The linked ad states it has the 6.0h motor...in a 2003...I would RUN FAST...

For the record...my 2005 V10 has been a very reliable vehicle...it has towed our trailers all over the country and I have never once worried about being stranded.

I get a solid 8mpgs towing (less with stiff head winds as do ALL motors)...sure the mpgs could be better...and the ethanol in the fuel doesn't help any...but piece of mind knowing I'm not going to strand my family is worth a lot to me...you cannot state that with the 6.0h motor...

 

I stand corrected. Although the website says it is a 6.0 the guy I spoke with swears it had the 7.3 but upon further investigation it looks like it is in fact the 6.0. Now this scares me. I wanted to stay away from that. What to do what to do.....

 

Here's what I am looking for. I'm sure a gasser would fit the bill better. I am replacing my 3/4 ton Avalanche. We used it to pull out off road pup up trailer. The camper had probably over 600lb of tongue weight. The Ava. pulled it great. We are looking to sell the pup up though and move to a toy hauler. I also used to Ava. for long road trips even thought the gas mileage was terrible. I have a take home car for my job and honestly, it's nice to climb up in to something big for long trips after being in my car 8 1/2hr every day.
Sometimes, expecially during the winter it would sit for 3 or 4 weeks. I know this would not be ideal for a diesel.
I may go back and take a look at the V10 at this place. The guy said they had just had the tranny rebuilt. I think he said they had a receipt for $1700. Does that sound right? They also offer a 48mo warranty. I do not know the details of that though.
Thanks again for everybody's help.

 

Like I said...I've been completely happy with my V10...it makes for a great tow motor for my 9000# TT with 1100#'s of tongue weight.

I've been to and thru the Rockies twice with it...up and over Loveland and Vail Passes a couple of times...thru the Big Horns to 10,000' towing our camper...even with NOT having a turbo...I didn't have any issues pulling the grades at altitude...I'm not sure why I'd need more power personally...

As far as mileage...well more mileage on a vehicle will typically result in items "wearing out"...things like ball joints, transmissions, springs, wheel bearings, 4 wheel drive hubs, window and door lock actuators, cracking seats, etc...while all of those things can easily be replaced...they add costs...I would personally opt for the newest model year I could afford...there are items changed with each model year and the last model year (2005) had all of those implemented...mostly cosmetic...front end upgrades, rear tow receiver (changed in ~2002), V10 head thread depth (~2002), transmission diode (~2001?), and on and on...

I like the overall look of the front end on the 2005 model year...I also like the fact that it is the last year available with any and all upgrades from the factory included...I further like the reliability of the V10 over the 6.0h motor.

The low end torque of the V10 isn't quite that of your old 8.1L monster...but the power curve is very flat and makes for an excellent towing motor for my 17,000#'s of combined load I ask my V10 to motivate all over the country in all kinds of weather and terrain...

We're planning another long trip thru the Big Horns and northern Rockies next July...Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota to name a few of the "hills" we'll ask the V10 to navigate...I have full confidence in the power of the V10 and would have no problems in recommending it to anyone that wants a reliable and strong tow motor.

The 7.3L is a great motor...no argument or questions...the only problem is that the overall age of the vehicle that is wrapped around the awesome motor...those other parts are getting up there in age...that's all...nothing money and time can't fix...that's true.

Good luck with your decisions.

Have you thought about joining the Indiana FTE chapter?...if so...go to the chapter forums and find Indiana and click the "join" link and I'll process your request...if you can't find the link...let me know and i'll post it for you...and WELCOME to FTE!

Joe

 

Not sure what happened there. Sorry, disregard this post.

 

Road trip! Get a southern truck, you won't regret it even if you drive it in northern winters. At least you will be starting with a rust free truck.

My 2000 EX from the south is cleaner underneath than my wife's 3 yr old car that gets driven all winter.

Yes, it is a PITA to shop long distance, but in the end you will positively be much happier.

BTW, I will second the notion the V10 has enough power to tow a good sized trailer. Mine is 28' and about 6800 lbs, but the truck does great pulling it.

