Ford fan. I won't get started as to how great my Dodge has been because this post is long enough.

Another benefit of the Dodge is a tremendous resource on the web called the Turbo Diesel Register. It is like TractorByNet, but it is dedicated to the Dodge Cummins trucks. Turbo Diesel Register

In stock form, the Ford with the PowerStroke will beat the Cummins in a drag race every time, but I'm not into drag racing.

"Six-in-a-row is the way to go!"

 

[ScottAR]

The 99's have a few quirks... The clutch release fork is prone to bending, causing incomplete release of the clutch (going through this now) There's also a TPS adjustment to make driving easier but as it's my only regular ride I hardly notice anymore...

Overall, I like my SRW 350 and I'd do it over again. It hauls tail if you put your foot in it. Gets 19-22mpg doin' it.
My next one will be either a F550 or skip the middle man and get a small IH while keeping my 350.