Hello All
I've been looking at buying an old truck for a while and have been settling on older diesels. There's a 1991 F250 7.3idi I've been eyeballing (RWD, manual) and have come to the forum for insight. Here's it's story as told to me......

The guy selling it, asking $7,500, but he's willing to accept offers, may be the 2nd or 3rd owner. Odometer reads ~32,000 and he was told when he got it that it had an engine swap and some tranny work and at that time the odometer was reset. He has no service paperwork of any kind, no way of knowing true miles, but my gut tells me it's gotta be around 200k. My novice self couldn't detect any blow by (since seeing it run I've learned of the ping pong ball test or some variation on that). It's body is good and straight, no rust I could see underneath, some very light surface rust on top of cab. It started right up and purred smoothly on idle. It does need a new ignition lock.... I'm planning on a test drive of it soon.

I need a truck for Home Depot hauls, various other home improvement jobs i.e. hauling pavers/sand/dirt/etc., trips to the dump....I don't need to chirp wheels or cruise highways at 85+. It MIGHT make an occasional trip up to Big Bear from San Diego.

So, what do you sages say about this trucks situation. Issues to look for/be wary of, what an appropriate $$ may be for it.....any and all info appreciated.

 

seems like a lot of money to me but with this Putin tax being added to everything maybe it's the norm for pricing

I would be wary of this truck, how long has this guy owned it ?
I guess if it runs and drives good chances are it's a good truck, be sure when you test drive it the engine is cold, a warm engine is easier to start, a cold engine will show signs of air leaks (but normally they are an easy fix)

does it have an manual or auto transmission ?

Are you willing to get dirty and do you own work? finding a good IDI mechanic is not easy and we read posts about members who drop their trucks at shops and weeks go by only to have the shop give up,

 

It's a manual trans. Whatever truck I buy will be the truck I start working on myself and maintaining. There are a couple diesel shops near me, one's called Diesel Doctor, guy I spoke with tells me the 7.3 is his favorite motor ever, so......good news?

 

7.3 IDI or 7.3 power stroke ??? this is a big issue for beginners, same number but totally different engines,

 

Does the truck have a turbo? The NA 6.9l and 7.3l drive quite differently than newer trucks with turbo diesel engines.

 

Its a 1991 7.3IDI as stated at the beginning of original post

 

Brick-nose trucks are great, but their layout is dated. 92-97 trucks have a more modern layout like hi-beams switch on the turn signal stalk, vacuum operated HVAC controls, electric window switches ergonomically positioned, 999,999 digital odometer readout. If I were you, Id hold-out for a truck atleast 1 year newer.

 

the odometers only go to 399,999 then revert back to 300,000 ford didn't put the chicklet in the upper left corner of the first digit.

 

Oh. I didn't know. I haven't gotten to that point yet. Thx for the heads up.

 

any truck with a 3 digit needs good records to prove it's mileage, I have maintained some with over 600,000 miles and the odometer never shows anything but a 3

 

Yah I would tend to agree. Out here in good ol' CA prices aren't great, I'm looking at at least 10K for a 90s turbo 250.
I just found a diesel shop near me, Diesel Doctor, that offers a 'pre-purchase inspection' for $220. I'm gun shy with my inexperience but I think maybe for the right price and if the truck gets a thumbs up after an inspection it could be a good first truck for me. Maybe.......

 

is not commifornia banning old trucks, no matter what condition they are in?

 

Only diesel trucks >14000 lbs made before 2008, which includes all pre 2008 f-superdutys and f450.

 

ok, thanks.
i was not aware of the over 14k weight limit.
all i heard was anything older than 08 had to be upgraded to meet 08 emission standards or leave the state.

 

Bricknoses 89 and up have vacuum operated HVAC controls...my 86 bullnose even has them...but for some odd reason my 87 doesn't... 87/88 got the first gen Ranger (83-88) HVAC controls....

​​​​