Alaskan In need of some buyers help

[AlaskanEngineer]

Hello Folks,

I am in a tight spot right now, have to buy a rig within the week due to some life changes and while I would love a 7.3 for all their reliability I just cannot find one within my price range here in Fairbanks Alaska. I have however found a 2005 F250 for sale with the 6.0.

Problem is I have heard many horror stories of blown head gaskets and many other problems and am thus very gun shy of these 6.0 rigs. I do have some specific questions that perhaps some folks would be kind enough to answer. First of all, the price: for a 2005 with 55,000 miles on it, does 12,000 sound fair? Its a work rig (an XL) and definitely reflects it.

My next question is can someone help with a car-fax or some similar service. I tried the VIN on the free Car-Fax service and it would not work. I took the VIN down over the phone so I am not sure its right, but I did read it back to the guy a few times and think its right. If anyone could pm me if they can get it to run, I would be TREMENDOUSLY Thankful!
VIN: 1FTSX21T05EA96167

What would you be worried about around the 55,000 mile mark?

Thanks and any advice/encouragement/horror stories appreciated!

[huhner5]

Mine has 56k on it right now... Driven very hard every day... Never missed a beat...I love my 6.0 and so do 95% of others that have it

[powerstrokin it]

heck no take that sucker and run all the way home and dont stop until it is in the garage with your name on the title that is a heck of a deal unless the body and interior is beat the heck up then i would say $7,000 in these economic times

[diesel_hog]

get a oasis report (ford) done. ask someomne on the forum, or go to ford. It'll give you all the ford warranty history of it. Really helpful

[jamstoyz]

with it being a 05 i wouldnt worry too much on the problems. supposedly they made changes to the problems in 05. i had 2 7.3's and 2 6.0's and love the 6.0's way better. never had a problem with any of my fords and i drive them hard. oh yeah 1 tranny went on my 7.3 and its common around 80k to 100k miles. the torqueshift trans are way better imo. also try this site. theres many diesels for sale in alaska but i would say $12k for the 05 is a pretty good deal if its 4x4
classifieds - craigslist

[Diesel_Diagnostician]

I tried to run OASIS for you but no dice fella, your VIN is no good. If you get me the right one I can try to help you out...

[JohnO]

There were some problems in 03 and 04, but like anything on the internet, they have been blown way out of porportion. There were two primary issues: improper head bolt torque at the factory, and a bad batch of injectors from Siemens. There are quite a few people around here who have owned an 03 or 04 6.0 and have had no problems at all.

Be aware that to hotrod the 6.0, you should spend some bucks and replace the head bolts with studs. More often than not, if you hear of a problem with an 05-06 PS, someone put a tuner on it and overdid it - didn't watch exhaust gas temperature, and cooked the EGR.

My 06 has a stock motor, and has had no problems. Great truck. Strong motor, the best interior, and a chassis and suspension that can control a load better than the other brands.