Ok - I was always told (by my dad) never to buy the 1st year of a vehicle. From what I'm reading on here, 1987 was a new model year for ford f-250? I am looking at a 1987 f-250 4x4, 460, 3 spd-auto, air, carbed model. Fairly low mileage, ext-cab, seems to run good. Was this model compterized? With a carb I would think not... What should I look for? What were the weaknesses on these? Anything that if I see should make me walk away? (truck seems to start, run, and drive pretty well) What kind of mileage did these get? Was this engine/tranny combo pretty reliable? Thanks in advance!

 

its my understanding (as I absorb knowledge from this site) That by 1987 ALL f series vehicles were EFI (electronic fuel injected). 1986 was the last carb year for all engines except the 302. its last carbed year was 1985.

I don't know too much about all of the ins and outs of the truck your talking about, but I do know this: as far as mileage is concerned, the 460/3spd auto combo is less than desireable. You might want a truck that has a tranny with an O/D in it if you are going to do any highway driving.

That's about all I know so far.....

 

Well, i'd just about SWORE it was carb'd - it looks like a carb and SMELLS like a carb - (granted I didn't pull the air cleaner off) maybe it was an 87 made in late 86? Here is the VIN 1FTHX26L7HKA00783 - I am gonna use it for pulling horse trailer, so pulling power more important than mileage. I just wondered what they got! And a NON overdrive tranny better for towing anyway. Thanks, and keep those posts coming!

 

It may have been a late 86/early 87 model, the build date is on the doorjam sticker.

No computer stuff w/ the carb, mileage will be awful, around 10 or lower. The 460, heavy truck, and no overdrive shoots ya in the foot for mileage. Engine/tranny combo are excellent....the whole truck is well built. No reason to shy away from the 87, your dad is correct but there are exceptions to that....not every new vehicle has quirks. Ford has been building trucks for a long time, and they build them well. I wouldn't even hesitate on an 87, or any of them for that matter.

The fact that it doesn't have overdrive...has no effect as to whether or not it is better at towing. The OD is simply an extra gear after the 1:1 ratio (3rd in that automatic) to get the RPMs down/lower on the highway. In many cases it's a benefit to have Overdrive....it'll allow you to run a lower gear ratio in the axles for extra power.

 

I have an '87 f250 w/a 302 and a 4 speed manual. 1st gear is granny gear. Only 72k miles on it so far and had no major problems w/it. It is fuel injected. Don't think they put carbs on any of them that year. Even my 302 seems to have plenty of power. Good luck!

 

Well, the VIN checks out for this to be a 4-bbl -
1987 FORD F250
Body Style: Super Cab Pickup
Engine Type: 7.5L V8 4BBL OHV

So it's a carb. and the gas mileage won't be the greatest. However, it should tow! I always heard when you had a vehicle with an OD tranny, you were NOT supposed to tow in OD. Too hard on the tranny, or the torque converter or something. I'm assuming (!) that a 3-spd auto for that year would be a c6? I don't know what the rear-end ratio is either, but unless it's pretty tall, that thing will be revving running down the road at 70mph I bet!

 

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on gas mileage, but more on total cost of operation. Total cost of operation would include, repairs, intrest, insurance and one big thing often overlooked depreciation. A better scenario could be given if we knew: 1. How many total estimated miles will you drive the truck each year? 2. How many of those miles will you be pulling the trailer?

 

Carb vs. EFI:
In '85, EFI was an option on the 302. In '86, all 302s were EFI.
In '87, the 300 went EFI. In '88, the 351w and the 460 went EFI. So the '87 you're looking at would rightly have a carb.

In '87, Ford re-styled the body and interior. The entire driveline (except for the FI in certain motors) and frame was the same. So you don't really have to worry about first year jitters with an '87. I would buy any one of the '80 to '96 trucks and not worry for a minute about reliability. They're all solid trucks, provided they're well-maintained.

Not sure about the 460, but the late model 300's were feedback carb. It was an early attempt at a computer controlled engine, and while it worked well when it worked, was more of a pain than anything else. You may want to look into that a bit more.

As stated, expect gas mileage to be in the low double digits, or high single digits when pulling a load.

If it were me, I would opt for an '88 or newer (EFI is great, and a huge advancement over carbureation, if you ask me) with a 5 speed overdrive. If you must have an automatic, the later (93 & newer) E4OD got a lot of upgrades that make them more reliable then when they first came on the scene.

 

I inherited my Dad's '87 F250 after he passed away. 460 w/ 3 spd. auto. He used to haul his 5th wheel with it.

One thing I don't care for is the mileage. 9 mpg, with a full load or empty.

The 460 I have is carb'd and it has a computer control module. (I remember when it had to be replaced a few years back).

On the highway, I really can't go much faster than 80 before the engine starts to whine, due to the gear ratio, but that's expected considering towing capabilities. I rarely go faster than that anyways, so no biggie.

