Pre-owned F250-kicking the tires

[flusher]

Fluster, you over by Roseville Rocklin area? I drive an 02 duramax ccsb, I just got it a month ago from a friend who bought it used and beat it, Got it really cheap so I dont mind to much but its still a pain. Anyway since your going to be mostly freeway look athe chevy duramax or 6.0 or 8.1 gas with IFS you get the nice ride. I really wanted an sfa but my dads getting older and I know he wouldnt want to be bounced all over the place. The duramax is a great engine while I have the lb7 which has injector problems every manufacture does it luckily hasnt struck me yet. The Allison is nice, although it isnt all that it is cracked up to be. I would still consider the Chevy, even if you only drive it 5k a yr. its a 3 hr trip to Shasta and Id rather be in my Chevy than a Dodge and probably a Ford. Gas mileage is decent with Chevys although the Cummins will get the best out of these yrs. I would love a cummins but I dont like the package they come in. If I could get the cummins engine I would do it, and if my dad didnt ride in it Id get the Ford front axle. But alas he does so the sfa must wait. The cummins must wait until this engine dies if it does.

Just my .02 cents

Thanks for the input.
I'm near Red Bluff--my son lives in Roseville.

 

[flusher]

Flusher,
There is a lot of good advice here, as well as opinions. There is a lot more of it (good info, and opintions) in this thread that I started when I was searching for a truck:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/153238-7-3l-powerstroke-5-9l.html

For several reasons, I wanted a diesel. With a projected use of 3-5k miles per year, many advised the the Ford V10, and the GM 8.1L vs. a diesel, and all for good reasons. My choice was more than just about simple economy. My wife and I try to be green, and both cringed at the thought driving a vehicle that gets, at best, unloaded on the highway, 12-13 MPG. Of the big three, consensous seems to be that the Cummins is the best engine, but in a not-so-good package. I've always been a Ford fan, and have the benefit of having two nephews that are technicians at a local Ford dealership, one of which is a diesel tech. From what I understand, the Dodge/Cummins package is a 500,000 mile engine in a 100,000 mile truck, and the Ford Powerstroke (International/Navistar) is a 300,000 mile engine in a 300,000 mile truck.

I was looking in the $10-15k range, so I started looking at 1999-2003 Ford F-250's with the 7.3L Powerstroke. Because the truck is going to be used to pull a camper on family vacations, a crew cab made the most sense, because of overall length, I was looking for a short bed truck. I also wanted under 150k miles. I soon learned, as others have mentioned here, that the F-350, and F-250 are basically the same truck with minor suspension differences. In my search, I found that often, the F-350s where priced the same or LESS than equivalent F-250's, and there were more crew cab F-350's than F-250's.

I wasn't initially looking at 2003-2007 6.0L trucks, as they were getting too new to be in my price range, but also, because the 6.0L has a bad reputation. I was assured by my nephew (Ford diesel tech) that these problems were resolved by 2005, and that if I found a good 2005-2007 truck for a good price, I should seriously consider it. The 6.0L engine makes 325 HP/570 lb*ft, vs. 275 HP/520 lb*ft -- 50 more HP, and 50 more lb*ft -- what's not to like! The other benefit to the 2003 and newer trucks is the "Torque Shift" 5 speed automatic transmission, which is a huge improvement over the older 4 speed unit. The Super Duty trucks also got an improved front suspensions (coils instead of leaf), which gives them a better ride, and a 5-foot smaller turning cirle.

The main thing with the 6.0L vs. the 7.3L is maintenance. Change the oil every 5k, and the fuel filters every 15k, and drain the water out of the HFCM (fuel filter/water separator) monthly. Because of the bad rep. of the 6.0L, you might find some of the in the same price range aas the 1999-2003 7.3L trucks.

I ended up finding a 2006 4WD F-350XL crew cab long bed with 113k miles for $13,500. Most of the other trucks on my list were 1999-2001, and $12k-$17k. One consession that I had to make, was that it is a lower-end XL truck vs the XLT's and Lariats that I was looking at. This means no power windows, locks or mirrors, no door pockets, plain bench seat w/o center console, etc. My truck does have AC, cruise control, and the very nice integrated brake controller (which is an option, and wasn't available on the earlier '99-'03 trucks). The upside, is a truck that is half the age of the others I looked at, and has likely all highway miles (>25,000/year). Also, as stated above, with the revised front suspension, the turning circle of this truck is about the same as a crew cab short bed, so I get the additional cargo space of the long bed, but the same turning radius of the earlier short bed trucks I was looking at. I'm going to make some stake sides, so when I get firewood, I can make use of the 11,200lb GVWR/3900 lb payload this truck has, haul a full cord of wood at time in the bed, and another in my trailer.

After purchasing, I promptly sent the truck to my Ford diesel-tech nephew to flush and fill both the transmission and cooling system, as well as give it a good check over. I'm also change out all the rest of the fluids as well (engine oil, transfer case, differentials). What ever truck you get, you should do this with once you get it. Automatic transmissions need to have the fluid changed at least every 30,000 miles, no matter what the manufacture states. This info comes to me from a friend of mine who rebuilds automatic transmissions for a living.

