[regginator]

Hey Guys. I'm good friends with a guy who has a 1997 F350 he is thinking he finally wants to sell. He bought it new in 1998 with like 200 miles on it. It's a white, crew cab, long bed, 4x4, auto, 4:10 gears, with gray interior. The ODO just turned 82,000 miles yesterday. He is a truck driver so he doesn't drive it very often and he hates the auto trans. He got a 99 7.3 with a 6 speed about 2 years ago for a song and we've fixed that up and that's all he drives anymore. The truck just sits for the most part now and I've been joking around with him since I met him about selling the truck to me. Well to my surprise a few months ago he started thinking about it. He's got every receipt for every nut and bolt. He put a Ranch Hand bumper on the front and had a rear bumper made. He made the truck a DRW and put a Bradford Build bed on it so he took the rear bumper off but still has it. This was all done about 10 or so years ago. Back in 2011 he decided he was going to use it for his company and start pulling smaller loads with it. Hooked around 20-25 loads to it, around 10k each, and the farthest he went with it was from Salt Lake City, UT to Vernal, UT. He didn't like pulling with the auto so it didn't get used much. When he decided he was going to use with his company he did some work to it. 3" DP to 4" straight pipe exhaust, intake, 6, POS chip, valve body and deeper trans pan (not sure if he put a new torque converter in or not), and he put air bags in the rear. All this was done in 2011 and he has all receipts. And we just did a front end on it a year and a half ago so that's probably only got 1,000-2,000 miles on it. I don't have any pictures of the truck but it looks brand new. I have never seen a scratch on it. Interior looks brand new. Not a speck of dirt in it. Seats have no wear or stains and front seats are covered (no one ever sits in the rear). Carpets have been covered since day one. He has weather tech. type floor mats in it now with the factory mats under them. I've never seen an OBS as clean as this one, in person or in picture. It has sat some but it's the healthiest 7.3 I've ever heard. The only reason he doesn't drive it more is because the auto trans. We've talked about putting a 6 speed in it, but he doesn't really want to hack up the brand new 1997 truck haha. He said he is waiting for me to buy it (he's in NO hurry to sell it), but I told him it'd be six months or so. He said he doesn't care. How much would you guys give for this truck? If I don't buy it I'll help him sell it.

 

[dannanw]

wow lots to read....here that SRW obs 4X4 crew would be about 10-15k depending on body cond...7.3's here are going up in value because of emmisions testing BS

 

[regginator]

Haha sorry I had to give a REALLY good description of the truck since I don't have a picture to show. 15k seems low to me. I've seen them sell on here for more with higher mileage and not as nice. I forgot to say the dually conversion was done by ford. In 2004. Just curious because if I don't buy it, I want to help him get all he can for it.

 

[dannanw]

all good, just put out there what they're going for here. mine's a E99 i got about 6 years ago and (with only 18K on it, and 44K now) with the flat bed and dually I could get about 18-22.

 

[madpogue]

Math exercise - start at 10K, good baseline for a clean stock CCLB 4x4 with "average" miles. Then do the math. Low miles is a BIG plus, automatic is a minus. DRW, bed and performance mods could be plus or minus, depending on whether they were done right and whether you want them. Just keep doing pluses and minuses like that, based on maintenance, condition, RUST (NOT just the body; look UNDER), etc.

A ZF swap, done right, would NOT "hack" this truck. It would rid it of one if its weakest links. There are loads of fellas on this and the other PSD sites with ZF5 (mostly 5) swaps, and if you look REAL close at the wiring, and you know what you're looking for, you MIGHT notice that the truck wasn't born with an auto.

Interesting that your buddy considers a ZF swap a "hack", but not so an aftermarket bed, aftermarket DRW, aftermarket bumper, etc.

 

[regginator]

Math exercise - start at 10K, good baseline for a clean stock CCLB 4x4 with "average" miles. Then do the math. Low miles is a BIG plus, automatic is a minus. DRW, bed and performance mods could be plus or minus, depending on whether they were done right and whether you want them. Just keep doing pluses and minuses like that, based on maintenance, condition, RUST (NOT just the body; look UNDER), etc.

A ZF swap, done right, would NOT "hack" this truck. It would rid it of one if its weakest links. There are loads of fellas on this and the other PSD sites with ZF5 (mostly 5) swaps, and if you look REAL close at the wiring, and you know what you're looking for, you MIGHT notice that the truck wasn't born with an auto.

