Reliability
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 776
Likes: 3
From: Philly, PA USA
I have a few fleet accounts which most are construction outfits... so far the highest mileage of one of the trucks is about 430K miles on '00 and not too many major repairs have been made. Motor wise, biggest issues have been valve cover leaks, oil cooler on side of motor, and on this one particular truck the IDM module (the comp in driver's fender well whatever that comp is-can't remember off hand) oh and crankshaft sensors which give no starts (BTW if ever replacing CKT sensor ONLY use motorcraft otherwise you will have intermittent no starts and cut offs).... so motor wise if oil changes are regular (very important) could and should easily last half million miles, if not more
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
I bought mine with 220K and it would have been fine if I didn't go all mod-crazy. Issues that can pop up in the "terrible twos": Water pump, injectors, a few sensors, oil cooler O-rings, the transmission could use an upgrade if you tow heavy, and maybe a couple of things I'm overlooking. Saying that, you are probably looking at a truck for about $10K in the Pacific Northwest (unsure of your location), and all you have to do is be prepared to spend a little money to augment that. I have $10K into my truck for purchase and maybe another $10K for conventional repairs - transmission, exhaust, water pump, oil cooler, injectors, sensors, front suspension/steering, and some basic modifications. There are basic mods that significantly augment the reliability - like the Hutch mod and the passenger-side fuel rail mod, but these fall under the umbrella of that Ten K Terrible Two fund.
Saying that, if you end up with a similar situation that I did - you'd still have a truck ready to take on the next quarter-million miles, but you have to be obsessed with keeping your oil change schedule. I do 5,000 miles between changes and that's pushing the limits of my synthetic oil. Show me a vehicle at the dealership that can really haul, go 1/4-million miles (from today-on), and cost as little as this.
Now... if you really want the spunk of that 6.7L on the showroom floor, throw another $5K on top of the TKTT fund and you can have that very thing (with the reliability of the 7.3L).
Saying that, if you end up with a similar situation that I did - you'd still have a truck ready to take on the next quarter-million miles, but you have to be obsessed with keeping your oil change schedule. I do 5,000 miles between changes and that's pushing the limits of my synthetic oil. Show me a vehicle at the dealership that can really haul, go 1/4-million miles (from today-on), and cost as little as this.
Now... if you really want the spunk of that 6.7L on the showroom floor, throw another $5K on top of the TKTT fund and you can have that very thing (with the reliability of the 7.3L).
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