i need to buy either a 250 or 350 truck for my business i am starting. so i am looking at this truck from the link below and are these trucks really that good and engines that strong to be asking the price the dealership is with the miles on the truck.

so i am going to look at this truck and test drive it. wht questions should i be asking and what should i be looking for mechanically wise since it has so many miles on it. For example what should i be looking for that has been replaced or needs to be replaced.

all thoughts welcomed. thanks kyle

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...5000&cardist=8

 

that has the 7.3 powerstroke right? my buddy has a 96 350 with over 200k and no problems at all. just like anything else its all how it was maintained.ive got a 2001 250 superduty with the 5.4 and i love it.are you planning to do lots of towing???

 

yes it has the 7.3 in it. it looks to be in good shape. i have to drive it yet. i am not going to be towing i am going to be sealcoating . so i will have a tank on the back. probally a 300 gallon tank with around 200 pounds of equipment with it. i have been reading that these trucks last i just want to make sure if i am putting the money out( which is vey tight with starting the business) that i am buying a good product.

 

163k on most likely a stock slush box, good luck with that one. A good replacement trans will cost you $4k, so keep that in the back of your mind. If you can find a 6spd you'll be better off on a higher mileage truck.

From the looks of it the truck is a late 99, so its got the larger turbo and injectors. There are other things that are different between early and late 99 trucks, but most are minor.

For what to look at on the truck I'd do the following. Look at all the fluids, especially the coolant, engine oil, and trans fluid. The coolant should have SCA addatives added to it which need to be at a specific level and need to be checked with test strips from Navistar. Check the air filter for general condition. Pull the intake tube off the turbo and check the condition of the wheel. It should have no axial play, but a small amount of end play. The leading edge of the fins should be sharp and not rounded. The blades also shouldn't act like they were sandblasted.


Are you sure this truck is up to the challenge? I'm guessing that you're leaving the equipment in the truck all the time. What is the weight per gallon of the coating compound? If its anything like water (8lb/gal) then you're looking at 2400lbs of weight in only the sealant, plus the weight of all your equipment which I'd bet is probably 600lbs or near. 3000lbs is alot of weight for just a SRW F250. In all honesty you might be better off buying a small single axle utility trailer and pulling that behind your current truck.

 

i agree, the tranny is a concern with mileage like that.in my experience the tranny will start to have issues before the motor does. at that mileage maybye its been rebuilt. find out what u can about that.

 

I think the price is too high. Other than that, it should be a solid truck if it has been properly maintained.