Interesting that your buddy considers a ZF swap a "hack", but not so an aftermarket bed, aftermarket DRW, aftermarket bumper, etc.

The truck still looks new. No rust. Anywhere. The few performance mods were done right. And I consider them pluses, ONLY because I know this guy and how he treats that truck. Normally I'd want a stock truck and put mods I'd want. DRW swap was done at Ford. He bought a new Bradford Build bed, and new Ranch Hand bumper. I don't know how you'd consider those "hacks". I've done a few auto to manual swaps, we actually just did one on a 4runner a few weeks ago. If he found a good ZF6, he'd do it. He just doesn't want to go buy one off some guys garage floor. I prefer the auto personally. I never thought I'd say that until I had a truck with a built one.

 

[dannanw]

Math exercise - start at 10K, good baseline for a clean stock CCLB 4x4 with "average" miles. Then do the math. Low miles is a BIG plus, automatic is a minus. DRW, bed and performance mods could be plus or minus, depending on whether they were done right and whether you want them. Just keep doing pluses and minuses like that, based on maintenance, condition, RUST (NOT just the body; look UNDER), etc.

A ZF swap, done right, would NOT "hack" this truck. It would rid it of one if its weakest links. There are loads of fellas on this and the other PSD sites with ZF5 (mostly 5) swaps, and if you look REAL close at the wiring, and you know what you're looking for, you MIGHT notice that the truck wasn't born with an auto.

Interesting that your buddy considers a ZF swap a "hack", but not so an aftermarket bed, aftermarket DRW, aftermarket bumper, etc.

forgot one detail, region/demand...here subaru's and similar cars (awd) here sell for alot more than elsewhere. I agree with the mod parts, but thats personilization (I know I cant spell :hehe and the cost of those parts cant be added in, but if it's what you want to do than it can help because you dont have that cost so that'll add some value. I replyed because my truck is similar (flat bed, dually) and I also know my truck if it where SRW and about 3-4 in lift in my city would be worth even more (heavy military city).

I need to get back to work lol, snow's keeping me inside going crazy.

 

[regginator]

Ford F-350 | ksl.com

This isn't the truck, but it is identical and is just about as nice as his. Except my buddy's is a 1997 and has 10,000 less miles. And is a flatbed dually of course.

 

[Diesel_brad]

The problem with your buddys truck..
How was it converted to a dually? New rear axle or adapters? What about the front, bud wheels or stock single wheels?

They are the 2 biggest things that bother me.

O yeah, the auto. I wouldn't even look at a truck with an auto But that is just me

What people ASK for these trucks vs what they are WORTH are 2 totally different things

I am sitting on my retirement fund if I sold all my trucks work what some people would ASK for them

 

[regginator]

The problem with your buddys truck..
How was it converted to a dually? New rear axle or adapters? What about the front, bud wheels or stock single wheels?

They are the 2 biggest things that bother me.

O yeah, the auto. I wouldn't even look at a truck with an auto But that is just me

What people ASK for these trucks vs what they are WORTH are 2 totally different things

I am sitting on my retirement fund if I sold all my trucks work what some people would ASK for them

It has a dually rear axle. He also has the SRW axle still as well. The front has steel dually wheels. And I never even wanted a truck with an auto until I had one and got it built. Now I almost prefer them when built right. Unless I'm pulling a lot (which I have been lately) I wouldn't mind the auto at all. And don't get me wrong, I think it's crazy what people ask for these trucks. But they do sell. I would never dream of paying 17 grand for the truck I posted. And I don't think it'll bring that much around here. My buddy has told me he wanted around 15 grand but realistically, I think 13,000 is what it would take to get it. Which seems fare to me considering I don't want the flatbed or the ranch hand bumpers and could easily get another 2 grand back by selling them.

 

[BEEMAC]

Flatbeds are more versitile than pickup beds. Even when hauling dirt, as you can build temp sides to hold the dirt on the flatbed and the right flatbed looks better than ANY pickup body I have seen. I would consider having a flatbed atleast a 2k added value to the package and the auto a definitely 3k devalue to the package deal.

Just cause your friend is a truck driver by trade dont mean he drives vehicles well. I have seen alot of crappy truck drivers on the road with PP driving habits. One just killed a trooper here in NYS a few weeks back. If you are going to pay that much for a 97 truck maybe you should get the engine and tranny looked by and tested by some real deal pros to know what kind of heart and lungs your possible new truck has in it.