I'm the original owner of a 97 F250 with the 7.3, with 164K. I will take this truck to my grave. People keep asking me if I want to sell it to them - (it is in very nice condition), but that ain't gonna happen.

It has been very reliable, very few issues. I use it to tow my 31' boat with no problems. The only issue this truck has had is not engine related - but a common Ford issue - the front end ball joints, etc. I'm on my third set.

 

ive got a 2002 f250 crew cab with the 7.3 and had one problem and that was an oil leak under turbo. just an Oring simple fix and nothing good about the 6.0 6. 6.4 either

 

If you go with the 6.0 youll want to keep about $4000.00 in the bank at all times. My truch has never given me a problem, the previous owner didnt take care of it so in the beginning it seemed like something was always braking just because normal matinance wasnt in my trucks life. Once I got her maintance up to par and looking pretty she hasnt given me a single problem... I never had or am having a problem with the engine, it was always stupid things

 

theres a 6.0 in the shop at work, not running...been there for days... i drive my 7.3 every day

being that my truck is high mileage, i drive the **** outta it, drive it like i stole it.... its a bit beat up but i take care of my engine.... it purrs like a kitten. no wait.. angry lion!!

when you buy an old vehicle ya gotta throw some money at it every now and then.... i have spent under 1000$ last year in parts on my truck.. up pipes, front brake pads, manifold leak.. 1000$ the year before that waterpump thermostat etc.. a lot cheaper than spending 500$ a month making payments!

 

7.3 is the way to go. Dependable, hard working, and easy to work on. Prices are a lot cheaper than a new F150, which are cheaply made as I found out.

 

I'd be very excited to find a 7.3L with under 100K on it. Remember that they stopped building these in 2003.5. All of 'em will have been driven. But under 100K in 2011 means someone went easy on this truck-- it was probably used as a toy hauler on the weekends or driven to work and back by someone who is beyond the age of racing and bogging silliness.

I wouldn't be afraid of one with more than 100K on the odo. I think of these 7.3L PSDs as having a life span of about 300K before all of the stuff you'd replace on both the truck and the engine itself add up to be too much money. The engine itself would probably go on for longer. So on any but these babied trucks, you need to look at the rest of it, too, and fold that into your estimation of it's value.

Somewhere between 100K and 200K, it's reasonable to ask how close the truck is to needing a new tranny. It will depend on how the truck was driven and how much hauling or plowing was done with it. But plenty of people will tell you they didn't think about a new one until over 200K. You need to ask because a tranny is some chunk of change and essentially ups the purchase price of the truck.

If you don't find one of these "museum quality" 7.3Ls, it becomes a math problem: "How many miles are left on this truck, and purchase price plus expected repairs combined, how much will I pay per mile of 7.3L goodness before it dies?" This is likely the spot you'll be in--looking at a few with more than 100K on them and comparing. The NADA database will help you get a baseline senses of what people are paying for them.

I know I'm a blasphemer here, but if I were looking for a truck that did the job of a 7.3L now, in 2011 with what's out there and the price of fuel, I'd leave the Church of 7.3L and go in two directions. If I hauled alot, I'd start looking at the Chevy/GMC combination. A Duramax engine and Allison transmission will give you power and reliability. If I didn't haul a lot and would accept the horrendous fuel milage I'd get with something behind my truck, I'd go to a gas engine. I think the life expectancy of good ones like Ford's Triton engines (V8 and V10 versions) is getting better. I don't know how to tell you how many miles is too many on a used one of these.

For what you'll do in the way of hauling (weight and infrequency) it might make economic sense to choose the smallest engine in the smallest truck you can. You probably won't like the feel of hauling your camper with an F-150 if you had the feel of a diesel engine in mind. For any of these, however, you need to ask if it has the factory tow package. That will include beefier suspension and brakes. But the big deal is the tranny cooler. I think that's a must have for a little engine used for hauling.

Used is categorically the way to go, IMO. You lose too much money driving it off the lot. The good news if you are shopping now-- as fuel prices will spike to the highest point ever-- is that you'll find a lot of people dumping their toy haulers.

Happy truck shopping!

 

If I'm not towing HEAVY, and I mean really heavy regularly, my next truck is an F150 Platinum with the EcoBoost V6 Direct Injected Twin Turbo. I drove one a while back and fell in love..... I believe there is room for a lot of power tweaks with tuning/fueling mods to the point where it would keep up easily with my 7.3 even after all these mods....... Pure sex.......

 

so you would say the 7.3 is better option than a 6.6 lly/lbz. isuzu.with a decent trans.?.ausie s/duty driver..

 

Somebody's been using the Way Back Machine.

 

03-25-2011, 11:04 AM -- was just the other day, LOL.

 

If you are located in South Australia, or basically anywhere in Australia, the 7.3L is a better option due to the sheer number of candidates (and therefore, parts) available in that country, due to the period of time when 7.3L Super Duties were manufactured in Brazil for the Oceania market.

This never happened with the Duramax. While there specialty importers in Australia that convert just about any hot selling car or truck to RHD, these after the fact conversions come at a pretty penny, and are few and far between, and of varying quality in the conversion, done by companies who come and go.

If in the United States, I'd chose an LBZ over an LLY Duramax. Depending on the GVWR and purpose and condition of the truck, I might choose an LBZ over a 7.3L Ford. But not in Australia. In Australia, hands down no question the 7.3L is the much better option for a used diesel truck, due to the available parts from that vehicle being officially imported there up through the end of 2005.