Hey All,

Newbie here from NJ, looking to get some expert opinions on a truck I am thinking about purchasing.

The truck is a 1988 Ford F250 4x4 manual, with the 7.5L. Owner says it only has 66k original miles. As I am unfamiliar with this motor and this year truck, what things should I consider when looking at it? I am sure the undercarriage is going to have its share of rust since its a Jersey truck. He did tell me the exhaust needs to be replaced. The owner is an older gentlemen, who only used the truck for maintaining his driveway during the winter. Said he purchased it in the mid 90's with 50k on the odometer. I will attach a few pics I have for your review. He is asking $3k

I am going to go try and look at the truck this evening. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

I forgot to add, I will only be using the truck to maintain my driveway and moving some firewood around my property with occasional trips to my property in PA(150 miles)

 

66k miles, on the truck, that is extremely low. It would pique my interest for sure. That interior would be in fantastic shape!

 

Note that in these year trucks the odometer rolls back to zero once you get to 99,999 miles. I would be concerned that it really has 166,000 miles on it, especially for the year.

 

yeah mine says like 22,000 haha. its been through more then that i think...

 

Look at the rear leaf spring mounts and shackles. They are prone to rust out.

If the miles are actual that 7.5l should have lotsa life left in it.


My '96 was a similar story. It was purchased new as a plow truck for an RV company. It only had 59k on it when I bought it. Drives like a new truck.

Todd

 

Thanks for the input guys. I actually decided to buy the truck. Interior is clean, undercarriage was what I expected, typical rust. Nothing rusted through which I was surprised. I offered the guy $1300 because of the exhaust and plow pump not working and he took it. It drove already, engine might have a miss in it somewhere. Will be my project this year.

 

By the way, is there anyway to tell if it actually has 66k original miles on it?

 

im missing leaf springs on my truck... like 3

 

If Jersey requires inspections and emissions then it's possible to look up the Carfax. Sometimes they have all the historical data from the state machines.

 

I would be wary of the clutch if he was using it as a plow truck. Plowing without burning up your clutch takes some experience.