Looking at a 1997 F250 XLT extended cab. 47K miles on the Powerstroke and 4sp automatic tranny. They are asking $23K. Truck is immaculate shape and extremely low miles and 100% stock. Never owned one of the 7.3L motors and a lot of what I read indicates that 1997 was the best year for them? Any comments on the year? I would prefer a manual tranny but I only tow light (< 3,500 lbs) so is the 4speed a concern? I think the asking price is fair and comments on what the price should be? Any other comments / advice welcome.


John

 

47k isn't even broken in yet


Price varies from location and how badly one wants it


I bought a 95 with 304k on it for my towing needs and it should be fine for many years.


3500 towing is nothing, my 05 Toyota Sienna and 99 Taco did that with no issue.

 

Price is high but more and more your starting to see this. These pickups are very popular and if its in great shape like your saying then its probably worth it. No rust I'm assuming?


At gas stations guys are constantly telling me that I have a nice pickup and want to buy it. One guy with a 6.0 wanted to trade me and I said 'no thanks'! We can work on these, the newer ones forget it, at least for me.

 

I think that is a high price. You should look it over real good and get the mileage verified by Carfax.

There has been other people that found out after they paid a premium for a truck that it was not as it was advertised and it cost a lot of money to make it good.

But if it is your dream truck and you can afford it then go for it. They don't make them like that any more.

I would imagine that your insurance cost to protect that much would be the same you would pay for a 5 year old truck.

Kevin

 

I think that's even a bit high for that mileage.

If i were in your shoes i'd look for one with higher miles (like <150,000 miles) and a SUPER clean body. The price should be closer to $10-14k.

These motors are super reliable, if properly maintained i wouldn't hesitate at all to buy one of these with 150k miles.

BUUUT, if that's your dream truck, and you have the money, then by all means go for it.

 

Well the "dream truck" would be the crew cab version with a 5 speed manual transmission. It's a dealer that specializes in diesels that is selling the truck. They have two 1997 models...the crew cab with 47K miles for $23k and a regular cab with 98K miles but a 5 speed manual tranny for $20K. They are not really wanting to lower their prices...I offered them $22K out the door (including TTL) for the extended cab and they said nope. They do have the Carfax reports so I think the mileage and everything is legit...trucks are in really good condition, both from Texas so no rust, etc....I usually only put 25k - 30k miles on a truck each year...so either one would have plenty of life if take care of them...which I do one all my vehicles...

 

Looks like it was a government vehicle for the first 19years (32K miles), second person only owned it for 6 months and took it to 40K miles, then it went to auction and landed at the current dealership...

 

I would wonder why the second person owned it for 6 months. I am of the school that these trucks are not worth that much with zero miles. It's just an ol diesel truck that is rubber and metal. You can almost as nice a truck for half the money. They are just rubber and metal after all. I wouldn't pay over $15k no matter what. True story, 4 years ago I had a guy that had one for sale close to me that the guy wanted $16k. It had 95k miles and was pretty much a showroom truck. I looked at it, offered $12k because that is all I could come up with between cash on hand and loan value. He wouldn't budge and went into the "this is rare and I have people beating down my door for this truck"....um, ok. Well,he called me TWO MONTHS later asking if I would still pay 12k. I had Ruby by then (my other truck I sold last year). yeah, I was so happy to say no.

Moral of the story, $23k is ENTIRELY too much for any OBS...but that's just how I see it.

 

Government owned, thousands of hours idling.

 

And there ya go. Listen to the wisdom here!

 

Probably a personal decision, how bad do you want it? Can only speak for myself, if I really wanted a crew cab I wouldn't pay that kind of money for an extended cab. But I am a tightwad.

Also, even with low miles it's a 20 year old truck and is going to need work. These older trucks need to be maintained by someone who really cares about them like a hobbyist owner. Conscientiously taking them to a commercial shop for maintenance only results in draining your wallet and the truck still needing work.

Does the truck itself only have 47K on it, or is it just the engine and trans that have low miles?

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

More wisdom here. I agree with you Bob. My truck only has 165k miles, but man did it need some attention. The previous owner had zero idea how to take care of an older 7.3...

