So I am looking for a 96 /97 4x4 ext cab, or Crew with and 8' bed and a PSD. Now I understand this economy, and the rarity of our OBS trucks. I have been working on vehicles for over 15 years, and have learned alot in purchasing. Here's my beef. I have looked at several 97's in my area, some are far cry's from FAIR condition, vs Excellent. However people are asking 5 to 7k for trucks with rusted out, and SHOT beds, bad cab corners and repairs needed. I guess my frustration is that we look at craigslist and people see trucks are no selling, even close to the price they are asking, and yet they still value these trucks high. Make no mistake, I LOVE FORD TRUCKS, ask anyone that knows me.... I just dont know how many of you feel the same. I dont want to offend anyone, but jesus, after the RUST BUCKET i looked at this weekend, and the guy was offended when i told him, it wasnt worth half of his askin price..

 

The information power of the internet...

 

I understand each person holds a value, but come on!

 

...have the very same thing here a month ago...Guy pulled his add and relisted...realized what he had " I guess" and upped it. Gotta be the 7.3...

 

I dont mind paying a "fair" price... I want a 7.3 I want an OBS... So I dont mind looking. I am stuck in a bad spot because PA vehicles have to be inspected, which I am OK with.. OHIO vehicles are run down. THe truck I looked at saturday, I bet somebody spent 1000 bucks in paint, and bondo, and undercoating. The roof was rotted out just above the windshield, and the bed and cab corners were gone. NO JOKE they wanted a solid 7000 maybe consider 6000. And the other guy is in the same situation, he owes more than the truck is worth, and thinks that the MODS make the truck more valuable.

 

Mods don't usually add to the value of a truck, so if someone is telling you that, you probably shouldn't buy a vehicle of any sort from them..

Just keep looking... There's always another truck "down the road" per say

Good luck with your search.

 

These trucks generally bring a high dollar in our area (OH,PA, etc).
If you really want a less expensive truck in really good shape, go South or West.
There's no exception.
What it costs in travel time and fuel far outweighs the benefits of a rust free truck.
There are deals out there, you just need to keep looking.
When I wanted another truck I did not look anywhere in the midwest. Although I got mine from Philly, it was a SC truck before that.
Good luck.

 

I saw the same thing here in podunk East Tx. Low supply doesn't help any. OBS trucks were $5k to $6k, '99 to '03s were $8k and up. Heck a few OBS in really nice shape with low miles were listing for $12k to $15k! I got a '95 CC 2WD with 240,000 in the Denver Metro area for 1/2 what they were asking here, did a bit of maintainence, drove it 900 miles home. Turkey, dressing and a truck for Thanksgiving. Can't beat that.

 

Around here all the sellers of these are on crack. 10K minimum for a 94-97 powerstroke. I have a friend asking that for hers and it's worth it and then some in my opinion but that truck is the exception to the rule. I know how well hers has been maintained.

 

Yeah I will keep looking, and keep hoping. The biggest thing is I had to vent to people who see both sides like me. Yes we know what our trucks can and will do, but just because it says PowerStroke, doesnt make it an automatic 5000 dollar truck

 

I noticed the same problem when I bought my OBS Powerstroke 2.5 years ago; some people with the nicer trucks were asking insane prices and only the trucks that were really beat up or had ultra-high miles seemed reasonably priced.

I ended up finding the exact configuration I wanted (5-spd, 4wd, super cab, short bed), but the guy was asking $11K for it. However, the truck was well maintained with only 120K miles, had a canopy, and nice wheels and tires. I drove the four hours to look at it and buy it and negotiated him down to $10.5K. Did I pay more than I should have? Perhaps, but I would have been searching a lot longer to find a truck in that good of condition and in the layout I wanted.

I do have to ask why so many people don't think mods add to the value of a truck though, especially if they are done in a professional manner and they are ones you'd want further down the road anyway. I'd imagine you could get a truck with mods already installed for quite a bit less than buying a stock truck and then buying and installing all the mods yourself. Of course, I'd be closely inspecting everything on the truck to make sure it wasn't beat on...

 

From what I have read, some mods if not coupled with others are pointless. For example I was reading if you have a chip/programmer, and go stage ones that you need to got to the 17* HPOP mod, and if you dont the truck will not tow properly, sometimes, and I recently seen it they throw mods like a down pipe and cut out the exhaust, and have it vent directly under the cab/bed it will cost some money to properly install a "safe" exhaust.

 

It's all about location. In my area they are in high demand because they are dependable units. I think there's only been 2-3 on craiglists that have been an OBS since September. Prices all seem fair for the miles.

The people who really want these trucks are the dealers. They know that they can low ball the seller on a trade and then make out like bandits when they go to sell it themselves.


You'll have that with any older vehicle. You don't need a 17* HPOP to tow properly if you have a tuner and stage I's...

 

well, with Diesel slowly climbing, bet there will be more "out There" as the owners fell that pinch. That's when I got mine, PO said when Diesel hit $4.00 + they decided to sell...

 

Unfortunately the price of gas keeps climbing too, which helps off-set that diesel cost when it comes to economy minded folks, IMO..

JIM.. Its that way all over! The southwest have some elaborate pricing going on here too for less then steller trucks! Even worse along the west too! I couldnt find one with under 400k miles in many cases!

My answer... Make your own! Thats what I did! You pay less, and have a solid truck afterwards!