All the big three make good trucks, some better than others, but when buying a used truck, the most important thing is probably how it was maintained. As others have stated, get a prepurchase inspection from a qualified technician, and get a carfax report (I still have 2 weeks left on my 30-day subscription if you want to me to get the carfax for you). Good luck with your search!

Jay\

Thanks for your input. It's really helpful. Glad you found the right truck for yourself. I'll check the thread you mentioned.

 

[windy acers]

YOU DID GREAT WITH 4 WHEEL DRIVE AS A BONUS.I PAID $13500.00 FOR MY7.3 3 YEARS AGO WITH 98000 MILES AND A NOISEY TORQUE CONVERTER.CAN YOU ASK YOUR FRIEND IF I WAS OK WITH JUST CHANGING THE TORQUE CONVERTER? IT SHIFTS GREAT AND THE FLUID WAS CLEAN AND NO SIGNS OF OVER HEATING AT 115000 MILES. LIKE YOU ONLY 5000 MI A YEAR 80 PERCENT WITHOUT A HEAVY LOAD. ANY ONE ELSE WILLING TO COMMENT? THANKS

 

[jas67]

YOU DID GREAT WITH 4 WHEEL DRIVE AS A BONUS.I PAID $13500.00 FOR MY7.3 3 YEARS AGO WITH 98000 MILES AND A NOISEY TORQUE CONVERTER.CAN YOU ASK YOUR FRIEND IF I WAS OK WITH JUST CHANGING THE TORQUE CONVERTER? IT SHIFTS GREAT AND THE FLUID WAS CLEAN AND NO SIGNS OF OVER HEATING AT 115000 MILES. LIKE YOU ONLY 5000 MI A YEAR 80 PERCENT WITHOUT A HEAVY LOAD. ANY ONE ELSE WILLING TO COMMENT? THANKS

Windy, here is the answer back from my transmission-fixin friend:

No comments. I don't have any familiarity with these. In general, if a convertor is going bad, it usually isn't a good idea to just pull the trans and only replace the converter - there's no telling what the insides of the trans are like. If you would pull the pan, the it's not loaded with metal, then you might be able to get away with it (of course with changing the fluid and the filter). Otherwise, if the pan has a load in it, if you don't already have other problems, it's only a matter of time before you do, because the metal from the converter may have already done it's damage.​

 

[jayste]

Jas67,

Hey you mentioned your XL package interior. Have you considered looking around for a similar truck with XLT or Lariat package that is wrecked and replacing your front seat and door panels? I considered doing this to my F350 when I got it and found some seats but I never got around to doing it.

Jay

 

[flusher]

Intersting that in a post on truck pulling the topic of gear ratio has not come up much if at all.

Here's my two cents.

......
From experience, when a diesel goes bad, it can get expensive, injector pumps and the like, not to mention I find far fewer diesel mechanics around versus gas.
......

My two cents, pay close attention to gear ratio and GVWR.

Good luck,
Sincerely,
Joel

I'm guessing that you mean that it's hard to find a good diesel mechanic working as an independent as opposed to one working for a dealer. Or is there just an overall shortage of qualified diesel mechanics everywhere?

 

[jas67]

Jas67,

Hey you mentioned your XL package interior. Have you considered looking around for a similar truck with XLT or Lariat package that is wrecked and replacing your front seat and door panels? I considered doing this to my F350 when I got it and found some seats but I never got around to doing it.

Jay

Funny you mention this. I already got the complete 40-20-40 seat set from an XLT. I should have bought the back seat too, but I didn't realize that the XLT back seat could fold up and out of the way, give you a cargo floor, until after the ebay auction was up. I'm on the lookout now for a matching XLT back seat.

As for the door panels, the XLT door panels won't work with the manual windows, because the one pocket is right where the window crank is. I'll probably try to get some kind of aftermarket map pockets.

 

[riptides]

I'll tell you something about the diesel/gas debate on "poor" MPG vehicles. Remember when gas was close to 4.something a gallon? Diesel was higher. The only option you had with gas was park -or- pay. With diesel you could find bio-fuel, or make your own. I was really close to burning bio-fuel in my diesel. It was that bad, but it is an option to consider.

 

[flusher]

I'll tell you something about the diesel/gas debate on "poor" MPG vehicles. Remember when gas was close to 4.something a gallon? Diesel was higher. The only option you had with gas was park -or- pay. With diesel you could find bio-fuel, or make your own. I was really close to burning bio-fuel in my diesel. It was that bad, but it is an option to consider.

Yep, I remember.

When I filled up the F150 yesterday, 87 octane was $3.13/gal, diesel was $2.87/gal. Things change.

Interesting angle on bio-diesel. My son works at a pork packing plant in Oklahoma that produces, as a by-product, biodiesel from the renderings.

 

[JoelD]

I'm guessing that you mean that it's hard to find a good diesel mechanic working as an independent as opposed to one working for a dealer. Or is there just an overall shortage of qualified diesel mechanics everywhere?

Independents, good point.

When I purchase big trucks (compared to my ranger daily driver), I buy used and therefore rarely involve a dealership.

Based on shop rates, I've not considered dealers, maybe I should, good point.

Joel