 

Good advice guys and goes along with my train of thought. I want it...but don't need it especially for a premium cost...I do my own tinkering and maintenance especially on the older or hobby vehicles...I am going to let them hold onto the truck since they just got it in December...so if it sits a few months they maybe more willing to negotiate...and keep my eye out for the "dream truck".

 

Used Blue Metallic 1997 Ford F-250 HD Crew Cab 4WD Crew Cab 6-3/4 Ft Box for Sale South Bend, IN | Auto Park | VEC18432


Used Oxford White 1997 Ford F-350 Crew Cab 4WD Crew Cab 8 Ft Box SRW for Sale South Bend, IN | Auto Park | B0253


Used White 1997 Ford F-250 HD Crew Cab 4WD Crew Cab 6-3/4 Ft Box for Sale South Bend, IN | Auto Park | 19166A


I didn't look to see where you are from John F350 but here are a few trucks for sale in my area at a Auto Park Dealer.

 

John F350….my opinion is that since these trucks are a hot item right now that is what is driving prices up along with the fact that a new diesel truck is 60-70,000! If I were you I would continue to save your money and continue your search until you find exactly what you are looking for in a truck. It’s out there if you’re not in a huge hurry. I would also find a truck with higher miles that has no/minimal rust. I was in your shoes all last summer. My dream truck search took my husband and I on road trip after road trip-some of the roads trips were several states away. I was searching for a low miles truck with minimal rust AND it had to be a 1997 f350 7.3 XLT CC LB with a stock engine. I really wanted a manual but I did “settle” for a auto trans (my husband does vehicle restoration for a living so minimal body work didn’t concern me). I admit I looked at some 20-25,000 1997 trucks too. Then I did more research on those high dollar trucks and realized the banks (here in Indiana) will only loan an average of $10,000 on these old trucks which leaves atleast $10,000 cash up front. Then I called several insurance companies to ask how much they would pay on a 1997 truck if it were totaled out. For myself after doing A LOT of research and figuring I couldn’t justify spending that much on a 20 year old “rust free” truck with around 100-150,000 “low miles” then having to pay a higher insurance premium thru a collector insurance company like Hagerty to be sure my $25,000 truck was insured for that amount. I also learned a lot about a “rust free”truck from my husband. Most of the trucks that were advertised as rust free definitely were not. So if you aren’t good at looking in all the hiding places for rust bring someone with you that knows what/where to look. And that is because if you aren’t able to do your own body work then you are looking at even more expense, in the possibly near future, to fix that issue and GOOD body work isn’t cheap. Another thing I learned about these trucks is I wish I would have done engine research BEFORE I started looking for my dream truck. All the guys on this forum (along with google and youtube) have helped to save me thousands of dollars in labor by providing information so my husband and I have been able to do 99.9% of the mechanical fixes on the truck I ended up buying. Another thing about these trucks with 100-150,000 mile is we don’t know how they were maintained and its inevitable that sensors, injectors, trouble shooting, tranny work, etc will need done. For me, after putting $10,000 cash down, then getting a loan for the remaining 10-12,000 I would be tapped out so then limited money for needed fixes on the truck. I THOUGHT I found a good 7.3 mechanic in my area when I first bought my truck but boy was I wrong! So I guess what I am trying to say is do your research and don’t jump into anything. I would personally steer clear of a vehicle dealer lot. They are only out for themselves and are rarely willing to negotiate within reason. I ended up “accidentally” finding my truck by driving past it sitting in someones front yard without a for sale sign in it. Turned around and made an offer on it. I bought a car fax report and my truck spent its entire life in Texas and 1 year in Central Indiana. I found my rust free truck but it wasn’t mechanically sound at all. But I paid ¼ of what the dealers are asking, I have put $2500 in parts to get it mechanically sound and that price includes my paint/primer for my rebuild and I’m still under $10,000. The best part is its all mine free and clear!J I hope you find what you are looking for. Don’t get in a hurry, do lots and lots of searching/research and don’t hesitate to ask for help from everyone on this forum. There are very knowledge people on here and willing to help.