One thing though, my truck has only 83K miles on it (the last 35K were from me over the last year and a half). Mostly it sat in my Dad's driveway never being used. As a result, all the seals dried up and now it leaks allot. Otherwise the motor is extremely reliable. (Check for leaks)

I'll tell you what though, this truck will haul anything anywhere without a hiccup. I would have never considered a Ford before this, but now having driven one for the past year and a half, I don't see myself buying any other kind of truck.

 

Well hey guys, this is all REALLy great info, thanks! I always thought you wanted to stay AWAY from the early EFI, but apparently not. I know carbs are touchier, but also easier to mess with! When EFI quits, it quits! (ask me how i know....!) What is the diff in mileage between a 4bbl 3-spd and an EFI 4-spd? Andym, I am gonna guess you meant 4-speed OD? Or did you mean 5-speed manual? I really DON"T want a manual for towing. The truck would be used for mostly towing, and also during snow weather (I am in Colorado so we get a fair amount of that) and anything else you would use a truck for. But i bet I don't put more than 2500 miles a year on anything I own. Of course, with a nice truck, that could change! ;-)

 

I don't really consider the new model thing in V8 Ford trucks since about '74. The newer trucks with delay wipers, cruise control, EFI, OD and other niceties are worth looking for.

If you really don't drive any more miles than that I wouldn't worry about fuel economy. Get the nicest truck for the money that you can get. Avoid rust like the plague.

Get the right gearing and engine for your purpose. Don't buy a large car if you want to pull a heavy load.

If you frequent the mountain passes in CO you may want to consider a turbo diesel. Performance suffers above 6000 feet without a turbo. You run with your foot to the floor to maintain highway speed and your mileage really suffers. To get to the top of one of those 10,000 foot passes pulling a load you will be running 25mph with your foot to the floor, forget mileage. The turbo sails over the passes like they were flat. Carburetted vehicles also tend to vapor lock over the passes.

Around here the word mileage translates to "BullSh1tMePlease". Just search, don't ask.

 

I had a 1987 F250 Heavy Duty 351W 4bbl for about 7 years. The biggest pain I found, besides the crappy 10 mpg 3-spd auto w/4.11's (great tug though!) was ordering parts. You may have the same problem w/the 460 and I'll explain. It's not that you can't find parts, but that they are listed for incorrect years.

Since the body is the '87-91, you think that parts for any of those would fit. Sheetmetal-wise, yes a perfect fit. However, since you have a carb and the '88-91 models are EFI, you have to be careful about getting driveline and electronics parts.

It's more likely that you'll require driveline parts listed as '80-86 since the '87 351W and 460 carbed trucks are kind of b*st*rdized (hope I can use that word here). Sometimes the catalogs have it correct, other times they will list from '80-86 and '88 to '91 and, according to the catalog or vendor, you're out of luck.

I'm not trying to disuade you, just educate you one what to look for. I loved my '87 and if I hadn't wrecked it I probably still be driving it (crappy mileage and all!).

Randy

 

Look at the door decal and check the axle code. Then go to tech on this website and determine what axle ratio you have. Once you have done that you can affect the final drive by replacing the 235/85R16 tires with 285/75R16's and get a little taller final drive ratio, not an eath shattering change, just a little help. There are several out with a load rang D rating. I haul a Featherlite 3 horse slant almost every weekend to jackpots with my '94 F250 and it has been a super truck. For a fill in vehicle with a LOT of OOMPH the '87 would be a good one. Look at the usual things when buying a used vehicle, the oil, inside the oil cap, the transmission fliud, for leaks, the PCV system, take a look inside the distributor cap, etc. If all works out, enjoy your truck, it will pull them home.

Tex

 

Ok - lots of good advice here. So let's boil it down. I'm working on a limited budget, wish I could afford a new one but I can't. So, if I'm mostly using this to haul a horse trailer around Colorado, and using the 4x4 in the snow, IGNORING mileage, is the towing capability and repair bills better in an EFI 4-spd auto? Or a carb 3-speed auto? All other things being equal of course! HardScrabble, I would LOVE to have a turbo-diesel (especially considering the cost of gas these days) but I havent' found one in my budget that the turbo was still working on! Plus the older ones tended to be pretty noisy, and cold weather IS an issue here, so I think I'll stick to gas.

 

When you deal with old vehicles condition is everything. A well kept vehicle is going to cost you less in the long run. I think this is the most important point, more important than equipment.

If that '87 checks out good and you can get a great deal on it you will probably be fine with it.

I got rid of my old truck mainly because of rust but I intentionally bought a newer one with OD, 4.10 gears and a 460 to tow heavy trailers. I only drive it when I need a truck. I only work on it to keep up the scheduled maintenance. I have to drive it sometimes just 'cause it sits too much.

I want a diesel but I choke on the prices. It is really false economy because I keep a truck for years and if you divide out the cost over the years it is pretty cheap really.

I like CO and have run much of the state. If I was doing it regularly I would bite the bullet and go for a diesel. I know I shouldn't say it here but don't pass up a pickup in good shape with the Cummins turbo diesel either.