36k?? I bought mine with diesel and 30k fewer miles for $43k last year and today the same truck is $35k. No way I'd give 36k for a 2020 gas truck with over 100k on the clock.

 

It's funny you say that because I've got a buddy with a pair of 6.2 rigs. (2013 and 2016). He loves them. I can find 2017-2022 rigs with 30-60k miles for roughly that same price with the 6.2. The problem is I need to tow a 11.5 k fifth wheel and all those rigs have 3.73s in them.

 

If I was using the truck to tow that kind of weight on the regular, I’d definitely look for a diesel truck. Also welcome to this site. It is a great place for information. Some very educated folks here. Maybe not the nicest bust definitely educated

 

Oh boy here we go. Popcorn any one?

 

From the OP in the first post...."Should I take ownership; it'll be towing my 12k max Crusader 5th wheel a few times per year. "

That's not on a regular basis. Diesel is unneeded.

 

Yeah I'm absolutely burned out on diesels. My 2010 6.7 cummins has cost me 8 grand in the last year. I'm done.

 

I'm just worried about that weight since; per ford. A 17-20 f350 with the 6.2 amd 3.73s is only good for 12,200. Doesnt leave me much in the way of payload after that.

 

I would tow your 5th wheel with it if you could up the steepest hill close by wide open.

As said crawl under there and evaluate the rust.

 

I wouldn’t shy away from it. Like others said, most of the failures happened early.

Make sure to check the engine hours, my 2020 7.3 has 75k miles on it but around 4500 hours with most of it idle time. It’s been good so far but I would want to pay a lot less for a high hour truck if I was buying or most likely I would steer clear. If it’s a western Canada truck pretty good odds are it’s an oil patch truck so like others said. Check the undercarriage well, not only for rust but excessive mud also. Some guys are not good about cleaning them out and it will lead to issues if not taken care of.

 

If you can drop $20k more just order a new XLT.

I can see you getting the truck in the OP if its only purpose is to tow and you need to save some money. The plugs and antifreeze are probably due at 100k.

 

7.3L are stout and wildly powerful utilizing the 10R140. I see many service body trucks with boom cranes, generators, welders, tools, and steel on them daily and they move around with ease.

Do they have issues? Of course. All vehicles of every manufacturer have issues. Most get caught up in mileage (and engine hours which equates to miles) thinking that the powertrain will be the only issue though. Don’t neglect that is also miles on suspension, body, and electrical components that wear out just as bad. If you’re nervous or skeptical, most shops can do a really deep inspection of the truck and give a more confident estimate. This could also be buying power if they do find issues such as shot suspension. I would expect to pay an hour or so with of their shop rate to do this but it could save you an accidental $30+k.

I can attest for the premature lifter/cam failure on the 7.3L. I have myself done close to 20 repairs on them. Depending on damage and mileage it can be as simple as a new cam and set of lifters or a new short block. My current ‘79 build is actually a core I bought back from my work that only needs lifters/cam with just 11k miles on it. With that being said; it is true that this concern is found in very low mileage (50k~ and under) vehicles that are used in severe duty and fleet applications.

 

hell NO! Probably worn out, and you will never be able to tell till you throw parts at it when it breaks. Seeing how people use/abuse there truck I wouldn’t ever by used especially the 7.3L a lot of guys think it’s the end all be all and make it do diesel truck work and wear them out and dump them at 100k miles, that means they knew it wasn’t gonna be there problem so they ran it hard, half *** serviced it, did the bear minimum service, cheap oil, etc. I wouldn’t ever buy used unless, 1.) it’s under 30k miles with factory warranty or 2.) you have enough money set aside\ the deal is good enough to offset replacing the motor/ rebuilding it. But I’d go into it banking on a new motor by 200k and you’ll be fine and see if the numbers still make sense, don’t forget about a potential 6k tranny rebuild as well. If your budget is strapped with this rig, then look for a older better priced unit like a 6.7L or a 6.2L with a good body. But a lot of these newer trucks are so high if one thing goes wrong (trans or motor failure), you will not have warranty and you will be into this truck just as much or more then if you bought it new, or one with under 30k miles with factory warranty! Really consider that

but It don’t matter what I buy hell I just bought a 250k brand new Mack granite tri axle and the entire PTO **** the can at under 3,000 miles and had to be rebuilt, they tried to void warranty.

when I sell my f450 it will be polished up looking just like it rolled of the assembly line for somebody to buy with 100k miles and tow an rv with, they will never know it worked hard towing 32k around town and that’s killer on the trans, brakes, and motor.

 

Yeah for a few times per year I’d stay way from the diesel also. That was an oversight on my behalf. And yes I can see why you’d be burned out with the diesel trucks. They’re ridiculous when it comes to something breaking and maintenance. The torque is great and all that but I’m not going to deal with it myself for my needs.


It’s not like 100k is a ton of miles but IMO significant. Like others have suggested check in the nooks and crannies and do a through inspection of it.

 

There's lots of used trucks out there and an *** for every seat. Don't lock yourself into this one if you are not 100% confident in it. More are being traded in every day. Being a Canadian import truck, I'd scratch it off the list for that alone...

 

Some of your post are something.... so at a 100k miles in 4 years the engine is half dead and will need to be replaced at 200k, tranny will need rebuilding because from your experience of neglecting and whooping on your trucks. Then you'll polishing the turd for the next sucker.

What a gem of experience you have. Thanks for the heads up.