Ive been looking at buying a F250 or an F150. I already know about F150's so I need to know what to really look for that may be wrong with a 250. Ive never owned a diesel, let alone a h/d truck but I kind of need a truck and I want one that I can keep running for a couple hundred thousand miles without having to break my bank to fix it all the time. Im supposed to go see one this weekend. Its a 2000 with 52,000 miles, extended cab Lariat package.
What questions should I ask when I see it? What kind of mileage does the 7.3 get? Is the upkeep any harder than a regular gas vehicle? Any help and genuine advice would be great. Thanks guys.

P.S. Ive read some of the other threads and y'all really seem to know what your talking about. Also, Im upgrading from my Focus so take it easy on me here.

 

hehe a focus...
A F250 Powerstroke will definitely not disappoint you...and who couldn't use some extra power..!
Also a Powerstroke with 52,000 isn't even broken in!! so you will get many many miles out of it if you take care of it.
What questions should I ask when I see it?
With a truck with that low amount of miles he should have all his oil records and another thing you can do is remove the airbox and look at the turbo fans. The fans shouldn't be bent and they should be sharp. And of course, no chunks missing out of them. Also it wouldn't be a too bad of idea to make a small investment and have a mechanic do a 4-point inspection on it before you spend that kind of money.

What kind of mileage does the 7.3 get?
I would expect 15-20 mpg, which is a helluva lot better then the 5.4 V8 or 6.8 V10

Is the upkeep any harder than a regular gas vehicle?
I would say no. You just have to get used to things that aren't on gassers that you aren't used to such as glow plugs. Also even though with diesel higher then gas it would still be a better investment because a diesel will last soo much longer then a gas engine.

Overall you won't be disappointed

 

I agree......especially about the mileage......i went from gas to diesel and wont be goin back....i average 18+ depending on how hard I drive.

 

I forgot something about the upkeep...the only downside to having that big 7.3 powerstroke diesel engine is the 14.5 quart oil change...!

 

yeah but you can go twice as long w/out replacing it, so it evens itself out.

 

Make sure the coolant additive is good. Get some test strips from Ford and test the coolant for levels. Even if it's completly depleted cavatation shouldn't be an issue with that low of miles on the rig, but it's best to check. There's a special additive that Ford sells (cheap) for protecting the engine from self destruction due to all the shock waves running around the engine. The shock waves are made by each combustion event as the engine goes about it's work. It's not unique to the PSD so don't worry about that. Just use the additive and you'll be fine. Or switch to Evans or the Ford Gold coolant, flush thoroughly first.
Transmissions need to be protected with a Goliath sized transmission cooler, the Ford unit is WAY too small.

 

And then there's all the mods you can do, but that's a different thread!

 

Well most of the time I wont really be driving hard, but freeway speed on the DC 495 loop is pretty fast. So as long as I can get pretty good gas mileage and I dont have to go get it fixed any time soon then it will be worth it to me. I may still keep the focus svt even with the truck although thats not likely considering what Ive seen for power upgrades for these trucks. Thanks for the info. especially the mileage.

 

If you're not going to tow anything but maybe once/twice a year (if it's light, less then 2K lbs), I'd say a F150 will do you fine (especially if your terrain is flat). I had a 93' F250 2 wheel drive, xtra cab, long bed with the 5.8 gasser. It did O.K. for hauling race cars (approx'ly 4K lbs.) and we had some steep hills. I bought a Toyhauler (8K lbs.) and found out what a dog that motor is. It would only get about 13MPG's at best. The big block gasser should get about 12 MPG's. So if you add the extra cost of a diesel vs. gasser, the occasional extra cost of maintaining a diesel, you should be able to figure what's best for you. If you want the power and have the money to do so, there's no question what is the best choice. We all LOVE these trucks, but I think we also use/need the extra power these motors provide. If my friend was wanting a truck to buy an occasional big screen T.V., then I'd recommend the F-150.

 

I get 17-20 MPG normal speed limit

change oil and ALL filters frequently

check gear box, I hope it is a 3.73

get a carfax, and have DIESEL mechanic check it

check for maintenance records, get your buddy to go with you some things you might miss, good luck!

price it in NADA

Last Year I PAID $22k for my F250 XLT 4x4 PSD WITH ONE YEAR WARRANTY FROM DEALER, 56K miles

 

Some people are initially disappointed in the Diesel engine, not enough jump out of the hole, don't like the sluggish accelerator response, noisy, smelly, etc. After reading this forum for a while you will find there are basically two or three groups posting here. Everyone of them love their truck for their own reasons. Some want to go faster, some want to make smoke, some want to sound good, so they spend a lot of money on lift kits, tuners, exhaust, intakes, gauges, etc. A few of us just like the truck the way it is for its stock capabilities. You won't find a better machine for hauling campers, towing large boy toys, cruising long haul with a load of just about anything. Oops I almost forgot the ones who jsut like to argue with anything that is different than they use, and brag ....maybe even exagerate what they get fuel mileage wise at highway speeds and towing loads that exceed the imagination. The common thing everyone will agree with, the truck hauls and keeps hauling, stock or modded. Keep in mind this is a forum for people to get information and quite often it is about how to fix a problem. There are millions of miles driven in these trucks annually without a hitch. Read some of the threads here about the number of miles driven and the maintenance required. I have 110K and have repalced the CPS once, brakes are a weaker area. I've replaced mine three times, the rotors on the front once. Absolutely no other problems. By the way I agree with the advice you alredy got and I love diesel. I am in the last group, stock. Don't want to shorten the life of the engine or drive train by changing anything. I did change the Air Filter primarily to get more life out of it and at the same time provide better air volume so not quite stock. In the summer I exceed the mas gross weight by around 400 pounds according to the weigh station almost every weekend.

 

Welcome to FTE!

1. A 5.4L F150 will get pretty close to the same mpg numbers as a 7.3L F250, at least my '02 Supercrew 5.4L F150 did. Now a F250 with a 5.4L, well thats another kettle of fish.

2. The upkeep is much more expensive, despite what you will get told in this forum, the numbers simply do not lie.

You can do nearly 3 oil change intervals on a gasser, for one OCI on a diesel. Then you have $30 fuel filters that need to be changed every 15-20K mi, inaddition to the $25 dollar air filter that follows the same schedule. And lets not forget that $10-15 oil filter either.

As far as longevity goes, the modular gas motors are cranking out some great numbers, 300K mi is not uncommon on a maintained motor, and some even have made it out to 500K mi.

Expect to pay a solid additional $5000 or more on a 7.3L F250 vs a F150 with similar miles and years...it's that simple.

A properly equipped F150 can tow right up to 8500 lbs (numbers off the top of my head) and a properly equipped F250 can run right up to 15K with a GN (again numbers off the top of my head).

A F150 will drive a lot like your Focus, navigate parking lots eaiser, and will not ride like a lumber wagon compared to a F250.

Not trying to sway you one way or the other, just trying to provide some facts.

If you are only towing 5000 lbs, not really any need for a F250.

If your not sure what to get, make sure that you test drive many vehicles, including those "other" makes.

Right now it's a buyers market on 1/2 ton trucks due to gas prices as they are (not true on the F250s and up as they always sell regardless of fuel price due to the types of buyers).

Just don't be shocked when you find out that it takes nearly 20 gallons of fuel in a truck vs 10 in your focus for the same distance.

If you want a diesel truck, then by all means get it! Afterall, we're not the ones writing the check.