I finally have found something that is in the ballpark of what I want. But I would sure appreciate some opinions on the durability of the driveline, etc.

A contractor/friend of mine has just retired his 1996 F350 4x4 w/ Powerstroke diesel, 117,000 miles. I have crawled under the truck. The box is brand new (utility box just came off and the original box put back on), there are no oil leaks or cracked springs or problem rust spots. U-joints fairly new, brand new tires w/ allingment, some new steering rods and bushings, new front bakes, everything solid. He takes good care of his trucks. He says the diesel engine burns 2 qts of oil between the 5000 mile oil changes, which, he says, is normal for this diesel. The seat is a bit worn - that's the only visible problem.

The truck has been used for heavy work though. He pulled a skidster, building supplies, etc., all the time, usually on short trips.

Question: Is this truck strong enough to go for a long time yet given it has been maintaned well but worked hard? A big concern of mine is the potential for a future failure of the auto transmission.

Oh yeah, he also had the stock suspension upgraded to an even heavier suspension. So a VERY obvious problem is ride quality but I will just have to make my own call on that. I am considering getting a custom rear and front bumper that has iron or whatever welded inside for extra weight. He thinks that is a good idea as the truck rides much, much better with lots of weight. (Anyone tried that?)

 

as they say, it all depends. we have several at work that have gone over 200,000 and the guys run them hard. Sounds like this one had a pretty rough diet of overloaded short trips which isn't the ideal. She could use a few easy days but these are pretty good trucks so you could see an easy 50k-75k which could mean 1-2 years if your a high mileager or 4-5 if your not

 

Thanks, that sounds reasonable. I am starting to get excited, I have the truck at my house now, driving it around today. Seems to have a solid shift and solid feel on the road. One thing that bothers me is he says he has never changed the transmission fluid. Given that the transmission seems fine, I am not that worried. Of course, wish he would have done it though.

 

Well, I haven't closed the deal yet, but the truck is still at my house and I've driven it around today. I've been looking around for a few months now and feel this is the one. Its a 1996 F350 XLT, 4x4, 114,000 miles, standard cab, standard box. I figure for $12,000 its a better buy than the late models which are still very expensive.

I will need to replace the front bench seat - perhaps find a split bench seat. I assume this is available. Curious on ballpark cost and if you have a suggestions on where to find.

After further inspection, I've noticed two areas that are leaking some fluid. First, a little oil from the area on one side of the turbo intake/outake (not sure which one). Second, a little fluid coming from somewhere near the bottom of the auto transmission. Although this truck belongs to an older generation of trucks, I assume these things should be easy to fix, probably gaskets, right? Or is this normal?

Also, the significant other really wants me to put a topper on it and have the inside of the box sprayed with rubbery stuff, I guess that will be fine.

I will be seeing the guy tommorrow morning. I am planning to buy it at this point. :-)

 

Sounds like you found a nice truck. Seats are usually pretty easy to come by, if you are near any junk yards. Any bench seat from '92-96 should fit without modification and seem to run around $100-300, depending. You could also get captains seats with the center console out a Bronco of the same vintage, and just have to drill a couple of holes. My sister-in-law has a '94 F-150 with the 40/20/40 split bench seats with the console center and those are some of the most comfortable seats I've sat in (IMHO).

Good luck
Jayson

 

Thanks so much for the advice on the seat.

The tranmission issue still bothers me, haven't closed the deal. He is insisting that if I buy it, I should never change the tranmission fluid. It has never been changed but seems to work fine. This makes me grimmace. Help anyone?

I took the truck back to his house about an hour ago and said my final offer was 11,500 and he said no. But I will be seeing him again tommorrow. He wants 12,000.

 

After conversing with the guys on the board regarding transmissions, I decided to offer him less money and the didn't take. So back to square one. May have to wait until late fall.