1997 f250 good buy?

[polarisrider4]

looking at a 97 reg cab with the 7.3. tranny rebuild 17k ago. has 190k miles and body is in decent shape, comes with superchips, 4" exhaust and intake but is only an xl with crank windows and such. a kid who knows him said he used it and wasn't always easy on it. asking 4600 worth it?

[ridiculously_necessary]

sounds fair to me. is it a 4x4? if not try and get it down to $4k

[polarisrider4]

yea it is 4x4 just wondering what i should be looking for and how much life would you say is left inthe 7.3. I needs something to run me through the next 3 years of college up and down the highway and occasional tow or play

[skip97IH]

I have a 97 xl I bought 4 years ago 5spd 4x4 160,000 on it I have 229,000 on it now I have put batteries in it and an ALT this past summer. I also had to put a lift pump on it so check the engine valley and make sure it aint leaking I think if you check kelly blue book it is worth about 8G in good condition.

take a real good look at the fluids if the seller will let you

[ridiculously_necessary]

then i would say its a good deal, keep soem money aside for maintenance. these are great trucks. the engine hold up to some crazy abuse if they are maintained. there are plenty with over 400k miles on them. i have 285k and its running very strong. many on here have 300k+ and use their trucks to pull often and they are good and strong. the tranny is the weakest link, check for a tranny cooler. it should have one stock i believe. but 17k one one isnt bad at all. if the truck is in good condition you wont be diappointed!

1. check the fluids
2. have the tranny checked by a trusted mechanic checked since its been worked hard
3. check for leaks, oil or diesel, if you find any post here because mechanics either dont know the psd, or love to screw you on this one
4. Check the turbo fins for damage (very important)

possible maintenance items after you purchase:

Batteries $180 - $300 for a pair
Glow plugs Approx $50
Glow Relay - Upgrade to stancor - $45
Fuel filter - approx $18
Fuel pump - if leaking approx $100 - $200
CPS (Cam Position Sensor) $20 - $120 depending where you get it and which one.
All the above is DIY of course.

am most importantly

[cndrm]

Keep in mind, these trucks are designed to work. An easy life is not what they were built for. With that in mind, if they're not properly maintained, they will break, and leave you stranded.

I would ask the owner, and see if they have records showing their maintenance schedule. (i.e., receipts showing oil, oil filter purchase, and mileage changed at) What was the incriment that they changed their oil at? 3K, 4K, 5K????? Has the fuel filter been changed recently? Were they using a fuel additive? (if so, what?) Shocks? (last replaced) Tires? (rotated?) Any issues? Pick the owners brain.

The price could very well be a good one, so long as the truck hasn't been neglected. If it's been neglected, then you'd definitely want to reserve a bit of money to get it up to par, and to also be prepared to take care of any incidentals.

mike

[tftimm]

The advice others gave to me is what I will tell you. Unless this is exactly what you are looking for, you may want to hold out. You will find exactly what you are looking for, be patient.

[diesel73junkie]

Eek, sounds like a good deal. But if he was hard on it, you never know what might be wrong with it. I'd at least try and get it down to $4K. Good luck!

[pjwoolw]

Manual hubs and transfer case shifter?

[FENKER]

if it was a kid he was no easy on it. its a good price but he was not easy on thje thing