Hello All,

I am new to the forum and joined because I am at a bit of a crossroads.
I am looking to purchase another truck and would like some inputs from others with more experience and knowledge.

Option 1) I find a "semi"-new f150 (~2 years old, <25k miles) and go and use that. With this options, I know a bit about ford gas engines and because of its age I am expecting to be able to keep it for 5-10 years before experiencing any major issues or needed repairs (assuming regular maintenance and upkeep). I currently have an 06 F-150 regular cab and do some of the maintenance on it currently, so I am assuming I can handle the newer ones as well.

Option 2) I have always had a fascination with the 7.3 OBS ('96 F-350). Issue here is I do not know much about the diesel trucks (ready and willing to learn). I have found a '96 that has one owner (230K miles) and been extremely well maintained (all maintenance and repairs done at ford dealership). The owner doesn't use it as a work horse (not beat up) and has kept all receipts of the maintenance and repairs.

My question is, would I be making a mistake getting the '96 truck over the newer truck. My main concern is the older truck breaking down constantly and me having to dump money in every month to repair it. More than anything I want a truck that will be reliable, my standard for reliability being option 1.

If anyone has any insight or help, it would be much appreciated. Also if any more information is needed, please ask and I can provide as needed.

- Jeremy

 

I would personally go with option 1.
OBS trucks are well over 25 years old, even with good maintenance its still a 25 year old truck that would need work when? That's the question.

My opinion would be keep the 06 buy the obs and start learning about them as you go but have a back up truck just in case. After all these trucks are more of a hobby considering how old they are and when you least expect that's when it will leave you stranded.

 

Thank you for your input! Another thing I am placing into this decision is option 1 will run me 25-30K right off the bat. option 2 will cost me 12K (plus whatever is needed for repairing and rebuilding). Would you say that doing maintenance and repair on an OBS will be significantly more expensive than a 2018 F150?

 

An oil change with a motor craft filter and rottela oil is about $90. Whereas most gassers will be about 50 or so. Depending on diesel vs gas prices in your area will also cause expenses if it’s much higher. These truck generally get about 16 mpg on the Highway. As stated above it is about a 25 year old truck. They are extremely reliable but will require some maintenance along the way with some common sensor problems and maybe a transmission rebuild along the way if it’s an auto

 

Okay. This is all very helpful.
It would seem as though the age and 230K miles is the biggest downside to the OBS. My other question would be, what if I bought the 96' for 12K and then spent some extra and rebuilt and replaced any parts that need to be replaced, essentially building a new truck?
1) is this feasible, and 2) how would cost compare to just buying a newer truck for 30K?

 

In my opinion 230k is just getting broke in as far as the motor goes just some electrical work that might pop up. If you did want to do some preventative maintenance if/when you buy it I’d go to Riffraff diesel and order a motor craft ipr ICP and cps and either put them in and keep the old ones for spares or keep the new ones for spares. Also I think 12k for the truck is a fair margin too expensive. Just my .02 but after doing some of the electrical maintenance assuming you buy it for 12k most the issues that may come up would only be 1-2 thousand more for a while. Assuming the injectors are good

 

Parts on these trucks add up really quick and if your not doing the work yourself you will be in a lot of hurt.

At this point the only correct decision is yours and yours only. And like I posted on post #2 IMO keep the 06 and buy the obs or buy the OBS make sure it's reliable then you could sell the 06.

 

Thank you all for the great insight. I think I will play it safe and go with a newer gas truck. That way I can learn the diesel engines more and the inner workings then save the OBS for a later project.

 

I wanted to weigh in since i had a similar dilemma myself awhile back. In the end, 2 things made my decision simple. They were, cost and the ability to work on it myself.

Cost.
A loan for 12k would work out to 200-230 a month at 6% for 60 months. 30k loan would be 580 for the same terms. Thats 350 a month that can go torwards fixing the OBS. Then there's the insurance cost difference on top of that.

DIY Repairs.
No brainer that any newish vehicle is alot harder to troubleshoot and repair issues on. One plus is that a newer vehicle may still have some warranty left to cover issues.

The 7.3 is a very durable, reliable engine in stock form. The obs trucks are easy to work on and get parts for. Biggest issue is going to be age and rust. Age because things get brittle and need replacing.

