Greetings, I am new to the forum and looking for advice on buying a 2000 F250 PSD 2wd work truck. It has 157000 miles on it and was used by RSC rental as their delivery truck for local equipment delieveries. Is 160k miles a lot for the 7.3? I am told that RSC maintains their vehicles very well and when I drove it yesterday there was nothing that jumped out at me as trouble areas. I am a college student and would primarily be using the truck for 600 mi trips to see family. I would not be using it to tow anything really heavy. I primarilly want a diesel becasue of the reliability and options to run biodiesel. Here is the link

http://mulberryauto.com/commercial.htm

Thanks for any advice you can give

 

Hello Tiracer, welcome to FTE. That truck looks like a good deal for what you are getting, if the engine and transmission have been maintained flawlessly. The main thing to look at with an engine with that many miles is the coolant. If it is close to you, go to your local auto parts store, and buy a coolant test strip kit. Take a sample of engine coolant after the engine has been run, from the bottom left corner of the radiator, from the petcock. If the coolant turns out OK, then chances are the rest of the engine is good. The cooling system is the most overlooked part of the truck during maintenance. 160,000 miles is not a "high mileage" truck, and some say that the engine is just now fully broken in. If the transmission has been serviced regularly every 30,000-50,000 miles, then i would say that is a good buy. Expect some great hiway mileage with that truck, being small, 2wd and a diesel. I would say 18-20mpg is not unheard of keeping the engine under 2,000 rpm (70mph). Good luck, see ya around.

 

Looks like a good buy. Don't be afraid of the miles, if it's cared for it will easily run to 300,000. You'll love the way it runs up there in the thin air at Fort Collins. 2000 was one of the best years for the 7.3 IMO.

 

thanks for the advice guys, keep 'em coming. I am going to be doing a little bit of driving in the snow with it and I am debating right now about this truck and a little 4x4 truck (ranger, frontier, tacoma, etc..). Like I said I am not going to be towing and it seems like the little truck would be a better buy for me but I really like the PSD and I think I am willing to give up 4x4 and some other luxuries for the 7.3. Still debating. Input?

 

unless you are REALLY into off road boonies in the mud or snow, 8 ea of 60 # sand bags right over the rear axle and a good set of CHAIN chains will get you anywhere you need to go. I've been known to put the chains on in the summer mud.

Ive NEVER been stuck in any 2wd, because I knew when to stop pushing the conditions. Have buried a 4wd up to the fenderwells.

check and smell the tranny fluid for magenta color and Starbucks coffee smell. can't hide the smell with a fresh fluid change. if it smells, the tranny has been abused.

just got 22.5 mpg in town & driving to work on the fwy, much better than my friends 4 wd chebby, and I'm way faster off the line.

your mileage may vary

 

Well i think it seems to be a good deal to me too 8000 is good and i agree those diesels if well taken care of and maintained can go a long time

 

Tiracer, stand by, I did a used PSD buyer FAQ thread on what to look for a while back and am having trouble finding it. I am lookin. If anybody finds it before me just post it. It was in the sticky that is gone.

 

Quite honestly if you're looking for a trip vehicle, get yourself a high MPG compact car to make those 600 mile visits. With the 7.3 F-250 wexpect no better than roughly 17-18mpg on the highway. Great space and comfort, but not the ideal long trip vehicle in terms of mileage biodiesel be darned.

Even though the diesels take mileage well, it's the other parts of the vehicle that you've got to take into account and where it's mostly been driven i.e. in the snow and salt (RUST).

 

Found it- https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...ck+Buying+tips

 

Thanks Kris, found it 2 minutes quicker than I did. Finally pulled my head out of my butt and realized I could find it easier since I started the thread myself. The other search netted the FTE world.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys! That link was extremely helpful. Should the transmission shift a little rough with the throttle wide open? I noticed a little jolt with the pedal to the floor from 1st to 2nd but after that it was smooth as butta'. The engine felt very sluggish when it was cold but once it warmed up it was much more responsive. Is that normal? I also noticed a little oil/lube on the rear axle not leaking, again normal? I know that it would be better to get a little honda civic that gets 45mpg to hop over the mountains to go home in but I have a lot of stuff and being a college student I move almost yearly and have two years left (6 year plan baby!) so the big bed would come in handy. Plus I do a lot of outdoor activities that a 2wd drive truck will get you there but a car won't and I love having a truck bed for the utility. Never should of driven the thing 'cause now I have to have a PSD! I have a fever, and the only cure is more Powerstroke power! Thanks again fellas

 

Well, I don't think any jolt when shifting into second gear is normal for a stock truck. The stocker is notoriously smooth or slushy as it slip slips away on shift. Also, it is not good practice to keep the pedal to the floor on these trucks when it is about to shift as it will wear them out prematurely. Go to the Trans-Go shift kit site and read on what wears these things out.

How cold was it there? A diesel will not perform optimally until warm. When it is cold it is a dog. The way it is. Live with it or get a gasser. It takes more time to get going.

Now the lube/oil on the rear axle. If it is not a leak, I would not worry about it. You will hear many here tell you to change all of your fluids if you buy the truck because you just don't know. I have not done this but mine was low mileage when I bought it, sort of. I still only have about 58k. You will definately want to at least check the fluids and with higher mileage, just go ahead and change them out.

Finally, whatever you decide, these diesels are not really any more complicated than any other vehicles to work on. You just need to educate yourself, have a little aptitude, tools, and this site. Good Luck.

 

After reading your buyers post I remembered my 2000 7.3 PSD auto with 93000 has some oily wetness in the engine valley and from the top down the back of the motor on to the tranny inspection pan . No dripping on the garage floor, I assumed it was valve cover gaskets. Its not really wet to the touch.