So this is my first post in this section of the forums. I'm looking at a 2000 f250 7.3L supercab long bed 4x4. The stereo system got taken out of it awhile ago. It's got a rough inside (tears and stains in the seat). Also there's something wrong with the front differential. When we put it in 4 wheel drive the front axle would catch and make a nasty cracking noise. Like the locking hubs were jumping teeth? the guy rebuilt the motor at 289000 miles. He bought new pistons, glow plugs, cleaned up the crank shaft, and watever else can be done in the rebuild. So the motor itself has about 25,000 miles on it. He also rebuilt the tranny he says at the same time. The body has a few dents and the passenger door has a small crunch in the bottom corner. He's asking $8000, which I think is high with the condition and 4x4being out. I was wondering what it would take to rebuild the front 4x4system myself. Or what it would cost to have a shop do it. I was thinking of offering the guy $5000 so I could save some money for getting the stuff mentioned fixed. Do you think this is reasonable? I'll need to sell my 1995 f250 extended cab 351 before I can buy this truck. Thanks for your time and help guys.

 

I would consider it for $5k. I am curious why the engine needed rebuilding at 289k....and the tranny, too. If you aren't willing to do the work on the 4x4 (or learn), that problem could get real expensive, real quick at a shop.

 

the engine & trany rebuild statement is only of value if theres documents from a reptable rebuilder.if the ring&pinnion are ok you could repair the front diff.fairly reasonable.as far as price you can buy a truck like that for 10k ish around 200k miles good but not perfect interier,exterier a few dings everything works good but probbaly needs maint. in future,at least in my area north west.I agree 8k is to much.

 

It depends on what your plans are for the truck. If you really fix it up, it will oultlast the shiny new diesels on the dealer's floor (opinions vary). These engines are before emission standards neutered the durability of diesels. I bought mine for $10K, but it's straight, clean, and with a good interior. It needed a number of things done to it, like fixing exhaust leaks, find vacuum leaks in the 4X4 system, and replace tired sensors... but the value of the truck has gone up in the last two years.

If the truck is beat and he did the rebuild himself at 289,000 miles... I have to wonder what he did to "Stinky's" cousin to warrant a rebuild so soon. Stinky has 267,000 miles, good compression, I just replaced my first set of injectors, and I gave him a full power-up package to yield about 375 HP. Many here have 300,000 - 400,000 miles and still going strong... but we maintain our trucks and drive them sanely (most of the time). I would look for a loved truck, not a Frankendiesel. Sure you pay more up front, but ultimately you pay less and enjoy more. This can be a very expensive hobby... what with 4 gallons of synthetic oil every 5000 miles and all.

 

Thanks for the reply guys. He has receipts and pictures of everything hes done. I'm not sure why he rebuilt the motor. but at 300,000 miles, isn't it about due? I know with a diesel you can get another hundred or so but... also he's been a professional mechanic for 4 or 5 years. He had a machine shop do all the boring of the heads and such. I've been looking for a 7.3L of this year for awhile (99-02) and they all seem to be a little pricey for me. I'm willing to get a truck that needs a little work and do it myself for 5 grand or less. he's had this truck on the market since November starting at $12000. It has a good strong motor and tranny as far as I could tell from the test drive. I just don't have 10K to spend and thought this would be a good alternative. Thanks again..

 

These motors, when taken care of, will go 500k plus EASY without needing any major work. Transmissions are a different story depending on how the truck was used. At 289k, it should not have needed anything but fresh seals, sensors and o-rings if it was taken care of. That is why we are questioning his rebuild on it.

 

Yea... what he said. Now... saying that, if he's a good mechanic and he's half as **** as I am, there may have been something going on and he didn't tolerate it. Photos and receipts? This is sounding legit. You might have a bargain there, but it's too bad he was so rough with the exterior. I'd ask for specifics on the reason for the rebuild. Did he find a root cause for the issue?

 

Post up some pics of the truck for us. The front diff noise could be hubs or it could be the posi unit or ring and pinion or whatever. But chances are if you are willing and able it could be fixed for under $500 possibly. Ask him if he replaced the torque converter when he rebuild the trans and if it still has the stock valve body in it. That will tell you what kind of a rebuild it got.

As far as the engine goes. Trust your gut. If you feel that he seems to be a straight up guy and the engine looks fresh then go with his story. I know that mine has around 145k on it now and if I had the time and extra money I would consider pulling mine apart for no other reason that just to freshen it up and maybe try a different camshaft but that just me. Here's the deal. The bottom line is these trucks are worth putting money in. If this was a 2000 Dodge or Cheby we were talking about I'd say forget it. But just do your self a favor and see if the rear wheel wells are rusting and look at the bottom of the doors. These are the bad areas on these trucks. If they are gone then use that to negotiate if they are solid you've got a pretty good truck that's worth the $8k. Just my .02

 

If the guy is a mechanic, ask him what is wrong with the front diff. He should already know.

Just saying

 

For the money you can do much better IMO!! May even have to spend another 2K and get a truck that hasn't been gutted and is clean etc. In the end it could save you major headaches. Be patient and keep an eye out in the local adds etc. they are out there but seem to go quickly.

As mentioned above it sounds like the hubs could be the cause of the clicking.

If you are hell bent on this truck take it to a good Diesel shop and spend the money to have them do a complete check like compression test, Injector test, 4x4 check out to name a few. Then take the quote back to the seller and negotiate the price.

 

A stated above, take your time finding the right truck. Took me 2 years to find mine(original owner, less than 150k) I looked at alot of them, from the boy racer types with every "bobby bolt on" hanging off of them to the stockish farm/ work trucks. Drive a few of them...you'll know the one

Good luck

My .02

 

I think that is one 7.3 I would pass on. If he was asking $12k, I doubt he will take $5k. I think you can find a nice, clean, solid 200k mile extended cab 4x4 for $8k.

 

x2 ^. just too much laundry with that truck for me. Around these parts (Va.) these trucks seem to be in somewhat of a demand. I paid $11,500 for my 01' Ext cab with 136K on the clock.

 

I'm not sure how to post pictures in a thread or I would ... I made a temporary garage album of this truck with the pics and specs I have of It. Please look at it, It looks like a nice truck outside. As far as rust, there is none. He had the bed sprayed with bedliner as well as the bottom 6" of the truck which hasn't seen much wear. And there isn't rust under the liner that I noticed.

When we mentioned the rough 4wheel he said he hadnt noticed it before. He also said he didn't use the 4x4 much since he lives in town.
Overall I like the look of this truck. It has a leveling kit with 315 (35"s) tires and nicer wheels. Also bushwacker fender flares. (which with the liner along the bottom 6" looks cool). All the stuff I would want to put on my Bad A$$ diesel anyway. Be sure to check out my garage for pics. Thanks guys for your help. Keep it coming!

 

Yes he replaced the tourque converter with the tranny. He said that he ordered the tranny through Napa. which made it sound like it was new. This guy lives an hour away so I haven't had a chance to look through his receipts yet.

Also when I turned the locking hubs in, they seemed rather hard to turn. yet another reason for the hubs being the suspect for the cracking?