Ok. I finally got my act together and I am going to take a 924 mile journey to get the truck that I want.

I found an 03 7.3 auto crew FX4 xlt with 69XXX miles on the clock. Truck looks clean in and out and shows no evidence of 5th or goosneck use.

I hope that everything works out. The trip is going to cost me about $600. The only thing that this doesnt have that I wanted is the reverse sensor aid. My 02 had that I and I liked it.

Carfax seems to check out and they told me 26k even for the truck. 95 for the paperwork. I am going to cut them a cashiers check for 26095. Which I think is fair.
Here are some pics.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

 

OH, if everything goes as planned, I'll probably do an 05 grill and headlights. Keep the bumper. I wouldnt mind getting a set of 05 18 inch wheels as well.

Mods planned are: HPX, regulated fuel system, gauges, MRBP cool dual and a Jody tune. I also want to make a decent sounding stereo using stock head unit.

 

Beautiful rig. Congratulations.

 

Thanks, but its not mine yet. Booked my flight and rented the car. Got a verbal over the phone. Getting pumped.

 

Wow let us know how it goes. That is indeed a beautiful rig!

 

That looks great, good luck!

 

You don't want those factory '05 18-inch wheels. They have the wrong offset.

Go aftermarket with the correct offset.

Good looking rig. Going the distance for the right truck is something you'll never regret, and the fun of driving it home is a kick! Bought mine in Dallas, I live in Los Angeles. Great shake-down run.

Pop

 

sweet looking ride!

 

awesome truck. if you don't plan on spending money on it, you better leave FTE. because we all know what happens to new powerstroke owners... .PMS... Powerstroke Mod Syndrome. i have it, and the only cure is emptywalletitis which i am suffering from, and some of the older members suffer from wifepissedatmeitis and creditcardmaxedoutitis.

 

This will be my second late 7.3. I wanted a crew the first time around, but didnt want to wait. Didnt want a 4x4, now I do. Bought my truck on monday. Towed race car to the track on thrusday after thrashing on the car constantly between there.

I do plan to do some mods. Gotta watch the itis's to make sure they dont ale me. I plan to take my time and do things a bit at a time. Since my daughter is so young, no racing for now, but I need to tinker with something. Wife may need to get a weekend job to support my habits and give me some time to wrench.

My only concern is that the tranny was well taken care of. Will have to do a complete flush as soon as I get home. For my peace of mind.

 

nothing like picking up the baby and going HOME. congrats!

 

Good luck! Been there done that. Seems like all the PSD's are in Texas! Enjoy!

 

Congrats! Bought mine in Memphis. I flew there, got a cab, handed over the check and drove back to NJ. I've been in love ever since. Good luck!

 

I am sad to say that I am writing this email from my second visit to the Milwaukee airport. That means that I am flying out without the truck. The truck wasnt right. The truck had a 3 position flip chip on it and an aftermarket intake with a K&N. We had talked about the truck and the dealer said that it didnt. When I got there they were changing the sway bar links. I drove the truck and there was some mild clunking in the front end when hitting expansion joints and when transitioning into a driveway. Truck drove straight and true, engine sounded sweet, etc. No oil underneath. Lot of nasty looking metal from the salt, but just surface rust on untreated surface. Compare that to my southern 02 where the frame rails were all black, and you can imagine that I noticed the difference.

More dings and chips than I would have liked. Lots of stone chips on the rear/front lower quarter panel. 7/16 holes drilled in the bed rail for a toolbox. Ding by the window in the drivers door and a gouge down to the metal on the side of the bed about 1 inch long. It had been covered with touch up paint. I got to see the truck up on a lift and really noticed the stone damage.

Had the front end felt right, I would have bought the truck. It would have been worth it. The ad says that it has a chip that I missed. I specifically talked to the manager and asked him for any evidence of modifications to which he responded no.

I looked around and they had plenty of nice looking trucks, but most were modded or had 5th/goosneck hitches.

Thought I had covered all bases, carfax, photos, talked with the dealership, but still wind up taking a 2000 mile round trip for absolutely nothing.

It is going to take me a while to recover from this blow.

I guess I could have sold my 02 for a lot more than I did. That truck had a few dings and 2 scratches. Maybe I dont feel so bad about those because I know that I caused them.

I wanted this truck so bad I could taste it.

The dealership is www.lenzauto.com in Fond Du Lac. They have a lot of reasonably priced trucks. I'll say that I feel the dealer didnt try to screw me, just that they didnt put in enough effort to properly verify my remote requests.

It the damn 6.0's werent such a joke, I'd have a truck by now.

Even the mechanic said that he wasnt real proud of the 6.0's. Which I am surprised that he volunteered. You can find 03, 04, 05 6.0 with next to nothing for miles. Its no wonder why.

Sorry for my ranting. You guys have been my education and my support. Thank you.

 

Oh man that totally blows. But hey, take your time. It's hard to find the right truck nowadays.