 

So does $1,700 sound right for a rebuilt transmission? The 2001 V10 this place had had I believe a little over 150,000 miles on it. It had leather but no dvd. I looked it over pretty well and started it up but did not test drive it. They're asking $12,500. If I drive it and have it checked out I may offer somewhere around $10,00. What say you?

Also I called about the above 7.3 on craigslist but it had already sold. I think the other one has too big of a lift and tires for the heavy towing I plan on doing.

Again, thanks to everybody for the help and advice.

 

For reference, I bought my 2004 V10 XLT (no leather) 154K miles for $7K about a year ago.

 

I think you got a GREAT price!

 

That does seem like a very good price. I went back up there today and drove it. I was giving the brakes a good workout and I think a brake line blew. All of a sudden the pedal went to ghe floor. Luckily I was close so I limped it back. This one did not feel as stable as the 2005 I drove earlier this week but from reading here it sounds like the things I plan on doing anyway for towing (sway bar, new springs, etc.) should fix that.

I spoke with the owner of this small dealership. He seemed to be honest (I know, I know) when speaking about price. He said he bought this at an auction for $8700and did not realize the transmission was bad until after getting it back home. He said he put nearly $2000 into the tranny. Now he has to have the brakes fixed. Again, I don't know what is going on with that but I'm thinking it's just a brake line. If it is though, how long until another one goes?
He said he needs to get $11,500 out of it.
The other problem was the power locks do not work. They all move slightly and make a noise like they are trying but it's not enough to make them move. They said it's an actuater (sp?) in each door. I don't know if this is something I can dig in to myself or if I will need to spend money to get these fixed.
I'm debating on offering him $11,00. Or maybe I'll just keep looking.

 

Keep looking. Another brake line or fuel lines will be next. Then something else. If it's never had ball joints replaced, they will be next. I don't have a problem with buying something that needs work, but thge price has to reflect that. 11K for one in A1 condition is one thing, sounds like this isn't A1 at all.

I was perusing the local ads today on eBay just for grins. Saw a nice looking 2001, only 55K miles. Asking 13K. The hitch was very rusty, though the rest looked nice. I can only imagine what the rest of the underbody looked like. History report said it spent it's life in sunny Cleveland.

Look south or west!

 

tell you what .. you reimburse me for fuel for me to drive my rig to you and ill drive this to you and then ride my motorcycle back $15,000 7.3 2wd

 

Tempting but I really want 4wd. I've never owned a vehicle without it.
I'm thinking I will hold out and keep looking. This is killing me.
I'm very impatient. I think I just need to decide what I want and
just wait for the right one to come along. I'm thinking 02 or 03 7.3 or
05 V10. I do want leather/dvd. Close to home would be ggood so I can
have people who know a lot more than me check it out but south would be
good to for less/no rust. I know I keep saying it but thank you everybody
that helped out. I'm sure I'll be back when I find another one.

 

heheheh i got everything your asking for but 4x4 .. then again i drive in 2 feet of snow with 2wd i use actual semi truck chains

 

door actuators are a joke to fix. they go on eBay for $6 each...or you can buy them in pairs for $7-8. I actually bought one today for $5.34 shipped so I can install on my tailgate

just 2 wires, 2 bolts. Don't let them scare you away from a vehicle. In fact, I'd use them as a negotiating tool to get the price down about $500. Play up how expensive they'd be

what is your budget? and where are you located? (I'm guessing Indiana from the name). You might want to consider a road trip. Greyhound tickets are cheap. Texas has Excursions a dime a dozen. I've been looking at buying a 2005 to replace my paint challenged Expy. There are several Dealerships who have some awesome X listings in the Dallas/Austin/Houston triangle. They are mostly 100,000+ miles...but in Texas that truly will be highway mileage.

just some points to consider. I personally would never buy a vehicle that old up North. You guys have way too many rust issues. I remember buying my 1971 C-10 in 1998 and it still had the original paint, no rust. Southern trucks rock in that aspect