The mileage on the 7.3 is nothing, especially since you can see its been well maintained.

When I did the calculations before I bought my 96 it was something like 450 a month cheaper then a newer truck (I was looking in the 32-35k Lariat range).

That and my 96 was kind of like finding a unicorn. That also helped make my decision.

Hope this helped. Good luck truck hunting!

 

~25 years old does mean you're going to have age-related issues. Plastic and rubber parts getting brittle, annoying leaks, things like that. Plus routine life-cycle replacements like fuel tanks, alternator, fuel pump, power steering, brake lines, etc. There likely always will be "little" things that need work, before they become major. Newer vehicle should be turn-key-and-don't-worry for quite a while; even a well-maintained OBS likely has a list of known upcoming repairs/replacements.

The OBS does have a LOT of room to work on and under it. Generally fairly simple, until you get to injectors. Or have age-related electronic gremlins from deteriorated wiring (or a damned squirrel chewing on it...). New vehicles... whole different story, but it may be a while until you need to feel that pain.

OBS are the end of a design era. Just about every aspect of design is "elderly", even when working factory-new. Newer vehicles should have better brakes, handling, quietness, cab comfort, etc. And then the electronic amenities. The OBS is spartan but functional, not necessarily comfortable or convenient.

Rated payload capacities on newer half-tons get closer to OBS payload... especially for crew-cab long-bed OBS. Mine is only 2400 lbs between stock weight and GVW. Half-ton tow capacities I think have also gone up. So if you're looking at occasional "mid-weight" hauling and towing, a newer half-ton may be perfectly fine. If you're routinely carrying or hauling heavy, a sound OBS 7.3 may be preferable. And if you're hauling light, the OBS is definitely more "hobby" than "necessary". Now, if you want 8' bed and crew cab, you won't find it in a half-ton.

I see two parts to your decision:
1) Do I need every-day-reliable with minimal expected wrenching, or can I deal with occasional downtime when a repair/replacement is needed? Include the time and work area you have available in your consideration.
2) How much am I constrained by the purchase price, whether cash or loan paid over time, and can I deal with a steady stream of occasional parts costs. If injectors need replacing, that's quite a bit more than something like shocks, fuel pump, power steering, etc.

My 350 is not a daily driver, but an occasional-use toy and vacation hauler. I can afford it being "down" for extended periods in between trips, and can plan major repairs around the trips. I haven't missed a trip yet, but I can squeeze by with my Outback if need be... just take less. The repair/upgrade list for my 350 is repairing a hole in the driver-side floorboard, and finally installing the water injection kit I've been sitting on. Those aren't critical, but there's almost always something waiting in line.

 

Brett, Your truck is a tap dancing unicorn.....that speaks Latin.

 

I would very much like to hear your story as you seem to be describing my exact predicament. Something in the back of my mind keeps telling me I will not find a 96 in this condition anywhere else in the world.

 

These truks aren't getting any younger or easier find in good shape.

I test drove al sorts of newer trucks. Sure they were nice, but in the end I just couldn't see myself spending over 500 a month on a truck that really wasn't what I wanted. Ive always wanted a crewcab obs powerstroke 4wd with a 5 speed. I decided to keep looking and once i found one I just dove right in.

This forum and others have a wealth of information that can help you troubleshoot and fix almost any issue yourself. As long as you're willing to roll the sleeves up and turn the wrenches, you'll come out ahead.

Having a lower monthly payment also means theres more money that can be spent on whatever, truck parts, video games, date night, weekend roadtrip, you name it.

In the end its all up to what you really want. Would you be content and happy driving a newer truck, knowing you could have had this well maintained OBS?

 

Funny same thing happened to me. Looked for 2 years for a crew cab obs long bed 4wd 5 speed. Last year I finally found it and have been happy ever since. These trucks are definitely one of a kind. If you find one in a well kept condition it’s pretty hard to resist

 

Well I’ll say one thing. It’s good to know I’m not the only one. That’s kind of where I am at. I know this may be more work in the more immediate future (next 5 years), but I know if I passed up this truck, it will haunt my mind for ever.
Do y’all with the 96’ 350s ever experience a lot of no-starts? I see that online as a problem where people just end up stranded places cause the truck breaks down at random.
Would y’all say this is common?