Best year of 7.3L?

[HelenaTDI]

Newbie here,

Looking at buying a 2000 7.3L with 136,000 miles. I hear this was a good year with forged rods & pistons right? The truck is a 2000 F350, XLT, 4x4, crew cab, long box, 6spd, pretty much loaded with no leather. Very clean truck from Texas. The price is $15K. So what do you all think? Go for it?

[sldghamr]

i've heard the better years to get is 94.5 thru 97.5

that's just what i heard.

[dieseldan2005]

I don't think you can really go wrong with any 7.3 DITD, but the 99-00 like ya said have the forged rods so if ya want to do extreme mods then thats the motor for ya. I have a 2001 and love it. I wish mine had the 6spd though, i like shifting. The price sounds fair for that truck. I'm not real familiar with values of texas trucks though.

[HVAC SuperTech]

TX trucks seem to be higher than normal pricing, esp for me over here in NC. I just bought my truck with an 03 motor, 20 over Mahle pistons, and rods, and 25 K on the motor, 254K on the body for a little over 10K. all in what deals you find. I did findout on mine, that it smokes at idle, and I changed the oil and it smelled of diesel. Which means that I have o rings that are bad on my injectors. so I need to change them. some little interior things dont work, like a window motor and lock switches, but ovrall a good truck for the $$.... I would say thats a good deal! Go for it if you're feeling it!

[cowboymafia]

1997 is what every one says around here

[Logan]

I really like the 99-00 motors. Good for doing a build up on.

[HVAC SuperTech]

97's werent intercooled, and so they are a little weaker of course. I was also told that if a oil pump shaft breaks and you dont know it, the truck will drive itself to destruction. Where as the 99 ups will go into shutdown or limp modes...plus I agree with Logan, I like the 99-00 motors. I do like the 97 body style esp the SRW CC models, but then again, I love my body style trucks too!

[DirtyDiesel]

i thought the OBS (94-97) 7.3's had the forged rods in them. and the superduty's (99-03) had the PMR's in them

[Logan]

The 99-00 had the forged, and newer than that has the PMRs.

[DirtyDiesel]

so wat abot the OBS trucks, where they PMR's or forged