New Guy ... Looking for buying advice

[blatallic]

Hello Guys, I've been reading the forum for a few days. I've been thinking about getting a powerstroke for sometime. Ideally, I was want a silver/grey CCLB 4x4 with low mileage. I know ... that will be hard to find.

Should I be scared of a truck that has over 200k miles? Last thing I want to do is buy a truck and then ... have a huge expense in repairs. I've never owned a diesel ... Only truck I've owned is a 2000 F150 when I was in college. I want something the family can fit in and it be a diesel ... I can't afford a new truck... but I love the boxy look of the older trucks.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated it.

[351fifty]

check for blow by by flipping the cap, and shaft play by trying to wiggle the impeller on the turbo, look for leaks, drive it, make sure you test it on both tanks, and try to do a cold start on it if ya can get the guy to leave it alone before you go see it. i bought my current one with 274k and love it, my last i bought with 105k and it ran just as good, i wouldnt shy away from a truck because of mileage, btw have you checked the for sale and wanted section, a few for sale there too, welcome to the org btw

[erics diesel]

check what Kris said and the only thing to be woried about with that many miles is the auto tranny

[351fifty]

yeah smell the trans dip stick, if smells burnt 9/10 its on its way out, be careful tho, we had a member trade his SD for an obs and got shafted and is in the process of having the engine rebuilt after a week of owning it

[blatallic]

Thanks for all the help. What's the after maintenance cost?

[351fifty]

what do you meen?

[blatallic]

Sorry, that was a typo. tried tying in on my phone. I mean to ask, what's the average maintenance cost on these trucks.

I don't plan on racing or pushing it too hard really. I want to do the exhaust/intake/chip ... and about a 4 inch lift kit and call it a day.

[rolsmojave3]

I've purchased trucks with over 200k, My current truck I purchased with 245k on it, now at 265K. I did pull the engine and replaced main and rod bearings as they were shot, although the truck didn't show it.

Oil changes are more expensive, but if you shop around you can DIY for around $50, fuel filters are around $15, brakes and wheel bearings are cheap.

Average maint' cost on these trucks is less then making payments on a newer truck if you can do some work yourself. Obviously most repairs if done correctly will last quite some time, saving plenty of money during their life.

And to tease you, check out this CCLB.

1996 f350 crew cab

[BigFuel]

Originally Posted by blatallic

Sorry, that was a typo. tried tying in on my phone. I mean to ask, what's the average maintenance cost on these trucks.

I don't plan on racing or pushing it too hard really. I want to do the exhaust/intake/chip ... and about a 4 inch lift kit and call it a day.

Famous last words?

If you find a F250 4x4 it'll have the dreaded D50 TTB. Only dreaded because it's expensive to repair and thus most people don't do it leaving you with a bad front end (but possibly a much cheaper truck, D60 swap here). If you don't do any of the maintenance your self look at $200-250 for the oil changes (every 5000 miles or less. Motor oil is extremely important in these trucks). $100-150 for coolant changes (every 30k with additives) After a air filter mod look at $35-75 for new filters. Tires are in the $250-300 each. Average fuel mileage might be in the 16-18 MPGs around the Org. GPR $75. Glow plug sets $75-150.

When I was in Texas I didn't see any snow but I did see a lot of ice. Get under the truck and look in the back corners of the cab to see if there is any road rust forming.

[351fifty]

damn thats clean and i want it badly, btw only thing i can attribute to maintenance cost is the fact i cant stop blowing money on things for my truck, but i keep the oil changed, fuel in it, and do a trans flush every now and then, run some cetane boost and diesel clean every road trip, i got less than $1500 a year in maintenance, but thousands in upgrades lol and fuel.