I found a truck today its a 99 F-250XLT superduty reg cab with a powerstroke and 6- speed trans, its got about 67,000 miles on it I have a landscapeing bussiness which this thuck will be a large part of If i decide to go iwth it. There are two problems with this truck as far as i can see, 1. its way too pretty to be a work truck, 2. Its a one owner truck and the reason that it got traded in was b/c the pervious owner is from ID and was driving through central IL and his trans locked up while he was driving, He didn't want to wait a week while they put a new one in so he just traded it in and got a new one. the dealer put a new rebuilt trans in and will warntee it for 12,000 miles or 12 months, the truck its self still is under a powertrain warntee untill 12/23/03 of this year. They are asking $12960 and out the door at a little under $14,000

Long story short
1. what is the life expenticy of a rebuild manual 6- speed?
2. I have never owned a powerstroke before so what kinds of new experiences and or problems do i have ahead of me. Ive all ways had gas
3. It has a grinding noise when you start off in ffirst gear and the motor is under load, when i start off when little to no gas, any idea on what it might be? I wont buy it unless they finx that noise
4. How am i doing on price?
5. When you get out after driving it it smells a little oily is that normal?
6. Its vin number is IFTNF20F9XED04476 so what information can all you wizards tell me, rear end gearing and so forth

Thanks again, Ive got the truck untill monday when i need to have my decision made, thanks for all your help and i hope i get alot of oppions thanks ryan

 

And, manu may know this, but if you use it in your business (50% test) you get up to a 100k write off this year...

Check it out:

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So it might be wise to buy NEW - ask your CPA ....

 

1. Tranny should last as long as the truck. A tranny lock-up is a fluke or loss of oil or both.
2. 7.3 powerstroke is a great engine, great longevity and high maintenance (oil change cost) compared to gasser, but better fuel mileage. They don't like short hops and like to be fully warmed up (no short 1/2 mile cold trips). Antifreeze requires additives and fuel requires conditioners sometimes.
3. This noise concerns me. Maybe bad synchro's (?) Make 'em fix it.
4. Run the price on Edmunds.com and see what the high and low book value is.
5. It smells oily!!!!!! No not from a diesel
6. Sorry, can't help with the vin. I'm not a subscriber to that service.

 

#3 is gear rattle I think. Try lugging it in a different gear. Mine kinda does a rattling sound whenever I lug it real bad in any gear. My dad's two PSD's have both done it as well so I don't worry about it.

 

ditto on the accountant idea.....

As it is for a business.....you can write it off....THUS all kinds of neat rules the rest of us don't get.

Furthermore, if you ORDER, get EXACLY what you mant and need for your business needs, and EXACTLY what you want over and above for your personal needs.

As you will use it for the business, you may be better advised going new.

 

If you're going to use this in your business, a new one may be too nice to trash hauling sod, dirt, etc.

I believe you can write off the interest and depreciate the truck yearly whether new or used. Check with your book keeper.

The tranny sound doesn't sound like "gear rollover" as the sound described above. Gear rollover doesn't grind, it rumbles.

 

I would like to get a new one but i can't aford it at all, since im just starting out so far ive only made about 3-4000 profit so i really can't justfi buying a new one. I talked to the previous owner tonight, he was a retired mechanic and said that he changed the oil every 4-5000 miles and that he kept up with the coolant aditive. He said that when teh manual trans locked up he hit an imbankment and hit on the bed, so i guess that they put a new bed on the truck. at least thats what he says. Will a rebuilt manual last as long as the motor will? How much do oil changes run on the 7.3? How much do glow plugs and new injectors cost so that when and if they go bad down the road i can have planed on then, and when generaly do they need replaceing? are there any other special considerations that i hsould be thinking about with the 7.3? thanks ryan

 

must have been a fluke, the ZF-6 is about as strong as you can get


Lots of threads on what it might be. The short of it is they all do it to some extent, synthetic fluid helps quite a bit.

By this time next year it will be one of your favorite smells, or you won't notice it.

See the "decipher your vin #" sticky at the top of this forum.

 

Since its a 7.3 with a 6 speed and the rear is a 3.73 non limited slip any idea on what milage i might be seeing out of it? thanks

 

You say the previous owner was a mechanic? I wonder why he would take a bath by just trading it in with a bad tranny. Surely the amount the dealer screwed him on a non running trade would have paid for a rebuilt tranny. And when the tranny "locked up" he ran off into a ditch and twisted the bed? I would look more closely at this one. Have the dealer put this one on a frame machine to make sure the frame is straight. Then maybe get a good alignment shop to give you before numbers to see if anything else was tweaked. I suspect the truck was "dumped" on the trade because it had more problems than just a bad tranny. Are the tires brand new? Are they showing premature wear? Does the truck go straight down the road? Does it look like any suspension parts were changed? I would be real leary of this one. Mechanics typically are not scared of a tranny replacement.....at least not scared enough to get screwed by the dealer on the trade. BE CAREFUL on this one!

 

The price sounds fair. If you file a schedule C, as a sole prop - you should be able to depreciate the truck over 3 to 5 years. (maybe up to 7). Depreciation is "money on paper". If you buy used, you may have more in your pocket than if you buy new.
As for the tranny, I would think it would be fine now. It does sound like a fluke. The 7.3 is a great engine, it may go 250K or more.

 

well the grinding noise is slowely getting to be a little worse, so im getting a bid conserned. Also as to the acident, i had my uncle look at it today, the frame was bent and has not been perefectly straighted, the rear tires do not follow the front ones, even thought it will drive straight with no hands on the wheel. Also it has been completly repainted, there is a lot of over spray in the engine comparrtment as well as a whole new box. As my unlce put it there are lots of really good trucks out there but this one is not the one that you should be getting. Its such a sharp truck and being a 7.3 and a 6 speed to boot i really wanted it to work, but i guess im just oging to have to keep looking unless the dealer really offers be one hell of a deal, which i highly doubt that he would. Thanks for every ones input, im sure ill be askeing for more when i find another one

 

rscritch , I have a 99 psd with a 6 spd. and 73k miles. It has had NO problems with the tranny....But , at 68k the starter went out, at 70k the w.pump went out but was covered by 100k ford warranty , at 71k the clutch went out . Plus it needed a new set of tires and shocks. To summarize, I've spent about $2800 of my own money not even counting the warranty work on the W.pump. I plan on keeping my truck until 300k or so which will be atleast another 12 to 15 years. I get about 18 mpg on the hwy at 70mph. I am very happy with my truck. Keep looking , you don't need somebody else's problems. , s.kuteman

 

Ask the dealer to run a car facts report on it. You may find some surprises... I would look elsewhere... There are MANY F-series trucks out there... Sounds fishy overall...