here is the truck




Hey guys I need some advise on a truck. I have been looking at purchasing a truck for towing a horse trailer and from time to time a small tractor. I found a smoking deal on 1997 F250 quad cab. It has a 460 which I know is a great motor for towing but a gas hog. It has headers, full dual exhaust, trailer brakes, the interior looks almost new, new tires and wheels, 4 inch lift, and 157,000 miles on it. I have been looking at diesels but I can get this truck for less than half the price of a diesel. Now this would be my farm truck so it will only get driven maybe 5-7,000 miles a year. Should I buy this or save up for the diesel. Any advise is appreciated. <!-- / message -->

 

Buy it… I have a 460 that I got to haul a race car trailer and to use for general HD hauling. The 11 MPG isn't a killer compared to the price for a diesel powered truck. Plus mine is a rust free CA truck… a rare deal here in the rust belt.

 

Krooser the main question I have is the mileage on the truck. I dont have much experience with the 460 is 151k going to be a problem child? My wife will be driving it from time to time with my daughter and a horse trailer while I am at work. I just really need it to be dependable. The previous owner said he only used it for towing his racecar to the sand dunes and that it sat for 9 months out of the year in his barn. Are there problems with the automatic transmissions that I should watch out for as well?

 

Definitely right about it being a great motor for towing. We used to have a 460 truck on the farm, seemed like it could do just about anything. The one in my 79 sure can. The headers and dual exhaust was a good worthwhile upgrade from the PO. Transmission should last quite awhile with normal maintenance. Not shifting hard or delayed? Looks like a nice truck. I'd definitely consider buying it.

 

im not sure how to give "advise".


that's a clean looking truck from the pics, curious as to why the bed/cab relationship is a little jacked. its probably just the uneven surface its parked on (these trucks are known for their rubbery frames), but something to check when its on flat pavement.


I dunno what you consider half the price of a diesel, but if it has a clean interior and it looks as good as it does in the pics, I'd buy that thing for the right price.


long tubes, cam, and a little head work on the stock EFI heads goes a long way for cruise mpg on 460s.

 

The 460 is like the 351 in the fact that it builds all its power in the lower end of the rpm band so they last quite awhile as long as maintained good. 300,000 miles plus

 

300k miles on a gasser

 

Towing is the one place that I think a diesel will save you any money on fuel over a 460. If you assume 8 mpg on $2.40 / gal gas and 12 mpg on $2.90 / gal diesel, the diesel will save you about $400 for every 7,000 miles (your max estimate per year). If you don't like my numbers, do the math with your own.

But for me, saving $400 / year on fuel isn't worth it. That needs to offset the higher purchase price and arguably higher maintenance costs. At best it'll take a long time to pay off the purchase price, and at worst it might actually cost you more to operate.

As much of a reputation as the 460 has for being a gas hog, it's really hard to make a viable case for a diesel being able to save you money. For almost everyone the 460 will be cheaper, even in the long run.

That said, a PowerStroke is a pretty fun engine to drive with a big load, so I'm not saying it's a bad choice, just that you shouldn't choose it to save money.

As far as reliability with 157K miles, it's not a new truck. Both the engine and (probably more so) the E4OD trans are getting up there (to say nothing of the whole rest of the truck). It will require more maintenance than a brand new truck will. But it's not like it's on it's last legs either. Have a mechanic check it out, and then stay ahead of the maintenance and you don't need to be overly concerned about it. I've got 180K on my 460 / E4OD and I'm not worried about taking it on long trips.

 

Sold my '95 E350 (351W) with 385,000 on the clock to a guy who used it to haul parts between Mexico and the midwest. He got two more years out of it… had to be at least another 100K.

 

surely its possible, but its surely not typical.


my trucks on its 3rd engine, ~350k with regular maintenance.


guess yours was magic or I should have changed my oil every 2k.


politicians cite a growing business to the public and say the economy is great, meanwhile the buildings around said entity are empty where businesses once were.